GRACE. 



motives of tlie gof^jel, and tlie praftice of vhicli preferves 

 incn in the favour of God, ;iiid recommends tliem to hie gra- 

 cious acceptance. (See Ephef. iv. 29. 2 Pet. iii. 18. 

 2 Cor. viii. T. 6.) Moral virtues are plainly for this reafon 

 diftinguiflied by the denomination of grace, becaufe they 

 proceed from and are founded on a regard to God in general, 

 and in particular to his will revealed under the gracious dd- 

 penfation of the gofpel of Chrift. 



Another figiiification of the word grare in Scripture is to 

 exprefs the merciful acceptance of repentance and amend- 

 ment, by which God is pleafed, not out of any obligation of 

 juftice, but in gracious goodnefs, to reftore men to favour. In 

 this fenfe Paul fays ( i Cor. xv. 9.) " By tlic ^rnce of God 

 I am what I am :" fo John, i. 17., the dortriiie of Chrift is 

 ftyled " grace and truth." The Apolllcs' preaching is by 

 St. Luke (Adts, xiv. 3.) called " the word," or declaration 

 " of God's grace:" fo when St. Paul declares (Rom. 

 iii. 24.) that repenting finuers are " juftified freely by grace,'' 

 and blames thofe " who continue in fin, that grace may 

 abound." The word grace in all thefe pafiTages fignifiea 

 that merciful and companionate difpofition of the divine na- 

 ture, by which God freely remits of his right of punifli- 

 ment, and receives penitent fmners, upon more gracious 

 terms, and to greater degree of his favour, than he was bound 

 to do by any obligations of juftice. 



Hence it is, that the gofpel itfelf, as being the great and 

 ftanding declaration of God's mercy and goodncfs to wards men, 

 Jhewn forth in the free pardon and forgivencfs of iin upon the 

 gracious terms of repentance and amendment, is in the New 

 Teftament very frequently meant by the phrafe, " the 

 grace of God." (Clarke's Serm. vol. ii. p. 265 — 275. 8vo. 

 fol.ed. vol. i. p. iSo, &c.) Bilhop Pearce (Comm. vol. ii. 

 p. 259.) renders >^api1» in I Cor. x. 30. thankfgiving, and 

 not grace, as it is in our verfion ; and he obferves that this fenfe 

 cf the word x»f''' 'S too frequent in St. Paul's writings to re- 

 quire a proof of it. He adds that in^a^ira in the latter part 

 of the verfe confirms this fenie. 



Some divines define grace to be any degree of divine in- 

 fluence on the mind, inclining it to believe in Chrift, and to 

 praftife virtue ; and thofe divine influences, which are not 

 effeftual in producing faving faith and fincere obedience, 

 they caXl commnn grace, in contradiftinftion to fpecia! grace, 

 the operation of wliich is completely efficient and faving ; 

 and thofe influences which introduce fpsc'tal grace, though 

 they do not aftually amount to it, are with refpeft to that 

 introduftion fometimes called preparatory . It is difputed 

 among theologians whether fpecial grace, which they fup- 

 pofe is never on the whole finally rejefted, fo as to fail of 

 working faith in thofe who are the happy objefts of it, be 

 in the nature of its operations upon the human mind irrejijli- 

 tle or not ; and it is alfo queftioned, whether common grace 

 he fuffiiient. Whether the mind be entirely pajfnte in the 

 firil moment of its converfion, or whether there be any co- 

 operation of our own together with the influences of divine 

 grace upon the heart, is a quelUon, which has been alio very 

 much difputed amongft divines of a particular defcription ; 

 and another queftion, no lefs the fubjeft of controvcrfy, is 

 fimilar to the former, and that is, whether the work of rege- 

 neration and converfion be accompliflied in an injlant. But 

 we ftiould far exceed our prefcnbed limits if we were to 

 ftate the arguments pro and con on queilions of this na- 

 ture. 



Grace, in Law, is fometimes ufed for a faculty, licence, 

 or difpenfation ; but this feemcth to be only in a cafe where 

 the matter proceedeth, as it were, ex gratia, of grace and fa- 

 vour ; ar.d not where the licence or difpenfation is granted of 

 courfe or of ncceflity. 



Gk-ACeIs alfo a term in the formula of all patents, &:c. 

 which begin, George, by the grace of God, king of Great 

 Britain, &c. The Romifli bifhops frequently began their 

 mandates in the like manner : fuch a one, by the grace of 

 God, and tlie holy fee, bifliop of, &c. 



The Englifti archbifliops fay, by divine grace, or divine 

 providence. See Archbishop. 



All fovereigns ufe the phrafe grace of God ; as emperors, 

 kings, princes, &c. Anciefitly dukes, counts, and even 

 lords, talked in the fame ftyle. In the new coUediion of 

 Father Martcne we meet with a mere feigneur, or lord, qua- 

 lified by the grace of God feigneur de Conibom. Louis 

 XL forbade the dnkc of Britanny to ftyle himfelf by the 

 grace of God. 



Grace is alfo a title of dignity, attributed to princes of 

 inferior rank, and wiio are not qualified for that of high- 

 nefs. 



In former times the kings of England were addrefied un- 

 der the title of grace, as they are now under that of majefty. 

 See King. 



Our Englifii dukes and archbifliops are ftill addrcn"ed un- 

 der the title of grace. But that title is moft frequent 

 in Upper Germany, and particularly Auftria, where it is 

 borne by the barons, as being inferior to that of excel- 

 lence. 



Grace is alfo applied to perfons, and various kinds of 

 performance.?, to denote a quality, or rather the refult of a 

 combination of qualities, which attrafts peculiar notice, and 

 affords peculiar pleafure. 



Gr-^ce is alfo ufed for a fiiort prayer offered before and af- 

 ter meat. This praftice is very ancient, and has very gene- 

 rally obtained both in the heathen and Chriftian world : and 

 hence grace-cup is ufed by fome of our poets for the cup or 

 health drank after grace. 



Grace, in the arts of Painting and Sai/pture,. is ufed to 

 fignify a peculiar quality which heightens the effeft that 

 beauty of form is calculated to produce, and renders it ftill 

 more engaging. 



We have already, in the article Beauty, flightly touched 

 upon this fubjeft, and there mentioned the origin of the term 

 among the Greeks ; who gave to the Charites or Graces, 

 whom they deified, the prefidency over whatever was 

 amiable and engaging in the aftions or fentimcnts of man- 

 kind. By the undilguifcd nakediiefs in which they always 

 reprefented thefe goddeffes, to whom they gave the names of 

 Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrofyne : they allegorized the 

 pure finccrity and fimplicity in which afts of kindnefs* 

 Ihould always be wrought. By the union of thefe perfons, 

 which are gently holding each other by the hands, or with 

 their arms round each other's necks, they marked the union 

 of fpirit which diftates afls of benevolence and focial inter- 

 courfe; and by devoting them to the fervice of Venus, exem- 

 plified the necelTity of uniting the virtues of humanity 

 to the beauties of perfon, in order to become truly en- 

 gaging. 



This allegory of the ancient Greeks leads us to the juft; con- 

 ception of the meaning of the word grace wlien applied to 

 the ai'ts. Whatever can lend to beauty, increaie of intereil 

 upon the beholder, is entitled to be called graceful, or at 

 leaft elegant. (See Elecaxce, in Fainting.) As the 

 heart of man, when inclined to good, is to his mental, fo is 

 grace to liis perfonal accomplifiiments ; that, which gives 

 the moft delightful gratification to thofe with whom he aflTo- 

 ciates. Without it, art is nothing, compared with the va- 

 lues it acquires by its prcfenco. Indeper.dent of all which 

 conftitutts mere beauty of form, it is abfolutely nccefl'ary to 

 give it its full force, its greatcft efieft, I'iz. tlr.it which 

 6 . beaut V 



