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SERMON XXIV.

TITUS, 1. 4.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

SAINT PAUL, in all his epistles, whether addressed to the Church at large, or only to individuals, introduces what he has to say with a prayer expressed in terms little different from the words of my text; for being one, who had himself tasted that the Lord was gracious, and who had the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost, which was given to him, he felt an ardent desire to communicate the blessings which he had received, and to make all men partakers of a happiness infinitely superior to all the delights which this vain world can afford. May the same disposition dwell in my heart, and in that of every minister of the Gospel, and may we set forth, with all our ability, the abundant goodness of our God and Saviour.

To you, my dear brethren, do I heartily wish Grace, Mercy, and Peace from God the Father,

and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. To this may your hearts answer, Amen. May the Lord of all power and might, the Author and Giver of every good and perfect gift, confer these blessings on your souls. Thus seeking, you shall obtain; and, while I deliver the Truths of the glorious Gospel of Christ, you will, I trust, receive them with satisfaction and delight.

In speaking upon the words which I have chosen for the subject of our consideration at this time, I purpose shewing distinctly, what we are to understand by Grace, by Mercy, and by Peace, and then shall remind you from whom these gifts proceed; namely, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

1st. Let us consider what we are to understand by Grace. This imports favour, conferred on the part of the Giver, without any merit on the part of the Receiver. The grace of God is an infinite source of Divine Love, which, like the Sun in the firmament sending forth his beams on the whole creation, flows forth continually on every being in uninterrupted streams of goodness. We cannot conceive that the Creator, who could want no addition to his own happiness, would have formed myriads of beings, except with the

design of making them happy. By grace they were formed, by grace they are preserved, and by grace they have all their capacities for enjoyment. To the bounty of God it is owing that we live, and move, and have our being, and through him we obtain all things pertaining to life and godliness; to godliness, as well as to life, for in addition to the common benefits of nature, these are bestowed upon Christians, according to the measure of the gift of Christ, to one this, and to another that; not agreeably to their will, but to his good pleasure, to the end that all may conspire in their several stations, and according to their several abilities, to spread the Gospel among men, and to bring glory to God. Formerly the gifts, of which I am speaking, were miraculous powers, which could not be acquired by any human art or ingenuity; for to one was given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to another faith, to another the gifts of healing, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.* These were bestowed to work conviction in the minds of the Heathens, and to prove, beyond a doubt, that the gospel of Christ was the power of God

1 Cor: xii. 8-10.

unto salvation to every one that believeth; but even now, though such remarkable manifestations are less visible, every humble Christian will heartily exclaim " By the grace of God I am what I am, and I ascribe it to His goodness, that I was first led to serious reflection, and that my heart was broken off from its attachment to this present evil world. To the same goodness it is owing that I have been inclined to seek a better and a more enduring substance, and that I now feel within myself a constant and abiding desire to know his commandments, and to glorify his holy name. I labour to approve myself as his servant; yet, verily, not I, but the grace of God that is with me." This, yea and much more than this, is included in the name of Grace; and the Apostle, in wishing that Titus might be a partaker of it, prayed that every good and perfect gift that cometh from above might descend upon him. This, brethren, is my prayer for you. I know that your wants are great and many; but your God is able to supply them all, and I am certain he will, if you are only disposed to receive his bounties, bestow them upon you in far greater abundance than you can ask or think.

2nd. We must remember, that with Grace we are also to join the consideration of Mercy, which implies, that the person who receives the

blessings of heaven, has not only no merit, but much demerit, so that if he were to be dealt with according to his deserts, he would feel the fierce anger of a sin-avenging God. Who can read, believing what he reads to be true, the declaration of the living God in his Holy Word, and not tremble? "Cursed is every

one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them."* Two precepts of that law are, "Thou shalt do no murder." "Thou shalt not commit adultery:" and an infallible interpreter has told us, that he who is angry with his brother without a cause, transgresseth the first of these; and he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her, transgresseth the latter. The same law, in all its other precepts, forbids, not merely the outward acts of sin, but lays a restraint upon all irregular desires, so that if a man does but covet that which belongs to his neighbour, he stands guilty before God. Justly, then, may we all pray, "Lord have mercy upon us, miserable offenders," and justly may we cry out, "Enter not into judgment with thy servants, O Lord, for in thy sight, shall no man living be justified." What more benevolent wish then, than that of Mercy, can one commissioned to bless

* Gal. iii. 10.
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