able under the circumstances in which man is placed, and with the eternity which is before him.

Finally, Christianity goes on perpetually enlarging the field of knowledge to man, perpetually open ing new scenes to his contemplation and wonder, constantly strengthening the conviction of the reasonableness of her service through life; and then unfolding the golden gate of light in the heavenly world, when he shall no longer see " through a glass darkly," but "know even as also he is known."

Let me, then, in conclusion, enforce the affectionate language of the apostle, and beseech all who are before me, to "present their bodies a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice unto God, which is indeed their reasonable service."

Especially, let the young be attracted by this invitation. Never do young persons act so wisely, so reasonably, so becoming their intellectual and moral nature, as when they devote themselves unto God. Conscience, if you will allow it to speak, testifies to the importance of religion. Nothing so irrational as an ungodly life. Nothing so irrational as to provide for the present momentary scene of existence, and forget the future and permanent one. Nothing so irrational as to care for the body, and disregard the mind. Nothing so irrational as to live an animal, sensual, degrading life, whilst possessing an immortal soul, a revelation of mercy, and a call to spiritual religion.

Pause, then, in the career of your ingratitude to God, and of your carelessness as to your best interests. Turn now to Him who bids you to devote yourself to his service. Listen not to the objections of infidelity, follow not the example of a misjudging world; but consider the reason of things. Act as you would under similar circumstances in external matters. Take the cautions given you; compare things together; consider the end of this fleeting scene; act upon the intimations of conscience and the commands of God. Thus shall you become yourselves willing witnesses of the reasonableness of the demand which Christianity makes upon man.

Prepare, in the next place, for that solemn, mysterious act of dedication, in which God has condescended to come down and aid your feeble faith— the communion of the body and blood of our Lord Christ. This sacrament is the bond of our selfsacrifice; the seal and channel of grace; the accomplishment of our vows; the open profession of our consecrating ourselves to God. Let the young then prepare for this outward and visible sign, appointed by Christ "for the strengthening and refreshing of their souls by the body and blood of Christ, even as our bodies are by the bread and wine." Nor can we use better words in doing this, than those provided for us by our Reformers in allusion to our text: "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 me next be permitted to remind the impenitent and careless sinner, that if he do not present himself as a sacrifice to God, he will assuredly become the miserable sacrifice and victim of Satan and sin. There is no middle course. A sacrifice you

must be, either to Almighty God, or to the malicious, usurped sovereign of this world. Religion will, indeed, cost you much; but the want of religion will cost you infinitely more. "The way of transgressors is hard." The sacrifices you make to folly, pleasure, pride, ambition, display, lust, are infinitely more painful than any which Christianity calls on you to offer. Health, ease, conscience, reputation, inward peace, are continually sacrificed by the ungodly at the shrine of Satan. God only calls on you to part with that which is injurious both to body and soul; and offers you his grace to make his "yoke easy and his burden light." And eternity is at hand. What wages will the service of sin then yield? Now then, awake to reason, truth, wisdom, consideration, ere it be too late.

Lastly, let us endeavour gently to win over the Heathen and Mohammedans to our reasonable religion, our merciful, our mild, our compassionate religion, by our characters, families, and worship of God. Let us take all fit opportunities of pointing out that Hindooism and Mohammedanism are without a single evidence for a rational being to repose without any motives adapted to reasonable and immortal creatures; without any revelation to man

on;

of the great matters which he most wants to know; without any authoritative rule of moral duty; without any order of men for the instruction of the poor and sorrowful; without any holy Sabbath; without any ritual, pure, edifying, rational. And thus let us wait until by the blessing of God on our labours and those of holy missionaries, "The Gentiles shall come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit."

169

SERMON IX.

EPHESIANS iv. 20.

But ye have not so learned Christ.

We have in these words of the apostle one of those pregnant expressions which are a compendium of the gospel; which are, on the one hand, so brief that a child may remember them; and which yet, on the other, like a principle in natural science, may be applied to every variety of detail.

In order to enter into it aright, it will only be necessary, as in the case of almost all very brief and comprehensive sentences, to consider well the connexion in which it stands.

St. Paul is exhorting his converts at Ephesus, in the first verses of the chapter, to walk worthy of their high vocation, to preserve the unity of the spirit, to conduct themselves suitably towards the ministers of God, to shun novel and strange doctrines, and to be "compacted" more and more into the one body of Christ.

He next proceeds to enforce these rules by cau