First, I begin with the thing described, ' The grace of God.' It is a term that admits of divers acceptations. Sometimes it is put for God's eternal favour and good- will ; sometimes for the effects of this favour, as grace infused and bestowed upon the creature : Eph. iv. 7, ' To every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ.' Sometimes it is put for the gospel, which is the charter by which we hold this grace ; and so it is said, Kom. vi. 1 5, ' You arc not under the law, but under grace;' i. e., under the state of the gospel. Here I take it in the first sense, viz., for the gracious will and good pleasure of God to do good to men, or to show mercy to the creature ; for God's kindness and bounty to men is expreSiSed by several terms. The most usual are two — grace and mercy. I will show how they agree, and how they differ. They both agree in this, that they are attributes
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which, merely respect the creature. The love and knowledge of God fii'st falleth upon himself, God knows himself, and loves himself, and then the creature. But now the mercy and grace of God are merely transient, and pass out to and respect the creature only. God cannot be gracious to himself and merciful to himself, as he loves himself and knows himself; and therefore herein they agree. But now in some respects they differ. Grace properly signifies the freeness of God's love ; mercy relates to the misery of the creature. God's external motive is our misery, and his internal motive is his own grace. Mercy respects us as we are in ourselves worthy of condemnation : grace re- spects us as we are compared with others that are not elected. As, for instance, if the question be, Why any are chosen to life ? it is out of mercy, because they are lost and undone creatures. But then if the question be, Why these are chosen above others ? then the ultimate reason is God's grace. Once more, the angels that never sinned are saved merely out of grace, and not out of mercy. It is not proper to say they are saved out of mercy, for they were never miserable; but men, that were once miserable, are saved, not only out of grace, but also out of mercy. In short, mercy signifies that love of God which helps the miserable, and grace signifies a property in God to give forth things freely and without desert. Grace doth all gratis, freely, and without any merit or precedent obligation or debt. Kote then —
Doct. 1. That the original and first moving cause of all the blessings we have from God is grace.
Survey all the blessings of the covenant, and from first to last you will see grace doth all. Election, vocation, justification, sanctification, glorification, all is from grace. There is a clue of scriptures which will lead us through all these steps, and direct us to grace.
1, For election : Kom. xi. 5, 6, ' There is a remnant according to the election of grace.' And then he adds presently (for Paul cannot mention grace, but he must run out into the praise or vindication of it), ' And 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, other- wise work is no more work.' Mark the context. The apostle's drift in that place is to prove that all Israel are not cast away ; that though the nation of Israel were passed by, yet there was a remnant cliosen according to the election of grace. Grace is spoken of by the bv, but he takes every little occasion to digress into the commendation of grace. And what doth he say ? The foundation and ground of salvation is God's election, and the impulsive cause of election is God's grace. Why is there a remnant ? There is an election ; and why is there election ? It is according to grace.
2. Our calling, when election breaketh out in time and becometh actual. Look, as the heirs of salvation are distinguished from others by election in the purpose and bosom of God, so are they actually distinguished from others by effectual calling : 2 Tim. i. 9, 'Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own ]>urpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.' Why doth God i)ick and choose, and cull here and there ? The onlv reason is his own jrrace and his
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own purpose. When we come to make choice, we cull and pick out those things that are worthy of our love and respect ; and we favour none but for something whereby we may be allured to love them ; but God saw nothing lovely in us, but yet calleth us with an holy calling according to his purpose and grace. The same gracious purpose that distinguished them from others before all time, doth in time make an actual choice and distinction between them and others by effectual calling.