our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; and according to which grace we were justified and sanctified, and by its reign we shall partake of eternal life; Rom. v. 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Apostle Paul well knew what this grace was to him; he well knew the dreadful course of sin he was pursuing, and how he was seized and saved as a brand from the burning, and what great things it was doing for him continually and how greatly does he delight to dwell on this grace! see an instance illustrating our text, Eph. ii. 4-8. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved,) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved. To this grace we have access by Christ Jesus; he it is that leads us to the Father, that, by his Spirit, gives us a sight of his glory, as seated upon a throne of grace, and that requires us to come boldly to that throne, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help us in every time of need; he it is that opens all the rich stores of divine grace in the word and promises of God, in the covenant of grace, confirmed in the blood of the Lord Jesus.

(2.) It is this grace wherein the justified in Christ Jesus stand, in all the dangers to which they are exposed, or relations they bear.

[1.] Stand, as soldiers, against all the power of their enemies. Whilst in this life we are in an enemy's country, in a state of constant warfare, exposed to the most powerful and dangerous foes; and if we withstand them, and stand against all their decelt and force, yea,

stand conquering and to conquer, we stand in this grace, we find in this grace the whole armour of God, the truth as it is in Christ, in whom all the lines of revealed truth centre and shine; all truth in Christ Jesus, who is full of truth and grace. Here we find all the armour by which we are enabled to stand as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; the grace that is in Christ Jesus, reigning through righteousness to eternal life; the gospel of the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, proclaiming to us all the fulness of its blessings. Are we assaulted by sin that dwells in us? we are assured, that sin shall not have dominion over us; for we are not under the law, but under grace. Does the world, under its different of honour, of profit, assault us? we have access unto this grace, over the world. (See 1 John v. 4.) his wiles and fiery darts, assault us? we resist him, stedfast in the faith; we are enabled to rejoice in the assurance we have, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient for us.

(See Rom. vi. 14.) forms of pleasure, that faith by which gives us the victory Does Satan, with all

Thus the justified believer stands in the grace to which he is introduced by faith, through the Lord Jesus, against all the powers of darkness; stands as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, in all his conflicts with his foes; and if, at any season, his courage begins to fail, and he begins, with David, to fear he shall one day fall by some of his numerous foes, he looks to this grace, he has recourse to the throne of grace it hath erected, where its blessings are dispensed: thus the conflict is renewed with fresh vigour and success: thus in this grace he stands in the evil day, and having done all, he stands.

[2.] All that the Lord justifies and receives to grace and peace, he tries and proves, that they may be made manifest; he puts them into the furnace, that their dross may be consumed, and that it may be made evident

that they are genuine believers in Jesus Christ—that they may be distinguished from those professors of Christ, who are as chaff, which Christ will purge from his floor, and burn; who are as briers and thorns; who are nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned-that they may so stand these fiery trials that they may come forth as gold, as Job speaks of himself, that when he was tried he should come forth as gold, Job xxiii. 10. He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold. But wherein does the believer stand in all his fiery trials? Is it in his own strength? Is it in any thing short of the grace of our Lord Jesus? When Satan desired to have Peter, that he might sift him as wheat, was it not the grace of our Lord Jesus that preserved his faith from failing? When Paul was suffering by the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan that buffeted him, was it not the sufficiency of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in which he stood, and even triumphed ?

[3.] To stand, in one word, is to be true to our colours, to the divine cause which we have espoused, whatever may be the trials by which the Lord is pleased to try us, or with which he suffers the world to afflict us; we stand, when, through the grace of our Lord Jesus, we overcome evil with good; when, like Noah, we, through grace, are perfect in our generation, and walk with God; or when, through grace, we stand, like Lot in Sodom, or like Joseph in a wicked family, or, as the apostles, amidst persecutions of all kinds from malignant and cruel men, and furious and revengeful devils. We have an instance of this grace in which we stand, in Acts iv. 33. connected with the preceding verses. When this great grace was on the primitive church, it was when they had been imprisoned and severely threatened by their rulers. Neither imprisonment, nor threatenings, nor stripes, nor even death, could move them, or cast them down, while great

grace was upon them. When the Lord Jesus had introduced them into this grace, in it they stood.

[4.] Erect and firm in this grace, as men of quite an opposite character to temporary believers, formalists, and hypocrites. For the temporary believer dureth only for a while; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended, Matt. xiii. 21, The justified by faith, being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, hear the word of salvation, and understand it, and believe to the saving of the soul. While formalists rest in the form of religion, of mere profession, and external services, denying the power of it, the justified are saved, by grace, to a genuine confession of the Lord Jesus, and to a life of faith in him, to the glory of God. While hypocrites take up the profession and practice of religion to be seen of men, profess what they do not possess, make religion a stalking-horse to gain the riches or the honours of the world, or the gratification that arises from dominion over others; the justified are enabled to say, By grace I am what I am-to me belongeth shame and confusion of face; but to the Lord belongeth grace and forgiveness-not unto us, not unto us, but to thy name, who art rich in mercy to all that call upon thee in truth, give all the glory. Thus, in the justified, that part of the word of God is fulfilled, Psal. xx. 7, 8. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. (His name which he proclaimed to Moses, Exod. xxxiv. 5—7.) They are brought down and fallen; but we are risen, and stand upright. Through this grace the justified watch and pray always, that they may be accounted worthy to escape the pollutions and the ensnarements of the world, and stand before the Son of man. Thus, while mere professors of Christ fall away, fall into a course of sin, and apostatize from the ways of Christ, such as are justified, and have access into this grace, stand approved

believers in Christ Jesus; stand as approved servants in the house of the Lord: they have a name and place in the house of God better than that of sons and daughters: through grace they bring forth the genuine fruits of righteousness. If it is asked, Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in the holy place? who shall abide in the Lord's tabernacle? as in Psalms xv. and xxiv. the answer is, Those who are justified by faith, and are introduced, by Jesus Christ, into this grace wherein they stand. These are the men that have clean hands, and a pure heart; who have not lifted up their souls to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully the men that shall receive blessings from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of their salvation: the men that walk uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in their heart; that will not injure their neighbour, neither by their words nor actions, in any thing. When the Lord comes to prove the inhabitants of Zion, these are such as stand the trial; while others will fall, will be cast out into utter darkness. None are approved of the Lord of his house, besides faithful soldiers, who fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, are separate from hypocrites, unbelievers, and the fearful, and walk according to the rules of his house.

[5.] To stand, is not merely to keep our stand in one degree of grace; it implies, progress in the divine life. It is the standing of a conquering army, who go on conquering and to conquer, and stand all the conflicts with prevailing success. It is not such as are eventually overcome in their conflicts; but such as overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony; who stand indeed in the evil day, and have an evident interest in those great promises we find in Rev. ii. 17, 26. iii. 5, 12, 21. xxi. 7. HE THAT OVERCOMETH SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS. The standing, in our text, is the standing of a traveller, in a trying journey. Thus, such as stand