without it. Every thing emanating from it has " an odour of a sweet smell, and is a sacrifice truly acceptable and well- pleasing to God."
At the same time they openly and boldly confessed Christ before men : " They gave themselves to the Apostle and to the Church, by the will of God." They were not timid Christians, fearful of augmenting their afflictions by an open profession of the Gospel : they were willing to bear any cross which their adherence to Christ might bring upon them. They had already been brought into " a great trial of afflic- tion, and to deep poverty," for his sake : but none of these things moved them, nor did they " count even life itself dear to them," if only they might but honour their Divine Master, and finish their course with joy. This put an additional value on their services, as manifesting the very spirit that was in Christ, " who willingly impoverished himself to enrich a ruined worlds"]
Having so excellent an example before us, we will now,
II. Propose it to your imitation —
First, we would call you to imitate their piety —
[This, though last mentioned in the text, was first in point of time, and was, in fact, the source and fountain of all the graces which they exercised.
We call upon you then to "give yourselves up wholly to the Lord." This is the indispensable duty of every child of man. As creatures, we are bound to serve and glorify our God, from whom we have received all that we are and have ; but, as redeemed sinners, our obligation to serve him is in- finitely enhanced. The Apostle tells the Corinthians in his former epistle, " Ye are not your own ; ye are bought with a price :" so say I to every one amongst you, " Ye are not your own." Nothing, that you either are or have, is your own : the members of your bodies, the faculties of your souls, your time, your property, your influence, all belong to him, " whose you are, and whom you are bound to serve :" all are to be improved for his glory ; as St. Paul has said, " Ye are bought with a price ; therefore glorify him with your body and your spirit, which are his." And this is as reasonable as it is necessary ; agreeably to what he has elsewhere said, " Yield yourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."
But with this secret surrender of yourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ there must also be an open avoival of your adherence
'^ vcr. 9.