“First, of God’s carriage to man.
He comes to him while he is in his sins, in his blood; He comes to him now, not in the heat and fire of His jealousy, but ‘in the cool of the day,‘ in unspeakable gentleness, mercy, pity, and bowels of love; not in clothing Himself with vengeance, but in a way of entreaty, and meekly beseecheth the sinner to be reconciled unto Him (2 Cor 5:19-20).
It is expected among men that he which giveth the offence should be the first in seeking peace; but, sinner, betwixt God and man it is not so; not that we loved God, not that we chose God; but “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.”
God is the first that seeketh peace; and, as I said, in a way of entreaty He bids his ministers pray you in Christ’s stead; “as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you, in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
O sinner, wilt thou not open? Behold, God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ stand both at the door of thy heart, beseeching there for favour from thee, that thou wilt be reconciled to them, with promise, if thou wilt comply, to forgive thee all thy sins.
O grace! O amazing grace! To see a prince entreat a beggar to receive an alms would be a strange sight; to see a king entreat the traitor to accept of mercy would be a stranger sight than that!
But to see God entreat a sinner, to hear Christ say, “I stand at the door and knock,” with a heart full and a heaven full of grace to bestow upon him that opens, this is such a sight as dazzles the eyes of angels.
What sayest thou now, sinner? Is not this God rich in mercy? Hath not this God great love for sinners?
Nay, further, that thou mayest not have any ground to doubt that all this is but complementing, thou hast also here declared that God hath made his Christ “to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
If God would have stuck at anything, he would have stuck at the death of his Son; but he “delivered him up for us” freely; “how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32).”
–John Bunyan, “Saved By Grace, in The Works of John Bunyan, Volume 1 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1692/1991), 1: 350.
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