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a way as Chrift will be pleased with, and reckon himself honoured by striving that it may, is paying our homage to him in a spiritual manner, as the wife men from the eaft did once, by opening their treasures, and prefenting him with frankincenfe and myrrhe.

4. We have the connexion of this effect with its caufe, or the prefence of Chrift, and the dependance of this upon it: While the King fitteth at his table, my pikenard fendeth forth the fmell thereof. When this is vouchfafed, grace ftirs and acts, flows and flourishes, and thus continues to do while his prefence and influence continues: but when this is withdrawn or fufpended, grace droops and languishes, and fo little discovery is made of it by the exercife, that it becomes like flowers withering, or fpices unftirred, which fend not forth the delightful fragrancy by which they fhould be known.

From the whole we may obferve,

I. That grace in the friends of Christ is highly valuable and precious.

II. That Chrift's prefence as king in his ordinances, particularly at his table, is that which draws forth the graces of his people into that exercife, which is most pleafing to him, and comfortable to themfelves. While the King fitteth at his table, my pikenard fends forth the Smell thereof.

I. Grace in the friends of Chrift is highly vaJuable and precious. It being compared to spikenard, denotes its worth.

Under this, I fhall only briefly tell I. What grace is.

you,

II. From

II. From whence its worth may be collected. And

III. The use that we may make of the whole.I. To tell you what grace is.

Grace in fcripture moft ufually denotes these two things, namely, God's goodwill to us, and his good work in us.

1. His goodwill to us loft finners in and thro' his Son, and this as revealed and tendered to us in the gofpel. We read that the grace of God bringeth falvation, Tit. ii. 11. and that by grace we are faved, Eph. ii. 8. This grace of God, or his goodwill towards men, is the spring of all the bleffings he bestows upon them.

as

2. Grace denotes God's good work in us, in all his people, which is the fruit or effect of that goodwill which he had in his heart concerning them. Thus faith the apoftle, fpeaking a chriftian, Unto every one of us is grace given, &c. Ephef. iv. 7. And as Chrift is head over all things to the church, of his fulness all that are recovered from a state of nature, have received, and grace for grace, John i. 16.

It is of grace in this fenfe, as a good work in us, that we are now enquiring about, what it is.

It is represented in fcripture under feveral characters, viz. as a new creation, as that by which we are born again, raised from the death of fin to newness of life; as that by which we are effectually called, converted, and fanctified, &c. Upon which, a child of God fo vaftly differs from his former ftate, that every one of this number is ftiled a new creature.

When

When the Spirit of God has been favingly at work, to the doing away all old things, and making all things new: when an holy light is shed upon the mind, and a the mind, and a god-like temper and difpofition is produced in the foul, bringing it to hate what God hates, and love and chufe what God loves; to grieve upon the account of fin, and prize and rely upon Jefus Chrift: when it is made careful to please God by doing his will, as the work of life, and promote his glory as the end of life when the man is led calmly to refign to the will of God, as wifest and best; has his chief defires after him, his highest delight in him, and hath pleasing and joyful hopes of feeing and being for ever with him, as his portion and reft, this is grace. And if we could say no more, how valuable a thing does it appear to be ?

But to bring our hearts to be in love with it. II. Let us enquire from whence its worth and excellency may be collected. Now

1. Grace in the friends of Chrift may be faid to be valuable and precious, as having fo much of heaven in it. And if you afk, How?

I answer,

It comes from heaven,

It marks out for it,

It leads to it, And

It will iffue in it. (1.) Grace comes from heaven. Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, James i. 17. And grace in a special manner does fo. It is

God's

God's own offspring, and every thing relating to it must be afcribed to God.

The purpose is kis, that fe is kis, that any fuch favour fhould be bestowed on any of the children of men, the finful progeny of an apoftate head: the mediator by whom grace is purchased, and in whom, as our head of recovery, it is treasured up, is of his own appointing: the perfons that are to be the fubjects of this grace, and in whofe hearts it is wrought, are of his own chufing, and this from everlasting: and the actual implanting of grace, in the first principles and habits, and all its after-growth, is owing to the operation of his own Spirit. In these refpects faints are of God, begotten and born of him. It is God that fends his Son to blefs his people, in turning away every one of them from their iniquities, Acts iii. 26. It is of God that any are in Chrift Jefus, who of God is made unto fuch fanctification, 1 Cor. i. 30. Hence they are faid to be God's workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, Eph. ii. 10. He bleffeth us with all spiritual bleffings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he has chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Grace comes from heaven.

(2.) It marks out for heaven. So great is the change made where grace is communicated, as fpeaks the Author to be God, and the foul that is the fubject of it, defigned for a better world and state. The finger of God may be read in it, and the renewed foul in which so much of

heaven is begun, shall have its final bleffeiness

and portion there.

Believers are fuch of whom the world is not worthy; and however they may be difvalued among men, they are honourable in the fight of God, and in the most folemn manner fhall be owned to be fo, another day. God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city; and alfo prepared them for it, and made them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light. He that hath wrought us for the felf-fame is God, who hath alfo given us the earnest of his Spirit. The excellency and greatness of what is done upon the faints confeffeth a Deity; aud what he has wrought within, points upward to the glory referved above.

Under this character Chrift again and again commends his difciples to his Father, They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world, John xvii. 14. They are of another, a more excellent fpirit, than the reft of the world, which is God's mark upon them, as defigned for fomething higher, and fomething better with himself.

(3.) Grace tends to heaven. It is the duty, and in fome measure the temper of fuch as are rifen with Chrift, to fet their affections on things above, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God and whoever can look downward for his happiness, the Pfalmift's language is what every gracious foul can make his own, it being expreffive of his defire and choice, As for me, 1 fhall behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be fatisfi

ed,

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