"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” (excerpt from 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; ...

  Son of God, one of the Trinity, Came to earth, a wondrous mystery; He descended by divine decree. O praise His Name!  Chorus   Chorus:   Jesus saved His chosen family, Paid our debt of sin on Calvary; By His grace He saves eternally, O praise His Name.   On the cross He bore our misery, Died from sin to set His people free; By Himself He won the victory, O praise His Name!  Chorus   Now for us the Savior intercedes, Unto Him the Holy Spirit leads; Every blessing from His throne proceeds, O praise His Name!  Chorus   Soon will come the long-awaited day, Christ will come and take His bride away; Never from His blessed side to stray, We’ll praise His Name.  Chorus   Then together in a perfect place, All the ransomed shall behold His face; Evermore to sing amazing grace, And praise His Name!  Chorus     Tune: “At Calvary” 9.9.9.4. w/chorus  Words by Jim Byrd

"By one offering, He hath perfected for ever them who are sanctified." -Hebrews 10:14 [KJV] We have two remarkable instances of St. Paul’s holy zeal for the glory of his Lord. (1st.) Against a gross sin in the church of Corinth. This brought a scandal upon the holy gospel of Christ. (2d.) Against a legal, self-righteous spirit, which obtained in the church of Galatia. This depreciated and dishonoured the finished work of Christ, and perverted the faith of His members. It is hard to say, whether St. Paul’s zeal exceeded most, in the former or the latter. Hence learn profaneness and pride, are equally contrary to the faith of the gospel.  As a holy faith brings Christ, and His salvation into the heart, it casts out the love of sin, as well as self-righteous hopes. Here is a glorious truth for precious faith to fix upon. O that through the Spirit, it may bring joy and peace to our souls. Consider, who are said to be “sanctified” here?  (1st.) Those who are separated ...

Do you see yourself liable to the curse of the law, and the just vengeance of God, for the innate depravity of your nature, and the transgressions of your life? Do you come to Christ humbled and self-condemned, sensible that unless you are clothed with the merits of Him, our Elder Brother, you are ruined and undone and can never stand with joy or safety before the holy Lord God? If so, lift up thy head; redemption is thine; thou art in a state of grace; thou art translated from death to life; thou art an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ. But if you never felt, nor desire to feel this work of the Holy Ghost upon thy heart, this conviction of sin, this penitential faith, all the supposed righteousness of thine own, wherein thou trusted is but a broken reed; a painted sepulchre; and the trappings of a Pharisee.  —preacher Augustus Toplady

" I stir up your pure minds, by way of remembrance." -II Peter 3:1 [KJV] All the children of God are the subjects of pure minds. Many of them complain of bad memories. All need to have their minds stirred up, and their memories quickened. There is no doubt but Peter had a pure mind, when he denied his Lord. But he seems to display a very treacherous memory, in sadly forgetting himself, his Lord, and His words. Forgetfulness of dangers, causes us to fall into them. Forgetting our own weakness to stand, causes us to fall.  Consider, (1st.) What is a pure mind. That which we are all destitute of by nature. “Our mind and conscience is defiled, and unbelieving.” (Tit. 1:15.) Our mind is made pure, when our hearts are sprinkled from an evil or guilty conscience, by the blood of Christ through faith. (Heb. 10:22.) So that a pure mind is a believing mind, which receives the truth as it is in Jesus, in the power and purity of it; and holds the mystery of faith in a pure ...

Has God decreed all things that come to pass? Then there is nothing that falls out by chance, nor are we to ascribe what we meet with either to good or bad luck and fortune. There are many events in the world which men look upon as mere accidents, yet all these come by the counsel and appointment of Heaven. Solomon tells us, Proverbs 16:33 that "The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD."  However disordered and fortuitous things may be with respect to us, yet they are all determined and directed by the Lord. When that man drew a bow at random (venture), 1 Kings 22:34, it was merely accidental with respect to him, yet it was God that guided the motion of the arrow so as to strike the king of Israel rather than any other man. Nothing then comes to pass, however random and uncertain it may seem to be, but what was decreed by God. . .  Let the people of God comfort themselves in all cases by this doctrine of the divine decrees; a...

" I will walk before the L ORD in the land of the living." -Psalm 116:9 [KJV] When the king confers the honour of knighthood, he bestows an empty title, and nothing more. But when the King of saints calls a poor sinner into His presence, He confers on him not a mere title of an empty sound, but he dignifies him with a nature: He makes him a new creature. These two different kinds of spirits are to be avoided.  (1st.) Such as under a great shew of holiness, deny the fundamental doctrines of grace. (2d.) Those who make a vile abuse of those doctrines. In the former pride reigns. Over the latter, lusts have the dominion. David reproves both. Under the lively sense of distinguishing mercy and sovereign grace, he here makes a holy resolution. “Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” What then? Now all is safe and well, I will flee to the tents of ungodliness, and gratify my lusts. Is this his language? No, nor his con...