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

It is not possible that any one attribute of God should ever shadow another.  He is perfect.  Infinitely merciful He is, but He will not be merciful at the expense of justice.  Justice shall never triumph against mercy.  Mercy, on the other hand, shall never cut off the skirts of the flowing robe of justice.  It is in the person of Jesus Christ, and especially in the blood of Jesus Christ, that the great riddle of the ages is unriddled.  God can be just and yet the Justifier of him that believes in Jesus Christ.  We have sinned; God must punish sin. According to the inexorable laws which God has stamped upon the universe, the sinners cannot go unpunished.  But "the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED ;" and "now in Christ Jesus, we who sometime were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ ."   God can be gracious without the violation of the severity of His judgment.  His moral government rem...

One great part of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart is to empty us, strip us of self, lead us to feel our own weakness, and bring us as poor sinners to LOOK TO JESUS ALONE, as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption [I CORINTHIANS 1:29-31] . And just in proportion as we feel our need of Christ, and realize our absolute nothingness without Christ - shall we prize Him, enjoy Him, and exercise dependence upon Him. O how little do many of us know our need of Christ, and therefore it is that we make so little use of Christ, receive so little from Christ, and do so little for Christ!  We come to Him at first ­ as poor, lost, helpless sinners ­ that we may be saved by His merit and mercy. And as believers, we must continually come to Him with all our burdens ­ that He may bear them; with all our cares ­ that He may manage them; with all our sorrows ­ that He may sanctify them; with all our foes ­ that He may conquer them; with all our sins ­ that He may cleanse...

"The Spirit of the L ORD spake by me, and H is word was in my tongue." - II SAMUEL 23:2 [KJV] We read that "no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation;" that is to say, it is the public property of the whole family of Jehovah; and "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost;" the Holy Ghost so influencing and working upon their minds as to make them bring forth out of their hearts that which should be suitable to the whole family of God. For instance, we read in Psalm 51, David's confession of sin; but David's confession of sin applies to every soul that is condemned on account of sin. When Job, too, poured out his piteous complaints, he was speaking; though he might know it not, for the children of God to the remotest time. So when the Lord said to Joshua, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," it was a promise specially given to Joshua; it seemed to be confined to that individual; it ...