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L. To begin with the first particular. Grace, in the fcrip ture, when it is filed the grace of God, imports his favour, and kind affection to us.

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ift. The gofpel preached to Jew and Gentile, is filed, the grace of God which brings-falvation; the word of his grace which is able to build us up, and to give us an inheritance among them that are fanctified. This alfo muft be the import of the word when it is faid, That the law came by Mofes, but grace and truth by Jefus Chrift: when the Apostles exhort their converts to continue in the grace of God: when they fay, God confirmed the word of his grace by figns and wonders: when the gofpel is filed the word of grace, and the gospel of grace. And this is probably the import of the word in many other places cited by Dr. Hammond, in his note on Heb. xiii. 9, where, faith he, they that believed through grace, A&ts xviii. 27, are they that believed through the preaching of the gofpel: and in this fenfe the grace of God is abfolute: there being nothing either in Jew or Gentile which hath made them worthy of this revelation, nor any condition required on their part that it might be preached to them.

2dly. This grace which appeared to all men, was, in its defign, and influence (where it was not obftrufied by men's infidelity) faving grace. The calling of men by the preaching of it, is fometimes faid to be the calling of them by grace; and when they embrace that call, the faving them by grace: as when it is faid, By grace ye are faved: not of works. For feeing this is fpoken to men yet alive, and fo obliged to work out their falvation with fear and trembling; it cannot mean that they were finally faved; but only that they were called to a fate of falvation, enjoyed the means, and were put in the way of falvation by grace. Hence the Apoftle faith, Ile hath Javed us, that is, called us with a holy calling; not according to our works, but the grace given us in Chrift Jefus. And to be faved by grace; is to be faved by the mercy and favour of God to us, according to thefe words of the fame Apofle,

When the kindness and love of God our Saviour to man appeared; not by works of righteousness which we have done (before faith) but by his mercy he faved us. And this grace is again abfolute; it being purely of the mercy, and free grace of God that any nation is, by the preaching of the gospel to them, called to the knowledge of falvation by Chrift.

3dly. When men thus called embrace the gospel, and believe in Chrift, and fo obtain the pardon of their fins, this alfo is faid to be done by grace; we being juftified by the grace of God, through the redemption that is in Jefus, and ` obtain the forgiveness of fins according to the riches of his grace. And though this grace be not abfolute, but conditional, we being juftified by faith; yet fince that faith is not of ourselves, but is the gift of God, and it is of mere grace that this aft of faith, which deferves nothing, is imputed to us for righ-"" teoufness; it is certain that we are juftified by the grace of God.

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4thly. The gift of the Spirit, is in the fcripture ftiled the grace of God, efpecially his extraordinary gifts. As when St. Par faith, Having gifts differing, according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophefy, let us prophefy according to the proportion of faith, &c. To the Corinthians he fpeaks thus, I thank my God for the grace which is given to you; fo that ye come behind the other Churches in no gift. And again, Not by fleshly wifdom, but by the grace of God we have had our converfation in the world; and more especially towards you To the Ephefians thus, To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Chrift. And St. Peter fpeaketh thus, As every one hath received the gift, fo minifter the fame one to another, as good fewards of the manifold grace of God. On which account they who fell off from the faith, after they had tasted of these gifts, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghoff, are faid to have defpifed the fpirit of grace.

II. But befides this calling of men to the profeffion of the Christian-faith, and this vouchfafement of the gospel to them as a rule of life; it feems neceffary to affert that God vonch

fafes fome inward operations or affiftance to incline them to what is good, and work converfion in them.

For were it otherwife, 1ft, Why is this fpirit ftiled a quickening, or life giving fpirit? Why is he faid to ftrive with man? Why are wicked men faid to refift the Holy Ghost? And why are they who are converted faid to be born of the Spirit, and to be enabled through the spirit, to mortify the deeds of the body? For how can he be faid to ftrive with men, or they to refift his motions, if he makes no impreffions on our fpirits? How can he quicken, or work in us the new birth, or enable us to mortify the deeds of the body, without fome vital energy, fome renewing operations, or powerful affistance to fubdue thofe motions of the flesh which luft against the fpirit?

2dly. Why elfe is it exprefsly faid, God works in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure? For fure he cannot properly be faid, ἐνερδειν καὶ ποιοιν ἐν ἡμῖν, to add and work within us, who worketh nothing in us? How doth the word itself, when heard or read, work on us, but by making impreflions on our minds? And fhall that be denied to God himself, which we allow to his word? Or fhall he not be believed when he faith, he worketh in us both to will and to do?

3dly. Doth it not seem unreasonable to deny that influence to God and his good Spirit, to incline men to goodness, which generally is, and muft, according to the fcripture, be allowed to the evil spirit, tempting men to wickedness? Now though this evil fpirit cannot lay us under a neceffity of doing wickedly, yet is he represented in the fcripture as the great tempter to fin; which he can only be by railing fome ideas in our brain which excite, difpofe and move us, as our own thoughts, or inward fentiments, at other times are wont to do, to what is evil. He alfo is filed, that fpirit, which,

ple, works inwardly in the children of disobedience: which words feem plainly to import fome inward energy of Satan to excite them to this difobedience. Seeing then, ftronger is

he

he that is in us, than he that is in the world, i. e. that good fpirit who dwells in pious men, is more powerful in them than Satan is in wicked men, we must allow this good spirit, imple, to work inwardly in the children of disobedience, as Satan is allowed to work in his own children. Moreover the evil spirit is reprefented as a lying Spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets: he moved David to number the people: he entered into Judas: he filled the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Ghoft: all which things cannot be accounted for without allowing him fome power to work upon the minds of those perfons, fo as to raise within them fome fuch ideas as would excite and flir them up to the performance of those actions. When therefore, in like manner, God is faid, to put a new Spirit, and to put his Spirit within us, to create in us a clean heart, and renew a right fpirit within us, to put his fear, and law in our hearts; to circumcife, and convert the heart: if he, by his spirit, raiseth no good motions or ideas in us, which may difpofe us to his fear, and by attention to them may convert and cleanfe our hearts; if he vouchfafes to us no inward illuminations, by attending to which we may difcern the wondrous things of his law: what can these words or me taphors import? Seeing the heart is purified by an inward change which renders it averfe from fin, and fets the affections, defires and inclinations of the foul against it: feeing the deeds of the flesh are only mortified by fuch a renovation of the mind as makes us to difcern the pernicious effects and dreadful confequences of living ftill according to our fleshly appetites : and fo begets a dread and hatred of them, a refolution to forfake them, a vehement defire to be freed from them, a fincere endeavour to refift the motions of the flesh, and a care that we do not for the future yield obedience to it in the Juftings of. If there be no renovation wrought in us by the affiftance and co-operation of the fpirit, how can we pof fibly conceive that God should put in us a new spirit? create

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in us a clean heart? renta in as a right fpirit? circumcife and convert the Leart? or put his fear into it; if his good fpirit works nothing on our mind and affections, and confequently, upon our will, to make this change within us?

[To be continued.]

man.

SERMON

XXXVII.

On 1 CORINTHIANS X. 13,

There hath no temptation taken you, but fuch as is common to And God is fa thful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that y are able: but will with the temptation alfo make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

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'N the foregoing part of the chapter the Apostle has been reciting on the one hand, the unparalleled mercies of God to the Ifraelites; and on the other, the unparalleled ingratitude of that difobedient and gainfaying people. And all thefe things, as the Apofle obferves, were written for our enfumple that we might take warning from them, so as to avoid their grievous fins, and escape their terrible punishment. He then adds that folemn and important caution, Let him that thinketh he flandeth, take heed left he fall.

2. But if we obferve thefe words attentively, will there not appear a confiderable difficulty in them, Let him that thinketh he flandeth take heed left he fall? If a man only thinks he flands, he is in no danger of falling. It is not poffible that any one fhould fall, if he only thinks he fands. The fame difficulty occurs, according to our tranflation in those wellknown words of our Lord, (the importance of which we may eafily learn, from their being repeated in the gospel no lefs than eight times) To him that hath fhall be given; but from