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

"Stand fast therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."   -Galatians 5:1 [KJV] Here is somewhat enjoyed, danger of being deprived of it, and the necessity of standing fast in it. Let us consider these three points, looking unto Jesus.    (1st.) What is enjoyed? Liberty . One of the most precious blessings in life. But this of all liberties, is the most precious. For, Christ hath made us free in our consciences.         (a.) From the guilt and power of sin.         (b.) From all condemnation of the law.         And, (c.) To have access to God as righteous persons. He hath washed away the guilt of our sins by His blood: and subdued the power of them by His Spirit. “He hath delivered us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us , ” (Galatians 3:13.) So that “there is therefore no condemnation to us, being in Christ Jes...

"As the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto Me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory ." -Jeremiah 13:11 [KJV] See, my soul, the blessedness of witnessing to God, and witnessing for God. His people, the Lord saith, are called, and are, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, as lights in the world. Both Israel and Judah are included in what is here said; and by the figure of a girdle cleaving to the loins of a man, so close, so strongly bound, and extending all around, is shewn the nearness, and firmness, and the security in every way, and by every direction, in which the Lord's people are brought into relation with Him. Such, then, were the Lord's people of old, a people near to Himself; and as they were the Lord's own choice, so were they dear to the Lord; and as He had made the whole of the n...

"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." -Hebrews 10:36 [KJV]  Why is patience needed? Because if we are the Lord's people, we are sure to have many trials. The Lord sends us afflictions that He may give us the grace of patience to bear them. But O, what a rebellious heart do we carry in our bosom! What perverseness, peevishness, and self-will dwell in us! How soon our temper is stirred up, and our irritable minds roused in a moment by the veriest trifle! How little patience have we under the trials that God sees fit to lay upon us! We thus learn our need of patience, and that it is not a fruit of nature's soil.    The want (-need) of it makes the soul follow after it; and when the Lord does give submission to His will, and enables His children to see how profitable these trials are for their souls, and how, but for this heavy ballast, they would certainly have been carried away into the world, they can s...

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."   - I John 2:19 [KJV]   "Thus, it was in the apostle John’s time, a little before the close of the apostolic age. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us.” This is the account the apostle gives of them. As it was then, so it has been ever since.  All the heresies which have tormented the churches of Christ ever since and down even to our present times have originated from persons who have been in the churches, who have departed from the churches, from such as have made schisms and divisions in the churches. And when any old error is newly revived, it in general springs from such persons as are disaf...

"We also joy in God, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST, by Whom we have now received the atonement."   -Romans 5:11 [KJV]   Having obtained the King’s free pardon, for a poor man cast for transportation, I carried it to the goal (- prison ) to him. Seeing the poor fettered creature fall down upon his knees to return thanks, caused a flood of tears of heart-felt joy to burst from mine eyes. I thought, this is just what Thou, O my precious Saviour, hast done for me. Thou hast obtained a free and full pardon for all my sins, set my soul at liberty, and filled it with peace and joy, by the one atonement of Thy precious blood.    The poor convict had not read his pardon. He had not seen the King’s name to it. I only made the report to him, that I had obtained it. He believed me. Hence he was happy, joyful, and thankful. Thus he received his pardon. Now here is a simple and plain idea of faith: Of what? Receiving the atonement of Christ, and of joy in God. You are a poor sinn...

"Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood." -Hebrews 13:12 [KJV] My soul, I would have thee this evening, take a view of thy Jesus in His own blood, under the special and particular act in which this scripture holds Him forth; sanctifying the people by the application of it, as the great object and design for which He suffered. There is somewhat uncommonly interesting in this view, though not so commonly considered. That this is the only laver for sin, is unquestionable; and that it is infinitely meritorious, and of eternal efficacy, is also equally true.   But when we consider farther, the infinite purity of it, flowing, as it did, from an holy heart, in a nature that was altogether holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; there is somewhat which, though too deeply founded in mystery to be perfectly apprehended by us, may yet serve to intimate the immense preciousness of it, and its immense importa...

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts." -Jeremiah 15:16 [KJV]   There is a sweetness in the promises which captivates the heart; a beauty in Christ which wins the soul; a saving unction and power in the word of God, when applied, which draws forth toward it every secret and sacred affection. Can you not sometimes look up and say, "Blessed Jesus, I do love Thee?" And when the word of God is opened up, applied, and made sweet and precious, have you not felt sometimes as if you could kiss the sacred page, as conveying such sweetness into your soul?    This is embracing a promise in love—throwing our arms round it, drawing it near to our breast, kissing it again and again with kisses of love and affection, and taking that sweet delight in it with which the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, as now all his own—at times almost lost, but now wooed and won,...

"Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded."   -Philippians 3:15 [KJV] St. Paul says, his preaching Christ, warning and teaching every man of his ruined state, in all wisdom, was to this great and glorious end—To present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28.) How often have our minds been distressed and dejected, (I speak for one) from seeing our imperfection in all we are, and in all we do? Instead of this, we are called, again and again, to rejoice in the Lord alway , (Philippians 4:4.) This we shall do, if our consciences be made perfect, by the blessed work of Christ, received by faith, as was observed in the last meditation. O rest not short, of perfect satisfaction in this matter. The work of Christ has perfectly satisfied God’s justice and truth, and rendered honourable His holy law: why should it not then perfectly satisfy your conscience, and make it perfect? Now, we are exhorted to be like minded. In what respect? You will see in the f...

"And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible." -Jeremiah 15:21 [KJV] My soul, hash thou ever considered some of the many ways of softening trouble? Sit down, and learn it from this sweet scripture. Here is a general promise, which may be suited to particular circumstances, and such as will hold good in all. But first remember, that He who promiseth "to deliver from the sorrow, is the same that appointeth the sorrow: Hear ye the rod, and Who hath appointed it." The Lord's rod hath a voice that speaks, as well as corrects; and it is a mark of wisdom to listen, as well as feel.    Hence, if we mark the hand that appoints, we shall observe also all the other interesting particulars, both of the instruments by which the Lord works, the time and place, the means and end, and then discern love and grace, yea, Jesus Himself, in all. Suppose it be the world that crosses, or Satan that tempts, or false fr...

"For those in peril on the sea..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKg1ijncNDQ

"That I may win Christ." -Philippians 3:8 [KJV] What is it to "win Christ?" It is to have Him sweetly embraced in the arms of our faith. It is to feel Him manifesting His heavenly glory in our souls. It is to have the application of His atoning blood, in all its purging efficacy, to our conscience. It is to feel our heart melted and swooning with the sweet ravishments of His dying love, shed abroad even to overpowering. This is winning Christ.    Now, before we can thus win Christ, we must have a view of Christ, we must behold His glory, "the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." We must see the matchless dignity of His glorious Person, the atoning efficacy of His propitiating blood, the length and breadth, the depth and height of His surpassing love. We must have our heart ready to burst with pantings, longings, and ardent desires that this blessed Immanuel would come down from the heaven of heavens in which He dwells b...

Imperfect Faith and the Perfect Sacrifice -by D G Miles McKee   In the Old Testament the sinner transferred his guilt to his substitute by laying his hands on the animal he was to sacrifice (see Leviticus ch. 4) . This pointed towards how we are called to, as it were, lay our hand of faith upon on the Lord Jesus. So with us, if we say we have no sin, we are unqualified for Christ’s saving power and grace (I John 1:8) . Christ died for sinners and no others . In the Old Testament, the man who brought a sin offering before the Lord was saying, in effect, “I am a sinner and I must have my sin taken away for I am guilty in the sight of God.  So, I put my hand upon this animal, which is about to die, thereby confessing and transferring my sin to it as my substitute,” (see Leviticus 4:29). Think about it, many a feeble and diseased hand was laid on the head of the animal, which was to be offered, but this neither altered the character of the sacrifice, nor made it less powerful. I...

"Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded."   -Philippians 3:15 [KJV]   Speaking of righteousness unto justification of eternal life, St. Paul says, “The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded , ” (Romans 11:7.) What were they blinded by? Their own righteousness . This, like a cloud, intercepted the glory of the Sun of righteousness (Jesus Christ) from their minds. Their own righteousness prevented them from feeling the want of the righteousness of Christ, to justify them before God. So of perfection. Many are so blinded with their own fancied perfection, that they see not the glorious perfection of Christ, and the way in which sinners in themselves, are absolutely perfect in Him.    St. Paul just before said, he was not perfect. Now he says, he is perfect. What can he mean? Ironically, say some; by way of severe sarcasm upon those who fancied themselves perfect. Say others, comparatively perfect, with respect to those who were ignorant...

"Neither be ye of doubtful mind." -Luke 12:29 [KJV]   My soul, it is a blessed thing to arrive at a fixed point, on the momentous concern of "the one thing needful." As long as there remains any doubt or uncertainty whether Christ be the soul's portion or not, there is always a proportioned degree of doubt and uncertainty in the soul's comfort. What the dying patriarch said to his son, may with equal truth be said of every one of this description: "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel," Genesis 49:4.    For as long as the soul forms conclusions of safety, not from what Jesus is, but from what the soul's views of Jesus are there will be always an unstable, unsettled state. And how many have I known, who are of doubtful. mind, whether they really do believe to the salvation of the soul, and yet have no doubt whether they be sinners, and both need and earnestly desire that salvation. They will tell you that Jesus is more precious than the go...

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have (- let us hold fast ) grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." -Hebrews 12:18 [KJV]   Grace is the very foundation of the kingdom which cannot be moved. It is all of grace, from first to last. By grace we are saved; by grace we are called; by grace we are what we are. In order, therefore, to maintain our interest clear in the kingdom which cannot be shaken, we must hold grace fast; for directly we cease to do this, we lose our comfortable prospects of this kingdom, and of our own participation in it and its heavenly blessings. It is a kingdom of present grace and of future glory, therefore built wholly upon grace and not upon merit; wholly upon the favour of God and not upon the works of the creature . As long, then, as we hold fast grace, we hold the kingdom; for the kingdom stands in grace.    But why should this exhortation be needed? Is it not very easy to hold fa...

"What then?"   -Romans 6:15 [KJV]   These short and frequent interrogations of Scripture are greatly to be prized. There is a vast deal contained in these questions: “What shall we say then? What then?” They are like the word Shibboleth, with which they tried the people of old; but they could not frame their mouths to pronounce it. They corrupted the word, and said, Sibboleth. So many at this day corrupt the word of the glorious doctrine of grace, by leaving out the H, holiness , which all the doctrines of the holy gospel are divinely calculated to promote. “What then?” comes most suitable after the precious doctrine of the justified saints of God, being kept by His power unto eternal salvation.     “What then?” O! whenever you think of God’s everlasting love, and Christ’s finished salvation, and of glory being sure and certain to you, ask your heart, What then? Shall I continue in sin, because such unmerited love, grace, and mercy abounds to me? No. You will reje...