Secondly, What and how much of grace is now discovered? I answer —
1. The wisdom of grace. The gospel is a mere riddle to carnal reason, a great mystery : 1 Tim. iii. IG, ' Great is the mystery of god-
VeR. 11.] SERMONS UPON TITUS 11, 11-14. 51
liness.' There we read of God and man brought together, and justice and mercy brought together by the contrivance of grace ; here only we see this mystery, that is without controversy great, for these things could not come into the heads of any creatures. If angels and men had been put to study, and set down their way of reconciliation to God, how it should be, they could never have thought of such a remedy as the bringing of God and man together in the person of Christ, and justice and mercy together by the blood and satisfaction of Christ ; this came out of no breast but God ; he brought the secret out of his own bosom. When the question was put in the council of the Trinity, how man that was fallen might be brought again to God, from the depth of misery to the height of happiness, grace interposed, and propounded Christ to be God-man in one person. Oh ! the strangeness and wonderfulness of this contrivance ! If you consider the weakness and vileness of human nature, the infiniteness and excellency of the divine nature, certainly such a plot could not enter into the head of any creature. Upon what grounds could any creature expect such a condescension, that mortal and immortal, infiniteness and finiteness, should come together? And as the person of Christ is wonderful, so also is his work and business, which was to bring justice and mercy to kiss each other, that justice might have full satisfaction for men's sins, and mercy have full content in procuring their salvation, that grace might be glorified, and yet justice be no loser. When God redeemed the world, he had a greater work to do than to make the world at first. The object of creation was pure nothing, but then, as there was no help, so no hind- rance ; but now, in redemption, there was sin to be taken away, and that was worse than anything. We deserved ill, his justice and truth had a quarrel against us, and therefore this was the harder work, and needed more of his wisdom, which now is discovered fully to us in the gospel. When God was to make man, though he was to be his noblest creature next the angels, it was nothing to the divine power to make him of the dust of the earth. Now sin makes us worse than earth : Job XXX. 8, ' They were children of fools, children of base men, they were viler than the earth.' Our condition was worse; here God's justice opposed ; but grace found out the contrivance, and sent Christ in the form of a servant, who ' was in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God,' Phil. ii. 6, 7.
2. We discern the freeness of grace in the gospel, both in giving and accepting. Whatever God doth is a gift, and what we do, it is accepted of grace. In giving there is a great deal of grace made known there. The Lord doth all freely : John i. 16, ' And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace ; ' that is, for grace's sake he gives Christ, gives faith, gives pardon ; he gives the condition as well as the blessing. Certainly now we have to do with a God of grace, who sits upon a throne of grace, that he might bestow freely to ail comert. Out of Christ and in the law, there God is discovered as sitting upon a tribunal of justice, as he is described, Ps. xcvii. 2, ' Clouds and dark- ness are round about him ; righteousness and judgment are the
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habitation of his throne.' But now, saith the apostle, Heb. iv. 16, 'Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and grace to help in a time of need ; ' that we may have mercy for
52 SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14, [SeR. I.
pardon and for acceptance of our persons, and grace to help us against our weaknesses. This was figured out in the law. Under the law it was figured out by the mercy-seat between the cherubims, from whence God was giving out answers ; but there the high priest could enter but once a year, and the way within the veil was not fully made manifest, Heb. ix. 8. There was a throne of grace then, but more God's tribunal of j ustice ; there was smoke and thundering about his throne ; but now let us draw near that we may obtain grace, take all freely out of God's hand. Then there is grace manifested in accepting as well as giving. God accepts of serious repentance for complete innocence, of sincerity for perfection, of the will for the deed, of a person for Christ's sake, and of the works for the person's sake. Thus God doth both give and accept freely. That we do is not brought to the balance, but touch- stone. Many times a good work is not full weight. God doth not look to the measure, but to the truth of grace ; he requires truth in the reins.