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

"Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against GOD?" - Romans 9:20 [KJV] The sovereignty of God, in dispensing His grace to whom He pleaseth, and which He oweth to none, ever has been a subject of contention. Unawakened people, with self-righteous hearts, and stubborn free-will pride, rise with indignation of spirit, daringly call in question the ways of God to man, and impiously reply against God, as though He had not an absolute right to do what He will with His own, and confer His favours when, and on whom He pleases. “Ye shall be as gods,” says the father of lies, (Genesis 3:5.) Our first parents believed him. They have tainted our whole race with this proud lie.  Hence the poet most sarcastically says, to repliers against God, Snatch from His hand the balance and the rod, Rejudge His justice, be the god of God . St. Paul meets such. He puts a question to them. He demands an answer from them. Who art thou? The Lord in the sovereignty of grace, and wit...

"The tree of life." -Revelation 22:2 [KJV] Lead me, O Holy Ghost, by the hand of faith, this morning, into the paradise of God, and cause me to sit down under the tree of life; and for a while, before the world breaks in upon me, enable me to meditate on its beauties, its loveliness, and its fruit. Is it not Jesus which I behold in this charming similitude? Surely Jesus is to me the tree of life, for I have no life but in Him! And it is not only He which gave me life at the first, but preserves it, maintains it, and will preserve it for ever. He saith himself, "Because I live, ye shall live also."  And as He is Himself the life of my soul, so every thing in Him is the promoter of my life. His fruit also is all my sustenance, all I want, all I desire, all I can truly enjoy. He bears twelve manner of fruits. Yes, for there is in Him both fulness and variety: pardon, mercy, and peace, in the blood of His cross; favour with God, affection with men; the Spi...

"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him." -Zechariah 3:1 [KJV] It is the object of Satan to keep those secure who are safe in his hands; nor does God see fit to disturb their quiet. But on the other hand, where Satan perceives a work of grace going on, where he sees the eyes sometimes filled with tears, where he hears the sobs heaving from the contrite heart, where he observes the knees often bent in secret prayer, where his listening ear often hears the poor penitent confess his sins, weaknesses, and backslidings before God, (for by these observations we have reason to believe Satan gains his intelligence,) wherever he sees this secret work going on in the soul, mad with wrath and filled with malice, he vents his hellish spleen against the objects of God's love.  Sometimes he tries to ensnare them into sin, sometimes to harass them with temptation, sometimes to stir u...