and salvation of men is, that these results are to be attributed, not to human merit nor to human efforts, but to the mercy of God, he brings the whole discussion to bear as a motive for devotion to God. Whatever grati- tude the soul feels for pardon, purity, and the sure prospect of eternal life, is called forth to secure its consecration to that God who is the author of all these mercies.
That ye present your bodies a living sacrifice^ holy^ acceptable unto God. All the expressions of this clause seem to have an obvious reference to the services of the Old Testament economy. Under that dispensation, animals free from blemish were presented and devoted to God ; under the new dispensation a nobler and more spiritual service is to be rendered ; not the oblation of animals, but the consecration of ourselves. The ex- pression your bodies is perhaps nearly equivalent to yourselves ; yet Paul probably used it with design, not only because it is appropriate to the figure, but because he wished to render the idea prominent that the whole man, body as well as soul, is to be devoted to the service of God. " Ye are bought with a price ; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirits which are God's," 1 Cor. 6 : 20. The apostle carries the figure out; the sacrifice is to be living, holy, and acceptable. The first of these epithets is generally considered as intended to express the contrast between the sacrifice here intended, and the victims which were placed lifeless upon the altar; thus believers, in 1 Pet. 2 : 5, are called " living stones" in opposition to the senseless materials employed in a literal building. The word living, however, may mean perpetual, last- ing, never neglected; as in the phrases "living bread," John 6: 51, * bread which never loses its power;' " living hope," 1 Pet. 1 : 3, 'hope which never fails ;' " living waters,' " a living way," &c. The sacrifice then which we are to make is not a transient service like the oblation of a victim which was in a few moments consumed upon the altar, but it is ( a living or perpetual sacrifice never to be neglected or recalled. The epithet holy has probably direct reference to the frequent use of a nearly corresponding word in the Hebrew scriptures, which, when applied to sacrifices, is commonly rendered without blemish. The word holy is then In this case equivalent to immaculate, i. e. free from those defects which would cause an offering to be rejected. Thq^term acceptable is here used in the same sense as the phrase " for a sweet smelling savour," Eph. 5 : 2. Phil. 4 : 18. Lev. 1 : 9, i. e. grateful, well-pleasing ; a sacrifice in which God delights.
Your reasonable service. There is doubt as to the grammatical con- struction of this clause. The most natural and simple explanation is to consider it in apposition with the preceding member of the sentence, as has been done by our translators, who supply the words which is. This consecration of ourselves to God, which the apostle requires, is a reason- able service. The word rendered reasonable is variously explained. The simplest interpretation is that which takes the word in its natural sense, viz. pertaining to the mind ; it is a mental or spiritual service in opposi-