urging you to use the means towards it, Accept aud improve these movements of the Spirit within you. (3) In this way, "put on the new man," and especially encourage and seek t-0 have developed these two features of the new creation-rio-hteousness and holiness. Righteousness, including int.egrity, honest., true, fair open°dealin"' • doing justly out and out, in every place and in every relation-in the house, the" ~arket, the counting-house, the shop, among neighbours, among strangers, everywhere and at nE times. Holiness of truth, including high reverence for God and all that is Divine s_.-;:npathy and congenisJity of he..'\I"t "ith Gvd, cleanness of nature, purity of soW: ,:c•ar:o~ty to the image of Christ, ~ho is the I_n_rnge of the invisible God. No professing umstian ca.n be ~empted from this rule of lite. Nor should any assume too readily that he is thoroughly conforming to it. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." Christianity in its practical relations, is very searching and thorouo-h. It ,iemands a high standard of life and practice. But no wonder, if Christ be the n:ad, the Sonrr,e of all ,ital power, and if there be a complete provision by which the needed rower may be communicated to all the members. Never let it be said to Christians, " What do ye more than others ? " Ver. 25-ch. v. 2.-Rags of the old man and robes of the new. The Christian Ephesians somewhat resembled Joshua the high priest, when standing before the angel of the Lord, and when Satan was standing at his right hand to resist him. Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and the angel spake to those that stood before him," Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee,and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." Raas uf the old man still hang about these Ephesians, disfiguring their persons and giviI~g them a very different appearance from that which befits the regenerated sons of God. The apostle is giving directions to take away each filthy rag and substitute for it the fair raiment of the new man. And he is doing this under a solemn sense of danger and responsibility, and with the feeling that two great spirits are also interested in the work and acti,ely concerned in it-the one, the spirit of evil, who is trying cunningly but earnestly to spoil the proces.s, and induce the Ephesians to cling to their own garmenu;; the other, the blessed Spirit of God, who in his in.finite love is seeking t-0 clothe the Corinthians in the garments of purity, to seal them unto the day of redemption, so that by the brightness of their appearance they shall be known to be God's in the day when he makes up his jewels. And what makes the whole matter so solemn and momentous is that, unless they are ever on their guard, the subjects of this process are ever liable to give place to the one spirit and to grieve the other; the awful danger lying in this, that the spirit to whom they are prone to yield is the spirit of evil, and the Spirit they are apt to grieve is the Holy Spirit of God. 1. The rags of the old man to be put off are lying, anger, stealing, coarse language, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil-speaking, and malice (see Exposition). 'l'hree reasons are given, more or less explicitly, why such things should be put away. (1) We are members ono of another (ver. 25), and ought to assist instead of injuring one another (var. 28). (2) We ought not to give place to the devil (ver. 27). (3) We ought not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. 2. The robes of the new man to be put o_n are tr~t~ful_ness, h~nest industry, edifying speech, kindness, tenderness of heart, forgiveness, rnutat1on of God, and the lovirig walk which becomes his followers. 'fhree reasons are given likewisa wby these robes should be put on. (1) God in ~rist forgave u_s (ver. 32). (2) Christ loved us. (3) Christ gave himself for us, an offenng and a sacri:fice to God of a sweet- rn1elling savonr. 'lllis ~ one o~ the most compre~ensive _a°;d ~ea.utiful su:nmaries vf tne C,'hristian life. It 1S the qwntessence of practical Chnstwnty. It furnishes an admirable rule for self-examination, and an admirable incentive to progress in the life of God. It is a passage, not only to be got by heart, but written on the heart. We may wdl Eay, as we read t~ese verses, "This i8 Ch_ristianity; this is the walk worthy of our vocation." If the writer of the hundred and nineteenth psalm had such boundless delight in the Law of God, though it had not to him the delightiul evangelical aroma. it has to 11s, what ought our feelings to be? Under all dispensations of the covenant. the Law is still the rule of our life, thongh salvation is of grace;· and the ·prayer tha~ continually becomes us is, "Incline my heart unto thy testimonies; quicken thou me, tl1at I may keep thy Law." Rags or robes; why should any hesitate between them? CH. IV, 1-32.] THE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE EPHESIANS. 150
To most men rags are most repulsive. To wear literal rags-to appear shabby, dirty, untidy, is very unpleasant. How much more, in the eyes of God -and the saints and ang~ls, to wear moral rags! Many a one clothed in purple and fine linen wears the filtlnest rags of the old man ; and some, on the other hand, in the plainest and coarsest attire, have put on the beautiful robes of righteousness, and shall be crowns of glory in the hands of the Lord and royal diadems in the hands of their God.