Gracefulness

“ Reader, it you have already tasted that the Lord is gracious, you will learn, from what you have been reading, to look upward with gratitude, for the exercise toward you of sovereign distinguishing grace—to look forward with humble confidence, your hope resting on the finished work of Immanuel—to look around you on your brethren in the Lord with fervent, pure, operative love—and on the world lying in wickedness, with tender, earnest, and active compassion.
1. Gratitude to God for his distinguishing grace, is one of the leading features of the Christian character. ”

“ I bow my knees to the God of all grace, and say, “Not unto me, not unto me, but to thy name be all the glory.” And what can I say more? It well becometh the just to be thankful. Gratitude, blessing, and praise is the sacrifice of the heart and lips, which is due to God. The Lord be pleased to maintain this spirit in our minds. Gratitude is sometimes excited and led out by the retrospect we take of the Lord’s dealings with us, and discerning his love and wisdom in all his dispensations, however gloomy for the time ”

“ What motives of joy and thankfulness ought we not to find in the knowledge of God, his truth, mercy, and goodness as made known to us in the Scripture and in his Divine Son, our Saviour and friend, the God-Man; in the gift of the faith, the spiritual riches of the church and the sacraments, his mercies to us personally—blessings on our labors, the removal of dangers from our paths, his gracious forgiveness of our sins, time and again. Then, too, what we expect and through his mercy count on for the future—the joys of heaven, those delights which pass our understanding. ”

“ I hope not only for the pardon of my sins, but also for all that may promote thy glory, and the good of my soul, as a holy life and a happy death, the accomplishment of thy merciful designs upon me, and that thou wilt be pleased to form my heart according to thy own. All this I ask purely that I may become more pleasing in thy sight. Imprint thy law upon my heart; grant me grace to observe it faithfully. Look favourably on thy people; bless them, and give them all that thy mercy has designed for them. ”

“ True grace is much more excellent than any spiritual gifts whatever. And faith, hope, and love, are the three principal graces, of which charity is the chief, being the end to which the other two are but means. ”

“ Thus are sins forgiven by mercy and grace, and our soul is worshipfully received in joy like as it shall be when it cometh to Heaven, as oftentimes as it cometh by the gracious working of the Holy Ghost and the virtue of Christ's Passion. ”

“ Grace and peace be with you. I received and read your simple, but sincere testimony of the work of God on your soul, with pleasure—Oh! that the ever adorable Spirit would increase it, that you may abound in knowledge and judgement. It is a mercy to be called by grace in our early days. What shall we render to the Lord, for thinking upon us in our low estate; for bestowing a thought of us in the councils p. 165of eternity, and appointing us to obtain salvation, by the doing and dying of a glorious Redeemer? ”

“ When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this—that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual–mindedness more marked. ”

“ I. It is not a gift, but a grace.—It is not a natural demeanour, amiable and courteous, a soft, feminine compliance, but a grace of the Spirit which takes into it the strength of the Divine. You may have the instinct of delicacy, a natural tenderness and affability, yet not have this grace of the Spirit which impels you for Christ’s sake to deal gently and save men. It is the underlying motive which determines whether grace or nature reigns. How is it when your ideas and methods of doing good are thwarted? ”

“ They that willingly and freely serve Me shall receive grace for grace. But he who desires to glory in things out of Me, or to take pleasure in some private good, shall not be grounded in true joy, nor be enlarged in his heart, but shall many ways be encumbered and straitened.... And if heavenly grace enter in and true charity, there will be no envy nor narrowness of heart, neither will self-love busy itself. ”

“ We should not ask the impertinent question, why God has given us four means of grace, instead of one, but rather thank him, that he has so richly blessed us in making us partakers of the forgiveness of our sins, and that he, through these means, gives unto us a joyful heart and a certain assurance that we are acceptable unto him. ”

“ If we considered, how grace had ordered all things for our best, and most for the glory and exaltation of grace, we would sit down and sing under the saddest of dispensations, and living by faith and hope, we would rejoice in the confident expectation of a gracious outgate ”

“ THOU alone art good, just, and holy; Thou canst do all things; Thou givest all things; Thou fillest all things, leaving only the sinner empty.
REMEMBER Thy tender mercies, and fill my heart with Thy grace, Thou who wilt not that Thy works should be void.
HOW can I support myself in this wretched life, unless Thy mercy and grace strengthen me? ”

“ Here we have met to lay bare our hearts, to disburden our griefs and sorrows, to confess our sins and transgressions, to disclose our faults and frailties, to own our endless gratitude, to be enriched with the gifts of Thy mercy, to be transformed by the might of Thy grace into newer life, fresher aspirations and firmer resolutions. Do Thou descend, in Thy mercy and Thy grace into our hearts. We seek not the gifts of the world. ”

“ Let the situation of such draw forth your tenderest compassion—let your compassion excite you. as far as you have opportunity, to 'teach transgressors the way of the Lord, that sinners may be converted unto him,'—let it lead you to the throne of grace in earnest, affectionate prayer, for any of your kindred yet in the gall of bitterness—for the ungodly and careless in the circle of your acquaintance—and for the universal diffusion of the knowledge of the saving name of Jesus—that "men may be blessed in Him, and all nations call him blessed!" ”

“ We acknowledge thy eternal power, wisdom, goodness, and truth; and desire to render thee most unfeigned thanks, for all the benefits which thou pourest upon us. But above all, for thine inestimable love, in the redemption of the world, by our Lord Jesus Christ.
We implore thy tender mercies, in the forgiveness of all our sins, whereby we have offended either in thought, word, or deed. We desire to be truly sorry for all our misdoings, and utterly to renounce whatsoever is contrary to thy will. We desire to devote our whole man, body, soul and spirit, to thee. ”

“ All the grace of this world comes from Him—health, and youth, and happiness, and all the innocent pleasures of life, and He delights in giving you them. But, over and above that, comes a deeper and nobler grace—spiritual grace, the grace of the immortal soul, which will last on, and make you loving and loveable, pure and true, gracious and generous, honourable and worthy of respect, when the grace of the body is gone, and the eye is grown dim, and the hair is grey, and the limbs, feeble ”

“ For ourselves, whatever particular graces thou knowest to be most necessary for each of us, but particularly that ardent charity and sincere humility which we know to have been the favourite virtues of thy adorable heart. ”

“ And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. ”

“ For it is for thy own sake thou doest this, not for my merits, that thy goodness may be better known to me; that greater charity may be imparted, and humility more perfectly recommended.
Since therefore this is what pleaseth thee, and thou hast commanded it should be so, thy merciful condescension pleaseth me also; and I wish that my iniquity may be no obstacle.
2. Oh! most sweet and most bountiful Jesus, how great reverence and thanks, with perpetual praise, are due to thee for the receiving of thy sacred body, whose dignity no man can sufficiently express? ”

“ Grace inheres in the substance of the soul, while charity has its seat in one of its several faculties. Inhering in the very substance of the soul, grace, by a physical or moral power, produces the three theological virtues—faith, hope, and love. ”

“ Blessed be thy goodness which hath not suffered us to wander, without instruction, after the foolish desires of our own hearts; but hast clearly shewn us where our happiness lies. O may we receive with all thankfulness, those holy words which teach us the blessedness of poverty of spirit, of mourning after thee, of meekness and gentleness, of hungering and thirsting after righteousness, of mercifulness and purity of heart, of doing good unto all, and patiently suffering for doing the will of our Lord Christ. ”

“ Thank God heartily for all the mercies you receive, whether with respect to your bodies or your souls; freely acknowledge you get more mercies than you are worthy of, more than you improve or guide well, more than you are profitably thankful for, and more mercies than many others get, who are better and more serviceable to God than you: Reckon it a great mercy that you are out of hell, and that you have the opportunity of the precious gospel of Christ: Notice and record all the mercies of God; and at times take a while on purpose to thank and praise God for them. ”

“ Grace is accorded only to tears, to solicitations, to eager desires; it requires to be long courted. Now, do you pray? At least, do you entreat? Do you imitate the importunity of the widow of the Gospel? Do you labour, like Cornelius, the Gentile, to attract that grace by charities and other Christian works? Do you say to the Lord, every day, with the prophet, ie Hide not thy face from me, O Lord, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit? ”

“ Thou, who hast shown me to myself, help me now, that I may not only do justly, but love mercy, and walk humbly with my God. Thou, who hast convicted me of sin, now purify me, strengthen me, that, though ever unworthy of Thy presence, I may yet, supported by Thy Love, dare to ascend into Thine ever lasting light! ”

“ I rejoice in your joy, and may our gracious and kind Redeemer increase and establish your joy and peace in believing! You have indeed the utmost reason to be thankful, that such a work of mercy has been begun in your soul; and fear not but that blessed spirit who has convinced you of sin, and led you to look to the only means of deliverance, will perfect the work he has begun! What a happy sign, that you can already lay hold on, and apply the promises to yourself? O continue instant in prayer, for still greater degrees of faith ”

“ The good pleasure of God denotes his gracious purposes towards his people, which flow from his goodness, and are full of goodness towards them; and it is thence that all good comes to us. If there be any good in us, it is the fruit of God's good-will to us, it is owing to the good pleasure of his goodness, and therefore is called grace. Now, there are various and manifold purposes of grace and good-will in God towards his people; and the apostle prays that all of them may be fulfilled or accomplished towards these Thessalonians. ”

“ Let us set a jealous watch over our hearts that self-absorption, or denominationalism, or envy do not make the sight a pain instead of a joy; and let us remember that the eye-salve which will purge our dim sight to behold the grace of God in all its forms is that grace itself, which ever recognises its own kindred, and lives in the gladness of charity, and the joy of beholding a brother's good. ”

“ Ah, beloved reader, we can never estimate the debt we owe to the unbounded grace of God. Grace means unmerited favor. Grace is God’s infinite love in active working for the salvation of man. And, the source of our sanctification, just as of our justification, and indeed of every gospel blessing provided for us, is the grace of God. ”

“ In which a great accession of grace and piety may be gained by the oblation of one's self and all one's actions to God, in union with the actions and merits of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is wonderful how much the maintenance and practice of a right intention, by which we refer all that belongs to us to the glory of God alone, conduces to advancement in grace and true piety. ”

“ Now sirs, examine yourselves, if ever you were acquainted with, or partakers of a regenerating work upon your souls Oh! Man, was ever grace powerfully implanted in thy soul? if thou art not a new-born plant of grace, thou dost not belong to the bush of Jesus Christ; thou art a wild bramble (illegible text) this day. Examine yourselves my friends. Did you never find the plow of the law turn up the hollow ground of your hearts, and the seed of the promise sown thereby the spirit of grace? Did you ever find the Holy Ghost dropping grace into thy soul ”

“ Will he possess a healthier body, a happier home, holier society, a more beauteous world with fairer skies and brighter landscapes, or any of those innumerable blessings which have such a tendency to tame and soften the rudest nature? Shall means of grace be afforded more powerfully calculated to enlighten the mind, convince the understanding, influence the will, or draw the affections of the heart towards God? ”

“ But for you, whose hearts are set against every sin, and are resolved for God and holiness; you that experience a thorough change, and have respect to all God’s commandments, who will have none but God for your happiness, none but Christ for your treasure, that must and will have him, come what will come, blessed are ye of the Lord: O happy souls rejoice in the Lord, and again, I say, rejoice: let your souls magnify the Lord, and your spirits rejoice in God your Saviour. Live you a life of praise ”