May 3

Yield yourselves unto God.—Romans 6:18.

You should look upon God in yielding yourselves to him, thus:—You are to yield yourselves to his claim, as your rightful owner.—To his instruction, as your undeceiving Teacher.—To his government, as your gracious, sovereign Ruler; and—To the enjoyment of him, as your best and most satisfying Good, or your self-communicating Benefactor.

But it also concerns you to have distinct and right thoughts of the state of your case, and how things are between him and the sons of men, that you may duly apply yourselves to him in so great a transaction. The gospel under which you live tells you he treats with men in and by a Mediator, his own Son, who came down into this wretched world of ours, in great compassion to our miseries, and took our nature, was here on earth among us as an incarnate God; God manifested in the flesh. Because we were partakers of flesh and blood, he took part with us likewise of the same, and in that nature of ours died for us, to make way that we might yield ourselves to God, and be accepted. No man now comes to the Father but by him. He must be acknowledged with great reverence; and a most profound homage must be rendered to him. He that denieth the Son hath not the Father. And it being his pleasure to treat with us by his Son, and the case requiring that we apply ourselves to him, we are to take notice of him according to those capacities wherein Scripture represents him to us. And it represents him agreeably to those same notions according to which we have shown we are to consider God the Father in this matter; so as that Christ being the Mediator between him and us, when we yield ourselves to him ultimately, and finally, under the notions that have been mentioned, we are first to yield ourselves to his Son, Christ Jesus, our Redeemer, under the like notions. For,

1. Being to yield ourselves to God as our Owner, we must know the Father hath given all things into the hands of the Son, and that he is Lord of all; which in the first sense, signifies him to be, by the Father's constitution, the Owner of all things, even as he is the Redeemer. For, he therefore died and rose again, that he might be Lord of dead and living; that is, of both worlds; agreeably to what he himself speaks immediately upon his resurrection from the dead; All power is given to me in heaven and earth.

And for those other notions of God under which we have shown we are to yield ourselves to him, as our Teacher, Ruler, and Benefactor, they correspond to that threefold office of Christ—Prophet, King, and Priest; so that we are to commit ourselves to him, when we yield ourselves to God, as a Teacher come forth from God, and who reveals him to us whom no man hath seen at any time; as one that must reign over us, and over the greatest on earth, and by whom we are to be reconciled to God, and restored to the enjoyment of him. And because our blind minds and perverse hearts need light and grace from above, to direct and incline us hereto, therefore hath the Spirit of the Father and the Son a great work to do in us to this purpose.

Whereupon we are to yield ourselves to that blessed Spirit also, as our Enlightener and Sanctifier; which, our being directed to walk in the Spirit, and our being told that they that have not the Spirit of Christ are none of his, and, that as many as are the sons of God, are led by the Spirit, do plainly show.

You see then that we are to yield ourselves to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which also, our having those great names named upon us in our baptism, doth import. And how necessary this is, you will see, if,

2. We consider how we are to look upon ourselves in this transaction; i. e.,

1. We are to consider ourselves as God's creatures, being, as you have heard, to consider him as our Creator; and so we must reckon we owe ourselves to him, and do but yield him what we owe, and what was his before. For, how can you but be his, who of his mere pleasure hath raised you out of nothing?

2. We must remember that we have been apostate creatures, such as had fallen, and revolted from him; and so our yielding ourselves to him, is a giving ourselves back to him, having injuriously withdrawn and withheld ourselves from him before. And because the injury was so great as we could never make any recompense for, therefore it was necessary such a Mediator should be appointed between God and us, for whose sake only we can expect to be accepted when we yield ourselves. So great a Majesty was not to be approached by offending creatures without so great a Days-man and Peace-maker.

3. We must consider ourselves as impure, and every way unfit for the Divine presence, service, and converse, and who did therefore need the power of the Holy Ghost to be put forth upon us to make us fit; and that therefore our case required we should put ourselves into such hands for that purpose.

4. We are to consider ourselves as under the gospel, as sinners invited and called back to God; as such whose case is not desperate; or who need to abandon ourselves to ruin, though we have greatly offended, as if there were no hope. We are to consider ourselves with distinction from the condition of other fallen creatures. The angels that fell, and kept net their first station, have no gospel sent to them to invite them back, and persuade them again to yield themselves to God; you have. Into what a transport should this thought put you! how should it mollify you! oh what a yielding temper and disposition of spirit should it work in you towards this gracious call, and just challenge, which the great God now gives you, and makes unto you! Now "Yield yourselves unto God." Now, with the poet, let us say :—

"O God what off'ring shall I give To thee, the Lord of earth and skies? My spirit, soul, and flesh receive, A holy, living sacrifice: Small as it is, 'tis all my store; More should'st thou have, if I had more.

"Now, then, my God, thou hast my soul: No longer mine, but thine I am: Guard thou thine own, possess it whole; Cheer it with hope, with love inflame. Thou hast my spirit; there display Thy glory to the perfect day."