ordinances. Spikenard was a precious Eastern plant of a pleasing smell, as was also the ointment made of it; a pound of which was worth three hundred pence. With this, how costly foever, Mary, in token of her efteem and gratitude, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with her hair: and fuch was its fragancy, that the whole house, it is faid, was filled with the odour of the ointment, John xii. 3, &c. This was done while Christ was fitting at table, the account of which seems to have a defigned reference to our text.

Grace is compared to spikenard for its preciousness and value; and the fending forth of its Ymell, denotes that grace, as difcovering itself in a lively, fresh and vigorous manner. It is as ointment poured forth, most pleasing to Chrift, and to all that love him too; they rejoicing in the honour paid him by themselves and others, through a lively exercise of grace.

Chrift has his chambers, and his banquettinghouse, into which he is pleased to bring his friends for spiritual entertainment, and to give them the fore-tastes of heaven in the way to it. And when in his ordinances, parti cularly that of the Lord's supper, where the King fits at his own table, serious christians, the invited guests, have their graces in exercife; their hearts broken by repentance, raifed by faith, inflamed with holy love and defire towards Christ, and joyful expectations of feeing and being with him in glory. Then the spikenard may be said to fend forth the fmell thereof, when grace shews itself in such

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a way as Christ will be pleased with, and reckon himself honoured by striving that it may, is paying our homage to him in a spiritual manner, as the wife men from the east did once, by opening their treasures, and presenting him with frankincense and myrrhe.

4. We have the connexion of this effect with its cause, or the presence of Chrift, and the dependance of this upon it: While the King fitteth at his table, my spikenard fendeth forth the smell thereof. When this is vouchsafed, grace stirs and acts, flows and flourishes, and thus continues to do while his prefence and influence continues: but when this is withdrawn or suspended, grace droops and languishes, and so little discovery is made of it by the exercise, that it becomes like flowers withering, or spices unstirred, which send not forth the delightful fragrancy by which they should be known.

From the whole we may obferve, I. That grace in the friends of Christ is highly valuable and precious.

II. That Chrift's presence as king in his ordinances, particularly at his table, is that which draws forth the graces of his people into that exercise, which is most pleasing to him, and comfortable to themselves. While the King fitteth at his table, my spikenard fends forth the Smell thereof.

I. Grace in the friends of Christ is highly valuable and precious. It being compared to spikenard, denotes its worth.

Under this, I shall only briefly tell you,

I. What grace is.

II. From

II. From whence its worth may be collected. And

III. The use that we may make of the whole. I. To tell you what grace is.

Grace in scripture most usually denotes these two things, namely, God's goodwill to us, and his good work in us.

1. His goodwill to us lost sinners in and thro his Son, and this as revealed and tendered to us in the gospel. We read that the grace of God bringeth salvation, Tit. ii. 11. and that by grace we are saved, Eph. ii. 8. This grace of God, or his goodwill towards men, is the spring of all the bleffings he bestows upon them.

2. Grace denotes God's good work in us, in all his people, which is the fruit or effect of that goodwill which he had in his heart concerning them. Thus faith the apostle, speaking as a christian, Unto every one of us is grace given, &c. Ephes. iv. 7. And as Christ is head over all things to the church, of his fulness all that are recovered from a state of nature, have received, and grace for grace, John i. 16.

It is of grace in this sense, as a good work in us, that we are now enquiring about, what it

is.

It is represented in scripture under several characters, viz. as a new creation, as that by which we are born again, raised from the death of fin to newness of life; as that by which we are effectually called, converted, and sanctified, &c. Upon which, a child of God so vastly differs from his former state, that every one of this number is stiled a new creature.

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When the Spirit of God has been savingly at work, to the doing away all old things, and making all things new: when an holy light is shed upon the mind, and a god-like temper and disposition is produced in the foul, bringing it to hate what God hates, and love and chuse what God loves; to grieve upon the account of fin, and prize and rely upon Jesus Chrift: when it is made careful to please God by doing his will, as the work of life, and promote his glory as the end of life: when the man is led calmly to refign to the will of God, as wisest and best; has his chief defires after him, his highest delight in him, and hath pleasing and joyful hopes of feeing and being for ever with him, as his portion and rest, this is grace. And if we could fay no more, how valuable a thing does it appear to be?

But to bring our hearts to be in love with it. II. Let us enquire from whence its worth and excellency may be collected. Now

1. Grace in the friends of Christ may be said to be valuable and precious, as having so much of heaven in it. And if you ask, How?

I answer,

It comes from heaven,

It marks out for it,

It leads to it, And

It will issue in it.

(1.) Grace comes from heaven. Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, James i. 17. And grace in a special manner does so. It is God's God's own offspring, and every thing relating to it must be afscribed to God.

The purpose is his, that any such favour should be bestowed on any of the children of men, the finful progeny of an apoftate head: the mediator by whom grace is purchased, and in whom, as our head of recovery, it is treasured up, is of his own appointing: the persons that are to be the subjects of this grace, and in whose hearts it is wrought, are of his own chusing, and this from everlasting: and the actual implanting of grace, in the first principles and habits, and all its after-growth, is owing to the operation of his own Spirit. In these respects saints are of God, begotten and born of him. It is God that sends his Son to bless his people, in turning away every one of them from their iniquities, Acts iii. 26. It is of God that any are in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto such sanctification, I Cor. i. 30. Hence they are faid to be God's workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, Eph. ii. 10. He blesseth us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Grace comes from heaven.

(2.) It marks out for heaven. So great is the change made where grace is communicated, as speaks the Author to be God, and the foul that is the subject of it, designed for a better world and state. The finger of God may be read in it, and the renewed foul in which so much of