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

"He who lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins."   -II Peter 1:9 [KJV] It is hard to say, whether St. Peter here draws the character of a mere formal professor; or of one who has really tasted that the Lord is gracious, and has awfully back-slidden. Be it which it may, it holds forth a solemn lesson of instruction to our souls. We may hence lay this down as a sacred truth, that whatever profession a man makes of faith in Christ— justification by Him, hope of salvation through Him; yet, if he is destitute of the graces of the Spirit, and the fruits of righteousness in his life, he is blind to the glorious end of the gospel of peace, and is a stranger to the purifying grace and pardoning love of Christ to his soul.  Think of this. Pardoning love, purifying grace, and sanctifying influences are inseparable. Where there is the root of grace, there will be the fruits of righteousness. This is as...

"There remaineth therefore A REST TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD."   -Hebrews 4:9 [KJV]   Blessed motto for the close of the month, or the day, or year; after being fatigued with the thoughts, and cares, and anxieties of life. My soul, delight thyself in the thought of it, look forward to the speedy enjoyment of it. Like the prophet's vision, it will come; wait for it.    No sorrow you have gone through will ever come over again. No persecution already felt shall exactly be again practised. The same trial shall not be again known. Every day, every hour of the day, we are nearer home. Precious consideration. And Jesus is the rest of His people. Lord, in Thee alone I find rest; be Thou my hope, and be Thou my portion for ever. -preacher Robert Hawker (1753-1827 A.D.)

"By grace ye are saved."   -Ephesians 2:5 [KJV] Oh! the volumes of blessed truth that are couched in these few words; thrown in out of the apostle's full heart as if to give a moment's vent to his love of salvation by grace! Mercy, love, and grace are all in the bosom of God toward His saints; and yet they differ from each other. But how? Mercy regards the criminal; love regards the object; grace, perhaps, is a blending of the two,—the union of mercy and love. God loves the holy unfallen angels; there is an object of sovereign, distinguishing, free, and super-abounding.  Every attribute of Jehovah is distinct, and yet so blended that the whole shine forth in one glorious effulgence. The rays of the sun united form one complete body of pure, bright light; but the prism or the rainbow separates these rays into distinct colours. So the attributes of God are not confused though blended, and all shine forth in one pure bright glory.  But this is the peculiar ...

“There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.” -I John 5:7 [KJV] God is but one, yet are there three distinct Persons, subsisting in one Godhead. This is a sacred mystery which the light within man could never have discovered. As the two natures in Christ, yet but one Person, is a wonder, so three Persons, yet but one Godhead. Here is a great deep [ mystery ]: the Father God, the Son God, the Holy Ghost God, yet not three Gods, but one God. The three Persons in the blessed Trinity are distinguished, but not divided; three substances, but one essence. This is a divine riddle, where one makes three and three make one. Our narrow thoughts can no more comprehend the Trinity in Unity, than a nut-shell will hold all the water in the sea. Let me shadow it out by a similitude. In the body of the sun, there are the substance of the sun, the beams and the heat; the beams are begotten of the sun, the heat proceeds bot...

Question. But some may say, Wherein doth the saving grace of the Spirit appear? Answer. In many things. In taking possession of us for His own, in His making of us His house and habitation, so that though the Father and the Son have both gloriously put forth gracious acts in order to our salvation, yet the Spirit is the first that makes seizure of us. Christ, therefore, when He went away, said not that He would send the Father, but the Spirit, and that He should be in us forever. “If I depart,” said Christ, “I will send Him, the Spirit of truth, the Comforter.” The Holy Spirit coming into us and dwelling in us, worketh out many salvations for us now, and each of them in order also to our being saved for ever. He saveth us from our darkness by illuminating us; hence He is called “the Spirit of revelation,” because He openeth the blind eyes, and so consequently delivereth us from that darkness which else would drown us in the deeps of hell.   He it is that convinceth ...

"Giving all diligence: add to your faith."   - II Peter 1:5 [KJV] Here is the Christian’s work. All diligence is required in it. O believer, be assured (the Lord impress it upon your heart and mine) there is no being a lively, comfortable disciple, without it. Beware you do not add to your faith licentious notions and Antinomian sloth, instead of Christian virtues, holy tempers, and heavenly affections, which adorn our profession, and glorify our Saviour. Ever remember, you are called to honour Christ by your life on earth, as well as to be saved by and enjoy Him in heaven.  By faith we receive Christ, rest upon Him, and look to Him alone for justification unto eternal life. But a lively faith will not leave us barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. If there be not an habitual disposition of soul, to add to faith, virtue, knowledge, patience, godliness, etc., we should examine and see to it; lest, instead of Christ dwelling in our he...

"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."   - Deuteronomy 33:25 [KJV] What a thought that is which the word of God furnisheth, in the view of everlasting engagements, that a suitable strength is laid up for every emergency . God's love hath provided adequate supplies to the wants of all His people. What strength of enemies shall be equal to the everlasting strength of God? What shall drain the resources of everlasting love?  What shall dry up the streams which flow from an everlasting fountain? Jesus therefore will proportion the back of His people to the burden. His grace shall be sufficient for all: it shall be sufficient for you, it shall be sufficient for me, for every one, for all. Sweet thought! Oh for grace to keep it always in remembrance! -preacher Robert Hawker (1753-1827 A.D.)

"My people are bent to backsliding from Me."   -Hosea 11:7 [KJV] What an awful error it is to deny backsliding! What ignorance it manifests of a man's own heart! How it stamps a man as a perverter of truth, and one that trifles with sin and the displeasure of the Most High! Who that knows himself and the idolatry of his fallen nature, dares deny that he backslides perpetually in heart, lip, or life? Can any of us deny that we have backslidden from our first love? backslidden from simplicity and godly sincerity, backslidden from reverence and godly fear, backslidden from spirituality and heavenly-mindedness, backslidden from the breathings of affection and pouring forth of the heart into the bosom of the Lord?  And if we have not been suffered to backslide into open sin, if the Lord has kept us, and not suffered us to be cast down into the mire, yet have we not committed that twofold evil which the Lord charges upon His people: "They have forsaken Me, the fountain of ...

The Gospel & Authentic  New Testament Ministry , Part II by D.G.  Miles McKee   The apostle Paul proclaimed the gospel evangeli stically (I Corinthians 4:15) , but he knew that this was far from its exclusive use.  Unfortunately, many preachers don‘t seem to have this same insight. According to them the Gospel is exclusively for the lost. They foolishly imagine that spiritual growth is divorced from the Gospel and its applications. Yes it´s true, Paul preached evangelistically but as an apostle, Paul’s central burden for the Churches was to establish them in the faith.   This apostolic ministry of establishing, however, was accomplished only by and through the Gospel. He writes,  Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to my Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ ...  (see Romans 16:25) .   According to Romans 16:25, Gospel preaching establishes believers. It is the Gospel of Christ that makes the believer stable and...

"Wisdom is justified of all her children." - Luke 7:35 [KJV] “O! could I but know, and be sure, I am a child of God, I should be quite happy. The want of this makes me very uncomfortable.”  Such is the language of many a doubting believer.    Well, soul, here is a mark laid down: by it judge of thyself, and know thy state. Art thou a child of wisdom? If so, thou wilt justify wisdom. But what is wisdom? What is it to justify wisdom?  (1st.) Thy Saviour is “the wisdom of God”   (I Corinthians 1:24.) He is not only wise to win souls, but is wisdom itself. He makes all His children wise unto salvation, by knowing Him, “of God, made unto them wisdom” (I Corinthians 1:30.) Wisdom is here arraigned, and His ways censured by the calumny of fools. He is condemned as a licentious person; a sot; an epicure; a jovial friend, and companion of wicked sinners.    If you are a child of wisdom, you will also meet with the same treatment from a carnal wor...

"He sent His word and healed them." -Psalm 107:20 [KJV] Of all the subjects to comfort our minds in the recollection of the mercies in Jesus, the authority and name of Jehovah in the appointment comes home with the greatest comfort to the heart. This is faith's warrant—this is faith's confidence. Who sent Jesus; who sent His word; who is it that gives validity and efficacy to salvation? Jehovah .  "Beware of Him , "  saith the LORD, "My name is in Him."  And how then can my soul fail, or any promise in Christ pass unfulfilled, when Jehovah sends and Christ completes the work the Father gave Him to do? Blessed Jesus! may I always look to Thee under this precious character; and may I hear Thee speaking under that solemn, but blessed title, "I am the LORD that healeth thee." -preacher Robert Hawker (1753-1827 A.D.)  

"They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."   -Matthew 9:12 [KJV] A physician is useless without a case; and the deeper the case, the wiser and better physician we need. Thus a guilty conscience is a case for atoning blood, a wounded spirit for healing balm, a filthy garment for a justifying robe, a drowning wretch for an Almighty hand, a criminal on the gallows for a full pardon, an incurable disease for a heavenly physician, and a sinner sinking into hell for a Saviour stooping down from heaven.  A man with a real case must have a real salvation. He is no longer to be cheated, deluded, and tricked with pretences, as a nervous patient is sometimes cured with bread pills; but he must have a real remedy as having a real disease. Christ in the Bible, Christ sitting as an unknown Saviour in the heavens, Christ afar off, unmanifested and unrevealed, is no Christ to him.     "Near, near; let Him come near; in my heart, in my soul, revea...

"...lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the LORD reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me . Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. “Thou vauntest thyself against the LORD.”  Thou ar...