2. There is a dedication of ourselves to God, to serve, please, honour, and glorify him.
[l.J The manner of dedicating ourselves to God is to be considered. It is usually dune with grief, shame, and indignation at ourselves, that God hath been so long kept out of his right, with a full purpose to re- store it to him with advantage : 1 Pet. iv. 3, ' The time past may suf- fice to have wrought the Avill of the flesh, and of man ;' it is high time to give up ourselves to the will of God ; we have been long enough, too long, dishonouring God, destroying our souls, pleasing the flesh, living according to the flesh and the course of the world ; tlierefore they de- sire to make restitution : Rom. vi. 19, ' For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity ; even so now yield your members servants to lighteousness unto holi- ness.' Their forei)ast neglects of God and duty to him fill their hearts Avilh shame, therefore they resolve to double their diligence, and to be as eminent in holiness as before they weie in vanity and sin.
[2.] It is with a deep sense of the Lord's love in Christ ; for we give up ourselves to God, not as a sin-oll'eiing, but as a thank-offering : liom. xii. 1, 'I beseech you by the mercies of the Lord*' and 2 Cor. V. 14, 'For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, tlien were all dead ; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them, and rose again.' They are ravished with an admiration of God's goodness in Christ, and so give up themselves to him.
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[3.] They do entirely give up themselves to God, not to be his in a few things, but in all, to serve him with all their faculties : ' You are not your own, but are bought with a price ; therefore glorify God both with your bodies and souls, which are Gotl's/ 1 Cor. vi. 20; and to serve him in all conditions : Kom, xiv. 8, ' Whetiier we live, we live unto God, or whether we die, we die unto God ; for living or dying we are the Lord's.' They are willing to be used for his glory, not only as active instruments ; but as passive objects, they give up them- selves to obey his governing will, and to submit to his disposing will, to be what he would have them to be, as well as to do what he would have them to do : Phil. i. 20, ' According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.' Thus with all their faculties, in every condition. of life, are they to be devoted to God in all actions. It is said, Zech. xiv. 20, 21, that 'holiness to the Lord shall be written,' not only ' upon the bowels of the altar and the pots of the Lord's house,' but also ' upon all the pots of Jerusalem ;' not only upon the vessels of the temple, but upon common utensils ; that is, translate it into a gos- pel phrase, that not only in our sacred, but even in our common and civil actions, &c., we should live as a people that are offered up to God.
[4.] The end why we give up ourselves to God is to serve, please, and glorify him : Acts xxvii. 23, ' His I am, and him I serve ; ' to please him by the obedience of his will : Eom. xii. 1, 2, ' Ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not confoi-med to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God ; ' Col. i. 10, ' That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.' And also to glorify him is their end and use. Phil. i. 21, 1 Cor. x. 31. This is the dedication by which a Christian becomes a spiritual and a holy sacrifice unto God. Now we must be sincere and real in this, partly —
(1.) Because the truth of our dedication will be known by our use : many give up themselves to God, but in the use of themselves there is no such matter ; they carry it as though their tongues were their own, and had no Lord over them, Ps. xii. 4. They speak what they please ; they use their hearts as their own, to think and covet what they please ; their hands as their own, to do what they please ; their bodies as their own, to prostitute them to all excess and filthiness ; and their wealth and strength and time as their own, either to spare it, or lavish it according as their lusts guide and incline them. No, no ; a sincere Christian makes conscience of his dedication to God, the reality and sincerity of it is seen in the use of themselves, and if he be tempted to do anything contrary to this vow and dedication, his heart riseth against the temi^tafion : 1 Cor. vi. 15, ' Shall I take the mem- bers of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot ? God forbid.' In point of fidelity to God, as we are in covenant with him, we must be careful that we employ and use what is God's for the glory of God ; we must make conscience of alienating that that is sacred,