The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…

Rom. 12. 1. 2. verse. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that ye give up your bodies a living Sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable serving of God. And fashion not your selves like unto this World, but be you changed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good will of God, and acceptable and perfect.

Rom. 12. 1. 2. verse. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that ye giue vp your bodies a liuing Sacrifice, holy, and acceptable vnto God, which is your reasonable seruing of God. And fashion not your selues like vnto this World, but be you changed by the renuing of your minde, that ye may prooue what is the good wil of God, and acceptable and perfect.

Paul an Apostle to the Gē tiles, writing to the Romans which were Gentiles,¹ after he had showed what God had done for them in receiving them into his covenant which were out of his covenant, and making them his people, which were not his people, that the Gentiles might triumph now over the Jews, as much as the Jews triumphed over the Gentiles, because the Jews ⟨p. 956⟩were rejected, and the Gentiles received in their place. Now he showeth what they should do for God. Give your bodies a Sacrifice to him: that is, as Christ gave himself for you, so you must give your selves to him: as he was sacrificed for you, so you must be sacrificed for him, not your sheep, nor your Oxen, nor your Goats, but your selves. You must be the Sacrifice: this Sacrifice, Paul calleth a living, and holy, and acceptable sacrifice, a living sacrifice, because the Jews sacrifices were dead sacrifices: an holy sacrifice, because they might sacrifice beasts and not be holy: but they cannot Sacrifice themselves, but they must needs be holy. An acceptable Sacrifice, before the sacrifices of beasts did not please God, unless they did sacrifice themselves too. But if they sacrifice themselves it doth please God, though they do not sacrifice beasts. It is true that God did require this sacrifice of the Jews as well as the Gentiles, for in Deu. the tenth Chapter and the sixteenth verse, he saith, Circumcise your hearts, & in the first of Samuel the 15. Chap. and 22. ver. he saith, Obedience is better than sacrifice, which shows, that even then God did require the sacrifice of the body, more than of beasts: but although God did require this of the Jews also that they should sacrifice their bodies too, yet Paul signifies that God requireth larger of