'110 Mr. Medes'iSertiton. in Angels bleiUngs ; grace is the fiibftance of the Scripture,- the end of the Law,the fulneffeof the Gofpei, Gregory calls it the heart and firth of God ; 1" am fure Grace is the heart and foul of the Word;ics a little word,but it comprehends all g ood,here is more thenHomers Wads in a Nur.Iheli, its the Epitome in all the good in Heaven and Earth, name any word that fignifies good to rile foul here or hereafter, but it is found in the index in t !is 'little word Grace ; Grace compreherisisgeds love to'us, 8t our love to God,8t as Gods love to us is the mum ofall mercy, lo our love to God is the turnm ofad duty ;Grace is the New-birth of the Soul, where- by it takes up another Nature, a newN !tare, a (pit itual God- like Nature ; as Chrift was born, and thereby took on him thena- trn e ofman, andwas made field, fo man is born by grace,- and the eby takes upon him the nature of God, acrd is made Spirit ; and here you have at once the great Miftery ofgrace in the lowett debafement of a Saviour, and the higheil advancement of a Sin- ner : for the Lord Chrift could not be more debated then to be born, it was nothing fo great an abatement for C111111°dye,as for him tobe born, for being once made man, it is no wonder for to dye, but being the great God, its a wonder that ever he lhould be made man. Lo here is the debasement of Chrift ; yet if he had been born to a Crown,to Honour, it had been fomething, but he was born to fhame, to forrow, anddeath, but man by Grace is born to a Crown, to a Kingdom, he has a title to all the glory and bleffedneffe of Heaven from the fiat moment ofhis new births So 'tis in the Text, Grace, be unto you andpeace. Peate in Scripture is a very comprehenfive term, it carries in it all happinefie. It was thecommon. greetingof the 7ews, peace be untojon:Thus David by his Proxy faiutes Nabal,peace be to thee and thy haute, and the Apoille here alludes to this form of falutation, that hemight mix new Teffament mercy, toold Teftarnent man- ners, he first Hiles grace beforepeace ; as Jacob did with his Ve- nifon, be made it a favoury meatl, fuch as Ifaack loved. peace is the glory of Heaven in the bofom of God,, and brought into the world in the Arms ofAngels; the first peace you read of in the Gospel, was peace by the adminiftration ofAngels. Luke 2.13,4.. Andfuddenly there was with the Angels, a multitude of Heavenly hoft, praifing andfaying, glory be to God in the high*, and on Earth peace, good will towards men. And when our Lord Chrift first fent out his Difciples, this was the DoEtrine that he bid them preach,Mat./..o. 12, 13. When you come into a houlefalute it, and if it be worthy, let grace peace comer upon it.. Mark here by the way our Lord kills Christ
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