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

" They shall put you out of the synagogues." —John 16:2  [KJV] So it must be in all ages. The scriptures cannot be broken. But what are the crimes of the ministers of Jesus, to deserve such usage? Is it for a life of intemperance and lewdness, of sin and folly, in frequenting play-houses, card-tables, routs, assemblies, horse-racing? etc. No; friends of the Lamb have done with all such vain paltry matter. Their hearts feed upon infinitely higher delights, and their time is too precious to be devoted to sacrifice upon the altars of heathenish vanities.  For these things they might gain no censure, but keep their places in the synagogues, and their characters in the world as good, honest, orthodox preachers, and stand free from the charge of mopish, dreaming enthusiasts; chief priests themselves being judges. But they stand arraigned of crimes of the highest nature, even of inverting the very order of things; "turning the world upside down;" "preach...

" And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them: for I am the L ORD their God." —Leviticus 26:44 [KJV] Can any child of God read his Father's awful threatenings in this chapter, and think light of sin? Can he count it a small thing to walk contrary to God's revealed mind and will? Indeed one would think it impossible; nor can we hardly believe any one who has known the true grace of God could read this verse and ever dare open his mouth and shoot his arrows of bitter words against the doctrines of everlasting, electing love, sovereign grace, and the certain salvation of every redeemed soul. But alas! when the mouth of proud man is not held in by the bridle of humility, what awful, what horrid speeches will he dare to utter, even against the plain and express declarations of Jehovah Himself!  The rank weeds of natural not...

" The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." — Romans 8:16 [KJV] These words dropt not from the pen of a saint in a state of sinless perfection; nor is this invaluable privilege, this heavenly blessing, peculiar to the experience of Paul the apostle, but to Paul, less than "the least of all saints, and chief of all sinners," as he confesseth himself to be. It hath been enjoyed by poor sinners, through faith in Jesus, in all ages; it is the common privilege of all Christians. We may well cry out in astonishment with Solomon, "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee." — II Chronicles 6:18 .  Amazing condescension! "Lord what is man, sinful, hell-deserving man, that Thou shouldest thus visit him" with Thy comforting presence! Delightful to think of. There is a sweet relation subsists between the high and lofty One and ...

" I am with you, saith the L ORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remaineth among you: Fear ye not." — Haggai 2:4, 5 [KJV] When the Lord calls His people to great work, or grievous sufferings, He animates them with strong consolations; for as their day is, their strength shall be. This passage shines bright, as it manifests the most comforting views and clearest discoveries of covenant-grace and love to saints of old, engaged in a very arduous work of Jehovah. "Whatever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we might have hope." — Romans 15:4 . Our hope is established and strengthened through patience and comfort of the scriptures; and as they encourage our hope, they also forbid our fears; as if salvation was precarious and uncertain, as though the foundation of hope rested upon conditions we fulfil to secure it.  Blessed be God faith hath a surer anchor-ho...

"In the way of Thy judgments, O L ORD , have we waited for Thee: the desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee." — Isaiah 26:8 [KJV] Herein appears the wisdom and glory of our Lord. He hath ordained the way wherein His people should walk, as well as the end which they shall surely enjoy, salvation . Thus is it manifest, by perseverance in grace and holiness, that any sinner is effectually called to the knowledge of Jesus and salvation by Him. Though in regeneration the carnality and corruption of our nature are not destroyed, yet by the word and Spirit the soul is possessed with a desire after Jesus, and the sweet remembrance of His name is fixed in the heart; He is all their desire and all their salvation; they know and feel themselves to be poor and lost; they are humbled in soul; hope from every object but Christ is cut off.  But yet some cannot speak of such manifestations of joy and tokens of comfort which others tell of. Hence they...

Fully God and Fully Man by D. G. Miles McKee In Christ Jesus, the sovereign majesty of deity meets with the perfect man.  Christ Jesus is both God and perfect man … one person with two natures.  If Jesus was only the great all-powerful God but not also man, we would feel very nervous about going near Him. And rightly so.  But what does Isaiah say of this mighty God?  The great prophet says that the coming King ( Christ ) would be a man who would be a hiding place from the wind, and a covert ( a shelter ) from the tempest ( storm ). See Isaiah 32:1-2. There’s, therefore, no need for the believer to be afraid of Him. Isaiah also clearly tells us that our Lord would be both God and man (See Isaiah 9:6). So, let’s be unmistaken on this matter, in Jesus we meet the mighty God and the perfect man. This is one of the excellent gospel truths which we have the privilege to feast upon.   My friend, Daniel E Parks, Gospel Minister in Great Falls, Montana, sa...

" If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." — I John 2:15 [KJV] The voice of carnal reason cries, "God hath created passions within us, therefore gratify them." At this bar, inconsistency is pronounced upon scripture; but the voice of inspiration proclaims, "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are not of the Father ; " therefore teaches, crucify them. Let no disciple of Jesus think this a hard saying. Nay, but the soul can find no happiness but in the love of God. If other objects attract our affections to seek happiness in them, as they stand in competition with, so they will keep us from the sense of the love of God; where the treasure is, there will the heart be.  When the love of God lives in the heart the love of the world dies. If the love of the world gains the affections the love of the Father subsides. We can no more love two such contrary objects with a supreme love than we ca...

"I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 3:14 [KJV] By effectual vocation the soul is called from a death in sin to a life of righteousness. By spiritual illumination the most desirable objects are discerned; the faith of God's elect manifests itself to be an operative grace in the heart by the conduct of the life. Blessed Paul, though such a zealous champion for sovereign operations and free-grace truths, though so averse to the pride of (-so called) free-will and the confidence of human righteousness in his writing and preaching, yet his life and exhortations are equally opposite to all licentious practices and unchristian sloth; he had a race to run, a prize to win, the end of his calling to attain.  Thus is it with all who are partakers of like precious faith; folding the hands, sitting down contented, resting in ease and indolence, may suffice when doctrines are only received as notions in the he...

" Cast thy burden upon the L ORD , and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." — Psalm 55:22 [KJV] The soul, having lost its innocency by the sin of the first Adam, can never be happy till it knows righteousness is restored to it again by Jesus, the second Adam . Sensible sinners would be truly miserable when they see their nakedness and feel their want of righteousness, was not righteousness revealed as God's unspeakable gift by Jesus Christ. By Him a glorious robe of righteousness is wrought out and imputed to naked and destitute sinners. Grace reigns through His righteousness. All the mercy and favor we receive from God is in a way of righteousness.  We enjoy the knowledge and comfort that we are righteous before God through faith. If this point is not clear and settled in the mind, it is because the clouds of ignorance and unbelief are not chased away; the Sun of righteousness hath not yet arose upon such hearts; therefore ...

" O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?" —Romans 7:24 [KJV] Spiritual sense and feeling are peculiar to regenerate, heaven-born souls. While in a carnal state, "dead in trespasses and sins;" though the law thunders out its dreadful curses against us, we hear not. Though by nature children of wrath and deserving hell, yet our danger we see not. Though our sins are gone over our heads, and are like a sore burden too heavy for us to bear, yet we feel them not. But when the soul is alive to God, we groan, being burdened with a body of sin, and pant after deliverance. This was the experience of holy Paul. Such the experience of saints in all ages. But, thanks be to our God, though ever so deeply distressed and greatly depressed with sin, we sorrow not as without hope.  We are not ignorant of our Deliverer, but know Him, even Jesus Christ. None but Jesus is able; and He hath, He doth, He will deliver. He hath delivere...

" This is the true God and eternal life. Keep yourselves from idols. Amen." — I John 5:20, 21 [KJV] It is a common objection with the men of this world against the ministers and members of Jesus: "You can preach and talk of nothing but JESUS." Truly we "consider Him as the end of all our conversation." — Hebrews 13:7, 8 . Conscious of what He hath done FOR us, what He is TO us, and what He hath done IN us; verily, Jesus is all in all to our souls. We know that the Son of God is come in our flesh. We are sure that by the blood of His cross "He hath made an end of sin, finished transgression, made reconciliation for iniquity;" and by His holy life "hath brought in an everlasting righteousness," — Daniel 9:24 .  All this we poor sinners wanted. Nothing short of this could save us. Yea, eternal life we have in our WONDERFUL friend, the God-man, Christ Jesus. Blessed be His infinitely precious name! He hath given us an understanding heart...

" Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." — II Thessalonians 2:16, 17 [KJV] Believers in Jesus know that "the remembrance of sin is grievous, and the burden intolerable." A sight and sense of sin affects their conscience with sorrow and distress. There is daily need that their poor hearts should be comforted; and also that they should be established in every good word and work. But from whence shall they derive this? from striving to forget, palliate, or excuse their past sins? by promising to be more stedfast for the future in the truths of God and obedience to His will?  Alas! he who truly knows what a sinful nature is, who is really acquainted with his own weakness and insufficiency to that which is good, and his proneness to all evil, will not, cannot thus deceive his ...

"We have not an high-priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are; yet without sin." — Hebrews 4:15 [KJV] "Without sin!" O, cries the sanctified soul, that this was my happy state. And verily, as sure as the word of God is true, thou shalt enjoy this perfect freedom from thy worst enemy. But thou must be content to wait God's time, and live in God's way; that is, by faith upon thy best friend Jesus. Thy present blessedness is to understand and rejoice in this great mystery, that Christ who knew no sin was made sin for us. Therefore, by faith we glory, knowing that God looketh on us, blesseth us as righteous in Christ, and doth not impute sin unto us.  As the Head is without sin, so are all the members, viewed and beloved in the sight of God. And this is the evidence that we are born of the Spirit and have the mind of Christ, that we hate all sin and long for entire deliveranc...

What If Jesus Is Not God?   by D.G. Miles McKee   John 8:24, "Unless you believe that I am (He), you shall die in your sins."    From all eternity Jesus Christ was and is the eternally, self-existent One. He was and is and is to come. He is Yahweh, the great I Am, the Alpha and the Omega, the Word made flesh (John 1:14).  He was and is God. His divine nature was unborrowed, underived, and unconferred.  It is Jesus, the Lord from heaven, who is above all and over all (John 3:31).   He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9).  He has and is both the wisdom and the power of God (1 Corinthians1:24). In Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead in all knowledge, power, grace, mercy, truth and holiness.   As believers, it is our privilege to propagate the message that the Lord Jesus possesses all that God is. If people want to know what God has said, we should point them to the words of Jesus. If they want to know how God ...

" All scripture is given by inspiration of God; and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." — II Timothy 3:16, 17 [KJV] The poor sinner who writes this, being in a dangerous illness, was in a very dark and comfortless frame of mind for two days. The third day, light, peace and joy overspread his soul by these words being brought to his mind: "After two days He will revive us, in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight." On this he called for a bible. O how was his inexpressible joy increased when he read these words in Hosea 6:2. On being asked, If he had done with the bible? he answered with a flood of joyful tears, 'No: never, never shall I have done with that blessed book, till I change time for eternity.' The Spirit of inspiration ever honors His own word of truth. All peace, comfort...

" Jesus said, Will ye also go away?" —John 6:67 [KJV] This, O soul, is the voice of thy Beloved. Thy Friend put this question to His own disciples. Our Captain keeps no pressed men [i.e., drafted ] in His service. All His subjects enter as volunteers. They are made willing to come to Him (Psalm 110:3) , believe on Him and greatly esteem the day of His power, to follow and cleave to Him. Force, restraint, and compulsion act not on their ingenuous minds. But what they find in Jesus now, present peace; what they expect from Jesus hereafter, glory and salvation, endears Him to their souls.  Daily observation furnishes with instances of many who profess to own Christ and to follow Him for a season; but anon, through not understanding His doctrine, not seeing their own misery and wretchedness, and not knowing His love, they are offended, forsake Christ, His truths and His ways. They go back again to the world, to the enjoyment of their lusts, and take up with carnal pre...