Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_000.lzh/D_058.TXT

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58                                              OF THE GRACE OF GOD.                                                           Book I.

away this, Psalm,lxxxix. 3& having loved his own which
were in the world, he loves them to the end, to the
end of their lives, to the end of time, and to all eternity,
John xiii. 1.

C H A P. XIII.

OF THE GRACE OF GOD.

THIS attribute may be considered, both as it is in God
himself, and as displayed in acts towards his creatures; as
in himself, it is himself; it is his nature and essence; he
is Grace itself, most amiable and lovely; hence so often
called gracious in Scripture: it is a character expressive
of the amiableness and loveliness of his nature: and thus
he was before he had, and would have been for ever the
same if he never had displayed his grace towards shy of
his creatures. And this appears from. the loveliness of
Christ, the image of the Father, the express image of his
person; who, to them that believe, is exceeding precious,
and altogether lovely; when they behold his glory, as the
only begotten of the Father; the fulness of grace in him,
as Mediator; the purity, perfection, and beauty of his
human nature, as in union with his divine person, in
which he was in high fayour with God and men. Now
if .Christ, under these several considerations, is so grace-
ful and amiable, he must needs be infinitely so, whose
image he is, and who has all virtues, all excellencies, all
pEerfections in him; he is said to be glorious in holiness,
xod. xv. 11. And if he is so glorious and graceful,
viewed in one perfection of his, what must he be when
all put together, and he is viewed in them all, his good-
ness, wisdom, power, justice, truth, &c. ? and therefore
is to be loved above all, and with all the heart, soul, and
strength; and hence it is that good men, as Moses,
David, and others, desired to see the face of God, so far
as could be admitted, and they were capable of, Exdd.
xxxiii. 14, 1,5. Psalm xxvii. 7, 8. and cv. 4. and what a
lovely sight had Moses of him in the clift of the rock,
when he caused his goodness to pass, and proclaimed his
name, a God gracious before him, Exod. xxxiii. 19. and
xxxiv. 6. and to see the lovely face of God, so far as
creatures are capable of, is the happiness of angels,
will be the happiness of saints to all eternity,
xviii. 10. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 1 John iii. 2. Rev. xxii. 4.
The grace of God may be considered as displayed in
acts of goodness towards his creatures, especially .men;
and is no other than his free favour and good will to
men; it is no other than love unmerited and undeserved,
exercising and communicating itself to them in a free
and generous manner; which they are altogether un-
worthy of. There are many things called grace, and the
grace of God, because they flow from his grace, and are
the effects of it; as the gospel, 2 Cot. vi. 1. Gal. v. 4.
Tit. ii. 11. gifts. for preaching the gospel, Rom. xii. 6.
Eph. iii. 7, 8. the blessings of grace, as justification, adop-
tion, &c. Psalm lxxxiv. 11. 2 Tim. i. 9. the several graces
of the Spirit in regeneration, as faith, hope, love, &c.
2 Cor. ix. 8. Gal. ii. 9 but then these are to be distin-
guished from grace in God; as the Giver and the gift,
the Fountain and the streams, the Cause and the effect.

~ lqon enim Dei gratia, firaria erit ullo modo, nisi gratuita fuerit

The grace of God arises from the goodness of his nature,
and not from any thing in the creature; and is exercised
according to his sovereign will and pleasure; I will be
~racious to whom I will be gracious, Exod. xxxiii. 19.
t is independent of all merit and worth in creatures, and
of all works done by them, and is always opposed to
them in scripture, Rom. xi. 6. 2 Tim. i. 9. Eph. ii. 8, 9.
it is quite entirely free, as Austin {1} said long ago, grace
is not grace, unless it is altogether free. As an attribute,
it wholly and only resides in God; and is only in men, as
to the sense and perception of it, and the effects of it
upon them and in them, Rom. v. & and viii. 38. and it
is only exhibited and displayed through Christ, in and
through whom men are elected, adopted, redeemed, justi-
fied, pardoned, regenerated, and sanctified, Eph. i. 4, 5,
6, 7. Rom. iii. 24. Tit. iii. 5, 6. And though there are
various gifts and blessings, and effects of it, it is but one
in God: there is but one Fountain, from whence they
all flow.' With respect to creatures, the objects of it,
some distinctions are made concerning it, as of natural
and supernatural grace. Natural grace seems to sound
oddly, and unless guarded against, may tend to confound
nature and grace together; but rightly applied and un-
derstood, may be admitted. What Adam enjoyed, in a
state of integrity, above the rest of creatures, was all
owing to the tmmerited kindness and goodness of God,
and so may be called grace; as the image of God, in
which he was created; his holiness and righteousness;
knowledge and understanding; the communion he
had with God, and his do,nmion over the creatures; and
yet it was all natural: so many things which his posterity
in their fallen state enjoy, being altogether owing to the
free' favour and undeserved g9odness of God, may be
called grace: to have a being, and life, and the preserva-
tion Of it, and the mercies of life, as food and raime,it,
which men are altogether unworthy of, are gifts and
favours; and so may bear the name of grace, though
only natural blessings. Supernatural grace includes all
the blessings of grace bestowed upon any of the sons of
fallen Adam; and all the graces of the Spirit wrought
in them; and which will easily be allowed to be super-
natural. But that Adam had any such, in a state of
innocence, for my own part, I cannot see; though some
are of .this opinion. Again, grace is, by some, distin-
guished into common or general, and special or parti-
cular. Common or general grace, if it may be so called,
is what all, men have; as the light of nature and reason,
which every man that comes into the world is enlightened
with; the temporal blessings of life, the bounties of pro-
vidence, called the riches of God's goodness, or grace,
Rom. ii. 4. which all partake of, more or less; and the
continuance and preservation of life; for "God is. the
Saviour of all men," 1 Tim. iv. 10. Special or parti-
cular grace, is that which is peculiar to some persons
only; such as electing, redeeming, justifying, pardoning,
adopting, and sanctifying grace, Rom. viii. 30. and this
special grace is, by some, distinguished into imputed and
inherent grace: imputed grace is the holiness, obedience,
and righteousness of Christ imputed. to justification: in-
herent grace is what is wrought in the heart, by the Spirit
of God, in regeneration. But these distinctions, with

omnimodo, Au$. contra Pelag. de Peccat. Original. !. 2. p. 338.