GRACE
What Grace is.
By grace understand the favor of God, and also the gift of working of the Spirit in us, as love, kindness, patience, obedience, mercifulness, despising of worldly things, peace, concord, and such like.
The true definition of grace.
The true definition of grace, and agreeing to the Holy Scripture is, the free benevolence of God, whereby he counts us dear in Christ Jesus, and forgives us our sins, gives the Holy Ghost, an upright life, and eternal felicity: by this definition is seen, not only what we call grace, but also by whom we have it, and with all the principal effects thereof.
Pet. Mar. upon the Rom. fol. 140.
Received grace of an Apostleship. ¶ Grace is throughout all the Epistles of Paul, taken for the favour and free mercy of God, whereby he saves us freely without any deserts or works of the law. In like manner peace is take for the tranquility of the conscience, being fully persuaded, that through the merits of Christ’s death and blood-shedding, there is an atonement and peace made between God and us, so that God will no more impute our sins unto us, nor yet condemn us.
Sir. I. Cheeke.
Iohn Marbeck, A Book of Notes and Common Places, collected and gathered out of the works of diuers singular Witers, and brought Alphabetically in order (Imprinted at London by Thomas East, 1581), 461. [Some spelling modernized.]