master, whose wages is death! To be choosing a path, whose end is destruction! To be incurring endless, hopeless misery, remorse and shame, for the sake of a momentary indulgence! Surely, my brethren, such a service is most unreasonable. But remember then, that exactly in proportion to the folly of sin is the wisdom of holiness: that exactly in proportion to the unreasonableness of serving the devil, the world, and the flesh, is the reasonableness of "presenting yourselves a living sacrifice holy unto God."

But it is not only on the reasonableness of the duty that the apostle enforces his exhortation in the text. The surrender of yourselves to God will be a "sacrifice acceptable unto him." To attempt to offer any atonement for sin would be highly offensive to God. Such a sacrifice he would reject with abhorrence: because it would virtually imply a denial of the merits and sufficiency of that one sacrifice, which he himself has provided for sin. Christ has for ever taken away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Having by his sufferings and death reconciled and glorified the divine perfections, he has made by that one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. Here then lies the sinner's only way to pardon and favour; while every pretension to the divine acceptance on the ground of any thing, which he himself can do, or can offer, is abomination in the sight of God. But though you are precluded from making all atonement, is there no offering, which God will favourably receive at your hands? Yes: when in humble dependence on the sacrifice of Christ alone for the remission of your sins, you testify your faith and love, and pious zeal, by a voluntary, and an unreserved surrender of your soul and body to the divine glory; this is a sacrifice acceptable to God: a sacrifice, with which, though you are unworthy to offer any sacrifice, he will be well pleased. This is a service, which, notwithstanding your manifold imperfections in the discharge of it, he will favourably accept. Nay, while the very inclination, which prompts you to the discharge of this service, is the work of his sovereign grace, he will liberally recompense you, as if that inclination were entirely your own. My brethren, how power

fully does this motive enforce the duty in question! When we reflect on the infinite majesty of God, and on our own utter vileness in his sight; when we reflect on that measure of defilement and impurity, which cleaves to our best actions; well might we be discouraged at the thoughts of offering to him our services; well might we be filled with apprehensions, whether he would admit of any services from sinners, so evil and polluted as ourselves. But, blessed be his goodness, all doubt is now removed. Through Jesus, he will accept our persons and our services; he will overlook our infirmities, and count the will for the deed. Does not this view of his wonderful condescension encourage, does it not constrain you to yield yourselves to him? Are you not sensibly affected with the honour, the dignity of being devoted to such a Master? Is he so forward to receive your worthless services? Can you be slow at tendering them? Is he graciously saying to you, "Take my yoke upon you?" Can you be proudly saying in reply, We will not take it?' Surely you never can be guilty of so great folly and wickedness. Surely, filled with honest indignation at the recollection of a privilege so long neglected, you are ready to exclaim, "O Lord, our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.' "Henceforth were nounce all other masters, and thee, thee only, will we serve.'

May these impressions be still further strengthened by the additional motive which remains to be considered! Observe the manner in which St. Paul introduces this exhortation. "I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God." What mercies does the apostle mean? Those mercies, which it had been his object, throughout the former part of his epistle, to illustrate and extol, the mercies of redemption: those mercies, in which God has so richly "abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence." "By these mercies I beseech you, brethren, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy unto God. To feel the full force of this constraining motive we must reflect on our guilt and misery as sinners, and on the wonderful grace displayed in our redemption; we must reflect on the dreadful and degraded state to which sin * Ephes. i. 8.

has reduced us, and on the unspeakable love of Christ in dying for our souls. Contemplate this amazing mystery; the eternal Son of the Most High, veiling his glory beneath a human form, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, and humbling himself unto death, even the death of the cross. Consider the cause of this his astonishing humiliation: the object for which he submitted to this vast indignity-that he might make satisfaction to the divine justice for our iniquities, and deliver us wretched, worthless sinners from the bitter pains of eternal death. Yes: for us men, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, that he might give his life a ransom for our souls.

66

Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty, might be made rich:" that, through the merits of his voluntary sufferings, we, who deserved nothing but wrath and punishment, might be restored to the favour of God, and might receive the promise of an eternal inheritance. But, O what manner of love is this! What return does this rich, this free, this sovereign grace require at our hands! Are we not constrained to devote our souls to him who has redeemed them by his own blood from death and misery everlasting? "We are not our own, we are bought with a price." The surrender of all our poor and worthless services is a sacrifice justly due to him, who gave himself a sacrifice for us. Does God so commend his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us? Where sin hath abounded, does grace so much more abound? By nature and by practice enemies of God, are we brought nigh by the blood of Jesus? Is pardon, present, full, everlasting pardon, freely offered to us for all our sins? And can we hear these glorious truths without emotion? Is there a spark of gratitude, a spark of generous feeling in our bosoms? Surely it must kindle into a flame of love, and inspire us with a holy resolution of "no longer living unto ourselves, but unto him, who died for us, and rose again."

Anxiously would I hope, my brethren, that such, at this moment, is the resolution of your minds. Anxiously would I hope, that whatever your sentiments on this subject may hitherto have been, you now perceive and feel, that the solemn dedication of yourselves to God, to live

to his glory, to be employed in his service, to be resigned to his will, is a duty which, as men and as christians, you are bound by the most imperious obligations to discharge. O then, by the mercies of God, by the love of Christ, by the value of your immortal souls, let me beseech you, that you permit not these favourable impressions to be effaced: that you neglect not, that you defer not, the performance of a duty, so forcibly recommended, so strongly urged. Suffer not your ardour to abate, till you have rendered unto the Lord this reasonable, this acceptable service; till, presenting unto him your souls and bodies to be a lively sacrifice, holy unto God, you have "joined yourselves unto him in a perpetual covenant, that shall not be forgotten." Be not discouraged because you feel unworthy to approach him, and to offer unto him any sacrifice. Such a feeling of your own unworthiness is the best preparation for coming into his presence, the surest earnest of a favourable acceptance at his hands. If he has disposed your heart in faith and love to render to him this tribute of praise and service, he will not reject the offering because of its little value, or of your imperfection in presenting it. He will not weigh your merits, but will pardon your offences. He will graciously receive your mite, because it is your all; and for the sake of the motives, which dictate the surrender, will overlook the intrinsic worthlessness of the gift.

SERMON XVI.

ANGELS REJOICING OVER THE PENITENT SINNER.

Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.—Luke xv. 10.

THROUGHOUT the scriptures the strongest encouragements are given to the returning sinner. The most gracious calls, invitations, and promises, are employed to dispel his fears, and to inspire him with confidence.

In

illustration of this remark, we may appeal to the chapter from which the text is taken. In three successive parables, differing in some minute particulars, but agreeing in the general scope, our blessed Lord proclaims the grace and mercy of the gospel, and the readiness of God to receive and pardon the penitent offender. In the text, which is the conclusion of one of these interesting parables, the conversion of a sinner is represented as furnishing renewed matter for joy to the angels, who surround the throne of God. "What woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light the candle and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost." To which our Lord adds, as an application explanatory of his meaning. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

66

This representation is calculated to impress us with lively convictions of the efficacy and the importance of repentance. Do those holy spirits, who excel in strength, who dwell in the presence of the Almighty, and do his will, do they " rejoice over one sinner that repenteth ?" What a blessed, what a glorious work is repentance! How beneficial to the sinner! How pleasing to God! May the Lord be with us by his spirit, while I endeavour to set before you,

I. A description of the sinner that repenteth.

II. The grounds of that joy, which the angels feel over a person of this description.

I. In describing the sinner that repenteth, I would begin with observing, that repentance, in the language of Scripture, implies a real change of heart, a conversion of the soul from sin to God. This inward change indeed will be productive of a corresponding reformation in the life and the amendment of the outward conduct will bear testimony to the amelioration which has taken place within. It may however sometimes happen, that this renewal of the heart occurs in persons, whose naturally pleasing dispositions, amiable manners, exemplary discharge of relative and social offices, and apparent attention to religious duties, have been previously such,