Let us take notice of the carriage of God to man, and again of man to God, in his conversion.

First, of God’s carriage to man.  He comes to him while he is in his sins; 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 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 who gives 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 in a way of entreaty, he bids his ministers pray you in Christ’s stead:  “As if 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 favor from thee, that thou wilt be reconciled to them; with the 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 mayst not have any ground to think that all this is hut complimenting, there is also here declared, that “God hath made him 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 any thing, it would have been at the death of his Son; but he delivered him up for us freely:  how shall he not then with him freely give us all things?

Let us now come to the carriage of these sinners to God, and that from the first day he begins to deal with their souls, even to the time that they are to be taken up into heaven.

1.  And to begin with God’s ordinary dealing with sinners:  when at first he ministers conviction to them by his word, how strangely do they behave themselves.  They love not to have their consciences touched; they like not to ponder upon what they have been, what they are, or what is like to become of them hereafter:  such thoughts they count unmanly and hurtful.  And now they are for any thing rather than the word:  an alehouse, a playhouse, sports, pleasures, sleep, the world, and what not, so they may stave of the power of the word of God.