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

"The church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood." -Acts 20:28 [KJV] Atonement for sin stands or falls with the Deity of Christ. If we deny His Deity, we must deny the atonement, for what value or merit can there be in the blood of a mere man that God, for its sake, should pardon millions of sins? This the Socinians clearly see, and therefore deny the atonement altogether. But if there be no atonement, no sacrifice, no propitiation for sin, where can we look for pardon and peace? Whichever way we turn our eyes there is despair, and we might well take up the language of the fallen angel:  "Me miserable! which way shall I fly Infinite wrath, and infinite despair? Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell; And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep Still threatening to devour me opens wide, To which the hell I suffer seems a heaven." But when by the eye of faith we see the Son of God obeying the law, rendering, by doing and dying, acting and suffering...

" He will rest in His love; He will joy over thee with singing." -Zephaniah 3:17 [KJV] Instead of two meditations on this verse, it is worthy the study of our whole lives. Eternity itself will never exhaust the fulness of that rich and glorious grace contained in it. When the vanity of the creature, and the richness of God’s everlasting love and free grace are the subjects, well might the preacher say, Of making many books there is no end; though much study may be weariness to the flesh (see Ecclesiastes 12:12.) Yet such study is reviving and refreshing to the spirit. Well, saith the poor sinner, ‘I remember the day of my espousal to Jesus: it was sweet. My heart was filled with peace and joy in believing. But, ah me! I have lost my first love: I am cold, and dark, and dead: I go on heavily, while the enemy oppresses me, and is daily saying to me, Where is now your God, in whom you once delighted, and of whom you formerly made your boast? Thy love is cold to Him...

"Leaning on Jesus' bosom." -John 13:23 [KJV] Methinks I would contemplate for a while the privilege of this highly-favoured disciple John. Surely to sit at the feet of Jesus, to look up at His face, to behold the Lamb of God, and to hear the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth, what should I have thought of this but a happiness unspeakable and full of glory! But the beloved apostle leaned on Jesus' bosom. Oh, Thou condescending Saviour! didst Thou mean to manifest, by this endearing token, how dear and precious all Thy redeemed ones are in Thy esteem? But stop, my soul. If John lay on Jesus' breast, where was it Jesus Himself lay, when He left all for thy salvation? The disciple whom Jesus loved lay upon Jesus' bosom; but He, Whom the Father loved, lay in the bosom of the Father - nay, was embosomed there; was wrapt up in the very soul of the Father from eternity. Who shall undertake to speak of the most glorious state of the Son of G...

"And enlarge my coast." -I Chronicles 4:10 [KJV] A coast means a boundary line such as divides one territory from another, or terminates a country, as the sea coast is the boundary of our island. Every quickened soul has a coast; that is, a territory of inward experience, which is limited and bounded by the line that the Holy Spirit has drawn in his conscience. As the Lord divided the tribes, to cast their inheritance by line (Psalm 78:55) , so hath He cast the lot for every vessel of mercy, and His hand hath divided it unto them by line (Isaiah 34:17) . This is as it were the tether which fastens down every quickened soul to his own appointed portion of inward experience. Within this tether he may walk, feed, and lie down. It is "the food convenient for him," the strip of pasture allotted him. He cannot, he dare not break this tether, which is fastened round a tender conscience, and every stretching forth beyond his measure to boast in another man...

"The L ORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy." -Zephaniah 3:17 [KJV] A truly gracious heart is restless and unhappy, when it experiences distance from the Lord. Notions in the head may satisfy formal, dry professors; but those who are alive to God, cannot rest without enjoying His presence. They will draw nigh to Him, praying Hhim, “Draw nigh to my soul, and say, I am thy salvation.” That precious word lives and abides in our heart: Now, in Christ Jesus, we sinners, who, in times past, were far off from God, are made nigh by the blood of Christ , (see Ephesians 2:13.) Hence, we are called upon, “Sing, shout, be glad, rejoice with all the heart.” Yea, thou God-fearing, soul-trembling sinner! even thou, the Lord has in His eye, and speaks from the love of His heart, “Fear thou not, let not thine hands be slack , ” (Zephaniah 3:14-16.) Dread not thy mighty, thy many enemies. Put on courage. Lift up the hand...

"He will be very gracious unto thee; at the voice of thy cry, when He shall hear it, He will answer thee." -Isaiah 30:19 [KJV] Mark, my soul, what is here said; for every word in this sweet scripture tells. Thy God, thy Saviour, thy Jesus, knows thy voice, hears thy cry, and will assuredly answer. He will not only be gracious, but very gracious. He waits to be gracious; waits the most suited time, the best time, the praying time, the crying time; for He times His grace, His mercy, to thy need. And though thou knowest it not, yet so it is; when His time is near at hand, which is always the best time, He puts a cry in thine heart; so that the time of thy cry, and the time for the manifestation of His glory, shall come together.  Is not this to be gracious; yea, very gracious? So that, while thou art looking after Him, He is looking upon thee. And before thou callest upon Him, He is coming forth to bless thee. Is not this very gracious? Now then, my soul, make a mem...

"O that Thou wouldest bless me indeed!" -I Chronicles 4:10 [KJV] An "indeed" blessing is what the soul is seeking after which has ever felt the misery and bitterness of sin, and ever tasted the sweetness of God's salvation. And these "indeed" blessings are seen to be spiritual and eternal. Compared with such blessings as these, it sees how vain and empty are all earthly things, what vain toys, what idle dreams, what passing shadows. It wonders at the folly of men in hunting after such vain shows, and spending time, health, money, life itself, in a pursuit of nothing but misery and destruction. Every passing bell that it hears, every corpse borne slowly along to the grave that it sees, impresses it with solemn feelings as to the state of those who live and die in their sins. Thus it learns more and more to contrast time with eternity, earth with heaven, sinners with saints, and professors with possessors. By these things it is taught, wit...

" It pleased the Father, that in Him should all fulness dwell." -Colossians 1:19 [KJV] The religion of nature is the religion of pride. Pride is of the devil. Pride works by a lie, and keeps the soul in unbelief of the truth. Hence, we naturally think some change in us, some good done by us, causes God to be our Father, and we consider ourselves as His very good children. This notion obtains in the mind of many, and is the cause of their rejecting the everlasting covenant of the three-one Jehovah, and denying the covenant relations and transactions of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They are so filled with themselves, with their Stuff of inherent righteousness, freewill, moral agency, and one knows not what unscriptural jargon, that they see not all fulness in Jesus, where it pleased the Father it should dwell.  Lord! empty us of all self-fulness, that we may receive out of Thy fulness. The Father, by covenant love, took on Him that near and dear relation t...

"As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness." -Psalm 17:15 [KJV] Is it refreshing to thee now, my soul, the least glimpse of Jesus' face; the smallest manifestation of the glories of His Person and of His work; and the very sound of His voice, in His word or ordinances? Think, then, what will be thy felicity in that morning of the eternal world, when, dropping thy vail of flesh, He whom thou seest now by faith only, will then appear as open to thee as to the church above in glory! Pause, my soul, over the vast thought! What will be thy first sight of Jesus? What will be thy feelings, when, without any intervening medium, thou shalt see Him face to face, and know even as thou art known? Precious Lamb of God! grant me grace to feel the blessedness of this first interview. Appearing, as I trust I shall, in Thine own garments, and the robes of Thy righteousness, and which Thou hast not only provided for...

"The dead are raised up." -Matthew 11:5 [KJV] "The dead are raised up." The "dead" are those who by nature are dead in sin. These dead are raised up when life from God visits their souls. They are raised up to faith in Jesus, raised up to hope in His name, raised up to a sense of His dying love to their souls, raised up from doubt and fear, raised up from the depths of despondency, to look unto Him and be saved. What a mercy it is that the Lord of life and glory still puts forth the same power in the hearts of His people, that He once put forth in their bodies, and that He raises them up from their state of death and deadness! Do we not often feel so dead, as though we had not a particle of the grace of God? So dead, that it seems scarcely possible to have a sensation of spiritual life again? So dead, that we almost fear whether the power of God was ever felt in our hearts? Now, the Lord raises up life and feeling in our souls, by putting for...

Jesus at the Right Hand - Part I by D G Miles McKee   “But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God ; ” (Hebrews 10:12 and see also Hebrews 1:3).   In the past I have spoken on the meaning of Jesus being at the right hand of God, but some newer believers, perhaps, have not grasped the meaning of this wonderful truth.    To say that Jesus is at the Right Hand of God is to use anthropomorphic language and anthropomorphic language when used in reference to God represents the Almighty as having human characteristics.  We read, for example, of God having “nostrils” (Exodus 15:8), a “face” (Psalms 27:8), a “hand” (Deuteronomy 9:26), and a “mighty arm” (Psalms 89:13). This does not mean, however, that God has any of these things any more than He has wings (Ruth 2:12). We know that God, in essence, is Spirit (John 4:24), but to make Himself more clear...

" What is your life?" -James 4:14 [KJV] A short day, full of evils; a span long, replete with crosses. Each revolving day brings its troubles; each fleeting moment, its sorrows. ‘Yes,’ says a soul, ‘I am a living witness of this: I am a mark for the enemy to shoot his fiery darts at; against man he daily renews his attacks, constantly buffets, and is ever busy with his subtle devices. Each morning I rise, I am brought into the field to exercise my arms; or on the stage, to conflict with my enemies. Truly, I am almost worn and wearied out. What with a sense of indwelling corruptions, the plague of my heart, the attacks of Satan, the troubles of the world, want of the sense of my Lord’s love, and the workings of unbelief;—my life is one continued scene of sorrow and distress.’  Remember, for your comfort, your life is short: your rest shall be eternal and glorious. Consider what one sweetly says, “It is the great work and difficulty, and yet duty of a christian, ...

"... Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption ." -I Corinthians 1:30 [KJV] What a sweet subject for my morning meditation is here! Who is it, my soul, is made of God to thee these precious things but Jesus? And mark how they are made so. I am a poor ignorant creature, grossly ignorant by reason of the fall. I knew not my lost estate, much less the way of recovery. Here Jesus became to me wisdom. By His illuminating the darkness of my mind, He led me to see my ruin and my misery. But this would never have brought me out of it; for though I saw my lost estate, yet still I had no consciousness by what means I could be recovered. Here again Jesus came to my aid, and taught me, that as I needed righteousness, He would be my righteousness, and undertake for me to God.  But even after this was done, I felt my soul still the subject of sin; and how to subdue a single sin I knew not. Here Jesus came again, and gave me to se...

"It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him." -II Timothy 2:11, 12 [KJV] To be partakers of Christ's crown, we must be partakers of Christ's cross. Union with Him in suffering must precede union with Him in glory. This is the express testimony of the Holy Ghost: "If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." The flesh and the world are to be crucified to us, and we to them; and this can only be by virtue of a living union with a crucified Lord. This made the apostle say, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." And again, "But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the ...

" Where two or three are gathered together in My name there am I in the midst of them." -Matthew 18:20 [KJV] Our hopes and comforts rise or fall, according to our conceptions and belief of what Christ is in Himself, and what He is to us. Attend to this. You will find this true in your experience. Therefore it is of no small moment, whether you believe Christ to be God over all, or only a mere man. Yea, it is of the utmost importance: it enters into the very life, peace, and joy of your soul. Our Lord here puts this beyond a doubt. None but God is, at one and the same time, in more places than one. But Christ declares, “Wherever My disciples are gathered together in My name, there am I.” Therefore Christ is the omnipresent God. This is the joy of our faith; this, the glory of our souls. Now, it should be our grand concern to bring this into experience and practice.  (1st.) Remember “The eyes of the L ORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good,” (P...

"He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." -II Corinthians 8:15 [KJV] My soul! here is a delightful morsel for thee to feed upon this morning. Thou art come out to gather thy daily food, as Israel did in the wilderness. Faith had no hoards. Thou wantest Jesus now as much as thou didst yesterday. Well then, look at what is here said of Israel. They went out to gather—what? Why, in the morning bread—God's gift.  Such is Jesus, the bread of God, the bread of life. And as Israel would have been satisfied with nothing short of this, so neither be thou. And as Israel was never disappointed, so neither wilt thou, if thou seek it in faith, as Israel did. And observe, "they that gathered most had nothing over;" so "he that gathered least had no lack."   Yea, my soul, no follower of Jesus can have too much of Jesus; nothing more than he wants—nothing to spare. So the poorest child of God, that hath th...

"Thus saith the L ORD ; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown ." -Jeremiah 2:2 [KJV] Salvation is a gift, the choicest and richest gift which the hands of a Triune God, whose name is Love, can bestow. It is a portion, an inheritance, an estate, a treasure, an eternal reality. The full possession, the entire enjoyment, the complete acquisition of this predestinated weight of glory, is indeed reserved until a future state; but the earnests, the firstfruits, the early ripe clusters, the first dew-drops of this eternal inheritance, are given to the elect whilst upon earth.  The everlasting enjoyment of the presence and glory of Christ is often compared in Scripture to a wedding. Thus we read (Revelation 9:7) of "the Lamb's wife," and of "the marriage of the Lamb." So the Church is said to be "brought unto the King in raiment o...

" Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." -Ephesians 5:8 [KJV] Unregenerate persons, raised from indigence (-poverty) to opulence (-riches) , do not love to hear of their pedigree: they see not the hand of the Lord in it. What detracts from their character and merit, hurts them. But disciples of Christ like to hear of, love to look back upon what they were by nature, that they may ascribe fresh praise to the Lord, Who of His mere grace raised their degenerate souls "out of the dust, and lifted the needy from the dunghill, and has set them with the princes of His people , ” (Psalm 113:7, 8.)   We are here reminded, “Ye were” —what? dark, having some glimmering light of God, His truth, His ways, etc. Nay more, darkness itself. Blind to them, as if totally deprived of sight. Ignorant of them as a beast: as dark, respecting them, as we should be of natural objects without the sun. We walked in darkness, and kn...