among divines is taken, 1. For the free love and favour of God, which is the spring and source of all the benefits we receive from him. 2. For the work of the Spirit renewing the soul after the image of God; and continually guiding and strengthening the believer to obey his will, to resist and mortify sin, and overcome it.

Grace is also used, in a peculiar sense, for a short prayer said before and after meat.

The proofs of the moral obligation of this ceremony, drawn from different passages of the New Testament, are so well known, that it is needless to insist on them here. Some others, drawn from the practice of different nations, and of very remote antiquity, may not be disagreeable to our readers.

1. Athenaeus tells us, in his Deipnosoph. lib. ii. that in the famous regulation made by Amphictyon king of Athens with respect to the use of wine, both in sacrifices and at home, he required that the name of Jupiter the Sustainer should be decently and reverently pronounced. The same writer, in lib. iv. p. 149, quotes Hermeias, an author extant in his time, who informs us of a people in Egypt, inhabitants of the city of Naucratis, whose custom it was on certain occasions, after they had placed themselves in the usual posture of eating at the table, to rise again and kneel; when the priest or precentor of the solemnity began to chant a grace, according to a stated form amongst them; and when that was over, they joined in the meal in a solemn sacrificial manner. Heliodorus has a passage in his Ethiopics to the fame purpoſe, that it was the custom of the Egyptian philosophers to pour out libations and put up ejaculations before they fat down to meals. Porphyry, in his treatife De afiin. lib. iv. p. 438, gives a great character of the Samnian gymnosophists in Egypt for the strictneſs of their life: as one article in their favour, he obferves, that at the founding of a bell before their meals, which confifted only of rice, bread, fruits, and herbs, they went to prayers; which being ended, and not before, the bell founded again, and they fat down to eating. In general this was a religious uſage or rite among the ancient Greeks; and derived from yet older ages, if Clement of Alexandria rightly informs us. He mentions, that thefe people when they met together to refreh themfelves with the juice of the grape, fang a piece of muſic, in imitation of the Hebrew psalms, which they called a scholion. Livy, lib. xxxix, speaks of it as a fetted custom among the old Romans, that they offered ſacrifice and prayer to the gods at their meals and compotations. But one of the fulleft testimonies to our purpoſe is given by Quintilian, Declam. 301. Adihi menfam, fays he, ad quam cum venire cupimus, Deos invocamus; "We approached the table (at supper together), and then invoked the gods."

The Jesuit Trigautius, in his very elegant and instructive narrative of the Chrifian expedition of their missionaries into China, book i. p. 69, gives this account of the people there in the particular now under confideration. "Before they place themfelves for partaking of an entertainment, the perfon who makes it fets a vefsel, either of gold, or silver, or marble, or fome fuch valuable material, in a charger full of wine, which he holds with both his hands, and then makes a low bow to the perfon of chief quality or character at the table. Then from the hall or dining-room, he goes into the porch or entry, where he again makes a very low bow, and turning his face to the south, pours out this wine upon the ground as a thankful oblation to the Lord of heaven. After this, repeating his reverential obeifance, he returns into the hall," &c.

The Turks pray for a bleffing on their meat; and many more inftances might be produced of infidels who have conftantly obferved the like custom in some way or other.

2. The fact, therefore, with reſpect to the heathen world, being thus evident, we proceed to the fenti- ments and behaviour of the Jews in this particular. Their celebrated historian Josephus, giving a detail of the rites and customs of the Effenes, who were con- fefively the stricteft and moft pious professors of the Jewifh religion, has this remarkable paſſage to the pre- sent purpoſe: "The priest," says he, "begs a bleffing before they prefume to take any nourishment; and it is looked upon as a great fin to take or taste before." Then follows the thanksgiving before meat: and "when the meal," proceeds he, "is over, the priest prays again; and the company with him blefs and praife God as their preferver, and the donor of their life and nour- ishment."

Philo, in his book De vita contemplativa, gives an account of a body of men and women stricter than even the Effenes themfelves. He diftinguihes them by no particular name, though his relation is very accurate and circumftantial; namely, that on certain special occasions, before "they took their meals, they placed themselves in a proper decent order; when, lifting up their hands and eyes to heaven, they prayed to God that he would be pleafed to be propitious to them in the ufe of thofe his good creatures."

From the Hebrew ritual it appears, that the Jews had their hymns and psalms of thanksgiving, not only after eating their paſſover, but on a variety of other occasions, at and after meals, and even between their feveral courses and dishes; as when the beft of their wine was brought upon the table, or their aromatic confe- tions, or the fruit of the garden, &c. On the day of the paſsover was sung Psalm exiv. "When Israel came out of Egypt," &c.

Ariifaeus has a paſsage full on the prefent ſubject. "Moſes," fays he, "commands that when the Jews are going to eat or drink, the company ſhould immediately join in ſacrifice or prayer." Where Rabbi Elea- zar (upon that author) met with this fenſence, has been controverfed. But ſuppoſing it not to be found in ſcriptis, it is ſufficient for us to know that the Jews did conftantly praćtice this custom, upon the foundation of an ancient and general tradition and uſage. That the prophet Daniel gave thanks before meat, is evident from the Apocryphal book concerning Bel and the Dragon, where, ver. 38, 39, we find, that "Daniel faid, Thou haft remembered me, O God! neither haft thou forfaken them who ſee thee and love thee. So Daniel aroſe, and did eat." Of this text Prudentia takes notice in Cathemirin, hymn iv.

His funptis Danielis excitavit In calum faciem, ciboque fortis, Amen reddidit, alleluiah dixit. The much-belov'd took the repast, And up to heav'n his eyes he cast; By which refresh'd he fung aloud, Amen, and alleluiah to his God.

Where, by the way, it may be obferved, that the poet is a little miſtaken in making the prophet give thanks after meat; whereas, according to the text, he did it before.

Gracefulness, in the human character; an agreeable attribute, inseparable from motion as oppofed to reſt, and as comprehending fpeech, looks, gesture, and loco-motion.

As fome motions are homely, the oppofite to graceful; it is to be inquired, With what motions is this attribute connected? No man appears graceful in a mask; and therefore, laying afide the exprefions of the countenance, the other motions may be genteel, may be elegant, but of themfelves never are graceful. A motion adjusted in the moft perfect manner to answer its end, is elegant; but ſtill ſomewhat more is required to complete our idea of grace or gracefulness.

What this unknown more may be, is the nice point. One thing is clear from what is faid, that this more muft arife from the exprefions of the countenance: and from what exprefions fo naturally as from thofe which indicate mental qualities, fuch as sweetness, benevolence, elevation, dignity? This promifes to be a fair analysis: becaufe of all objects mental qualities affect us the moft; Grace, and the impression made by graceful appearance upon every spectator of taste, is too deep for any cause purely corporeal.

The next step is, to examine what are the mental qualities, that in conjunction with elegance of motion, produce a graceful appearance. Sweetness, cheerfulness, affability, are not separately sufficient, nor even in conjunction. Dignity alone, with elegant motion, produce a graceful appearance; but still more graceful with the aid of other qualities, those especially that are the most exalted. See DIGNITY.

But this is not all. The most exalted virtues may be the lot of a person whose countenance has little expression: such a person cannot be graceful. Therefore to produce this appearance, we must add another circumstance, viz. an expressive countenance, displaying to every spectator of taste, with life and energy, every thing that passes in the mind.

Collecting these circumstances together, grace may be defined, "that agreeable appearance which arises from elegance of motion and from a countenance expressive of dignity." Expressions of other mental qualities are not essential to that appearance, but they heighten it greatly.

Of all external objects, a graceful person is the most agreeable.

Dancing affords great opportunity for displaying grace, and haranguing still more. See DANCING, DECLAMATION, and ORATORY.

But in vain will a person attempt to be graceful who is deficient in amiable qualities. A man, it is true, may form an idea of qualities he is destitute of; and, by means of that idea, may endeavour to express these qualities by looks and gestures: but such studied expression will be too faint and obscure to be graceful.

Act of Grace, the appellation given to the act of parliament 1666, c. 32, which allows prisoners for civil debts to be set at liberty, upon making oath that they have not wherewithal to support themselves in prison, unless they are alimented by the creditors on whose diligences they were imprisoned, within ten days after intimation made for that purpose.

Days of Grace, three days immediately following the term of payment of a bill, within which the creditor must protest it if payment is not obtained, in order to entitle him to recourse against the drawer.

Grace is also a title of dignity given to dukes, archbishops, and in Germany to barons and other inferior princes.