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

" Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." -Jeremiah 3:22 [KJV] Backsliding is a species of apostacy from the faith. Apostacy is the high road to destruction. Total apostacy will certainly end in eternal damnation: for there can neither be repentance, or hope, for such a soul. The Son of God is the only sacrifice for sin: this, the backslider once professed to believe. But now he tramples on His precious blood, wilfully despises and rejects the Saviour; so that now, he has only “a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour every adversary of Christ” (Hebrews 10:26, 27.)   Most striking is the picture of such, drawn by Mr. Bunyan, in his Pilgrim’s Progress , as a man in an iron cage, who thus confesses: “I was once a fair and flourishing professor, both in mine own eyes, and the eyes of others; I was, as I thought, fair for the celestial city, and had even joy at the thoughts that I should get t...

"Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ." -Philippians 1:23 [KJV] My soul, thou hast not, I hope, dismissed the solemn thoughts opened to thy view by the scripture of yesterday. Surely, since that last morning, thou hast had but too many renewed occasions to feel the truth of it. Sin is not only present with thee at all times, but in thee, and as inseparable from thy unrenewed part, as the shadow from the substance. Thou knowest this, thou feelest it, thou groanest under it; and the consciousness of it is, in itself, enough to make thee go humbly all thy days. All other afflictions are nothing to this affliction: this, like the ocean compared to rivers, surpasseth and swalloweth up all. It is indeed a soul supporting thought, (and, blessed be God, thou feelest the sweetness of it,) that under all, and in all, Jesus is thy hope . And while sin is always present with thee, Jesus, thy Advocate and Propitiation, is present for thee with the Father. But t...

"Yet doth He devise means that His banished be not expelled from Him." -II Samuel 14:14 [KJV] The promise runs, "I will bring again that which was driven away" (Ezekiel 34:16) . Guilt, temptation, Satan, doubts, and fears had driven them away from the shelter of the tabernacle. Yet the Lord has respect unto these also. He says, "I will bring again." But how? By nothing but a sense of mercy. It is not by frowns, but by smiles. "I drew them , " says the L ORD , "with cords of a man" (that is, the tender feelings that are bound up in the human heart), "with bands of love."   You may thunder, you may lighten, you may take the whip and flog a poor backslider; you can never flog him home. He must be drawn by mercy, by the goodness of God, which leads to repentance. How was Peter brought back? By that look which Jesus gave him, as He stood in the hall of the high priest; that look of mingled love and reproach. It was...

" If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another; and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin ." -I John 1:7 [KJV] The walk of many professors seems to speak this language: Why cannot we love the world, indulge ourselves in the ways of it, and yet enjoy fellowship with God? Now we have clear notions of the doctrines of grace—of acceptance with God, and justification before Him, why need we be so very precise in our conduct? This seems as though they were desirous to walk as near as possible to the very borders of hell, and yet hope to get safe to heaven at last. Such walk not in the light of truth—in the comfort of love—in fellowship with God.  (1st.) What is fellowship with God? It is a sweet, heart-felt concord, harmony, and agreement between God and our souls; a mutual communion of spirits; a free communication from the Lord to us, and from us to the Lord:—just as two loving friends have between each o...

"So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." -Romans 7:25 [KJV] Is this thy language, my soul? Hast thou learnt with Paul, with Job, with Isaiah, and all the faithful gone before, to loathe thyself in thine own sight? Dost thou groan, being burdened with a body of sin which drags down the soul? Pause over this view of human nature. In the first place - think, my soul, what humbling thoughts such a state of corruption ought to induce. Though the mind be regenerated, though with the mind the believer serves the law of God, delights in the law of God, loves the law, and would make it the subject of devout meditation all the day; yet such is the body of sin, the flesh with its affections, and appetites, and desires, that it draws away the attention, imperiously, puts in its claims, and rises up in rebellion continually. And are the souls of God's children thus exercised, thus afflicted, in the struggles between the di...

"The eternal God is thy refuge." -Deuteronomy 33:27 [KJV] Who is this eternal God? He is the great and glorious Jehovah, eternal in His Trinity-of-Persons and in the Unity of His Essence (must see Deuteronomy 6:4 & John 10:27-31 .) And what a depth of blessedness there is in this God being an eternal God; and that in and of this eternity, each Person of the Godhead has an equal share. Look at the love of the eternal God. How eternal was that—not a thing of time, not fixed upon us when first brought into being, not issuing out of His bosom first when we were quickened into divine life; but a love from all eternity, as being the love of an eternal God . "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." -Jeremiah 31:3   And how eternal are the thoughts of God; those thoughts which were of good, not of evil. They were eternal thoughts of peace to the Church; eternal thoughts of mercy to His beloved family; e...

" Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted?" -Isaiah 2:22 [KJV] This precious text my dear Lord preached to my heart, day after day, upwards of twenty years ago; when it first pleased Him to make me happy in His love: though not then, yet I have seen abundant cause for it. That soul is in good health, that can say, I am sick of sin, sick of men, and sick of myself . The Lord is teaching us this lesson day after day: it is a hard one to flesh and blood. For we are naturally prone to look to, trust in, and depend upon an arm of flesh. But this is to depart, in heart, from the Lord: a curse is denounced upon this, (Jeremiah 17:5.)   Consider, man’s breath is in his nostrils. The best of men are subjects of sin, and liable to the stroke of death: the breath that promises you to-day, ere to-morrow’s drawn, may be vanished into air, and all your hopes blasted: the arm of flesh, which to-day is strong and stretched forth in ...

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." -Hebrews 10:14 [KJV] To be "sanctified" is to be made a partaker of that holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord; to be made a new creature; to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness;" in a word, to be "made a partaker of the divine nature," and thus have the holiness of God breathed into and communicated to the soul. Without this inward sanctification, none can enter the gates of heaven. To be made meet, therefore, for the heavenly inheritance, you must have a heavenly heart and a praising, adoring, loving spirit; you must delight yourself in the Lord as being so holy and yet so gracious, so pure and yet so loving, so bright and glorious and yet so condescending and sympathising. Now this meetness for the holiness, happiness, and employments of heaven is communicated at regeneration, in which the new m...

"The precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments." -Psalm 133:2 [KJV] My soul, behold, in the anointing here set forth of the Jewish high priest, a type of His anointing Who is a Priest for ever, and a Priest upon His throne; and while looking at Aaron, say, as the Lord Jesus did upon another occasion concerning Solomon, "A greater than Aaron is here." It is sweet, very sweet, and very profitable, to behold the old church shadowing forth the new, and the law ministering to the gospel.  Yes, blessed Jesus, I behold in Aaron, and in the precious ointment poured forth upon his head, thus running down to the skirts of his garments, the beautiful representation of that fulness of the Spirit, which was poured out upon Thee without measure; that from Thee the communication might flow down to the poorest, the humblest, the lowest of Thy members, even to the very skirts of ...

" I will sow her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy: and I will say to them which were not My people,Thou art My people; and they shall say, Thou art our God." -Hosea 2:23 [KJV] Declarations of grace depend not on the will of the flesh for their accomplishment. Sovereign power brings sovereign purposes to effect. Human will can neither forward nor frustrate them. So the Lord raises up and forms a people, for His glory on earth, and the Redeemer’s crown in heaven. See the process of it.  (1st.) “I will sow her.” This alludes to the word Jezrael in the last verse, which signifies the seed of God . God’s people are His own precious seed: He sows them in the earth.  (2d.) “Unto Me.” As they are sown by Him, they spring up unto Him. Though they lie long under the clods of nature’s darkness and corruption, and for a while spring up only to the world, the flesh, and the devil, yet there is a set time to favour them; a fi...

"For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." -Hebrews 9:16, 17 [KJV] Behold, my soul, how graciously the Holy Ghost hath here represented the necessity of Jesus' death, in order that the testament, or will, He left behind Him, might have the intended effect; and all the benefits and blessings He bequeathed in it to His people, might be fully paid and made over to them for their present peace and everlasting happiness. Now, my soul, mark down, for this day's special meditation, the many precious things here contained. Observe how very accommodating the Holy Ghost is to explain to thee divine things, by the similitude of human transactions. As a man makes his will, so Jesus made His. As what a man gives is altogether a free and voluntary act, so Jesus was not constrained by what He gave in His blessed ...

"For Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption." -Psalm 16:10 [KJV] When the adorable Lord by a voluntary act laid down His life, the last words that He spoke were, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit." By His "spirit" we are to understand His human soul which at once went into paradise, into the immediate presence of God, as He intimated in the words, "And now come I to Thee" (John 17:13) . Nor did He go thither that day alone. A trophy was soon to follow Him; the soul of that repenting, believing malefactor, who, a partner with Him in suffering, had become by His sovereign grace a partner with Him in glory. There was, then, an actual separation of the Redeemer's body and soul; but this did not destroy or affect the union of His Deity with His humanity.  That union remained entire, as His holy soul went into paradise in union with His Deity, and thus He was still God...

"Most folks in the West do not appreciate simply being given the exact words of truth and authority to live by, so they treasure their own opinions and tolerance as scripture. Perhaps one good thing the Lord brings forth under Communist rule is the submission to truth when it's heard without reservation.  This may be why without fellowship, radio programs, bible schools, etc. the persecuted churches come before the Lord God in full faith that He is the only hope and provider of all things now and in eternity. This makes them seek knowledge of Him and His word every day and then simply practice it in their lives whatever the cost." -Dan Freeman

" If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." -Galatians 5:25 [KJV] These two things the enemy of souls works powerfully against.  (1st.) To keep sinners from coming to Christ for salvation.  (2d.) When they are come, to prevent their enjoying the comfortable knowledge that Christ is their Saviour. And our own legal hearts, and wicked natures, join the enemy of our peace and salvation in both. But love lives and reigns above. Our Saviour sees how it is with us, and sends the power of His Spirit to help, relieve, and comfort us. The dear Spirit, when dead in sin, quickens us: then He guides us in our walk. What need we then of exhortations? Much, very much; for, consider, The walk is ours: to order our steps aright, is the work of the Holy Spirit.  (3d.) Our comfortable enjoyment of our interest in Christ, is experienced in a holy walk, or walking in the Spirit. The battle is the Lord’s. Yet David was to engage and conquer Goliath. “The L ORD ...

"The trumpet of the jubilee." -Leviticus 25:9 [KJV] My soul, pause over the subject of the jubilee trumpet; for surely much of gospel was proclaimed by it. It should seem that there were four distinct and special sounds of the trumpet in the camp of Israel. The trumpet of memorials, so called, (Leviticus 23:24) was blown on the occasion of the new moon, calling the people to the joyful assembly, (Psalm 81:3.) There was also the trumpet of which the prophet speaks, (Joel 2:1.) Besides these, the war trumpet gave a certain sound to prepare to battle (I Corinthians 14:8) . And this of the jubilee, which differed from all. And although the jubilee trumpet was never heard but once in fifty years, yet so sweet and so distinguishing was the sound, that no poor captive among the servants in the camp of Israel, was at a moment's loss to understand its gracious meaning. Say, my soul, is not the gospel sound, when first heard by the ear of faith, precisely the same?...

"Is anything too hard for the L ORD ?" -Genesis 18:14 [KJV] The Lord will make us feel that though His arm is not shortened that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear, yet He is to be enquired of. He is indeed a God that worketh wonders; apparent impossibilities are nothing with Him; He has but to speak and it is done. But He will make us know His power by making us feel our weakness. He will often keep at a great distance, and for a long time, in order to make us value His presence.  He will make us sink very low that He may lift us very high. He will make us taste the bitterness of the gall and wormwood of sin that we may know the sweetness of manifested pardon . He will teach us to abhor ourselves in our own sight, and loathe ourselves for our abominations, before we shall see and know ourselves washed in His blood, clothed in His righteousness, and to stand before Him without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. The Lord in one sense is easy of ...

JESUS OUR SACRIFICE by D.G. Miles McKee   "And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha which is, being interpreted,  The place of the skull."   -Mark 15:22 [KJV] What sacrifice can we make that will impress God more than Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary? None! In the light of the one great sacrifice made by Christ Jesus, our best efforts at self-denial fade to oblivion. The great missionary, David Livingstone, sacrificed everything to bring the Gospel to the continent of Africa, yet he said,  “I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of 'sacrifice' when we remember the great sacrifice which Christ made for us.” Indeed, the heart of Christianity is neither about us nor our sacrifices, it is about Jesus. As P. T. Forsyth said, " Christianity is not the sacrifice that we make; it is the sacrifice that we trust ." Consider this, on the day of His death, the Lord Jesus was brought to Golgotha, the place of the skull. Look at Him, the perfectly pure and l...