Rom. xii. 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, ivhich is your reasonable service.
THE end of all true religion is, to bring men to God. From him they have fallen, and to him must they be restored. Whatever instructions have not this object in view, are of small value. The Gospel itself would be an empty speculation, if it did not teach us to hope for some practical effects. There are some who would separate principle from practice: but not so the Apostle Paul : he expected not fruit indeed without a root ; nor hoped to raise an edifice, without laying a foundation : but, when his founda- tion was firmly laid, he deferred not to build upon it. In all the preceding part of this epistle he has shewn how sinners are to find acceptance with God ; and has proved the sovereignty of God in the disposal of his blessings. But, having finished his argument, he does not leave us there ; he goes on to shew the practical effects of his principles ; and urges us, from the consideration of all God's mercies, to devote ourselves unreservedly to his service.
That we may enter fully into the exhortation before us, we shall consider,
I. The duty to which we are exhorted —
There is in the words before us an evident allusion to the sacrifices that were offered under the law. The victims were brought to the door of the taber- nacle of the congregation, and were there slain ; and their bodies were disposed of according to the par- ticular directions given in the law, as suited to the occasions on which the offerings were made ; some being wholly burnt upon the altar, and others partly burnt, and partly eaten by those who ministered before the Lord. In reference to these, we are required to " present our bodies (which is here put
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