And that ye put on the new man
Which some understand of Jesus Christ, who is truly and really
man, and a new or extraordinary one, ( Jeremiah
31:22 ) and as such is God's creature, and is made after his
image, and which appears in his perfect holiness and
righteousness; and the phrase of putting on well agrees with him,
( Romans
13:14 ) ( Galatians
3:27 ) whose righteousness is a garment, pure and spotless,
and which is put on by the hand of faith: though rather by the
"new man" is meant, the new nature, the new principle, or work of
grace in the soul, elsewhere called a new creature; and it bears
this name in opposition to, and distinction from the old man, or
corruption of nature, before spoken of; and because it is "de
noro", or anew, put into the hearts of men; it is not what was in
them naturally; nor is it any old principle renewed, or wrought
up in another and better form; but it is something that is
infused, that was never there before: and because it is new in
all its parts; such who have it, have new hearts and new spirits
given unto them; they have new eyes to see with, and new ears to
hear with, and new hands to handle and work with, and new feet to
walk with; and they live a new life and conversation: so the Jews
says of a man that truly repents of sin, and does not return to
it, that he is (vdx xya) ,
"a new man" F4: now to put on this new man, is not
to make ourselves new creatures; for this is not by the power of
man, but by the Spirit of God; this is God's work, and not man's;
it is he who made us at first, remakes us, and not we ourselves;
besides, these Ephesians the apostle writes to, were already made
new men, or new creatures; but to put on the new man, is to walk
in our lives and conversations agreeably to the new man, or work
of grace upon the soul; as to put off the old man, respects the
former conversation, or a not walking as formerly, and agreeably
to the dictates of corrupt nature, so to put on the new man, is
to walk according to the principles of grace and holiness formed
in the soul: and of this new man it is further said,
which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness;
the principle of the soul is "created", and therefore is not the
effect of man's power, which cannot create; it is peculiar to God
only to create; it is a creature, and therefore not to be trusted
in, and depended on; for not grace, but the author of grace, is
the object of trust: it is created "after God"; by his power,
according to his mind and will, and after his image, and in his
likeness; which greatly consists "in righteousness and true
holiness"; called "true", in opposition to the typical and
ceremonial holiness of the Jews, and to the pretended holiness of
hypocrites; and denotes the truth and genuineness of the Spirit's
work of sanctification upon the heart; unless this should rather
be considered as the effect of his grace upon the soul; for so
the words may be rendered, "unto righteousness and true
holiness"; for the new man is of such a nature, and so formed, as
to tend to acts of righteousness and holiness, and to engage men
to the performance of them: some copies read, "in righteousness,
and holiness, and truth"; and so the Ethiopic version seems to
have read.