Grace abused.

A self-righteous man, a man of the law, takes grace and mercy for his greatest enemy.

The best of things that are of this world are some way hurtful.  Honey is hurtful, wine is hurtful, silver and gold are hurtful; but grace is not hurtful.  Never did man yet catch harm by the enjoyment and fulness of the grace of God.  There is no fear of excess or surfeiting here.  Grace makes no man proud, no man wanton, no man haughty, no man careless or negligent as to his duty that is incumbent upon him, towards either God or man.  No; grace keeps a man low in his own eyes, humble, self-denying, penitent, watchful, savory in good things, charitable:  and makes him kindly affectioned to the brethren, pitiful and courteous to all men.

True, there are men in the world that abuse the grace of God, as some are said to turn it into wantonness and into lasciviousness.  But this is not because grace has any such tendency, but because such men are themselves empty of grace, and have only done as death and hell have done with wisdom, “heard the fame thereof with their ears.”

Some receive the rain of God and the droppings of his clouds, because they continually sit under the means of grace.  But alas, they receive it as stones receive showers, or as dunghills receive the rain:  they either abide as hard as stones still, or else return nothing to heaven for his mercy, hut as dunghills do, a company of stinking fumes.

To slight grace, to do despite to the Spirit of grace, to prefer our own works, thus derogating from grace—–­what is it but to contemn God? to contemn him when he is on the throne, when he is on the throne of his glory?  I say again, it is to spit in his face, even then when he commands thee to how before him, to be subject unto him, and to glorify the grace of his glory, that proceeds from the throne of his glory.  If men in old time were damned because they glorified him not as God, shall not they be more than damned, if more than damned can he, who glorify him not for his grace?  And, to he sure, none glorify him for his grace but those that close in therewith, and submit themselves thereto.  Talkers of grace are but mockers of God, but flatterers of God.  Grace God has exalted; has set it upon the throne, and so made it a king, and given it authority to reign; and thou goest by and nearest thereof, but wilt not submit thyself thereto, neither thy soul, nor thy life.  Why, what is this more than to flatter God with thy lips, and than to lie unto him with thy tongue?  What is this but to count him less wise than thyself, while he seeks glory by that by which thou wilt not glorify him—–­while he displays his grace before thee in the world from the throne, and as thou goest by, with a nod thou callest it a fine thing, but followest that which leadeth therefrom?  Tremble, tremble, ye sinners, that have despised the riches of his goodness.  The day is coming when ye shall behold and wonder and perish, if grace prevaileth not with you to be content to be saved by it to the praise of its glory, and to the glory of him who hath set it upon the throne.  Acts 13:  38-41.