SERMON XXXVII.

THE DUTY OF AN ENTIRE SURRENDER TO GOD.

MATTHEW XXII. 21.

And unto God the things that are God's.

THE whole verse reads thus: "Render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's." From this we may observe, that those who give unto God the things that are his, are most likely to give unto earthly kings that which is theirs. "Fear God," says the apostle, "honour the king." They will defend. them; cheerfully contribute what is necessary to the support of their government; pray for them, and be subject to their authority as far as is consistent with a good conscience and the obedience they owe to Him by whom kings rule and princes decree judgment. We may also observe, that those who give unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, are most likely to give unto God the things that are God's. What those things are, and how they ought to be given or rendered, will be the subject of my present inquiry.

I. What those things are which we should render unto God.

1. Our time. All our time, but especially those parts of it in which he claims a peculiar property, as the time of youth, health, strength, and, particularly, Sabbath time. As there is a greater commodiousness and fitness in some

with the greatest care and exactness, selected and set apart for it; and as the very title which is given to the Sabbath in the New Testament, "The Lord's day," signifies his special title to it, and gives us reason to expect his special blessing upon it, the whole of it, from morning to evening, should be consecrated to his praise, and spent in the manner that he has appointed. He has made it holy, and we should keep it so; we should neither think our own thoughts, nor do our own works, nor find our own pleasure upon it, but spend it in religious exercises, either public or private, except so much as is taken up in acts absolutely necessary for ourselves, or beneficial to our neighbours. Need I add, that as past time cannot be recalled, or future time depended upon, the present time is what God has an indisputable claim to; and our diligence in improving it should be equal to the rapidity of its motion. "Wilt thou

not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?"

2. Our substance: of which God retains the property, though he has given up the possession. It was his before we enjoyed it; and whatever prudence and diligence we have exerted in the acquisition of it, he still possesses, and often exerts, his claim. "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine." "The cattle upon a thousand hills are mine." "I will take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness." Now, of God's own, as David did, we should give unto him. We should honour him with our substance, and devote a considerable part of our worldly estate to works of piety and charity. His interest should be supported, his ministers maintained, and his poor provided for by us according to our ability. Instead of hoarding up, we should scatter abroad and transfer our treasures from this world to another, where they will be infinitely more safe, possess them with a vast increase. concerning Tyre, that great and

and we shall one day Thus it was prophesied flourishing city. Her

merchandise and her hire shall be "holiness unto the Lord;" it shall not be treasured and laid up, for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing; that is, either for the poor that waited at the temple gate, or the priests who officiated at God's altar. As the waters return to the sea from whence they came, so should all our comforts and enjoyments return to that God who gave them.

3. Our children. We should endeavour, that those which are an heritage from the Lord may be an heritage for the Lord. He speaks of them as born unto him, and it is our duty to bring them up for him. We should instil those principles into them, give those instructions to them, and set those examples before them, as may evidence a real concern for their welfare. In their infant state, we should, by faith and prayer, devote them to God; and as they grow up to riper years, impress their minds with the absolute necessity of devoting themselves to him. Of every child that God gives us, he says as Pharaoh's daughter to the mother of Moses, "Take this child, and nurse it for me." It is, therefore, a deposit; a sacred trust committed to our charge, for which we must be accountable another day. "For this child," says Hannah, "I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him; therefore, also, I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth, he shall be lent to the Lord." This was returning to God that which she had received from him, and hereby she expressed her care of the gift, and gratitude to the giver. Though we cannot infuse grace into our children, yet both love to them and duty to God should lead us to do all that we can to prevent their ruin, and promote their felicity.

4. Our hearts: they are his. "All souls are mine," says he. They are his by creation and preservation, and they should be so by a voluntary resignation. Thus he enters his claim, "Son, give me thine heart." Whatever thou withholdest, withhold not this; whatever thou givest,

unacceptable, but displeasing. Many challenge the heart; sin, Satan, and the world do so, and perhaps plead long possession; but surely we should give Him the preference who alone can restore it to that dignity which it has lost, and bestow upon it that happiness which is adequate to its wishes, and suitable to its nature. Not only the hand, foot, tongue or head, but the heart must be the Lord's; its thoughts, desires, resolutions, and exertions. He must have the homage of the understanding, the subjection of the will, and to him we must devote our best affections: "Whom I serve with my spirit," says the apostle. A humble, broken, thankful, and obedient heart, is one of those presents which we should bring to Him who ought to be feared. Cain's oblation would have been as acceptable to God as Abel's, if with it he had offered his heart; but for want of this it was rejected with disdain.

5. Though the heart is the principal thing, yet it is not in itself sufficient; for we must render our whole selves to God. He may say to each of us, as the Apostle Paul did to Philemon, "Thou owest unto me even thine own self." Thus the Macedonian believers gave themselves unto the Lord; and the apostle teaches us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto him. As all the faculties of the inward, so all the members of the outward, man, should be set apart for, and employed in the service of, God. Our eyes should be lifted up to him, our tongues should talk of him, our hands should work for him, and our feet, formerly accustomed to wander from him, should walk steadily in the way of his commandments. All that we have, all that we are, should be under his government, and at his disposal; nothing should be excepted or reserved. Whatever has revolted from God should be brought back to him, so that we may say, as the king of Israel to the Syrian monarch, "I am thine, and all that I have."

6. and lastly. The blessed fruits, and all the glory of his own grace, should, by the Christian, be rendered back to God. The keepers of the vineyard should have their

hundred instruments, should be honoured, respected, and supported; but Solomon must have his entire thousand. Christ should be invited into his garden to gather of his pleasant fruits. He should reap the profit, who bestowed the labour; and eat the fruit, who planted the vineyard No grace can be exercised without him, and every grace should be exercised for him. No duty can be performed without his assistance, and every duty when performed should be to his praise; in talking, walking, giving and receiving, living and dying, the eye should be constantly and stedfastly fixed on the glory of God. "Unto him," says the apostle, "be glory in the church, by Jesus Christ, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen!"

I proceed,

II. To show in what manner this is to be performed; and that it may be an acceptable service we must do it,

1. If hitherto neglected, without delay. Not that we can do it in our own strength; but, convinced of the necessity of doing it, we should seek a better strength than our own. "The Lord God is my strength," says the prophet; and then it immediately follows, "He will make my feet like hind's feet." I shall be active, cheerful, and persevering. "Immediately," says the apostle, "I conferred not with flesh and blood." The time to give is whilst we have; and many of the things before mentioned we hold by an uncertain tenure, and when dispossessed of them they will be no longer at our disposal; so that, with a little alteration, I may apply the words of Solomon to the present case: "Withhold not from him to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." Say not, to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee-procrastinations are both suspicious and dangerous; they argue insincerity, and too often issue in ruin.

2. We should do it freely and without reluctance: God loves the cheerful giver. It should be the fruit of love and choice. We should be better pleased to belong to the