He came down from heaven – to take you up to heaven.

He humbled himself – in order to elevate you, who were destroyed.

Impoverished – in order to enrich you, impoverished.

He was dishonored – in order to glorify you, dishonored.

He was wounded – in order to heal you, wounded.

He died – in order to revive you, the dead.

Thou hast sinned, and I have taken thy sin upon Myself.

You are guilty, but I have suffered the punishment.

You are a debtor, and I have paid the debt for you.

Thou art condemned to death, but I died for thee.

And to this suffering of mine for you it is none other than my love for you that has drawn me. And so, why do you arbitrarily neglect this love of mine, labors, podvigs, sufferings raised for your sake, and do you want to destroy yourself? You were not redeemed from sin, the devil, death, and hell with perishable silver or gold, but with my precious blood (1 Peter 1:19). Remember this – what a precious price has been given for you: by My blood and My death you have been redeemed! Remember all these merits of Mine, by which I have earned thee the remission of sins and eternal life, and repent, and thus thou shalt be saved. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Rev. 3:20)."

O divine, O beloved, O sweetest voice – the voice that seeks our salvation! O Most Gracious and Merciful Jesus, our Merciful Redeemer! Do not depart from us, sinners, whom You redeemed with Your holy Blood. But strike, strike at the doors of our hearts of stone, strike firmly with Thy sweet and saving voice. May we awaken from the deep sleep of sin, and hear Thy most sweet and lovely voice, for Thy voice is sweet, and Thy image is beautiful (Song of Songs 2:14), and so let us ourselves beg, seek, and knock, knock at the door of Thy mercy (Matt. 7:7-8).

Thus the Son of God calls the erring sinner after him and turns him to repentance! And the Father from heaven testifies of this: "Hear Him" (Matt. 17:5). And the Holy Spirit in the Psalm says to us: "Now, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Psalm 94:8). Thus our Holy and Merciful God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, calls us by His grace to repentance!

3) He calls us to repentance through the prophets and apostles, as His messengers and servants, whom He sends after us and turns us to Himself through them. They exhort us and beseech us: We therefore ask in the name of Christ, and as if God exhorts through us; in the name of Christ we beseech you: be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). And again: "Turn unto me," says the Lord of hosts, "and I will return unto you" (Zech. 1:5; Mal. 3:7). And again: Turn, O Israel, to the Lord thy God, for thou art faint in thy iniquities (Hosea 14:2). And again: Turn unto me, O house of Israel, – said the Lord, – and I will not set My face against you, for I am merciful, and I will never be angry with you (Jeremiah 3:12). And again: And now saith the Lord your God: "Turn unto me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in weeping, and tear your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God, for he is merciful, and generous, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy, and is sorry for troubles" (Joel 2:12-13). And again: Turn and reject all your iniquities, and unrighteousness shall not be a torment to you; cast away from yourselves all your iniquities, wherewith you have sinned against me, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit, and do all my commandments (Ezekiel 18:30-31). Thus, as you see here, and in other places of Scripture, through the voice of the prophets and apostles, God converts the sinner and calls him to repentance.