GRACE emanates from, and is a portion of, the one

Spirit of God; and St. Paul saith, that" Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ:"-to one peradyenture five talents, to another two, and to another one. Wherefore we find that our Saviour saith,

"Behold the kingdom of God is within you;" which he "likens unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." "Know ye not," saith the apostle, "that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." It is plain, therefore,

that all righteousness must proceed from God, as it is written, " And their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Now, according as we improve in doing well with the portion of grace which is a gift, this is esteemed to be our works, and then is grace added, which is reckoned to us for the measure of our faith, by which we shall live; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." He that made no use of the talent or portion of grace which was given to him, had it taken from him, even that which he had, and it was awarded to him that had the largest share of it.

From what has been said, we may perceive that well doing comes of grace, and that if we improve in well doing, we get an increase of grace. This increase is accounted to be our faith, and that improvement to be our works: but, lest any should boast, the works are set aside, as it were, and faith only remains; and this was the "faith which was accounted to Abraham for righteousness." Thus, "By grace ye are saved, through faith, (as saith St. Paul,) and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast."

Faith is the light of the inner man, as the eye is the light of the body: as with the eye of the body, so with the eye of faith,“if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! And if the salt hath lost its saltness, wherewith shall it be salted?" This is the blind state of unbelievers, "whose minds the god of this world hath blinded, so that the glorious brightness of the light of the gospel of Christ cannot enlighten them:" whilst on the other hand, the wise, seeking more and more for the gifts of grace, the wisdom which is from above, comprehend in an increasing fold the righteousness of God; for," in the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith."

The Jewish nation for the most part, though they probably believed in their prophets, did not receive the word as it was written, but gave (alas! we as too frequently do) private interpretations to prophecy, instead of "ascribing power to God," as required of them in the book of their law: the consequence was they did not believe in Christ who was the

that all righteousness must proceed from God, as it is written, " And their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Now, according as we improve in doing well with the portion of grace which is a gift, this is esteemed to be our works, and then is grace added, which is reckoned to us for the measure of our faith, by which we shall live; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." He that made no use of the talent or portion of grace which was given to him, had it taken from him, even that which he had, and it was awarded to him that had the largest share of it.

From what has been said, we may perceive that well doing comes of grace, and that if we improve in well doing, we get an increase of grace. This increase is accounted to be our faith, and that improvement to be our works: but, lest any should boast, the works are set aside, as it were, and faith only remains; and this was the "faith which was accounted to Abraham for righteousness." Thus, "By grace ye are saved, through faith, (as saith St. Paul,) and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.”

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nor our fathers could bear? But we believe that through Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they.” Thus did the merits of our Saviour atone for the sins of the accounted worthy of every generation and nation, both before and after his coming. The royal law, which is "to love thy neighbour as thyself," is written in the heart, unless, neglectful of our spirit, our deeds have vailed it from our sight; wherefore we find in the heathen, which have not the advantages of the gospel, that they have that* within them, which is conscience, reproaching them if they have done unjustly. St. Paul expressly points out that this is the case, who saith, "For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. For, when the gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts; their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the while accusing or else excusing another."

*The Word.