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

  "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily, I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." -Matthew 5:25-26  [KJV]   My soul! hast thou agreed with thine adversary, and made full payment of all the law charges? If so, it is blessed to review the account, and look over the several particulars, wherein thou wert a debtor, now struck out of God's book, and marked paid, PAID, in red letters, with Jesus's blood . To thee, as a sinner, born in sin, and an insolvent debtor, both by nature and by practice, the law of God stood forth as thine adversary. To agree with Him as quickly as possible, whilst in the way with Him, and while life remains, which is every moment subject to be ended, is the first and most momentous of all concerns .     Hadst t...

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped." - Isaiah 35:5 [KJV] That these miracles are effected by the power of the gospel is plain from the words that immediately precede, "Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you" (Isaiah 35:4) . And how does God come and save but in the gospel, and by making it His own power unto salvation? If you look back at your experience you will see that one of the first effects of the power of the gospel upon your heart was, to open your ears to receive it as a message from God.   When, for instance, you were first brought under its sound, and began to understand and feel what you heard, was there not given you, as it were, new ears to hear it, and a new heart to receive it? Were not those with you memorable days when you first heard the joyful sound of salvation by free grace; when it first dropped that blessed news into your soul whi...