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

"...Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for His body's sake, which is the church." -Colossians 1:24  [KJV] What can the apostle mean from these expressions? Not, surely, that the sufferings of Jesus were incomplete, or that the sufferings of His people were to make up a deficiency: for in treading the wine-press of the wrath of God against sin, Jesus trod it alone, and of the people there was none with Him. And so perfectly finished and complete was the whole work of redemption by Jesus, that by the ONE offering of Himself, once offered, "He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." But what a sweet scripture is this of the apostle's, when it is interpreted with reference to Jesus, that in all the sufferings of His people Jesus takes a part! Jesus suffered in His own person fully and completely, when as an expiatory sacrifice for sin He died, the just for the unjust, ...

"Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe."   - Psalm 119:117 [KJV] We are surrounded with snares; temptations lie spread every moment in our path. These snares and temptations are so suitable to the lusts of our flesh, that we shall infallibly fall into them, and be overcome by them but for the restraining providence or the preserving grace of God. The Christian sees this; the Christian feels this. He has had, it may be, a bitter experience of the past. He has seen how, from want of walking in godly fear, for want of circumspection and standing upon his watch-tower, he has been entangled in times past in the snares of death. He has rued the consequences, felt the misery of having slipped and fallen; the iron has entered into his soul; he has been in the prison house, in bondage, in darkness, and death; in consequence of his transgressions he has been "the fool" described in Psalm 108, as "afflicted because of his iniquity," and can re-echo Hart's mournf...