The Christian thank-offering. A brief discourse on the returns of gratitude & obedience whereto…

First, The Matter of the Advice. This is, That we do make our Bodies, which by a Synecdoche, implies our whole Selves, our Souls, our Names, our Friends, our Estates, and all our Interests, a Sacrifice unto God: which is done, in short, by Devoting them unto the Service of that God.

First, The Matter of the Advice. This is, That we do make our Bodies, which by a Syn••doche, implies our whole Selves, our Souls, our Names, our Friends, our Estates, and all our Interests, a Sacrifice unto God: which is done, in short, by Devoting them unto the Service of that God.

Next, The Manner of pressing it. This is, with, A Compellation, Brethren: An Obtestation, I beseech you; And a very weighty Argument, By the Mercies of God; that is to say, The Mercies of God lay upon us, a very powerful Obligation hereunto.

Next, The Manner of pressing it. This is, with, A Compellation, Brethren: An Obtestation, I beseech you; And a very weighty Argument, By the Mercies of God; that is to say, The Mercies of God lay upon us, a very powerful Obligation hereun•o.

But we have not yet given the Text so particular an Illustra••••, as it seems to call for ⟨p. 5⟩Know then, That according to the Stricter Notion of a Sacrifice, its more general Distinction, is into Propitiatory, or Eucharistical Now Christianity in that Notion admits but One, and this of the former sort; by which One, even that of Himself, our Lord hath forever perfected them that are Sanctified: He is a Poor Priest, who dreams of any other. We our selves, or any Things that we do, in Religion, are capable of being Sacrifices, only by way of Analogy, & that chiefly to the latter sort; So, we offer up Spiritual Sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. A Sacrifice here signifies no more, than a Thing Devoted unto God. But what are we thus to Devote? Our Bodies. Hereby we are to understand our whole Selves: but it is Expressed by, Your Bodies, for Distinction sake: the Bodies of Beasts were heretofore Offered, and now we are to Offer up Our own. This is called, a Liing Sacrifice, because the Sacrifice of old was to be brought Alive unto the Lord; the Israelites might not themselves Eat a thing Dead of it self, much less might they bring such a Thing to the Living God. And yet the Victim was to be Slain, in Sacrificing; which is here opposed, by an Intimation, that when we Sacrifice our Bodies to the Lord, they yet continue to Live Our Lives will not be at all Impaired, by the commanded Sacrifice of our Bodies, no, they will be Improved by a wonderful Sacredness added thereunto. Our Bodies are to be an […] Sacrifice: And yet the Bodily Life also is herein