that HIS ways are not OUR ways, neither His thoughts OUR thoughts; but as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts.

To conclude in the words of the wise son of Sirach-He that revengeth, shall find vengeance from the Lord, and he will surely keep his sins in remembrance. Forgive thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done unto thee, so shall thy sins also be forgiven when thou prayest. One man beareth HATRED against another; and doth he seek PARDON of the Lord? He sheweth no mercy to a man which is like HIMSELF; and doth he ask forgiveness of his own sins?

Enable us, O Lord, by thy grace, to practise this excellent and difficult duty of our religion; and then forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; for thy mercy's sake, in Jesus Christ; to whom with thee, O Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, adoration and obedience, now and for ever.

SERMON XXVIII.

FROM YOUNG *.

ROMANS Xii. 1.

I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

THE word sacrifice, in its most simple sense, signifies no more than the offering of something unto God whence it follows, that wherever there is a religion, there must be a sacrifice; because there can be no religious worship without the offering of something to God. Now it was instituted under the law, that men should offer sacrifices of the increase of their cattle and of their ground: but such sacrifices as these could be no other than a very defective service. They came very short of the great ends of religion; very short of what was fit

* Edward Young, the father of the Poet, died at Sarum, of which he was Dean, in 1705, in the sixty third year of his age.

for a rational creature to give, and for an infinite Being to accept. And therefore our Apostle forms his description of the Christian sacrifice as it were in opposition to those sacrifices of the law; and argues that if we will make a worthy offering, holy and acceptable unto God, and such a one as may amount to the estimation of a reasonable service, we must offer something better than fruits and beasts; something more suitable to the majesty of God, and more expressive of our honour of him: and the only thing we have of this kind to offer, is ourselves.

For, though sacrifice be expressed in the text, by our bodies, yet that must be interpreted of our whole selves: for our bodies alone will not answer the duty; because they are but a part of us. And we may learn from the analogy of the legal institution, that whatsoever is offered to God must be entire. Thus, for example, when the Jew was to offer a lamb, but could not go to the expense of it, he might offer two turtles, or two pigeons: but half a lamb (though of greater price) would not have answered the purpose; because to divide the sacrifice had been to profane it.

Yet, after all, had the Jew divided his lamb, his sacrifice had only been defective; it had not been unclean: but in the offering of ourselves by parcel unto God, the part reserved will defile the part offered, and render the whole unclean. Thus the malice or pride of the soul will poison all the ser

vices of the body, in like manner as the filthiness of the flesh will unhallow all the offices of the soul. And thus it is in vain that the hand be liberal, if the eye be lustful; it is in vain that the appetite be temperate, if the hand be griping or unjust. Every ill that we allow, will canker and spoil every good that we do and no man can be clean to God, that is not clean throughout. It is evident, then, that our bodies (in the text) must be taken figuratively, to signify our whole selves. And indeed we may consider as a complete paraphrase of the text, what is said in the communion-office of our public Liturgy, " and here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls, and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto thee."

Let us now proceed to the manner in which this sacrifice is made; which the text informs us is by presenting ourselves unto God: that is, by dedicating and devoting ourselves to his service.

But as the matter of this our oblation consists of several parts (namely, of as many parts as we ourselves are composed of-understanding, will, passions, affections, senses, and members) and each of these requires a several conduct, I shall add a few words of particular direction to each of them.

First, then, we must dedicate our understanding to know Jesus Christ, and him crucified; that is, to learn the patience and love of Jesus: and, for a motive, let us consider, that without this, nothing else can possibly make us wise.

We must dedicate our wILL to that holy rule of resignation, not as I will, but as THOU wilt: and, for a motive, let us consider, that what God wills for us is always safe; but what we will for ourselves, we are never sure it will be safe for us to attain.

We must dedicate our PASSIONS (I mean our anger, fear, grief, and hatred) to the discipline and chastisement of sin and, for a motive, let us consider, that there is hardly any other business in the world, upon which these passions can wisely and innocently be employed,

We must dedicate our AFFECTIONS (I mean our love, hope, joy, and desire) to the pursuit of things ABOVE: and, for a motive, let us consider, that all things below at least debase our affections, if they do not defile them.

We must dedicate our SENSES to the gymnasium, or field of exercise (as the Apostle directs) to have them trained and brought under restraint: and, for a motive, let us consider, that if they are let loose, they will so impose upon our understanding (as the Apostle intimates in the same verse) that we shall not be able to discern betwixt good and evil.

Finally, we must dedicate our MEMBERS to be the instruments of righteousness unto holiness: and, for a motive, let us consider, how it is that these members ought to be employed, which are the members of Christ, as well as ours.

Thus is it, then, that our sacrifice is to be made ; In respect of which every man is a priest unto