Joseph Alleine on the Sincere Free Offer of the Gospel

1634-1668

 

 

A Sure Guide to Heaven : or an Earnest Invitation to Sinners to Turn to God, in Order to Their Eternal Salvation, 180 pages, read the whole book

 

p. 129-130, this quote was compiled by Andrew Myers. 

7: Accept the Lord Jesus in all His offices, with all his inconveniences, as yours.  Upon these terms Christ may be had.  Sinner, you have undone yourself, and are plunged into the ditch of most deplorable misery, out of which you are never able to climb up; but Jesus Christ is able and ready to help you, and He freely tenders Himself to you, Heb. 7:25; John 3:36.  Be your sins never so many, never so great, of never so long continuance, yet you shall be most certainly pardoned and saved, if you do not wretchedly neglect the offer that in the name of God is here made unto you.  The Lord Jesus calls you to look to Him and be saved, Isa. 45:22.  Come unto Him, and He will in no wise cast you out, John 6:37.  Yea, He is a suitor to you, and beseeches you to be reconciled, 2 Cor. 5:20.  He cries in the streets; He knocks at your door. He woos you to accept of Him, and live with Him, Prov. 1:20; Rev. 3:20.  If you die, it is because you would not come to Him for life, John 5:40.  Now accept an offered Christ, and you are made forever.  Now give up your consent to Him, and the match is made, all the world cannot hinder it.

 

p. 140

O come in while it is called today, lest you should be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin; lest your day of grace should be over, and the things that belong to your peace should be hid from your eyes.  Now mercy is wooing of you.  Now Christ is waiting to be gracious to you, and the Spirit of God is striving with you.  Now ministers are calling, now conscience is stirring; now the Market is open, and oil may be had, you have opportunity for the buying.  Now Christ is to be had for the taking.  Oh! strike in [close the deal and make good] with the offers of grace.  Oh! now or never.  If you make light of this offer, God may swear in his wrath you shall never taste of his Supper, Luke 14:24.

 …

Direction 13:  Strike in [close the deal] with the Spirit when He begins to work upon your heart.  When He works convictions, O do not stifle them, but join in with Him, and beg the Lord to carry on convictions to conversion.  Quench not the Spirit; do not out-strive Him; do not resist Him.  Beware of putting out convictions by evil company, or worldly business.  When you find any troubles for sin, and fears about your eternal state, beg of God that they may nevver leave you till they have wrought off your heart throughly from sin, and wrought it over to Jesus Christ.  Say to Him, Strike home, Lord, leave not the work in the midst.  If you see that I am not yet wounded enough, that I am not troubled enough, wound me yet deeper, Lord.  O go to the bottom of my corruption, let out the life-blood of my sins.  Thus yield up yourself to the workings of the Spirit, and hoist your sails to his gusts.

 

See also pages 164-166

 

p. 169

Beloved, now the Holy Spirit is striving with you.  He will not always strive.  Have you not felt your heart warmed by the word, and been almost persuaded to leave off your sins, and come in to God?  Have you not felt some good motions in your mind, wherein you have been warned of your danger, and told what your careless course would end in?  It may be that you are like young Samuel, who when the Lord called once and again, he knew not the voice of the Lord, 1 Sam. 3:6,7, but these motions and items are the offers, and essays [testings, trials], and calls, and strivings of the Spirit.  O take the advantage of the tide, and know the day of your visitation.

 

See also the conclusion of the book, p. 170-176

 

p. 171-172

You put a slight upon the God that made you; you reject the bowels and beseechings of a Saviour, and will be found resisters of the Holy Ghost, Acts 7:51, if you will not now be prevailed with to repent and be converted.

 

 

An Alarm to Unconverted Sinners

p. 140, Banner of Truth edition, this quote was compiled by Erroll Hulse

Turn you at my reproof; behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you” (Prov. 1:23). Though of yourselves you can do nothing, yet you may do all through His Spirit enabling you, and He offers assistance to you.  God bids you “wash and make you clean”.  You say you are unable, as much as the leopard to wash out his spots.  Yes, but the Lord offers to cleanse you; so that if you are filthy still, it is through your own willfulness—God invites you to be made clean, and entreats you to yield to Him.  O accept His offers, and let Him do for you, and in you, what you cannot do for yourselves.

 

p. 202–205, this quote was compiled by Tony Byrne

I. The God that made you, most graciously invites you.

 

First, His most sweet and merciful nature invites you.  O the kindness of God, his boundless compassion, his tender mercies!  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways above our ways, and his thoughts above our thoughts: “higher than heaven, what can we do? Deeper than hell, what can we know? Job 11:7, 8, 9. “He is full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy.” Psa. 86: 15.  This is a great argument to persuade sinners to come in, “Turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”

 

If God would not repent of the evil, it would be some discouragement against our repenting.  If there were no hope of mercy, it would be no wonder that rebels should stand out; but never had subjects such a gracious prince, such pity, patience, and clemency to deal with, as you have.  “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity?” Michah 7:18.  O sinners! see what a God you have to deal with: if you will but turn, “he will turn again, and have compassion on you; He will subdue your iniquities, and cast all your sins into the depths of the sea.”  “Return unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will return unto you.” Mal. 3:17. Zech. 1:3.  Sinners do not fail in that they are too high [in] thoughts of God’s mercies, but in that, 1, They overlook his justice. 2. They promise themselves mercy out of God’s way.  His mercy is bound beyond all imagination; Isa. 55:9, great mercies, 1 Chron. 21:13, manifold mercies, Neh. 9:19, tender mercies, Psa. 25:6, sure mercies, Isa. 54:8, everlasting mercies; and all is your own, if you will but turn.  Are you willing to come in?  The Lord has laid aside his terror and erected a throne of grace.  He holds forth the golden sceptre: touch and live.  Would a merciful man slay his enemy when prostrate at his feet, acknowledging his wrong, begging pardon, and offering to enter with him into a covenant of peace?  Much less will the merciful God.  Study his name.

 

Secondly, His soul-encouraging call and promises invite you.  Ah, what an earnest suitor is mercy to thee! how lovingly, how instantly, it calleth after thee! how earnestly it wooeth thee!

 

“Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause my anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever; only acknowledge thine iniquity.  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; return, and I will heal thy backslidings.  Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return unto me, saith the Lord.”

 

“As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Ezek. 33:11.

 

“If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  All the transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him; in his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live. Repent, and turn you from all your transgressions: so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? for I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” Ezek. 28:21, 22, 30, 31, 32.

 

O melting, gracious words! the voice of God, and not of a man!  This is not the manner of men, for the offended sovereign to sue to the offending traitorous rebel.  O how does mercy follow you, and plead with thee!  Is not thy heart broken yet?  O that “today you would hear his voice!”

 

 

 

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The Sincere Free Offer of the Gospel