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

"That I may win Christ." -Philippians 3:8 [KJV] What is it to "win Christ?" It is to have Him sweetly embraced in the arms of our faith. It is to feel Him manifesting His heavenly glory in our souls. It is to have the application of His atoning blood, in all its purging efficacy, to our conscience. It is to feel our heart melted and swooning with the sweet ravishments of His dying love, shed abroad even to overpowering. This is winning Christ. Now, before we can thus win Christ, we must have a view of Christ, we must behold His glory, "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."   We must see the matchless dignity of His glorious Person, the atoning efficacy of His propitiating blood, the length and breadth, the depth and height of His surpassing love. We must have our heart ready to burst with pantings, longings, and ardent desires that this blessed Immanuel would come down from the heaven of heavens in which H

"And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible." -Jeremiah 15:21 [KJV] My soul, hast thou ever considered some of the many ways of softening trouble? Sit down, and learn it from this sweet scripture. Here is a general promise, which may be suited to particular circumstances, and such as will hold good in all. But first remember, that He Who promiseth to deliver from the sorrow, is the same that appointeth the sorrow: Hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it . The Lord's rod hath a voice that speaks, as well as corrects; and it is a mark of wisdom to listen, as well as feel. Hence, if we mark the hand that appoints, we shall observe also all the other interesting particulars, both of the instruments by which the Lord works, the time and place, the means and end, and then discern love and grace, yea, Jesus Himself, in all. Suppose it be the world that crosses, or Satan that tempts, or false frien

" Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded." -Philippians 3:15 [KJV] Speaking of righteousness unto justification of eternal life, St. Paul says, “The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded,” (Romans 11:7.) What were they blinded by? Their own righteousness . This, like a cloud, intercepted the glory of the Sun of righteousness [ Christ ] from their minds. Their own righteousness prevented them from feeling the want of the righteousness of Christ, to justify them before God. So of perfection. Many are so blinded with their own fancied perfection, that they see not the glorious perfection of Christ, and the way in which sinners in themselves, are absolutely perfect in Him.  St. Paul just before said, he was not perfect. Now he says, he is perfect. What can he mean? Ironically, say some; by way of severe sarcasm upon those who fancied themselves perfect. Say others, comparatively perfect, with respect to those who were ignorant of Ch

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have (i.e., let us hold fast-) grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." -Hebrews 12:18 [KJV] Grace is the very foundation of the kingdom which cannot be moved. It is all of grace, from first to last. By grace we are saved; by grace we are called; by grace we are what we are. In order, therefore, to maintain our interest clear in the kingdom which cannot be shaken, we must hold grace fast; for directly we cease to do this, we lose our comfortable prospects of this kingdom, and of our own participation in it and its heavenly blessings. It is a kingdom of present grace and of future glory, therefore built wholly upon grace and not upon merit; wholly upon the favour of God and not upon the works of the creature. As long, then, as we hold fast grace, we hold the kingdom; for the kingdom stands in grace. But why should this exhortation be needed? Is it not very easy to ho

"Neither be ye of doubtful mind." -Luke 12:29 [KJV] My soul, it is a blessed thing to arrive at a fixed point, on the momentous concern of "the one thing needful." As long as there remains any doubt or uncertainty whether Christ be the soul's portion or not, there is always a proportioned degree of doubt and uncertainty in the soul's comfort. What the dying patriarch said to his son, may with equal truth be said of every one of this description: "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel," Genesis 49:4. For as long as the soul forms conclusions of safety, not from what Jesus is, but from what the soul's views of Jesus are there will be always an unstable, unsettled state . And how many have I known, who are of doubtful. mind, whether they really do believe to the salvation of the soul, and yet have no doubt whether they be sinners, and both need and earnestly desire that salvation. They will tell you that Jesus is more precious

" What then?" -Romans 6:15 [KJV] These short and frequent interrogations of Scripture are greatly to be prized. There is a vast deal contained in these questions: “What shall we say then? What then?” They are like the word Shibboleth, with which they tried the people of old; but they could not frame their mouths to pronounce it. They corrupted the word, and said, Sibboleth. So many at this day corrupt the word of the glorious doctrine of grace, by leaving out the H, holiness , which all the doctrines of the holy gospel are divinely calculated to promote. “What then?” comes most suitable after the precious doctrine of the justified saints of God, being kept by His power unto eternal salvation.  “What then?” O! whenever you think of God’s everlasting love, and Christ’s finished salvation, and of glory being sure and certain to you, ask your heart, What then? Shall I continue in sin, because such unmerited love, grace, and mercy abounds to me? No. You will reject