8. Excellency. Grace hath a soul-ennobling excellency, it doth ennoble a man: grace makes xis vessels of honour, it sets us above princes and nobles. Theodosius thought it more dignity to be Christ's servant, and wear his livery laced with the silver graces of the Spirit, than to be great and renowned in the world, Isa. Ixiii. 4. " Since thou wert pre- cious in my sight thou hast been honour- able." Sin doth debase a man, Christ tells wicked men their pedigree, John viii. 44. " Ye are of your father the devil : " they may put the cloven foot in their scutcheon ; an ungracious person is a vile person ; Nah. i. 14. " I will make thy grave, for thou art vile : " the Hebrew word for vile sig-nifies to be lightly esteemed : there is nothing so vile but an ungracious man will do ; he is ductile and facile to any thing, like wire, which will be bent awry ; he will snare his conscience, stain his credit, run as a lackey after the sinful injunctions of men ; but grace ennobles ; he who is divinely inspired, as he is high l)orn, 1 John iii. 1. so he acts suitably to his birth, he hates whatever is disingenuous and sordid. The saints are called kings and priests for their dignity, Rev. i. 6. and jewels for their value, Mai. iii. 17.
9. Excellency. Grace hath a soul-securing excellency, it brings safety along with it. You all desire to be safe in dangerous times; if sword or pestilence come, if death peep in
savour. The sighs of a wicked man are an at your windows, would you not now be safe; unsavoury breath, his solemn sacrifice is nothing will secure you in times of danger dung, Mai. ii. 3. There is such a noisome but grace ; grace is the best life-guard ; it stench comes from a sinner's duties, that sets Christians out of gunshot, and frees thera God will not come near, Amos v. 21. " I -from the power of hell and damnation, Prov. will not smell in your solemn assemblies." 1 x. 2. " Righteousness delivers from death.'*
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THE BEAUTY OF GRACE.
Do not riirhteoiis men die ? yes, but rig-ht- cousness delivers from the sting- of the first death, and the fear of the second. It was the saying of one, " I am not afraid to die, but to be damned : " but here is a believer's comfort, the fire of God's wrath can never kindle upon him; grace is God's own image stamped on the soul, and he will not destroy his own image. Xerxes, the Persian, when he destroyed all the temples in Greece, he caused the temple of Diana to be preserved for its beautiful structure; that soul which hath the beauty of holiness shining in it, shall be preserved for the glory of the struc- ture ; God will not suifer his own temple to be destroyed : would you be secured in evil times? get grace and fortify this garrison; a good conscience is a Christian's fort-royal. David's enemies lay round about him ; yet, saith he, " I laid me down and slept," Psal. iii. 5. A good conscience can sleep in the mouth of a cannon; grace is a Christian's coat of mail, which fears not the arrow or bullet. True grace may be shot at, but can never be shot through ; grace puts the soul into Christ, and there it is safe, as the bee in the hive, as the dove in the ark, Rom. viii. 1 . " There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."
10. Excellency. Grace hath a heart-esta- blishing excellency, Heb. xiii. 9. " It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace." Before the infusion of grace, the heart is like a ship without a ballast ; it wavers and tosseth, being ready to overturn ; there- fore a man void of grace is called a double- minded man, James i. 8. He acts for and against, as if he had two souls ; he is unre- solved, to-day of one mind, to-morrow of another ; to-day he will hear a preacher that is orthodox, to-morrow one that is heterodox : he will be as the times are, and chanare his religion as fast as the chameleon doth his colour. Hearts unsanctified will be un- settled ; they will face about to the rising side ; they will follow not what is best, but what is safest ; they are not for that religion which hath the word to guide it, but for that which hath the sword to back it ; this Seneca calls a mind that rolls up and down, and settles no where. "
But grace doth consolidate and fix the
heart, Psal. Ivii. 7. " My heart is fixed, O God." Hypocrites are like meteors in the air; David was a fixed star; grace keeps the heart upright; and the more sincere, the more steadfast; grace carries the heart to God as the centre, and there it rests, Psal. cxvi. Psal. vii. A gracious heart cleaves to God, and let whatever changes come, the soul is settled as a ship at anchor.