This universality gives to Christianity its grand ideal character. It teaches that, morally considered, sin is the condition of _all men_; that condemnation is the result of sin to _all men_; and that the love of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son, and the regenerating and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit have direct bearings on the spiritual wants of _all men_. Christianity meets an absolute ruin by an absolute restoration; so that, as there is nothing in man and in his relations to the universe which sin has not defiled and degraded, so there is nothing in man and in his relations to the universe which Christianity is not designed and destined to uplift and to purify. This element of universality comes out very strikingly in the chapter before us. The apostle is describing the spiritual life. In its essence, it is an abandonment of the "old"--"putting off the old man," as a dress thrown completely aside; and an adoption of the new--"putting on the new man"--the prodigal's rags exchanged for the best robe. In its range, it is universal--_within_, setting the affections on heavenly things; _without_, renouncing the deeds of the life of sin, and manifesting the virtues of the life of holiness. It is universal also in its application--involving personal purity, and giving its own tone and spirit to all the relationships, to all the worship, and to all the work, of life. The whole is summed up in the remarkable words of the text: "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do _all_ in the name of the Lord Jesus." We are the subjects of a Providence and a Grace inclusive of every moment and every incident. God, on His part, demands of us a consecration that shall leave nothing (however unimportant, relatively considered) unhallowed--not a single affection, no domestic or social relationship, nothing in speech, nothing in conduct. It is the same truth that the same apostle elsewhere expresses: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." I want to offer to your attention at this time a single application of this principle--its application to the common, secular work of life.