the gift of his Holy Spirit to sanctify you, and to transform you into the Divine image ? Have you surrendered up your souls to God as living sacrifices, and accounted an entire dedication of yourselves to him your reasonable service ? If you have not done this, wherein have you differed from the Heathen ; except indeed, that you have sinned against greater light and knowledge than they, and therefore involved yourselves in deeper guilt and heavier condemnation ?]
2. Ill a determined prosecution of your own will — [The character given of the Gentiles is, that " they lived to the lusts of men, and not to the will of God^" And what have you done ? By what standard have you regulated your conduct ? and whose will have you consulted ? A decent Heathen regulates himself according to the standard which the society in wliich he lives has established. Whatever they approve, he follows : and whatever would degrade him in their estimation, he avoids. And has it not been thus with you also? In whatever line of life you move, have you not conformed to the habits of your associates, accounting every thing innocent which they deemed innocent ; and satisfied with yourselves, if you only satisfied them ? Amongst the particular habits of the Gentiles, the Apostle enumerates " lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idola- tries :" and do not these characterize the Christian world also ? If we are free from open idolatry, we are guilty of it in our hearts as much as the Heathen themselves : for whilst some " make a god of their belly," and others are addicted to " covetousness, which is idolatr}^," Ave all, in one way or other, " love and serve the creature more than the Creator, who is over all, blessed for ever." As to all the other evils, it will be well if we have not been gviilty even in the outward act : for *' lasciviousness and excess of wine" are not such uncommon evils amongst us ; but, granting that we have been free as it respects the act, have we abhorred the very thought of such evils, as we ought ? Have we not, on the contrary, found pleasure in " revellings and banquetings," and " such like," without ever thinking that " they who do such things cannot inherit the kingdom of God'' ?" Is it not a notorious fact, that this season of the year, which ought to be in a more especial manner consecrated to holy duties, is devoted to "revelling and banqueting ;" precisely as if the Lord Jesus Christ had come unto the world, not to deliver us from sin, but to give us a licence to sin" ? But, whether we have indulged in these
things * ver. 2.
'' Compare the words following the text with Gal. v. ip— 21, "^ It would be well if those who speak of a merry Christmas, would inquire what is ineaiii by "revellings, and such like."