The first call, to the fellowship of the blessings of salvation in the kingdom of grace, is in all respects independent of our merit. The Gospel comes to us in our guilt and depravity, and, making no distinction between degrees of vileness, invites all alike to an equal place in the Divine favour. The first summons to the presence of God, where mercy awaits the vilest, is a distinction of which we are reckoned worthy for Christ's sake alone. It is not only a message of pardon ready for our sins, but an undeserved honour put upon our fallen estate. Thus it is grace with a double meaning: grace as the forgiveness of all transgression, and grace as the condescending kindness that calls us before our very repentance has begun.

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