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

"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 LORD gave him ...

"To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary." -Psalm 63:2 [KJV] My soul! knowest thou what it is, at times, to be sensible of a barrenness of spiritual enjoyments? If at the house of God, to be cold and lifeless there? If at home, or unable to attend the place where God's honour dwelleth, yet there also to be without the Bethel-visits of thy Lord? Behold one of old, in a wilderness state, feeling the same. But do not fail to remark also, in the very breathings of the soul after Christ, how plainly his soul was under the sweet influences of Christ: David did not so much long for the temple service, as for the presence of the God of the temple . Remark also the peculiarity of expression: he longed to see the Lord's power and glory, so as he had seen Him in times past. God in Christ is Jehovah's power and glory; and the sanctuary without Him, would be no better than the wilderness. What a beautiful devout frame of mind was t...

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."   -I Corinthians 2:12 [KJV] What thick clouds of darkness spread themselves at times over our souls; all things out of sight; our signs and tokens buried, as it were, in mist. It is like a sea fog, that comes out of the bosom of the vasty deep, and hides all objects from view. The ships are on the sea, notwithstanding, but this deep fog prevents their being seen. So with our souls at times, all is misty, cloudy, and no signs can be seen of the work of God upon our hearts. And yet we "know" them, by receiving the Spirit of God, for it is the only way whereby they can be known. We can only see light in God's light; only believe by God's faith; only love by God's love; therefore can only know the things freely given to us of God by the revelation of the Spirit. What we know savingly, experiment...