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

"Give diligence to make your calling and election sure." -II Peter 1:10 [KJV] Without election there had been no Saviour given: no salvation wrought out: no promises made: no Spirit sent: no sinners effectually called to be saints: no love from God to comfort them; nor any heaven open to receive them. O how do poor sinners fight against their own mercies, when they call in question and reject the electing love of God.  But, says one, I tremble to think, if I should not be one of the elect, what a dreadful thing would that be ? Not at all more dreadful, but just the same, as if there had been no election. But what kind of argument is this, against any truth? Suppose a profane sinner says, If there is a hell, and I should be one of the damned, what a dreadful thing would that be ? What does this prove? People are apt to stand in nature and self, and judge of the truths of God. Hence they have hard thoughts of a God of love.  Behold, I shew unto you a more excellent...

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us." -Romans 8:37 [KJV] "More than conquerors?" mark that, my soul. Conquerors all the soldiers of Jesus must be, for in His strength they fight, and He has Himself subdued all our foes, even death, the last enemy, and Satan, whom the God of peace will bruise under our feet shortly. So that victory is sure. For we overcome by the blood of the Lamb, by the sword of the Spirit, and by the shield of faith, whereby we subdue all the fiery darts of the wicked.  But though conquerors, how are we more than conquerors ? Yes, through Him that loved us, believers absolutely conquer him that is himself unconquerable. For, by union with Jesus, we may be said to have power with God, and to prevail. "I will not let thee go," said the praying Jacob, "except thou bless me." A blessing he came for, and a blessing he would have. So all the praying seed of Jacob have powe...

"Those that walk in pride He is able to abase." -Daniel 4:37 [KJV] Amongst all the evils which lie naked and open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do, pride seems especially to incur His holy abhorrence; and the outward manifestations of it have perhaps drawn down as much as, or more than, any other sin His marked thunderbolts.  Pride cost Senhacherib his army and Herod his life; pride opened the earth to Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and hung up Absalom in the boughs of an oak; pride filled the breast of Saul with murderous hatred against David, and tore ten tribes at one stroke from the hand of Rehoboam. Pride drove Nebuchadnezzar from the society of his fellow-men, and made him eat grass as oxen, and his body to be wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown as eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.  And as it has cut off the wicked from the earth, and left them neither son nor nephew, root nor branch, so it has made sad ha...