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.... Rom. xii. 1.

JUST before our dear Saviour left his apostles, he gave them this commission, "Preach the gospel;" glad tidings of the everlasting love and mercy of God, in Christ, to poor sinners. By this truth, through the power of the Spirit, souls are brought to repentance, faith, and salvation; and by the sweet force and constraining influence of the same truth, believers are to be exhorted, animated, and stirred up to glorify God in their souls and bodies which are his. This was the apostles' practice. With what affection and love do they address the members of Jesus! The sound of wrath and terror, the thunderings of hell and damnation are not used to soldiers in the camp of Jesus. No; they are exhorted by love and mercy. So we delight to hear: and from these most powerful motives we cheerfully obey. We present our bodies a living sacrifice upon that altar which consecrates the gift, even Jesus. We are holy in him, accep table unto God through him. We own it "our reasonable service;" we are not our own. We acknowledge it our bounden duty. Christ hath bought us with the price of his own blood. Lord, give power to obey, and command what thou wilt. Consider, O christian, while thy poor soul was dead in trespasses and sins, thy body was a wretched slave to the drudgery of satan and thy vile lusts. Now a better master demands its service. It is of God's mercies in Christ thy soul is quickened, and by the same mercies thou art required to yield thy body as a living sacrifice. It is now the temple of the Holy Ghost, therefore to be consecrated to holy purposes.

Was David so struck with the distinguishing favor of being a king, as to dance joyfully before the ark ?....2 Sam. vi. 14. O, consider our eternal mercies in Christ, being kings and priests unto God! Meditate daily, hourly on this. How should it affect our hearts with love, raise our spirits in triumph, inflame our affections with zeal for God's glory! Our spiritual mercies are not common to all. Carnal men are ignorant of, and despise them. O study then to approve yourselves as the peculiar, highly ditinguished favorites of heaven. As the elect of God, be clothed with humility: yet, as kings' sons, live upon heavenly food; and act as those who dare not demean themselves by a practice below their royal dignity. "He that saith he abideth in Christ, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."....1 John ii. 6.

The tender mercies of thy God

Daily recount my soul,

O live and spread his praise abroad,
While love thy pow'rs controul.

Thy soul and body offer up

A living sacrifice,
Holy to God thro' Jesu's loye:
Let nothing less suffice.*

M,

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled....Matt. v. 6..

To thirst after happiness is natural. To seek it from wrong objects is natural. To desire to escape a hell of misery, and enjoy a place of happiness, is equally natural. If this may be called salvation, all men wish to be saved. The most wicked may wish to “die the death of the righteous, and that their last end may be like his.” This every man is capable of as a rational, intelligent being. And many are striving to make themselves righteous in order to be saved. But to desire salvation in God's way, to hunger and thirst after Christ and his righteousness, is peculiar to the quickened only. The dead hunger not. Spiritual appetites spring from spiritual life. A natural man can as soon seek to fill his belly with the east wind, or allay his thirst with the sun-beams, as do this.

To know ourselves to be miserable sinners, destitute of righteousness, to believe Christ has obtained it for us, and to hunger and thirst after it, this lies at the foundation of true godliness; this enters into the very essence of our religion. Such self-emptied, hungry, and thirsty souls are blessed: for they shall be filled; filled with all the blessings of Jesus' everlasting righteousness; acceptance with God, pardon of sins, and peace from God; filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ; with all the graces of God's Spirit on earth, and with all the fulness of God in glory. "This is the heritage of my servants, and their righteousness is of me," saith precious Jesus....Isa. liv. 17. "The skies pour down righteousness, the faithful open their hearts and receive it."....Isa. xlv. 8. Ó, what delightful fellowship and intercourse subsist between heaven. and earth; hungry souls and righteous Jesus! Says Bishop Hall, if Jesus had not said, "Blessed are those who hunger," I know not what could keep weak christians from despair. Many times, all f can do is to find and complain I want Jesus; I wish to enjoy him. Naw this is my stay, he in mercy esteems us, not by having, but desiring also. There never was a soul miscarried with longing after grace. O blessed hunger that always ends in fulness! I am sorry I can but hunger, yet would not be full; for the blessing is promised to the hungry. As verily as the righteous man, Jesus, wrought out righteousness for sinful man, all thirsty souls who come to him shall be filled with righteousness. For he "fills the hungry with good things," while "he sends the rich (the self-righteous) empty away."....Luke i. 53.

Our new-born souls do ever crave
For righteousness we've lost;
That we in Jesus may be found,
And by him be made just.

Lord, fill our hungry, thirsty souls,
With satisfying food;
Blest in thy merits may we be,
And pardon'd by thy blood.

M.

There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus....Rom. viii. 1.

Mr. BURKITT observes, 'this chapter is a summary of evangelical duty, and a magazine of christian comfort: it begins with no condemnation to believers, and ends with no separation from the love of God.' It is natural to conceive, if we had never sinned there would be no condemnation against us; but, that now we are sinners, and naturally under the condemning sentence of God's holy law; that yet there is now no condemnation to us; this our carnal reason cannot conceive, and therefore opposes it. But it is God's truth and the joy of faith. This unfolds the great mystery, that we are one with Christ: viewed, beloved, and chosen in him. This gloriously displays the attributes of Jehovah's justice and holiness; while a full and ample discharge from all condemnation is obtained from his righteous law, to all Christ's members. Therefore, that blessed name Jesus is above every name to us. In this, and every other matter of salvation, to him every believer's knee will bow, and his heart confess, Christ is all in all. Rich privilege to be in Christ Jesus! Unspeakable happiness to be freed from all condemnation! Blessed effects of covenant-union with Christ! Joyful experience of the grace of faith in him! To have such a knowledge, and pass such a judgment upon thy soul, O christian, is just and right. It is thy duty and privilege at all times. Practice it.

As to Jesus, how readest thou? "The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all."....Isa. liii. 6. "Christ bore our sins in his own body on the tree.".... Pet. ii. 24. "Christ suffered, the just for the unjust."....1 Pet. iii. 18. "We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. He was made sin for us, who knew no sin." Can we read all this without singing a triumphant challenge, "Who then shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? God that justifieth? No: Who is he that condemneth? Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us?"....Rom. viii. 33, 34. Here is the glorious triumph of faith. Thou art "carnal, sold under sin."....Rom. vii. 14. In thy flesh dwelleth no good thing; though thou hast no reason for confidence in the flesh, yet always abundant cause to rejoice in Christ Jesus: for in him thou art perfectly righteous; in him for ever freed from all condemnation. O believer, thou art called ever to rejoice in this liberty, and to evidence it by walking, "not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Strange mystery of wond'rous grace!
I'm full of sin, yet not condemn'd!
I stand in Jesu's righteousness;

By him from ev'ry sin redeem'd.

O, may the precious faith of this,

Daily enliven all my pow'rs,
To run the road to heav'nly bliss,

In Christ rejoicing all my hours. M.

will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me....Jer. xxxii. 40.

I WILL and they. SHALL. Such is God's gracious way of saving his people: while proud legal hearts and self-righteous spirits, puft up with notions of free-will, are ever contending for terms and conditions to be performed by dead sinners in order to be saved; or by creatures, insufficient of themselves to think a good thought, to secure and make effectual salvation to their own souls. But this fear of God is a blessing of the covenant of grace. Naturally the fear of God is not in our hearts. It is one black mark of an unregenerate person, "he has no fear of God before his eyes." How awful! how deplo rable is this! Yet, naturally we fear not the power of the Lord, nor dread his wrath: nor are we at all sensible of our danger. What wonder of love! What matter of thankfulness, that the Lord hath put his fear in thy heart, O christian! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is perfectly consistent with the strongest faith, the most inflamed love, and the highest spiritual joy. Though by faith in Jesus we are delivered from a servile, slavish fear of God, which fills us with legal terrors; yet we are possessed of a filial, loving fear towards him, as to a tender and affectionate father.

This fear shall dwell in the hearts of saints all their days. This fear keeps souls from sinning against the God of love. The blessed effect of it is, "that they shall NEVER depart from me," saith the Lord. Thy soul, believer, being rooted and grounded in the truth as it is in Jesus, by the holy Spirit, expecting life and salvation, through faith in him, shall NEVER DEPART from this good old way of the Lord, into bye-paths of human errors and destructive ways of total apostacy and final unbelief. The Lord's fear shall preserve thee in thy Lord's truth. Though thine enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil, should surprise thee into sin against thy Lord; should draw thee from sweet communion with him; yet shalt thou fear to "lie down in thy shame, while confusion covers thee." Thou shalt remember, Jesus ever lives to save to the uttermost all sinners who come unto God by him. Thou shalt fear to seek to any other object but him; so shalt thou return by faith and repentance to him. "Happy is the man that feareth always."....Prov. xxviii. 14.

Salvation is for ever nigh

The souls that fear and trust the Lord;
And grace descending from on high,
Fresh hopes of glory shall afford.

Christ's righteousness is gone before,
To give us free access to God;
Our wand'ring feet shall stray no more,
But mark his steps and keep the road.

For we which have believed, do enter into rest....Heb. iv. 3.

WHEN Christ is known and believed on in the heart, ease and rest are enjoyed in the conscience. Therefore Jesus is esteemed a precious Saviour. The operations of the Spirit prove that he is the COMFORTER, by thus leading us to Christ. Hence faith and experi ence go hand in hand. There remaineth for the people of God a rest, perfect and uninterrupted in glory. We have the earnest of the inheritance of it on earth: by faith we enter into it: and while we abide in Jesus we enjoy rest. Who is able to conceive? Who can describe the tumult of conscience, the distress of soul, under a feeling sense of sin and fear of wrath? None can, but the heart which knows its own bitterness. Who can express the sweet peace, the calm repose of that soul who finds rest in Jesus? It is a joy which a stranger intermeddles not with.

It was God's command under the law, "When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war for one year."....Deut. xxiv. 5. This is sometimes the case with the children of faith. When they are first married to the Lamb, and have just entered into his rest, the sound of war is not heard in their camp for a season. Jesus keeps their souls in undisturbed repose: no enemy is suffered to annoy them. The joyful sound of the jubilee-trumpet proclaims in their heart full freedom and sweet liberty from the guilt of sin, the bondage of the law, and the tyranny of satan. Hence they are apt to conclude their enemies are all dead, and they shall see war no more; but it is not so; our enemies live and are mighty. Bless Jesus for rest; fear not thine enemies; know thou must continue in the militant state whilst in the flesh; but here is the mystery of faith, to triumph in the victory of Jesus. Whilst all are in arms against the soul, though troubled, distressed, perplexed, on every side; fightings without, fears within: although there is no rest from any other quarter, yet it is the sweet privilege of disciples to rest in Jesus. Saith Paul to his dear children, "You, who are troubled, rest with us."....2 'Thess. i. 7. Abide in Jesus; rest satisfied: shortly your Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, to destroy all your enemies, and to make you forever happy in his rest in glory. Disciple, indulge not a murmuring thought against thy sovereign; expect no rest any where but IN HIM. If the world smiles, it is pleasing to the flesh, but it often proves a snare to the soul; therefore saith thy ever-loving Jesus, "In the world you shall have tribulation;" that is his legacy. Here is thy rich, thy never-failing portion, "IN ME you shall have peace."....John xvi. 33.