252 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. let him that heareth say, Come; and let him that is athirst come ; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." All centre in this, that sinners may come freely to the grace of the Gospel. And it is the voice of all the saints in heaven and earth who have been made partakers of forgiveness; they all testify that they received it freely. Some indeed endeavor to abuse this concurrent tes- timonyof God and man. What is spoken of the freedom of the grace of God they would wrest to the power of the will of man. But the riches and freedom of God's mercy do not in the least interfere with the efficacy of his grace. Though he proclaim pardon in the blood of Christ indefinitely, according to the fullness and excel- lency of it, yet he giveth out his quickening grace, to en- able men to receive it, as he pleaseth ; for he bath mer- cy on whom he will have mercy : but this lies in the thing itself; the way is open and prepared ; and it is not because men cannot enter, but because they will not, that they do not enter. As our Savior tells the Phari- sees, " Ye therefore hear not God's word, because ye are not of God." John, 8 : 47. So he saith, " Ye will not come to me that ye may have life." John, 5 : 40. In the neglect and inadvertency of the most excusable, there is a positive act of their will put forth in refusing Christ, and grace by him ; and this is done by men un- der the preachingof the Gospel every day. There is no- thing that, at the last day, will tend more immediately to the advancement of the glory of God, in the inexcu- sableness of those who obey not the Gospel, than this, that terms of peace, in the blessed way of forgiveness, were freely tendered to them. Some that read or hear this word may perhaps have lived long under the dis- pensation of the word of grace, and yet, it may be, have never once seriously considered this way of coming to God by forgiveness through the blood of Christ ; but
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=