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

"God left him to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart."   -II Chronicles 32:31 [KJV]   Hezekiah was a great and a good man: he had rich experience in divine grace. Still he discovered, that he had a sinful nature, and a deceitful heart. Though an eminent saint of God, yet pride and vain-glory beset him. I have been led to think, there seems a little of the spirit of the pharisee, in his beseeching the Lord to remember how he had walked before Him in truth, with a perfect heart, and done that which was good in His sight (II Kings 20:3.)    At least, some of a self-righteous spirit, have been led to think from hence, that they have had somewhat in themselves whereof to glory. O! if we have walked well, and done well, we need not remind our Lord of it. If the heart be simple with its Saviour, it will not: for it was by His grace we did so. He who gives us grace, can never be unmindful of its effects. We hear of Hezekiah’s sickness—of the Lo...

"A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things." -Ecclesiastes 10:19 [KJV]   What feast is this, which the wise man meant, and the wine which, for true mirth, he would here recommend? He could not mean the laughter of the fool for that, he tells us elsewhere (chapter 7:6) "is as the crackling of thorns under a pot." The drunkard's song is but the mirth of the moment, which, like the burning thorn, may blaze and flash amidst the midnight crew, but suddenly goeth out, and leaves a total darkness.    But if Solomon had an eye to the feast which Jesus hath made in the mountain of the Lord's house "a feast of fat things," where His body broken, and His blood shed, are the food of the table; this indeed is a feast made for real joy of heart, and "wine which cheereth God and man;" Judges 9:13 . When the justice of God drank of this blood of the Lamb, it was satisfied; and when the poor sinne...

"Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." -I Peter 1:17 [KJV]   Our life here is but a vapour. We are but pilgrims and strangers on this earthly ball, mere sojourners, without fixed or settled habitation, and passing through this world as not our home or resting-place. The apostle, therefore, bids us pass this time, whether long or short, of our earthly sojourn, under the influence and in the exercise of godly fear. We are surrounded with enemies, all seeking, as it were, our life, and therefore we are called upon to move with great caution, knowing how soon we may slip and fall, and thus wound our own consciences, grieve our friends, gratify our enemies, and bring upon ourselves a cloud of darkness which may long hover over our souls.    Our life here below is not one of ease and quiet, but a warfare, a conflict, a race, a wrestling not with flesh and blood alone, but with principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. We have to d...

More on The Cleansing Blood!   by D G Miles McKee "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." –I John 1:7 [KJV]   In this verse we glimpse something of the love of God. Let’s not forget that if our Lord had chosen not to rescue us, He would have remained altogether glorious.   He owed us nothing.   If He had left us to die in our sins, He would have been entirely justified yet He chose, by an act of His own free will, to cleanse us from all trespass and sin. What mercy! It is astonishing to see that the God whom we had attacked and offended would come to this earth in the person of His Son and pour out His blood for us. It is astounding to see Him descending from heaven to be buried in and by the hatred of men (Philippians 2:5 ff) .   How He must love us.   How he must love us to have sought us out even when we hated Him and loved our sin (John 7:7; 3:19) . Yet, when we were His enemies the Lord Christ, graciously went to th...

"Is it true?"   - Daniel 3:14 [KJV]   A question this from a potent monarch, backed with a dreadful threatening: enough to have put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to the stand. Their answer must provoke their god, or their king. But did they hesitate a moment? were they at all in doubtful suspense? No: they had faith in their Lord; and they boldly replied, “O king, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.” Our cause lies before our God. We are not left to ourselves. Our present life, our immortal soul, is in His hands. If you command us into the fiery furnace, our God will be with us. We shall be safe: He will deliver us. Either our bodies that we have shall not be burnt; or, if they are, the burning furnace shall be only a fiery chariot, to convey our souls to heaven and glory. See the power of faith. According as they believed, so it was. The Son of God was with them: the fire could not hurt them.    Hence, consider, (1st.) that God may, an...

"He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each walking in his uprightness." - Isaiah 57:2 [KJV]   Here, my soul, is a sweet portion for thee to lie down with, this night, and every night until the night of death arrives, and thou droppest asleep in the arms of Jesus, to wake no more, till the everlasting morn arise that shall have no night. This is the privilege of the faithful, who enter into the peace of Jesus, and these are the beds they repose in, yea, each of them, for it is the personal enjoyment of each, and of all, to make Jesus their rest. "This is the rest (saith the Holy Ghost, by this same prophet, chapter 28:12) wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing."   And dost thou know it, my soul, that Jesus is all this for thee to rest upon, for peace here, and glory to all eternity? Behold Him in His person; behold Him in the fulness of His grace, His righteousness, His blood, and the unceasing effica...

"The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." - Psalm 119:130 [KJV]   The word "simple" means literally something which is not folded or twisted together. But owing to the treacherous and desperately deceitful heart of man, all, without exception, in a state of nature are the reverse of this. All their plots and contrivances for worldly profit or fleshly pleasure are tangled and complicated; and they are continually twisting together some thread or other of carnal policy. But when God the Holy Ghost begins the work of grace upon the souls of the elect, He proceeds (if I may use the expression) to untwist them. He takes hold of that rope which Satan and their own hearts have been twisting together for years, and He untwists it throughout its whole length, so as to leave the strands not intertwined as before, but riven, separated, and torn from each other.    The light that shines into the soul out of the fulness of J...

Christ bears the name of all His saints,  Deep on His heart engraved;  Attentive to the state and wants  Of all His love has saved.    In Him a holiness complete  Light and perfection shine;  And wisdom, grace, and glory meet;  A Savior all divine.   The blood, which, as a priest, He bears  For sinners is His own  The incense of His prayers and tears  Perfumes the holy throne.    In Him my weary soul has rest,  Though I am weak and vile;  I read my name upon His breast,  And see the Father smile.    -Hymn: "Majestic Sweetness" -John Newton (1725-1807 A.D.)   "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." -Zechariah 4:6 [KJV] The Temple was a type of the Church, and Zerubbabel was a type of Christ. The great truth shadowed forth by these two types, is that, both the work of preparing materials, and of constructing the house— "the Church of God, pu...

The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of His supremacy. Being infinitely elevated above the highest creature, He is the Most High, Lord of heaven and earth. Subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent; God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can thwart Him; none can hinder Him. So His own Word expressly declares, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10) .  “He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand” (Daniel 4:35) . Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in Name, and He is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things “After the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11) .    -Arthur W. Pink

I love this scripture; Isaiah 1:18-20 . Mr. Spurgeon preached from it and said, "God proposes a conference, not to determine IF we are sinners, nor the EXTENT of our sins, but what is to be done about our sins." We are all sinners, and our sins are deep and double dyed "as scarlet" and "red like crimson:" Sin is so difficult to put away that it is impossible for all but GOD! And even God cannot put away sin except through the precious blood and obedience of THE SON OF HIS LOVE! Hebrews 9:26 declares that "He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." What does the Word say? "Come now and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. IF YOU BE WILLING and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." 1. Are we willing to own and confess our sins? 2. Are we willing to repent of dead works and self-righte...

"He that is of God heareth God’s words." -John 8:47     “The words from Mount Sinai gender to bondage.” -Galatians 4:24    Some of God’s children are kept under bondage by them. They are taught to look on themselves only as servants, not sons of God, because they dare not say they know their sins are forgiven. This is a foolish, unscriptural distinction. St. Paul expressly declares, that every believer is a son of God: “Ye are ALL the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26.) Can a man be a servant of God without faith? No: “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6.)     Every one who hath faith in the Son of God, is a child of God: his sins are as surely forgiven, as that Christ died for sinners: he shall never come into eternal condemnation for them, no more than if he had never committed them. This is God’s word (see John 5:24.) As many as receive Christ, that is, believe on His name, have the pri...

"Verily, verily I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." -John 12:24 [KJV] How sweet and lovely is this similitude of the Lord's, in allusion to Himself! See to it, my soul, this evening, that thou art able to receive it. Thou hast been attending thy Lord to the tomb: here behold the blessed fruits of His precious death.   When Jesus became incarnate, like a pure corn of the finest wheat, He fell to the ground; and when at His death, "He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death,"  He fell into the ground: and now what an abundant harvest of glory to God, and salvation to souls, hath that death, and grave of Jesus produced!   Had Jesus never died, how would He have seen His seed, and the pleasure of the Lord prosper in His hand? Had Jesus not descended to the grave, how would He have been the life-giving, the soul-quickening root of all...

"And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not." -Jeremiah 45:5 [KJV]   Whatever schemes and projects the Lord's people may devise that they may prosper and get on in the world, He rarely suffers their plans to thrive. He knows well to what consequences it would lead;—that this ivy creeping round the stem would, as it were, suffocate and strangle the tree. The more that worldly goods increase, the more the heart is fixed upon them; and the more the affections are set upon idols, the more is the heart drawn away from the Lord. He will not suffer His people to have their portion here below. He, therefore, says to them in His providence, as well as in His word, "Seek them not."     But you will perhaps say, "What are we then to seek?" I will tell you in one word,— Realities . What are these great things that you are seeking after? say in religion. Could you see them in their right light, you would see that they are but shadows. Y...

Dear friends, Please find enclosed a great Gospel message entitled, "Biblical Encouragement for Hard Times," by preacher Henry Mahan (36 minutes.) The LORD JESUS Christ be magnified!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRaCIG-QGzU

"I have all and abound: I am full."   - Philippians 4:18 [KJV]   Happy Paul! infinitely richer than the most opulent monarch under heaven. Ye poor, wretched, covetous, worldlings! whose gold is your god, and who are labouring to add heap to heap—how long? Till ye drop into eternity, die like fools, and forever lose the idol of your hearts? Behold here a man, who has more than ever you possessed. He has ALL: you only obtain a part of what you aim at; you are still in want of more. Rich, happy Paul possesses ALL. “And,” says Paul, “I abound.” Not in want and wish, but in full enjoyment. “I am full.” I can contain no more.    He had “the unsearchable riches of Christ” for his portion. His wealth consisted in his mind being contented with that, as his greatest treasure. O! thou poor, murmuring disciple of Christ, who art often fearing and distrusting, lest thou shouldst want the bread that perisheth for thyself and family; and thou, my soul! who hast ofte...

"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall, not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that Thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that Thou wouldest keep me in secret, until Thy wrath be past, that Thou wouldest appoint me a set time and remember me! " - Job 14:12-13 [KJV]   My soul! thou hast been viewing and reviewing some of the blessed things, connected with the glorious doctrine of thy Redeemer's resurrection, for several nights and mornings past; but there is one more point of view in which that heavenly truth demands attention, and which thou hast not even glanced at. Sit down, and ponder over the joy, the gratulations, the unspeakable rapture which will result from the meeting of thyself! I mean thou and thy body meeting together after the long separation made by the grave, and all the humbling circumstances of this flesh of thine having seen corruption. Figure to thyself what an interview that will be of soul and...

"And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." -Ephesians 1:22, 23 [KJV]   In the mind of God, and as chosen in Christ, the Church is a perfect body. It is, therefore, the fulness of Christ. Just as our head and members, in their union with each other, form one perfect harmonious body, so it is with Christ and the Church. As the natural head would be incomplete without the body, as the body would be incomplete without the head, so it is with Christ mystical, and His body the Church.    Each lacks the other, and the union of both makes the whole complete. The Son of God, by becoming incarnate, needed a body of which He should be the Head. Without it, He would be as a bridegroom without the bride, a shepherd without the sheep, a foundation without the building, a vine without the branches. He did not need the Church as the Son of God, but He ne...