with a price," says the Apostle : from whence his inference is, " Therefore we must glorify God with our body and our spirit, which are hise." And in another place he expresses the same idea in terms still more accommodated to the language of our text ; "I beseech you," says he, " by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable sendee f."]
2. To serve him with the best of all that we have —
[The poorest among the Israelites, whose cow had enlarged his little stock, must immediately devote that little acquisition in sacrifice to God. If it were an horse or an ass that had pro- duced him a foal, he must redeem the foal with a lamb, or "break its neckg;" God having decreed, that his people shall derive no comfort or advantage from any thing, with which they are unable, or unwilling, to honour him.
Thus are we bound to " honour God with our substance, and with the first-fruits of all our increase." We must not stay till we have got in our harvest, and then spare to him a pittance out of our abundance ; but we must devote to him a portion of what he has already bestowed, and trust him to supply our re- maining wants. Strange will it be indeed, if, when " he has not spared his own Son, but delivered him up for us all," we can grudge him any thing that is in the power of our hands to do.]
Address —
1. Inquire into the nature and ends of God's ordi- nances—
[The rites of baptism and the Lord's supper are very little understood amongst us : whereas, if we would inquire into the reason of these institutions, we should find them lead us imme- diately to the great work of redemption : in the former of them we are dedicated to Him who has redeemed us from the bondage of corruption ; and in the latter, we renew to him, as it were, our baptismal vows, and derive strength from him for the per- formance of them. In the common ordinances of divine worship we should see the care which God has taken to make known to us the way of salvation, and to display to us the exceeding riches of his grace in Christ Jesus. If we duly considered God's de- sign in appointing an order of men to minister in his sanctuary, we should not complain that we heard so much of Christ ; but rather, we should go up to his house hungering and thirsting after him, as the bread of life and the water of life.
2. Devote yourselves to the service of your God —
[The names of the first-born, and of them only, " are written in heaven h." If therefore we would partake of the
e 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. f Rom. xii. 1. s ver. 13. h Xote c.
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heavenly inheritance, we must regard ourselves as "an holy nation, and a peculiar people." What the Levites were exter- nally, that must we be in the inward devotion of our souls. We are not loaded, like them, with the observance of many bur- thensome ceremonies ; but the sacrifices of prayer and praise we ought to offer unto God continually ; and, in this respect, we are to emulate, as it were, the saints in heaven, who rest not day and night in ascribing glory " to Him who loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood." We should distinctly consider ourselves as " his purchased posses- sion," and account it our highest happiness and honour to be in every thing at his disposal '.]
3. Endeavour to instruct others in the great work
of redemption —
[On all the different occasions it was appointed, that chil- dren should make inquiries into the reasons of the various insti- tutions which they saw k ; and that such explanations should be given them, as should tend to perpetuate divine knowledge to the remotest generations. Such inquiries we should encou- rage amongst our children : and we should cheerfully embrace every opportunity that is afforded us, of instructing them in the things belonging to their eternal peace. If such catechetical instructions were given in our different families, to how much greater advantage would the word of life be dispensed ! Our hearers then, being habituated to the consideration of divine truths, would enter more easily into the various subjects that are set before them. They would attend both with pleasure and profit, more especially when they were arrived at years of discretion ; whereas now, the greater part of our auditories hear as if they heard not, and continue years under the ministry of the Gospel without ever understanding its fundamental truths. Let this attention then be paid by all parents and masters to their respective families; yea, let the ignorant in general, whether children or adults, be the objects of our affectionate regard : and let us all, in our respective spheres, contribute, as we are able, to impart the knowledge of Christ to others, that they also may behold the salvation of God.]