Ball:

The use of faith, which is as large as the Word of God, must be distinguished according to the parts and several branches of it, promises, Commandments, threatenings. By promises understand all those declarations of God’s will, wherein he signifies in the Gospel what good he will freely bestow. And these be either Spiritual or Temporal; concerning this life, or the life to Come; of things simply necessary to salvation, or of things good in themselves, but not always good for us: all which received, possessed, and enjoyed by faith, according as they promised of God, either with, or without limitation.

The promises of
forgiveness of sins
Deut. 39:1,2.
1 Reg. 8:35.

Among spiritual promises absolutely necessary, without which there can be no salvation, the first and chief is concerning pardon or forgiveness of sins and Justification. God of his rich grace and mercy in Jesus Christ does make offer of free and full forgiveness of all sins to ever burdened, thirsty, and penitent soul.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return to our God for he will abundantly pardon [Isa. 55:7.]. Return though back-sliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep mine anger for ever [Jer. 3:12.]. I will cleanse them from al their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me, and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned, and where they have transgressed against me [Jer. 33: 8 & 31:34.].

This promise is
free.
Isa. 43:25.
& 44:22.

This promise is made of free and undeserved mercy, not for any merit that is, or possibly could be in us.

I, even I am hee that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and I will not remember thy sins. I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from him [Hos. 14:4.]. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniqutity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy [Hos. 14:4.]. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou has redeemed [Deut. 21:8; Heb. 8:12; Jer. 32:34.].

Yet obtained
through Christ
only.

But when we hear of grace, we must remember Christ, in and through whom God is gracious unto us. Christ is the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world,” [John 1:29.]: and this great benefit of forgiveness of sin is plentifully proclaimed unto us miserable sinners, in and through him.

Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the death the third day, and that repentance and Remission of sins should be preached among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem [Luk. 24:46, 47.]. Be it known unto you therefore, Men and brethren, that through this Man, (meaning Christ) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins [Acts 13:38.]. Now then we are Amabassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God [2 Cor. 5:20.]

Hereunto agrees that invitation of our Saviour: “Come unto me all ye that labor, and are hearts laden, and I will give you rest,” Mat. 11:28.].

John Ball, A Treatise of Faith (London: Printed for Edward Brewster, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Crane in Pauls Church-yard, 1657), 209-211. [Some spelling modernized, some reformatting; underlining mine.]

Johnson:

2. That, as a Free Agent, man has life and death set before him, with the liberty of choosing the one, and rejecting the other. As a fallen creature, he is an enemy of God, and without the provision of mercy in his Son, would for ever remain such. Descending to the abode of the Devil and his angels, as a company of kindred spirits, he would for ever unite with them, in their unhallowed opposition to their common creator. Mutual crimination and joint blasphemy against their maker would render them as miserable as their capacity would admit. But now the announcement of pardon and restoration invites him to return. “Come, now, let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” “Ho! everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea, come buy wine and milk without price.”

As moral agents, for whom there is hope, I call upon you, then, fellow sinners to turn to the Lord, For he saith the Lord; “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his evil way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Your God commands, invites, entreats. Open your ears–hear “the word of this salvation, Which is sent unto you.” “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.” As disobedient subjects, as prodigal sons, come back. Your sovereign is ready to receive you—your father’s arms and house are open to embrace, and entertain you. Come, then, the fatted calf shall be killed for you, the best robe shall be put on you, joy and gladness shall thrill your ransomed heaven born souls. The Church on earth shall rejoice. Attending angels shall bear the tidings to the throne of the eternal, and the holy company of Cherumbim and Seraphim in his presence, shall make all Heaven resound with hallelujahs of praise to God and the Lamb.

But if ye refuse the invitations of love and mercy, and will not have the man Christ Jesus to reign over you, if ye will continue in sin, you must receive its wages–death—eternal death. You must see, that man Christ Jesus on the judgment seat, and hear from his sacred lips, the sentence–“Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” But you will be your own destroyer; the Judge will only, as the organ of insulted justice and violated law, pronounce sentence, which you will have already drawn down upon your head.

Now, Now, O fellow sinners, you have it in your power to place yourselves under influences, that are spiritual and saving; or under influences that are carnal and damning. You can read the Bible, or the book of infidelity; the sermon of truth, or the novel of fiction; you can attend the party of sinful pleasure, or the meeting for holy prayer; you can go to the midnight revel, or to the house of God. You can lift up the prayer of the publican, or the howl of the bacchanal. You can utter the praise of the Most High, or belch out the blasphemy of the Arch fiend. How solemn the responsibilities that are upon you. Under what awful accountability does your free agency place you? The freedom to chose is the freedom to reject. O! Exercise this freedom aright. Pause, consider your latter end. “Chose you this day whom you will serve.” Difficulties attend the decision. For their removal, search the scriptures, implore the teaching of that Holy Spirit, whom God will give to all that ask for in sincerity. And oh may He enlighten the eyes of your understanding, and give you to see Christ in the scriptures as your “wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.”

William Bullein Johnson, The Sovereignty of God and the Free Agency of Man: A Sermon Delivered Lord’s Day, May 30, 1842 (Published at the request of the Congregation, by William Bullein Johnson), 25-27. [Underlining mine.] [Note, Johnson was the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention.]

[Explanatory Note: Marlorate often references the “offer of grace,” or the “offer of mercy” or the “offer of pardon,” and so forth. But he rarely elaborates further. Here, however, we find some explicit connections between the offer, itself, and the disposition of grace and favor on the part of God and Christ in the offer.]

Marlorate:

1) “And I went to the Angell.”

A. [Marlorate] John refuses not the benefit that is offered him, he alleges not his own worthiness, he puts no doubt that perchance he shall not obtain it: but perceiving himself to be counseled by God, he demanded the Book of the Angel. Even so as often as God calls us to the partaking of his benefits, we must reverently and soberly receive the things that his Fatherly liberality offers unto us, except we will be counted double unthankful. Therefore let them see what answer they can make unto Christ, who leaving him, do with divelishly superstition run unto dead Saints, or rather to dumb stocks and Idols, when they would obtain any benefit. For it is not for nought that Christ has said, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you,” Matt. 11.28. Also, “he that comes unto me shall not hunger, and he that believes in me shall not thirst for ever,” John. 6.35. Also, “if any man thirst, let him come to unto me and drink,” John. 7.37. “If he ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it you,” John. 16.23. And S. James says, “If any of you want wisdom let him ask it of him that gives, namely of God, who” (I say), “gives to all men freely without upbraiding: and it shall be given unto him,” James 1.5.

“And he said unto me, take the book.”

Like as John does not demand the book before he was bidden by the Angel: so now being commanded and advised to ask it, he asks it boldy & obtains it, to the intent we may know that God allures us not to deceive us. G. [Gaspar Megander] Hereupon are these sayings of Christ, “Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives,” &c, Mat. 7.7,8.  Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike exposition vpon the Reuelation of Sainct Iohn, (Printed by H. Binneman, for L. Harison, and G. Bishop, 1574),) Rev. 10:10, p., 145b. [Some spelling modernized and formatting modified.]

2) A. [Marlorate] Then let us learn in season to shun this great wrath, that we be not compelled to feel the greatness of it with the ungodly. Let us humbly say unto God, “turn away thy wrath from us,” Psal. 85.4. And seeing that Christ sits now upon the thrown of mercy, and calls all men to amendment: we must beware that we abuse not his graciousness, nor despise not his mercy, as though it could stand us in no stead, upon trust of our own works. But rather let us go with faith to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find favor to be helped in due season. Hebr. 4.16. “For Lo, now is the time of accepting into favor, now is the day of Salvation,” 2 Cor. 6.2. But then shall be the time of punishment & the day of vengeance, howbeit unto those only which have despised the time of Salvation adn grace through froward unthankfulness. Augustine Marlorate, A Catholike exposition vpon the Reuelation of Sainct Iohn, (Printed by H. Binneman, for L. Harison, and G. Bishop, 1574),) Rev. 14:19, pp,. 218-219. [Some spelling modernized and formatting modified.]

Murray:

1) Introduction

It would appear that the real point in dispute in connection with the free offer of the gospel is whether it can properly be said that God desires the salvation of all men. The Committee elected by the Twelfth General Assembly in its report to the Thirteenth General Assembly said, “God not only delights in the penitent but is also moved by the riches of his goodness and mercy to desire the repentance and salvation of the impenitent and reprobate” (Minutes, p. 67). It should have been apparent that the aforesaid Committee, in predicating such “desire” of God, was not dealing with the decretive will of God; it was dealing with the free offer of the gospel to all without distinction and that surely respects, not the decretive or secret will of God, but the revealed will. There is no ground for the supposition that the expression was intended to refer to God’s decretive will.

It must be admitted that if the expression were intended to apply to the decretive will of God then there would be, at least, implicit contradiction. For to say that God desires the salvation of the reprobate and also that God wills the damnation of the reprobate and apply the former to the same thing as the latter, namely, the decretive will, would be contradiction; it would amount to averring of the same thing, viewed from the same aspect, God wills and God does not will. The question then is: what is implicit in, or lies back of; the full and free offer of the gospel to all without distinction? The word “desire” has come to be used in the debate, not because it is necessarily the most accurate or felicitous word but because it serves to set forth quite sharply a certain implication of the full and free offer of the gospel to all. This implication is that in the free offer there is expressed not simply the bare preceptive will of God but the disposition of lovingkindness on the part of God pointing to the salvation to be gained through compliance with the overtures of gospel grace. In other words, the gospel is not simply an offer or invitation but also implies that God delights that those to whom the offer comes would enjoy what is offered in all its fullness. And the word “desire” has been used in order to express the thought epitomized in Ezekiel 33:11, which is to the effect that God has pleasure that the wicked turn from his evil way and live. It might as well have been said, “It pleases God that the wicked repent and be saved.”

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