THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE!

"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." -Ephesians 1:6 [KJV]

When Jacob was about to meet his offended brother Esau, he was greatly afraid and distressed. He sends a present to appease his wrath before he durst venture into his presence. "Peradventure he will accept of me," says he—Genesis 32:20. Now his hope was not founded on the affection of his brother, but upon the favor which his present should procure. He was not influenced by love, but fear and terror; hence his expectation arose only to a peradventure. So it is natural for sinners to conceive of and act to an offended God. Instead of believing His gospel of free grace, and confiding in His messages of rich mercy in Christ, we are prone to think of sending presents, of doing something to pacify God's wrath, and conciliate His love to us. Some terms of accommodation, some conditions of peace, we naturally think, and we hear many contend for, must be fulfilled by us. This notion keeps the soul always in suspense. It may flatter it with a peradventure, God will accept me; but there is not the least ground for hope of acceptance upon such a human system. It springs from the corrupt reasonings of man, is founded in the pride of nature, which ever rejects the faith of the gospel. Happy for us, to "hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace to His people, and to His saints,"—Psalm 85:8,—not because of their prayers, tears, repentance, faith or obedience; but, for an infinitely higher cause than all these, even because He loved them, and hath made them accepted in His beloved Son, Jesus. Here are no legal Ifs and Peradventures; but the certainty and assurance of free love and unmerited favor. This is the most blessed, stedfast anchor-hold of faith. Its language is not, What shall I do to be accepted? but, How shall I please my God, Who hath made me accepted in the Beloved? In this way only, God secures all the praise and glory of His own grace to Himself. The belief of this expands the heart with love, fires the soul with gratitude, excites to praise, and influences to all true holiness. Hell may terrify with horror, the law work wrath in the conscience, a sight of sin cause us to tremble before God; but grace, the free unmerited favor of God in Christ Jesus, that alone changes rebels to saints, subdues sin, mortifies lusts, triumphs over all the curse and ruin of the fall, and raises its happy subjects to the exalted heights of salvation and glory. Happy those, who know and believe "Grace reigns through the righteousness of Christ unto eternal life."—Romans 5:21.  

Content to be in Jesus' debt for all; At sov'reign grace's feet we prostrate fall, All glory to the Lord that grace is free, Else never would it light on guilty me.  

Freed from law-debt, and blest with gospel ease, Our work is now our dearest Lord to please, By living on Him, as our ample stock, And leaning on Him as our potent rock. 

-William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.) 


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