"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

"I am like a green fir-tree: from Me is thy fruit found." -Hosea 14:8 [KJV] Here is a sweet dialogue between the Lord and Ephraim, which signifies growing. The Lord had just before said, “I will be as dew upon My people . ” See the effects of this grace, Ephraim says, “What have I to do any more with idols?” Now I find my Lord and His love in my heart, get hence ye cursed idols: my vile lusts and that vain idol, the work of my hands, my own righteousness. I abhor the former. I trample on the latter. I bemoan my folly in taking up with them so long.  The Lord graciously answers, “I have heard him:” his moans and complaints. “And observed him,” with complacency and delight returning to Me. O ever gracious, long-suffering, loving Friend of sinners! “I am like a green fir-tree.” Who says this? Commentators say, Christ. But I would rather humbly presume, than boldly assert, that they are the words of the believer. For thus the dialogue is kept up. Naturalists sa...

"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial." -Exodus 12:14 [KJV] It is blessed to end the month, and end every day, as we would wish and desire to end life, blessing and praising God in Christ; rising from the table of divine bounties, and thanking the great Master of the feast. Pause, my soul, and see whether, in the past month, such hath been thine experience of sovereign grace and unmerited mercies, that thou canst now set up thine Ebenezer, and mark this day for a memorial. What visits hath Jesus made to thee, my soul; and how hath thine heart been drawn out after Him? Hath the Father, as well as the Son, come and made His abode with thee? Hath the Holy Ghost, the glorious inhabitant in the souls and bodies of His people, manifested His continued presence to thee? This day is indeed a memorial, if, in summing up the wonderful account of divine manifestations of divine love in providence and grace, during the month now nearly closed, and the years already ...

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." -Matthew 5:6 [KJV] Hunger is a painful sensation. It is not merely an appetite for food; but an appetite for food attended with pain. So spiritually. It is not merely a desire after Christ that constitutes spiritual hunger. "The sluggard desireth, and hath nothing." But it is a desire attended with pain; not merely a wish for spiritual food, but also with such painful sensations, that unless this appetite is satisfied, the soul must perish and die.  Nothing short of this constitutes spiritual hunger. There are many who say, "I have a desire." If it be a spiritual desire, it will be granted. But spiritual desire is always attended with painful sensations which many are completely ignorant of who profess to have a desire. "The desire of the slothful killeth him." Why? Because he rests satisfied with a desire, and never takes the kingdom of he...

“ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD”      In seeking to live in this world with a worry-free and God-honoring attitude, we must be fully persuaded of the absolute authority of the Lord over all things.  If we are going to serve the cause of Christ with joy and cheerfulness, if we are going to glorify Him with a life of faith, it is imperative to have an abiding confidence that all things happen according to His eternal purpose.   Don’t be shocked when trials come your way.  Our Lord JESUS said, “In this world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”   (John 16:33) .  Let us be thankful that all things are ruled and overruled by Him for His glory and the good of His people.  Every smile or tear, every gain or loss, times of sickness and health, happiness and sorrow, they are all under the sovereign government of our covenant God.      This truth that God sovereignly re...

"We are perplexed, but not in despair." -II Corinthians 4:8 [KJV] God’s dear children have not all the same clear perception of truth. They are not all of one mind and the same sentiment in all points. Yet, they all have but one Lord, one faith, and one hope. And, there is an uniformity in their experience, with respect to the exceeding sinfulness of sin—the depravity of their nature—their perplexities from the world, the flesh, and the devil—their love of the scriptures—and the exceeding preciousness of Christ.  This proves that they are taught by and with the same Spirit. We have perplexities of a spiritual nature, beside those in common with others, which natural men are total strangers to. These are no weak evidences of our spiritual birth. To be perplexed with a body of sin and death—with a sense of unbelief—with deadness, formality, wanderings in spiritual duties—with Satan’s temptations, injections, accusations—corrupt reasonings, and carnal pleadings: th...

"And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed." -II Kings 4:6 [KJV] Do I not see Jesus and His fulness here? His giving out never ceaseth, until we have no more empty vessels to receive. And surely it is but proper the oil of grace should stay, when there are no more souls to be supplied. Pity indeed would it be, that any thing so precious should be spilt on the ground. My soul, art thou not poor as this poor woman? Is the creditor come to take thee for bondage?  Cry mightily to Jesus, the LORD God of the prophets. And wilt thou borrow vessels to receive His bounty? Borrow not a few; for every vessel must fail before that Jesus fails. Hast thou filled all? See then that thy Almighty Creditor is paid from Jesus' bounty; for He hath paid all thy debt: and see that thou live henceforth on Jesus' fulness. Oh bountiful Lord, let me lea...

"Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you." -Isaiah 35:4 [KJV] "Behold, your God will come." The Lord then is not yet come; but He says He will come, and the promise of His coming takes away the fear. He says, "Behold . " Even that little word contains something in it noteworthy. The Lord is in the distance; His chariot is making ready; for "He maketh the clouds His chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind."   As the Lord said to His disciples, "Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh , " so by the word, "Behold," the Lord would take the eyes of His people from being ever bent on the ground or ever looking at their own miserable hearts and the difficulties and dangers of the way. "Look up,"  He would say, "look up; your God is coming to save you."  I like to dwell on every crumb as it were of our text. The jots and ti...

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” -John 3:6 [KJV]   What, then, is the new birth? It is not the removal of anything from the sinner nor the changing of anything physical or fleshly in the sinner; instead, it is the communication of SOMETHING NEW to the sinner.  The new birth is the impartation of a NEW NATURE. When we were born the first time, we received from our parents their nature; so too, when we are born again, we receive from God His nature . The Spirit of God begets within us a spiritual nature (Galatians 5:17; II Peter 1:4) . That which is born of man is human; that which is born of God is divine and spiritual (I John 3:9).   Nicodemus was startled. He was amazed at the Saviour’s words. Yet he ought not to have been. Man, by birth and nature, is blind and opposed to the things of God. And no amount of religious training can change this evil nature.  His chief need is a NEW NATURE – to be born again...

"If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness." -Romans 8:10 [KJV] St. Paul was an experimental teacher. He applies himself to the heart. He appeals to the conscience. He aims to quicken and animate the soul, and to draw out the affections to Christ, from what it had inwardly experienced of divine grace. O Christians, let this be your study when you meet and talk together. Yea, often do as David did. Converse freely with your own soul.  If Christ be in you. That is, if He dwell in your heart by faith. If you have an inward approbation of Him, delight in Him, and love to Him in your heart: if you believe in Him as the Son of God, anointed by the Holy Ghost, to be the only Redeemer, Justifier, and Saviour of perishing sinners— what then? I will tell you, says the apostle, what will be the experience of your heart.  (1st.) “The body is dead because of sin . ” You will find, and groan under the weight of a dea...

"And there was a rainbow round about the throne." -Revelation 4:3 [KJV] Mark this, my soul, and connect with it what God said after the destruction of the old world by water: "I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh."   And was not this rainbow round the throne which John saw, to tell the church of Jesus, on whom the Father is always looking, to remember His everlasting covenant of grace? And what doth it say but this, there shall be no more a deluge, nor floods of vengeance poured out upon the sinner that believes in Jesus. He looks to Christ, while the Father beholds Christ: he trusts in Jesus, whom the Father hath trusted with His honour: he receives Jesus as the whole of the covenant, in whom the Father beholds the whole of the covenant fulfilled. Help me, Lord, in the vie...

"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not."   -Isaiah 35:4 [KJV] "Fear not." "Ah! but Lord," the soul says, "I do fear. I fear myself more than anybody. I fear my base, wicked heart, my strong lusts and passions, and my numerous inward enemies, the snares of Satan, and the temptations of the world. Thou sayest, 'Fear not.' But I do fear. I cannot help but fear."   Still the Lord says, "Fear not." Let us see if we cannot find something to explain this a little more clearly. There is a crowd yonder, and a weak woman in company with her husband. He says to her all trembling and fearing to pass through the crush, "Fear not; take hold of my arm, cling close to me." She takes hold of his arm and fears not. So with the timid soul and its enemies. It says, "How can I press through this crowd of difficulties; how elbow my way through these opposing doubts and fears?" Its Husband, t...

"I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." -Romans 7:18 [KJV] This is the knowledge which puffeth not up; but like love, edifieth the soul in deep humility: while it excites overflowing gratitude in the heart to Christ for His righteousness, to justify vile sinners. It is the knowledge of regenerate souls . I know: not only doctrinally, in notion and theory, but it is a confirmed truth, by heart-felt experience. I know it from day to day: I have proved it again and again: I am fully assured of it, as I am of my own existence, “that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing . ”  St. Paul’s judgment of himself was confirmed by experience. “But was he not a most eminent apostle, and holy saint?" Yes; still he confesses publicly before God, angels, and men, that he was the subject of a nature, which was earthly, sensual, and devilish. If no good thing dwelt in his flesh, is it not implied, that every evil dwelt there? Doubtless, he would be so...

"He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted: neither hath He hid His face from him: but when he cried unto Him He heard him." -Psalm 22:24 [KJV] My soul, behold Jesus, the Lamb of God, in this sweet scripture. Is it not said of Him, that in the days of His flesh "He offered up strong crying and tears, and was heard in that He feared? Though he were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered . " And was Jesus the Holy One, the afflicted One, also?  Was He truly so, when He bore thy sins? And was this the time to which the scripture refers, when God the Father had respect to the sufferings of Jesus, and neither despised nor abhorred them? Did the Father behold Him then through the whole as the sinner's Surety, and graciously accept Jesus and the church in Him? Oh then, my soul, think of this in all thy trials and afflictions. Carry all thy sins and sorrows to the throne. Jesus knows them all, sees them a...

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood." -Romans 3:24, 25 [KJV] Before we can have faith in Christ's atoning blood, we must see the glory of the Person of the Lord of life. "We beheld His glory , " said John, speaking of himself and the other favoured disciples, "we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." May I ask you a question, you who profess to know these things? Were your eyes ever anointed to behold the glory of Jesus? Did faith ever contemplate, did hope ever anchor in, did love ever flow forth to the glorious Person of Immanuel?  Was He ever precious to your souls? ever "altogether lovely" in your eyes? so that you could say, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth I desire beside Thee ? " Now, if you have seen His P...

It would be good for all to think about that man Noah in the light of present religious thinking.  Noah was a man who wasn’t seeking God but God in grace found him and made him the object of His grace in Christ!   His faith was the evidence of God’s grace to and in him not the cause of it (see Hebrews 11 & Genesis 6:8) .  His preaching was about righteousness not about morality, politics or life lessons.  Being a “preacher of righteousness , ” he was the only true gospel preacher on earth at the time.   He preached a hundred and twenty years and didn’t have a convert outside of his own family.  His was the only church on earth but there were only eight members.  He was a man of one message... “flee to the ark for safety.”   That ark was a type of Christ crucified and so he continued to preach as he built it at God’s command.   Can you imagine the ridicule and scoffing he endured as he built a boat when there ...

"No man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand."   -John 10:29 [KJV] Think, my soul, how eternally safe and secure must the church of Jesus be, thus kept by the mighty power of God, through faith, unto salvation! What shall unclasp the hands of Jehovah? Who shall wrest the weakest, the humblest, the poorest of Christ’s little ones from the holding of His omnipotency?  Why then art thou, my soul, so frequently exercised with fears, and doubts, and misgivings? It is the Lord’s love that is the foundation of thy assurance, and not the strength of thy graces! His own free mercy, and not thy merit were the first causes of thy calling; and what is it now, in thy present preservation, but the same which holds thee up and carries thee through every difficulty?   "Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in Thy hands" (Deuteronomy 33:3) . Precious Lord Jesus! It is enough. How shall a child of Thine perish when secured by such almighty support? Oh to h...

Weekend Gospel message to follow for All Hands (27SEP25 A.D.) Heads-Up! Please find enclosed encouragement in "SO GREAT SALVATION" by the perfect and finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ in saving poor, needy and wretched sinners by His sovereign free grace - God's unmerited favor - from their sins and from Hell:     "The miracle announced by the Gospel is that God comes to the ungodly with a mercy that is righteous, and in spite of all their depravity and rebellion, enables them through faith ( on the ground of Christ’s righteousness ) to enter into a new and blessed relation with Himself." -unknown author

"Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord." -John 20:20 [KJV] “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun , ” (Ecclesiastes 11:7.) But, O how much more sweet and pleasant, to see the light, and behold the glory of the Sun of Righteousness! This inspires the heart with gladness. These disciples had lost their dear Lord, and mourned in darkness for His absence.  Tongue cannot tell their inexpressible joy, at seeing Him again. Their sight was by the eye of sense: ours is by the eye of faith . Yet our sight is not less real than theirs: and it brings the same gladness to our hearts also. Therefore it is highly prized by us. For we can neither live comfortably, walk holily, nor die happily, without seeing the Lord Christ.  For, (1st.) A sight of Christ by faith, brings peace to the conscience. There is ever a war within, between the flesh and the spirit: grace and nature: the old man and the new. The motion of si...

"And they shall hang upon Him all the glory of His father's house."  -Isaiah 22:24 [KJV] And who is this but Jesus, the true Eliakim and Governor of heaven and earth? Jesus sweetly explained it himself, when declaring himself possessing the key of David, see Revelation 3:7 . And hath not God the Father literally given all things into His hands? Is there any thing which Jehovah hath kept back? Hath it not pleased the Father, that in Him should all fulness dwell?  Is not Jesus the Head over all things to the church, which is His body? Is He not the Almighty Lord and Treasurer of all things—grace here, glory hereafter? And is not our Jesus the administrator of all things in the world, both of providence and grace? My soul, is there aught remaining to hang upon Jesus? Pause, hast thou hung upon Him all the glory of thy salvation? Pause again, my soul. Is all and every title given? Is there aught kept back? Is there any Achan in the camp of thine heart? Forbid it,...