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

"For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily, I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." -Mark 9:41 [KJV] How little is this attended to in the charities of life! I fear, that even the soul which loveth Jesus most, doth not regulate his alms, whether of this world's goods, or of prayer, or of good wishes, when he giveth them, by this blessed standard. Dost thou not, my soul, plead guilty to this charge? Heavenly Lord! enlighten mine eyes to see Thee in all Thy representatives. And when I have only the cup of cold water to bestow upon any poor needy creature, yet let me give that in Thy name!    'Do you belong to Christ?' should be the only question. This is a claim which carries every thing before it. Is it Jesus, Who, in the person of His poor members, asketh the alms? Doth the Lord of life and glory condescend to be beholden to the poor creatures of His bounty; and of His own absolutely receives as...

"For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings." -Job 34:21 [KJV]   The Christian has to prove that nothing escapes the eye of a just and holy God; that He lays bare every secret thought, searches every hidden purpose, and scrutinizes every desire and every movement of the mind. He thus discovers and brings to light all the secret sins of the heart. Men in general take no notice of heart sins; if they can keep from sins in life, from open acts of immorality, they are satisfied. What passes in the chambers of imagery they neither see nor feel. Not so with the child of grace; he knows the experience described in Psalm 139. He carries about with him the secret conviction that the eye of God reads every thought. Every inward movement of pride and self-righteousness, rebellion, discontent, peevishness, fretfulness, lust, and wantonness, he inwardly feels that the eye of God reads all, marks all, condemns by His righteous law all, and because He is so intrinsi...

"...the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD, He is their strength in the time of trouble."   -Psalm 37:39 [KJV]   We may say of righteousness, as Job says of wisdom, “Where shall righteousness be found? And where is the place of perfect righteousness? Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it to be found in the land of the living , ” (Job 28:12, 13.) The Patriarch says, It is not in me . The Prophet says, It is not in me . The Apostle says, It is not in me . The Lord saith, “All flesh hath corrupted his way , ” (Genesis 6:12.) “There is none righteous, no not one , ” (Psalm 14:3.) Why then do the Scriptures speak so much of the righteous, if there be no such persons upon earth? Indeed there are. This is a point of great importance .    The Lord settle it well in your heart and mine. We are guilty sinners in ourselves. We have no righteousness of our own. Yet, saith the Lord Jesus, the righteous one, “Their righteousness is of Me , ” (Isaiah 54:17...

"I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit." -I Samuel 1:15 [KJV]   My soul, look at Hannah at the mercy-seat, and mark the sorrowful spirit with which she there appeared. Blushing and sorrow, at the feet of Jesus, are among the highest tokens of real heartfelt communion. Perhaps there never was a moment in the life of Hannah, in which faith was in more lively exercise, than in that memorable season. And, perhaps, never did she speed with more success than then; for it is said, that when she arose from before the throne, "she went her way, and her countenance was no more sad."   Now, my soul, take a precious instruction from her example. Do thou go to the throne, and present thyself at the feet of thy Jesus. Let grace have a full and lively exercise in thine heart. See that thy prayers be really and truly heart prayers, and not lip-service. Tell thy Lord how greatly thou needest His grace and mercy; and tell Him, also, how much thy Lord Jesus will get glory in being grac...

"Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" -Romans 7:24 [KJV] If the Lord the Spirit has implanted that piteous cry in our soul, "O wretched man that I am!" this will follow as a necessary consequence— "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Where shall I look for deliverance? From what quarter can it come? Shall I look to the law? O no! that curses and condemns me, because I am continually breaking it. Can I look to friends? They may pity and sympathise; but they cannot remove the body of sin and death; it is too fast linked on for them to remove.  Shall I go to ministers of truth? I may hear what they say with approbation; but there is something more wanted to remove this chilling embrace of the body of sin and death. Shall I look to the Scriptures? They contain the remedy; but I want that remedy to be sweetly applied— "Who then shall deliver me?"  What refuge can I look to? Whither can I go, or whither shall I turn? Fro...

“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.”   -Psalm 115:1 [KJV]    Let me just whisper a word in the ear of anyone who has scarcely learned to pray.  Poor sinner, laden with guilt and full of fears,— you say, “How can I plead with God for mercy?  I have rejected it for years; I have been often rebuked, and I have hardened my neck; I fear I have no plea with which to urge my suit in craving God’ mercy.    Here is a plea for you to use; say to Him, "For   Y our mercy and your truth’s sake, have pity on me, the least deserving of all your creatures; for, surely, if You will only save me, it will be an eternal wonder to men and to angels.  If You will save me, then I will sing,— All Thy mercy’s depths I prove, all its heights are seen in me.”   I remember one, who said, “Oh, if the Lord Jesus Christ will only pardon me, He shall never hear the end of it!”  And this is what ...