had no occafion of exercising that Divineft Perfection, the very Crown of all the Bleffed Attributes in the Deity, that moft fweet and liberal and tender and amiable Goodness that delights in forgiving Sinners. Divines therefore have diftinguish'd Grace into Creating and Saving Grace. Creating Grace is that by which God has given a Being to the Angels, with all the incomparable Privileges belonging to their Heavenly Nature, and Life to Man, with all the glorious Prerogatives with which he was at firft invested. Saving Grace is that by which he raises us from our Fall, has given us his Son, conferrs upon us his Spirit, pardons our Offences, and brings us to his Kingdom.

As we cannot fufficiently value, nor by thought conceive, nor by words express this ineftimable Saving Grace; fo we cannot without horror and fhame and confufion of Face reflect, how foon God's first Creating Grace was repay'd by his Creatures with Apoftacy and Rebellion, and as a just Confequence of that, how foon that Noble Creature, whom he had made but a little lower than the Angels, was reduc'd to a Condition much worse than that of the Beafts that perifh. Divetted of all Original Righteoulnefs, darken'd in his Understanding, Perverfe in his Will, diforder'd in his Affecti

ons

ons, a Captive and Slave to the Domini on of Sin and the Tyranny of Satan, ob noxious to all the Miferies and Evils of this prefent Life, and, what is the most dreadful of all, juftly hateful to God, and the Object of his Infupportable Wrath, and by that concluded under the Sentence of Everlafting Death, and the Torments of Hell to all Eternity. This was the fad Eftate not of Our First Father only, but of all Us his numerous and wretched Offspring. And in this most deplorable Condition, when we lay, like Ezekiel's wretched Infant, polluted in our Blood, when no Eye pity'd Us, then this Saving Grace, this Love of God pafs'd by Us, and faid unto Us, Live, yea faid unto Us, when we were in our Blood, Live, Ezek. 16. 5,6. Which fhews, how far this Goodnefs of Redemption furpaffes that of Crea tion. In the Creation indeed there was no Object to invite, much lefs to deferve, but neither was there any thing to hinder or obftruct the Divine Goodnefs. Tho' there was no Worth, there was no Unworthiness. But the Object of Redeeming Grace was the Wretched and Unworthy. There was not only in our Nature an Abfence of all Good, that might move the Divine Compaffion, but there was a pofitive Malignity againft that God that fhould pardon, against that Chrift that should fatisfy, againit that

Holy

Holy Spirit that fhould apply both that Satisfaction and Pardon: Peradventure for a Good Man, fays St. Paul, fome would even dare to dye. Rom. 5.7. But God commendeth his Love towards us, in that while we were get Sinners, Chrift died for us, the Righteous for the Ungodly, v. 8. We were in open Hoftility and Rebellion against God, yet even then, fays the fame Apostle, when we were Enemies we were reconcil'd to God by the Death of his Son, Rom. 5. 10. Our Saviour tells us truly, Greater Love hath no Man fhewn than this, that a Man lay down his Life for bis Friends,Joh.15.13.But behold a greater than Man is here, and confequently a greater Love than Man's Love, a Love that lays down its Life for its Enemies. Here is Love that we loved God, but that He loved Us, and fent his Son to be a Propitiation for our Sins, 1 John 4, 10. This is a Love fo far exceeding all that was ever call'd by that Name, that St. Paul himself, even when he prays for the Ephefians, that they may be able to com prebend the breadth and length and height of the Love of God in Chrift, yet is forc'd immediately to fubjoin, which paffeth all Knowledge, Eph. 3. 19. This is that ineffable, that uncon3.19. ceivable Grace, which is in God, and which is God. For it is this that first mov'd God to Create and then to Redeem the World, and fince God is by all confefs'd to be the

LOVE

not

firft Mover, moving all things Himself, from without Immovable; it unavoidably follows, that whatever can be properly faid to move God, can be no Other than God himfelf. This is that Original Spring and Eternal Source of that Gracious Difpenfation which in time God was pleas'd to reveal to Mankind in the Adorable Myfterics of our Redemption, which is

zly, A fecond Acceptation of the Word in Scripture, wherein Grace is often taken for the Manifestation of Grace, that is the Gospel, the Covenant of Grace, the Grace which came by Jefus Chrift, as St. John speaks, c. 1. v. 17. The Grace of God which has appear'd to all Men, bringing Salvation, as alfo St. Paul, Tit. 2. 14.

And this moft Glorious, as well as Gracious Display of the Divine Goodness, in the Means of Reconciliation tender'd to Mankind in the Gofpel, as it is the chiefeft of all the Gifts of God, (for herein he gives us his Own Son, and if he fpares not him, bow fhall be not with him alfo freely give us allthings) fo by us it may be juftly efteem'd, it must be look'd upon as a Gift, that has in it all the Qualities that can make a Gift fuper-eminently perfect. In a Gift there are three things to be confider'd, The Giver, The Perfon to whom it is given, and the Manner of giving.

In the firft place then, He that gives, to do it in Sovereign Perfection must give of his Own, and he must have also both Power and Will to give all that he can give, as far as the capacity of the Receiver is able to bear; He must therefore be Infinitely Good, that he may give with the greatest readiness of Will, and Infinitely Powerful, that he may give to the full extent of the Wants of the Receiver, and Sovereignly Independant, that he may give without hopes of Return, otherwife whatsoever is given would not be a Gift, but a Bargain.

2dly, That a Gift may be faid to be in full Perfection, he to whom it is given muftMerit nothing from theGiver, for that were ra ther the payment of a Debt, than bestowing of a Gift, if there were any Merit in the Receiver. He ought also to be in the extreamest need of what is given, or else he might be excufable if he flighted and refused theOffer.

Lastly, as to the Manner of giving, That ought to be free, for whatsoever things are given by Compulfion, are not Gifts, but Spoils. And fince as before was faid, the Gift must prevent all manner of Deserts, that it be not a Reward, it ought to precede alfo even the Hopes, or Defires, or Petitions of the Receiver, because by these means he may in fome manner be faid to deferve.

All