of the Father, and as giving himself for us, we can discover nothing less than free, rich, and boundless grace. If we consider the first rise of the divine life in our souls, the apostle informs us, that God hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. 1 Tim. i. 9. Are we in justification brought into a state of actual acceptance with God, and entitled to all future blessings? We are justified freely by his grace; we have a good hope through grace; eternal life is the reward, not of debt, but of grace. In whatever light a believer views his present state and privileges, or his future hopes and blessings, he may take up the apostle's language, and assert, respecting all," By the grace of God, I am what I am.'

So law appears imperfect, and but given

With

purpose to resign them in full time

Up to a better covenant, disciplin'd

From shadowy types to truth, from flesh to spirit,
From imposition of strict laws to free

Acceptance of large grace, from servile fear

To filial, works of law to works of faith.

Gurdon:

MILTON'S PARADISE LOST.

The covenant of grace is nothing else but a collection of promises exceedingly great and precious, whereby God hath condescended to bind himself to bestow on such and such persons the most impor tant blessings of time and eternity." For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their heart, and will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people, &c." Heb. viii. 10. The men of the world, who have their portion in this life, love to be thinking and talking of their earthly treasure; and it should be the highest entertainment to gracious souls to contemplate the infinitely richer blessings of which this covenant is full-pardon of sin, an enlightened understanding, a new heart, a tender couscience, spiritual affections, victory over death, and eternal life and blessedness.

This covenant may be termed everlasting, in respect of its con rivance, continuance, and advantage.

Lavington,

He that with serious eye looks on the dreadful spectacle, lapsed angels lying in chains of darkness for ever, and that for one sin, may very well stand and wonder at the salvation of men! In which worms are as it were angelized, and little lumps of corrupted dust are first refined by grace, and then transfigured into glory.

The pure origin of this great work is no other than the divine grace and love, which have so fairly portrayed and limbed out themselves upon every piece of it, that all the saints above and be low may read the characters thereof, and have reason to cry out, Grace! Grace! Indeed, heaven and earth too should ring with the praises of it; and eternity itself will be short enough to behold and admire it in. Polhill.

What pearl is that, which rich men cannot buy,
Which learning is too proud to gather up-
But which the poor, and the despis'd of all,
Seek and obtain-and often find unsought?
Which, while it gives us worth in God's account,
Depreciates and undoes us in our own?
God never meant that man should scale the skies
By strides of human wisdom. In his works
Though wond'rous, he commands us in his word
To seek him rather-where his mercy shines.
The mind, indeed, enlighten'd from above
Views him in all; ascribes to the grand Cause
The grand effect: acknowledges with joy

His manner, and with rapture tastes his style.

The doctrines of grace are utterly repugnant to the pride of our Arminian nature; yet none forsake the doctrines, who have gained a clear sight of them. They are abused by some, as every good thing is; but are abandoned by none. Arminians, who have received a ray of gospel light, desert their ranks frequently; but a Calvinist will never leave his standard--he dies at the foot of his colours. A clear sight of grace so exceeding glorious, it keeps the heart steady to the doctrines. Berridge.

Prize the covenant of grace, which is a better covenant and founded upon better promises, than that which Adam broke. The covenant of works said, "Do, and live: sin, and die." The covenant of grace says, "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." The covenant of works insisted on a perfection of personal obedience: the covenant of grace provided and accepts the perfect atonement and righteousness of Christ, as ours. Toplady.

This word hath a variety of meanings in the word of God, as it relates to the divine power, and as it relates to man. When we speak of grace in relation to God, it hath a vast comprehension of meaning. The whole gospel is called the grace of God. And the application of it, in any individual instance of its saving power, is called the grace of God. "By grace ye are saved (saith the Apostle) through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Eph. ii. 8. The grace of God is free, like the light, or the dew of heaven. Grace acts from itself to itself; nothing of human power or merit disposing to it, nor of unworthiness keeping from it. So that every thing by Christ is grace; and to suppose any one pre-disposing act in the creature, or any merit in the creature, would altogether alter and destroy the very property of grace. Dr. Hawker.

Contingency, I leave for infidels :

A term degrading to redemption's scheme.
Lord, let thy secret be reveal'd to me;

Shew me the cov'nant heavenly wisdom plann'd;
Order'd in every part, confirm'd with oaths,

And, like thyself, IMMUTABLE!

Mindful of that grand cov'nant scheme,
Engaging all the attributes of God,
In one firm compact to redeem my soul,

I cast away my doubts, abhor my sins,

And feel myself, in Christ, secure for heaven.

Yes, all is well, though foes and friends wage war,

The pledge of cov'nant love is life divine,

That lives on Christ, the Cov'nant Head, by faith,
And pants for nearness to a Cov'nant God,

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The bounds of my abode are wisely fix'd,
My days all number'd in my Father's plan,
And rich provision made for all my wants;
Each trial measur'd, every comfort weigh'd;
All gospel blessings labell'd with thy name;
Yea, grace and glory made for ever sure.
This everlasting cov'nant don't depend
On man's obedience, nor on man's free will;
Were that the case, no sinner could obtain
A single blessing from its holy store.

"I will," "they shall," -are all the terms it knows.
Firm as the throne of God its sacred bonds;
The Cov'nant Head is girt with faithfulness,
And rolling ages open its designs.

Amazing wisdom! love uparallel'd!
What condescension! what almighty power!
Pause, O my soul, and wonder and adore!
Till every thought, and every mental power,
Become engaged, absorb'd in cov’nant love.

If any thing ought to be accounted worthy of the most attentive consideration, it is indeed the covenant of grace. Here a way is shown unto a better paradise than the earthly, and to a more certain and more stable happiness than that from which Adam fell. Here new hopes shine upon ruined mortals, which by so much ought the more to be acceptable, by how much it came more unexpected. Here conditions are offered, to which eternal life is annexed; conditions not again by us to be performed, which would cause the mind to despond; but by him, who departed not this life, before he had truly said, It is finished. Witsius.

That we may proceed with greater clearness and certainty in our following enquiries, it is necessary to consider what is implied in the term Grace. The primary and principal sense of the word is free favour, undeserved kindness. In this sense it is used most frequently in the inspired volume. Grace, in the writings of Paul, stands in direct opposition to works and worthiness-all works and worthiness of every kind and degree. This appears from the fol

lowing passages: "Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt; therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace." Rom. iv. 4, 16. "For by grace are ye saved; not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. ii. 8, 9. “Who hath saved us, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace." 2 Tim. i. 9.

As the word mercy, in its primary signification, has relation to some creature, either actually in a suffering state, or obnoxious to it; so grace, in its proper and strict sense, always presupposes unworthiness in its object. Hence, whenever any thing valuable is communicated, the communication of it cannot be of grace, any further than the person on whom it is conferred is considered as unworthy, by him who confers it. For, so far as any degree of worth appears, the province of grace ceases, and that of equity takes place. Grace and worthiness, therefore, cannot be connected in the same act, and for the same end. The one must necessarily give place to the other; according to that very remarkable text: "If by grace, then it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwise work is no more work." Rom. xi. 6. From the apostle's reasoning it is evident, that whatever is of works, is not of grace at all; and that whatever is of grace, is not of works in any degree. In Paul's view of things, work and grace are essentially opposite, and equally irreconcileable, as light and darkness.

That grace, therefore, about which we treat, may be thus defined: It is the eternal and absolutely free favour of God, manifested in the vouchsafement of spiritual and eternal blessings to the unworthy. What those blessings are, we shall endeavour to show in the subsequent pages. Meanwhile, be it observed, that, according to this definition, the grace of God is eternal; agreeable to the import of those reviving words: "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love." Jer. xxxi. 3. It is infinitely rich and divinely free; entirely detached from all supposition of human worth, and absolutely independent of any such thing as human goodness. This is the eternal origin, this the glorious basis, of our salvation. Hence it proceeds and is carried on to perfection. Grace shines through