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

"I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ."   -Romans 1:16 [KJV] Says Mr. Bunyan, “Of all the men that I met with in my pilgrimage, Shame, I think, bears the wrong name. This boldfaced Shame would never have done. I could scarcely shake him out of my company. He would be continually haunting me, and whispering me in my ear. Indeed, this Shame is a bold villain.” -Pilgrim’s Progress   Have you not found the same? Lord, pardon Thy servant, that this shame still cleaves unto me. Lord, I am ashamed of myself, that I ever should be ashamed of Thee and Thy gospel. Lion of the tribe of Judah, drive away this shame from my heart .  Consider, (1st.) its origin. It is begotten by pride. We are proud of our good names, our characters, our reason, and understanding, among the men of the world. If we openly profess the gospel of Christ, and live and walk under the influence of it, we cannot do as the rest of the world does. Hence, we shall soon get a nick-name; be called ...

"Because of the savour of Thy good ointments, Thy name is as ointment poured forth." -Song of Solomon 1:3 [KJV] Why, my Lord, is Thy name so truly blessed, but because Thou hast so endeared it to Thy redeemed, by every tie which can gain the affections.  Didst Thou, even before I had being, enter into suretyship engagements for me, that Thou wouldest redeem me when fallen, that Thou wouldest take my nature, live for me, die for me, become a sacrifice for me, shed Thy blood for me, wash me in Thy blood, clothe me with Thy righteousness, justify me before God and Thy Father, become my Advocate, High Priest, Intercessor, betroth me to Thyself here in grace, and everlastingly unite me to Thyself in glory hereafter?  Didst thou do all this, and art Thou still doing it, making my cause Thine own, and following me with love, and grace, and mercy, every day, and all day, and wilt never Thou leave me nor forsake me? And must not Thy name be as ointment poured forth? Can th...

"As the hart (-deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God."   -Psalm 42:1 [KJV] What a striking figure has David made use of in these words. Conceive a wounded stag, with the arrow in his flank or pursued by a crowd of hunters and hounds, all eager to pull him down; conceive him to have run for some space of time under a burning sun and over heaps of sand; and conceive that at a distance this poor wounded or hunted animal sees water gently flowing along. Oh, how it pants!  How its heaving sides gasp, and how it longs for the cooling stream, not only that it may drink large draughts of the fresh waters and lave its panting flanks and weary, parched limbs, but, by swimming across, may haply escape the dogs and hunters at its heels. How strong, how striking the figure. And yet strong as it is, how earnestly does David employ it to set forth the panting of his soul after God. We cannot, perhaps, rise up into the fulness of this figure...