1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. What ? know ye not that ye are not
your own ? for ye are bought zvith a price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
THE word of God reveals to us many things which unenhghtened reason could never have discovered. This is particularly manifest with respect to the offices of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. These were " mys- teries hid in God from the foundation of the world ;" but they are supposed to be well known to every true Christian ; indeed they form the basis of the Chris- tian's hope ; and they at the same time afford him his strongest motives to obedience. St. Paul was dis- suading the Corinthians from the sin of fornication : he reminded them therefore of the principles which they professed. We wave what he says respecting the Spirit dwelhng in them, and shall confine our- selves to the words of our text.
We shall consider, I. The principle which the Apostle assumes —
All men naturally think they are " their own" — [Men employ their time and faculties nearly as they please ^ They think themselves at liberty so to do^ Hence the language of their hearts is declared by the Psalmist"^ — Their conduct, if not their speech, resembles that of Pharaoh ^ — ]
But no man is or can be his own —
[Men may be free from any human yoke; but no man is or can be independent of God. This is a principle even of natural religion.]
This every Christian is supposed to know —
[The manner in which the Apostle assumes this principle is remarkable. His question is a direct appeal to our con- sciences; he takes it for granted that no one can be ignorant of that truth ; he expresses surprise that such a truth should be forgotten.]
Indeed this principle cannot admit a doubt. This appears from considering, II. The argument he urges in support of it —
God, as our Creator, has an unalienable right over us —
[We possess not a faculty of body or mind but from him^. We cannot exercise one faculty but by virtue derived from him^. We therefore can be no other than his property.]
But he has also redeemed us —
[We were in bondage to the curse of the law^, but God has redeemed us from this miserable state ^. He paid no less a price for us than the blood of his own Son*.]
By this he has acquired a further right over us — [The great end of redemption was " that we might live unto God." The Scriptures speak of redemption in this light''. Thus our obligation to devote ourselves unreservedly to God is greatly increased and confirmed by it. If God com- plain of us for requiting with neglect his paternal care', how much more may he, for our contempt of redeeming love !]
The principle being thus estabhshed, we proceed to consider,
^ Isai. liii. 6. '' Jer. xxiii. 17. " Ps. xii. 4.
1 Exod. v. 2. e 1 Cor. iv. 7- ^ 2 Cor. iii. 5.
s Gal. iii. 10. ^ Qal. iii. 13. * 1 Pet. i. 18, 19.
k 1 Pet. iii. 18. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. John xvii. 19. 1 Isai. i. 2, 3.