3. Justification : Rom. iii. 24, ' Being justified freely by his grace.' Mark, the apostle useth two words ; it is rfj avrov %aptTt, ' by his grace ; ' and it is Scopeav, ' freely ' by his grace ; ' freely,' to note the readiness of his inclination ; and ' by his grace,' to exclude the merit of our works ; or the mere grace of God, not excited or quickened by any works of ours, but acting of its own accord. The scriptures do with such emphatical and redoubled expressions inculcate it, because there are deep prejudices in the proud heart of man, rooted in his nature, against the grace of God.
4. Sanctification, all the parts whereof are called the graces of the fSpirit ; because, Graiice gratis datce; they are not only wrought by the Spirit, but freely given us of God. Thus faith is said to be God's gift : Eph. ii. 8, ' By grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.' And it is given of mere grace ; Phil, i. 29, ' To you it is given to believe ; ' the word exaptaOri signifies ' graciously given ; ' it is the same word that is used, Rom. viii. 32, ' He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ? ' ')(api<jeTai. The same grace that giveth Christ, giveth faith to believe in Christ, that we may be possessed of his grace.
5. Glorification, which is the complement of all salvation. So Eph. ii. 8, ' By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God.' Not only all the means and all the tendencies of salvation are of grace, but salvation itself ; from first to last it is all of grace. So that when we come to heaven, this will be our great work, to sing forth the praises of grace, and to admire and glorify the grace of God to all eternity.
Secondly, To limit the point. Though it is of grace, yet not to exclude Christ, not to exclude the means of salvation.
1. Not to exclude Christ. The merit of Christ stands well enough with the grace of God : Rom. iii. 24, ' Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' Freely ! you will say ; how so, when it was not without so great a price and satis- faction as the blood of the Lord Jesus ? Yet, however, it is freely in respect of us, it is by no work of ours ; it was the exceeding grace of God to appoint the merit of Christ, that it might be the greater ground of confidence to us. We do not look for things with such certainty which depend upon mere grace, and favour, and good- will, as we do when a thing is established by merit and desert. Now merit in us there could not be without wrong to grace ; and therefore the wisdom and love of God hath found out this way of merit in Christ, that we might be more confident of the standing of our privileges, they being bought at so great a price. There was grace in this, that God gave Christ, that the satisfaction is not required of us ; and therefore indeed
VeR. 11.] SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 41
there is nothing doth so gloriously discover the grace of God as the free giving up of Jesus Christ. God might require satisfaction from the party offending, or the person that had so sinned might hear the blame and punishment ; but the Lord hath so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, and that not to angels, but to us. Well, then, it is grace to find out the merit, and grace by •which we are interested in it. Christ's merit is most free, both on the part of God the Father freely sending Christ, and on the part of Christ taking this office upon him. It was grace that moved God to give Christ, and grace that moved Christ to give himself, ' who loved me, and gave himself for me,' Gal. ii. 20. Nay, after all this, it is grace that gives us faith, that so we may be interested in the merit of Christ, that we which sinned with both hands earnestly, might take hold of God with both hands. And our salvation is carried on in such a way that we may confidently expect his mercy without any violation of his justice and truth. So that it doth not derogate from the grace of God, but much amplify and enlarge it. This is a great part of the grace, that he freely sent Christ to make all sure between us and him.
2. Not to exclude the means of salvation ; not faith, nor obedience also, if rightly understood.
Not faith ; that may well enough stand with grace : Eph. ii. 8, ' By gi'ace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God.' There is a condition required, and that is faith ; but God himself gives the condition that he requireth. Grace cannot stand with anything that is in man, and of man. as the condition of the covenant; yet it stands with faith, because it justifies, not as an inherent quality in us, or as a work done by us, but as it layeth hold of Jesus Christ; and it is not of ourselves, but is the mere gift of grace.