The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 177

viii. 5). Sins of impurity are the sins of youth as the sin of covetousness is the sin of old age. III. ARGUMENTS TO ENCOURAGE UB TO THIS DCTY OP lllORTIPIOATION. u For which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience: in the which ye nlso walked aforetime, when ye lived iu these things." 1. J.'he consideration of the u-rath of God. (1) There is wrath in God against all sin. It is the displeasure of a personal ~o~, the mo~al Goyerno_r, aga!nst sin, an~ the movin_g cause of the punish- ment he rnfhcts. It 1s not 1dent1cal with the pun1shment, which is only the effect of it.. It is a first principle in natural theology (Rom. i. 32); it has its root in the moral excellence of God; and is inseparable from the attitude of God toward moral evil (Heb. iii. 11; Rom. ix. 22). (2) It is an enduring fact of God's moral government-" the \\Tath of God doth come." Nothing has occurred to break the connection between sin aud God's anger, except in the case of those whom Christ has" delivered from the wrath to come" (1 Tbess. i. 10). (3) It is directed against the sons of disobedience, who disregard alike the plinciples of Law and gospel. 2. .A consideration of the former state of tlie Colossians. "In the which ye also walked aforetime, when ye lived in these things." It is good to be reminded of our past sin, (1) because it recalls the misery and guilt of our former state and makes us shrink from the thought of a return to it; (2) because it humbles us under a sense of our personal unworthiness; (3) because it quickens our sense of God's mercy that drew us out of it.-T. C. Vers. 8, 9.-.A warning against social sins. The sins already noticed are personal; the sins now to be specified arise in connection with man's social relationships. "But now put ye also away all these: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth. Lie not one to another." These sins, again, divide themselves into two classes-three of each: (1) sins of inward feeling; (2) sins of outward expression. I. Sn:s OF INWARD FEELING. "Anger, wrath, malice." 1. .Anger and wrath. There is an anger that is righteous. "He angry and sin not" (Epb. iv. 26). Even our Lord was angry as he looked upon the Pharisees (Mark iii. 5). But the anger here condemned is sinful. It is a settled feeling of hatred as distinguished from wrath, which is more passionate and transient. (1) We are warned against both. "Cease from anger, leave off wrath, fret not thyseU to do evil" (Ps. xxxvii. 8). We are not to give place to them (Rom. :xii. 19). "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry" (Eccles, vii. 11). We ought to be" slow to wrath" (Jas. i. 19). We ought not" to let the sun go down upon it." (2) They lay the heart open to the devil (Eph. iv. 17). (3) They grieve the Spirit of God (Eph. iv. 30, 31). (4) They intercept praye1· (1 Tim. ii. 8). 2. Malice. This is the vicious habit of mind that delights in injury to others. (1) It is the sign of an unregenerate nature (Titus iii. 3; l John ii. 9). (2) It springs frulil pride and envy (Prov. xiii. 10). (3) It is entirely opposed to that love that 'worketh no ill to his neighbour" (Rom. xiii. 10). (4) It grieves the Holy Spirit (t:ph. iv. 30, 31). II. Snrn OF OUTWARD EXPRESSION. "Railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth. Lie not one to another." 1. Railing. '!'bis is "the strife of words." (1) It is speak. in"0 evil of men and sprin"s 0 from envy or malice. The tongue of the railer is compared to the stincr0 of adders to a sharp sword, to arrows. (2) It leads to reprisals; for" if ye l,ite and devour on~ another, take heed l~st ye be consumed one ~f another" (Gal. v. 15). (3) The Judge will condemn the railer (Jas. v. 9). (4) It lun<lers the success of the Word (1 Pet. ii. 1, 2). We ought, therefore, to "put far from us a froward mouth and perverne lips" (Prov. iv. 24). 2. Shameful speaking. '!'his applies to foul abuse, not to obscene language. ,vl,ile railing is the expre~sion of angry and mali- cious feeling, this is the expression of coarse conlemp~ and 1_usolcnce. 3. F_alseliood. This l,abit is to be put olJ; for: (1) It is that of thedev1l, wlio 1s the father of hes (John viii. 44 ). (2) God hates it (Prov. xii. 22). (3) It is a_~reacb of the social contract (~~1,h. iv. 25). (4) It shuts out from hl'aven (Rev. xx11. 15). Let us pray Goel tu 1cmove far from W! vauity and lies (Prov. iii. 8).-'l'. C. Vers. 9, 10.-Tlie ground nf these practical precepts. "Seeing th~t Y?U h~ve put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which 1s bemg re1,ewed unto knowledge after the image of bill' who created him." We ha.ve hcni OH, m. 1-25.] THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. 173