Vers. 8-11.-77ie new life in Ohrist the death-warrant to old sins. The apostle still employs the most powerful motives possible in his exhortations to personal holiness. His figures and illustrations vary (" Ye died; ye were raised with Christ; therefore put your sins to death." "Ye put off your old nature and put on a new nature; there- fore put away your old sins "). I. OLD SINS TO BE PUT AWAY. From the sins of the flesh Paul passes on to sins of the spirit and the tongue. There are two groups. 1. "Anger, wrath, malice." Dis- criminate between these. 'Op-yf, may be a right state of mind (Mark iii. 5; Eph. iv. 26), but is easily depraved into a criminal anger, or into BvµJs (wrath, passion), or ,c,uc!a. (malice which wishes or seeks to do injury). In fact, all our evil principles may be said to be good principles fallen and debased. Selfishness is fallen self-love; envy is depraved emulation; revenge is fallen resentment; sinful anger is righteous indigna- tion degraded and debased. The lawfulness of anger must be determined by it~ direction, its degree, and its motive. In the daily struggle against various forms of sinful anger, we may give the following hints. (1) When passion rises in the soul, let it not overflow through the lips. Suppress the mutiny within the citadel (Ps. xvii. 3; :xxxix.1; Jas. i. 19). (2) Let the battle be fought in sight of the cross and in memory of the provocations we have given to God (Eph. iv. 31, 32). (3) Rely on Christ's power to save now (Titus ii. 14). 2. "Railing," "shameful speaking," lying. Among tl1tl commonest forms of these fruits of an evil heart (Matt. xii. 34) we note: "llack- biting," reckless detraction, i.e. seeking to draw a person down from the reputation he enjoys. (It is not necessary or lawful to speak all we know against a persou, thou:~h many act as though they were at perfect liberty to utter it, if only it is true.) A ttri- buting wrong motives-a very common form of" shameful speaking," a gross breach of "charity" (1 Cor. xiii. 7), and an arrogant claim to a "discerniug of spirits," Exag- gerations; false advertisements; conventional falsehoods in business (Matt. v. 37; :.l Cor. i. 12, 17, 18; Eph. iv. 25). II. THE DEATH-WARRANT OF THESE OLD SINB. Covet not, rail not, lie not, etc., "seeing ye have put off," etc. Two truths are taught. 1. We profess to be enjoying a new life. So complete is the change it is described as a change of nature (" uld mau .. , new man"), a new creation (2 Cor. v. 17; Gal. vi. 15), a new birth, a new resur- rection. Of this new life we learn: (1) It is Divine in its origin (" him that created him"). (2) Progressive in its nature (" being renewed unto knowledge"), like a statue becoming more and more like the ideal of the sculptor; or a youth maturing into manhood; or a pupil growing into intimate acquaintance with his master's deepest thoughts (John xvii. 3; Rom. xii. 2; 2 Cor. iv. 16; Eph. iii. 16-19; Phil. iii. 9-14). (3) God-like in its character(" after the image," etc., Eph. iv. 24). A reneweu saint is more God-like than an nnfallen Adam (Rom. v. 21). The issue of this progressive growth "unto knowledge" and mature Christian character is seen in Eph. iv. 13--16. Everything connected with that new life is in deadly antagonism to every kind of sin, which must be" put away," like slothful habits by the scholar, or "weight" by tbo runner. Sin is like poison to the new life we profess to enjoy, depressiug vitality if it does not extinguish life altogether. 2. Jn this life Christ claims supremacy. (Ver. ll.) Dr. Lightfoot suggests that the distinctions here said to be abolished were selected witl.t special reference to the circumstances of the Colossian Church : to the J udaizing of some, to the Gnostic pride of others who despised the unlettered; nnd that bis relation at the time he wrote to the slave Onesimus led him to add "bondman, freeman." 'l'he unity of the race and the brotherhood of men a.re distinctly Christian doctrines. "The head of every man is Christ" (1 Cor. xi. 3). Our union and subordination to him constitute our equality with one another in the world of grace (Matt.. xxiii. 8--10). For all earthly distinctions sink into insignificance compared with his supremacy antl his presence in us all. (1) "Christ is all:" he is "all" to God (eh. i. 19; cf. ha. xiii 1; Mnt.t. iii 17), as the only begotten Son, the one atoning Sacrifice (" the La rn b of 198 THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. [err. m. 1-25.
God"), th? o_nly_ Mediator, the appointed Judge (John v. 22, 23; Acts xvii. 31). Con- trast the hm1tat10ns attached to Abraham, the fnend of God (Gen. xviii. 18-33), and Mose\ who was "faithful as a servant," but could not redeem his brethren (Exod. xxxii. 3~, 33 J, and "the fulness" of Christ (Heb. ix. 26; x. 10-14). Being "all" to God ho is all to us; the Centre and Circumference of truth; the Alpha and Omeo-a. of our life·, "the Author and Fini~her of our faith." He is a Saviour in whom" d,~clleth all th~ fulness," etc. ( eh. ii. 9), "in whom are bid," etc. ( eh. ii. 3), ,vho is "full of grace and truth," whose love "passetl1 knowledge," whose blood "clcanseth from all sin 1" and "who of God is made unto us," etc. (1 Cor. i. 30). (2) Christ is" in all "-in all of us· for he comes to save, to conquer, to reign, to share l1is very life with us ((fal. ii. 20)'. \Vhere he comes, sin must go; he can brook no rival; for "in all things he must have the pre-eminence." And he is in all things: "He fills all things" (Eph. i. 23; i<". 10). A sense of the all-pervading presence and power of Christ should (a) abase the Christian tempted to be proud of birth, purse, or brain; (b) give dimity to the 1owliest disciple in whom the Son of God dwells; (c) pledge us to ce~seless strife against every form of sin.-E. S. P.