Ho, every one 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 money and without price.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and cat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thihg whereto I sent it.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

- Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-13

The promise of the gospel is that all those who come unto Jesus Christ will in no wise be cast out. All those coming to Christ, repenting of their sins and believing in Him, shall receive complete forgiveness and salvation. Again, it is neither the fault of the gospel nor of its promise that sinful man ignores and despises these rich and gracious promises.

To be placed by God under His external call - to hear the content, invitation, and promise of His gospel proclaimed - is a tremendous privilege, but also a great reponsibility. Left to himself, natural man ignores, rejects, and despises God's outward call. This, however, does not make the contents, invitation, and promise of God to be faulty or insincere. The problem lies with the self-centered, rebellious sinner who hates God and does not desire reconciliation and communion with Him.

Our forefathers explained the sincerity of the gospel's content, invitation, and promise; and man's guilt of its rejection, in the Canons of Dordt, as follows: