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

  "Grace makes a man a good man, not gifts; a man may have great gifts and not be a good man; grace is useful to a man’s self, gifts are chiefly useful to others; grace makes men fruitful, when gifts leave them barren in the knowledge of Christ; grace is lasting, when gifts fail, and cease and vanish away; grace will abide the fire of persecution, when gifts will not; grace is saving, gifts are not ..." -preacher John Gill, Exposition of the Old & New Testaments , vol. 9, p.408

"Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." -Romans 3:24 [KJV] Who are in this happy state? Men, apostate men! who have alike “sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  But are impenitent and unbelieving sinners justified? Who will dare assert this? St. Paul fully contradicts it. He expressly says, "The righteousness of God , (that one righteousness which God appoints, accepts and approves) which is by faith of Jesus Christ , (received by that faith, which Jesus is the Author and Finisher of, Hebrews 12:2 .) is unto all, and upon all them who believe."  But unbelievers reject this glorious righteousness of Christ. Therefore, they are not in a state of justification. Doubtless, God hath it in His secret and eternal purposes, to justify all them who shall believe : therefore, He gives them faith in time. Then, what was eternally decreed, effectually takes place in their souls: then, they come as condemned mal...

"Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever." -Psalm 45:2 [KJV] I admire this blessed portion, as well as the method in which the sacred writer hath introduced it. He opens the psalm, professing his design of speaking of the King: but in a moment, as if beholding him, he breaks off, and speaks to him. The verse now quoted contains but three short sentences: but indeed within its bosom, there are folded up as many volumes. For who so fair, so lovely, so engaging, as Jesus? "He is the brightness of His Father's glory, and the express image of His person"  and if all the accomplishments and perfections which can constitute excellency, be among the recommendations of beauty and loveliness; then it will be found, that in the person of Jesus they all centre and shine in one full constellation. Well might the prophet therefore speak of Him in this character: for He is a perfection of lo...

"The king's daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework."   -Psalm 45:13-14 [KJV]   This is a beautiful description of the bridal garments of the Church as the queen. The gold was to be wrought into her clothing, the raiment to be of needlework, intimating that her robe of justifying righteousness was wrought, as it were, as in needlework, stitch by stitch; yet that every thread was embroidered with gold. Here we have the thread of the humanity in union with the gold of Deity, and yet each in such close union that the thread is but one. In gold thread the beauty, the value is in the gold; yet how close the union. Gold by itself could not be made into embroidery.   So Deity cannot suffer, bleed, or die; but humanity can in union with it. Thus, as our blessed Lord went through the whole work which the Father gave Him to do, His Deity, being in union with His obeying, suffering h...