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

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:15, 16 [KJV] What heart can conceive or tongue recount the daily, hourly triumphs of the Lord Jesus Christ's all-conquering grace? We see scarcely a millionth part of what He, as a King on His throne, is daily doing; and yet we see enough to know that He ever lives at God's right hand, and lives to save and bless. What a crowd of needy petitioners every moment surrounds His throne! What urgent wants and woes to redress; what cutting griefs and sorrows to assuage; what broken hearts to bind up; what wounded consciences to heal; what countless prayers to hear; what earnest petitions to grant; what stubborn foes to subdue; what guilty fears to quell!  What clemency, what ...

"I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." -John 9:4 [KJV] Pause, my soul, over this sweet scripture, and these sweet words of thy Lord! Look at Jesus, even thy Jesus, Who, in the service of Mediator, as God's servant, had work to do in His day, as thou hast in thine. And Oh! what a day was His! Every portion of it filled with good! Now, my soul, the night of this present day is come; and the night of the whole day of thy life upon earth will shortly follow; it may come this very night; for nearly as the month is ended, thy life may end before it: and though death come not this very night, it cannot be far off, and may be near indeed.  How then stands thy great account? Take down thy memorandums, as merchants do their ledger at certain seasons, to ascertain their stock; and review thine experience. Hath Jesus filled up every page? Hast thou the several items of His grace, and love, and bounty? Canst ...

" I am like a green fir-tree: from me is thy fruit found." -Hosea 14:8 [KJV] Here is a sweet dialogue between the Lord and Ephraim, which signifies growing. The Lord had just before said, “I will be as dew upon My people.” See the effects of this grace, Ephraim says, “What have I to do any more with idols?” Now I find my Lord and His love in my heart, get hence ye cursed idols: my vile lusts and that vain idol, the work of my hands, my own righteousness. I abhor the former. I trample on the latter. I bemoan my folly in taking up with them so long. The Lord graciously answers, “I have heard him: ” his moans and complaints. “And observed him,” with complacency and delight returning to me.  O ever gracious, long-suffering, loving Friend of sinners! “I am like a green fir-tree.” Who says this? Commentators say, Christ. But I would rather humbly presume, than boldly assert, that they are the words of the believer. For thus the dialogue is kept up. Naturalists say...

" We are perplexed, but not in despair." -II Corinthians 4:8 [KJV] God’s dear children have not all the same clear perception of truth. They are not all of one mind and the same sentiment in all points. Yet, they all have but one Lord, one faith, and one hope. And, there is an uniformity in their experience, with respect to the exceeding sinfulness of sin—the depravity of their nature—their perplexities from the world, the flesh, and the devil—their love of the scriptures—and the exceeding preciousness of Christ. This proves that they are taught by and with the same Spirit.  We have perplexities of a spiritual nature, beside those in common with others, which natural men are total strangers to. These are no weak evidences of our spiritual birth. To be perplexed with a body of sin and death—with a sense of unbelief—with deadness, formality, wanderings in spiritual duties—with Satan’s temptations, injections, accusations—corrupt reasonings, and carnal pleadings: t...

" Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.  But know that the L ORD hath set apart him that is godly for Himself: the L ORD will hear when I call unto Him."  -Psalm 4:1-3 [KJV]

" If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness." -Romans 8:10 [KJV] St. Paul was an experimental teacher. He applies himself to the heart. He appeals to the conscience. He aims to quicken and animate the soul, and to draw out the affections to Christ, from what it had inwardly experienced of divine grace. O Christians, let this be your study when you meet and talk together. Yea, often do as David did. Converse freely with your own soul.  If Christ be in you. That is, if He dwell in your heart by faith. If you have an inward approbation of Him, delight in Him, and love to Him in your heart: if you believe in Him as the Son of God, anointed by the Holy Ghost, to be the only Redeemer, Justifier, and Saviour of perishing sinners— what then? I will tell you, says the apostle, what will be the experience of your heart.  (1st.) “The body is dead because of sin.” You will find, and groan under the weight of a dea...

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” -Romans 15:13 [KJV] All people, lost and saved, desire both joy and peace. But man, by nature, seeks these things where they cannot be truly found in eternity. He may find moments of joy and peace, but these moments will not last. Some may last until the judgment, but false joy and peace will be exposed as men come before Christ (cf. Matthew 7:21-23) .  The Word of God speaks of “joy and peace in believing.” But people can believe a lie, and most, even in religion, do. This joy and peace come by and from the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the Gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace to save, preserve, protect, ad glorify His people based on the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and as the Holy Spirit gives them spiritual life in the revelation of the true Gospel to them. See Isaiah 32:16-20; Romans 1:16-17; 10:13-15 ...

" I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." -Romans 7:18 [KJV] This is the knowledge which puffeth not up; but like love, edifieth the soul in deep humility: while it excites overflowing gratitude in the heart to Christ for His righteousness, to justify vile sinners. It is the knowledge of regenerate souls. I know: not only doctrinally, in notion and theory, but it is a confirmed truth, by heart-felt experience. I know it from day to day: I have proved it again and again: I am fully assured of it, as I am of my own existence, that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.   St. Paul’s judgment of himself was confirmed by experience. But was he not a most eminent apostle, and holy saint? Yes; still he confesses publicly before God, angels, and men, that he was the subject of a nature, which was earthly, sensual, and devilish. If no good thing dwelt in his flesh, is it not implied, that every evil dwelt there? Doubtless, he would be so understoo...

  What sacred Fountain yonder springs Up from the Throne of God And all new cov’nant blessings bring ‘Tis Jesus’ precious blood!   What mighty sum paid all my debt When I a bondman stood And has my soul at freedom set ‘Tis Jesus’ precious blood!   What stream is that which sweeps away My sins just like a flood Nor lets one guilty blemish stay ‘Tis Jesus’ precious blood!   What voice is that which speaks for me In Heav’n’s high court for good And from the curse has set me free ‘Tis Jesus’ precious blood!    old hymn, “O For A Thousand Tongues”

Only God Can Forgive Sins by D. G. Miles McKee   “ Who can forgive sins, but God alone? ”   - Luke 5:21 [KJV] One of the remarkable things about Jesus is that He was always going around forgiving sins. However, to forgive sins is exclusively the divine prerogative and Jesus, if He is not God, has no business meddling in such affairs. If he’s not God, he’s a fraud! C.S. Lewis says of Christ’s forgiving sins, “This is so preposterous as to be comic. We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You tread on my toe and I forgive you---but what should we make of a man, himself un-trodden on, who announces that he forgave you for treading on other men’s toes? Asinine fatuity is the kindest description we should give this conduct.” -C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity Indeed, Jesus was asinine ( silly and stupid ) if He was, in fact, not God. What is more, that is what you are calling Him if you do not believe He is God?  You say He has forgiven your...

" Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord." -John 20:20 [KJV]   “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun” (Ecclesiastes 11:7.) But, O how much more sweet and pleasant, to see the light, and behold the glory of the Sun of Righteousness! This inspires the heart with gladness. These disciples had lost their dear Lord, and mourned in darkness for His absence. Tongue cannot tell their inexpressible joy, at seeing Him again. Their sight was by the eye of sense: ours is by the eye of faith. Yet our sight is not less real than theirs: and it brings the same gladness to our hearts also. Therefore it is highly prized by us. For we can neither live comfortably, walk holily, nor die happily, without seeing the Lord Christ.  For, (1st.) A sight of Christ by faith, brings peace to the conscience. There is ever a war within, between the flesh and the spirit: grace and nature: the old man and the new. The motion of sin ...

" For when I am weak, then am I strong." -II Corinthians 12:10 [KJV] We have read of St. Paul’s revelations, exaltings, buffetings, and his praying: now of his humbling sight of himself. He is brought down to his right place, low in self; and to his right feelings, weak in self. Hence we see the true nature and blessed end of Christian experience. It keeps the soul from being puft up with pride, lest it fall into the condemnation of the devil. It sinks it low in humility: under a sense of weakness; and it leads out of self, to look for all its strength in Christ. Here the strength of faith is opposed to the weakness of sense. When I am sensibly weak, then I am believingly strong. This, though a difficult lesson, yet is a precious one.  (1st.) Do we see ourselves weak? Christ is held forth to us as our strength, and He calls upon us to be strong in Him. “Trust in the Lord for ever, for in the LORD Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4.) But surely, foll...

  Compared with Christ in all beside No beauty can I see The one thing needful, dearest Lord Is to be one with Thee.   The sense of Thy redeeming love Into my soul convey Thyself bestow, for Thee alone My All-in-All, I pray.   Less than Thyself will not suffice My comfort to restore More than Thyself I cannot crave And Thou cans’t give no more.   Loved of my God, for Him again With love intense I’d burn Chosen of Thee ere time began I’d choose Thee in return.   

" There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." -II Corinthians 12:7 [KJV] I dearly love St. Paul’s experience. For there is so much of the artless simplicity of the poor humble sinner; such a dread of self-glorying, while it ever exalts the rich grace of the dear Saviour. Let us make a few remarks on it, and pray our gracious Lord to bless them.  (1st.) Here is a painful experience, a thorn in his flesh. What was that? Fanciful men have entertained strange ideas. Some have said the cholic: others the ear-ache, others the head-ache, etc. If it were a bodily pain, we might as well guess, the gout in his great toe. But would the apostle have been thus anxious to have a bodily pain removed? Would the most excruciating pain prevent soul exalting? Surely it was something more.  It was the heart-ache. He plainly tells it was, “the messenger of Satan to buffet him.” His very soul was harassed ...

  Precious Savior, Friend of sinners We, as such, to Thee draw near Let Thy Spirit dwell within us With that love that casts out fear. Matchless Savior, let us know Thee As the Lord our Righteousness Cause our hearts to cleave unto Thee Come, and with Thy presence bless.   Open now Thy precious treasure Let Thy Word here freely flow Give to us a gracious measure ‘Tis Thyself we long to know. Come and claim us as Thy portion Let us all find rest in Thee Leave us not to empty notions We would find our hope in Thee!

" And He said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad?" -Luke 24:17 [KJV] Time is the best medicine for most diseases, whether of body or mind. A present hour my cause sadness, the next may bring joy. This is a living comfort in saddest seasons, Christ knows both our sorrows and the cause of them . He is always near to us, though we see Him not. His sympathising spirit manifests itself in this question.  Observe, (1st.) Here were two disciples communing together, and reasoning with one another. This is right, it is pleasing to our Lord, to see His dear members converse with Him, and strive to edify each other in the faith of Him—and that they bear each other’s burdens.  For, (2d.) Jesus joined company with them. Disciple, how often have you found it so? Christ delights in the fellowship of His saints. “How can one be warm alone?” Ecclesiastes 4:11 (3d.) Christ inquires what is the subject of their c...