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Salvation by Grace
with bounding heart and beaming face, if one had suggested that “Grace is God’s free, unmerited favor, graciously be stowed upon the unworthy and sinful.” And if Mr. Phillips himself had been on board, and had preached his Congress ser mon there, and had declared that “Grace is something in God which is at the heart of all His redeeming activities, the down ward stoop and reach of God, God bending from the heights of His majesty, to touch and grasp our insignificance and poverty,” the weather-beaten face would have beamed again, and the converted sailor-man would have said within himself, “Oh, to Grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be.” Verily, the world through its wisdom knows not God. The true meaning of “Grace” is hidden from the wise and pru dent, and is revealed to babes. “Cottage dames” are often wiser as to the deep things of God than savants and scientists. Our learned traveller dwelt in perpetual sunshine, but he was not able from experience to say, “God hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ.” Dr. Dale, long years ago, lamented that the word “Grace” was becoming disused. It has, alas! been used a great deal less since then. His own definition of “Grace” is worth re membering : “Grace is love which passes beyond all claims to love. I t is love which after fulfilling the obligations im posed by law, has an unexhausted wealth of kindness.” And here is Dr. Maclaren’s: “Grace—what is that? The word means, first, love in exercise to those who are below the lover, or who deserve something else; stooping love that conde scends, and patient love that forgives. Then it means the gifts which such love bestows; and then it means the effect of these gifts in the beauties of character and conduct devel oped in the receivers.” Dr. Jowett puts the matter strikingly: “Grace is energy. Grace is love-energy. Grace is a redeeming love-energy min istering to the unlovely, and endowing the unlovely with its
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