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Bible Dictionaries
Means of Grace
Charles Buck Theological Dictionary
or Denote those duties we perform for the purpose of improving out minds, affecting our hearts, and of obtaining spiritual blessings; such as hearing the Gospel, reading the Scriptures, self-examination, meditation, prayer, praise, Christian conversation, &c. The means are to be used without any reference to merit, but solely with a dependence on the Divine Being; nor can we ever expect happiness in ourselves, nor be good exemplars to others, while we live in the neglect of them. It is in vain to argue that the divine decree supercedes the necessity of them, since God has as certainly appointed the means as the end. Besides, he himself generally works by them, and the more means he thinks proper to use, the more he displays his glorious perfections. Jesus Christ, when on earth, used means: he prayed, he exhorted, and did good, by going from place to place. Indeed, the systems of nature, providence, and grace, are all carried on by means. The Scriptures abound with exhortations to them, Matthew 5:1-48 : Romans 12:1-21 : and none but enthusiasts or immoral characters ever refuse to use them.
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Buck, Charles. Entry for 'Means of Grace'. Charles Buck Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/cbd/m/means-of-grace.html. 1802.
