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

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."   - Romans 1:17 [KJV]   It is but lost labour, that poor sinners rise up early, late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness, in order to make themselves righteous. The Lord makes His beloved people righteous, in a very different way. Righteousness is already perfectly wrought out, to the honouring and magnifying God’s law: it is fully brought into the court of heaven, to the satisfying God’s justice . It is clearly revealed in the gospel, for the hope and encouragement of poor sinners.    Observe, (1st.) By way of eminence it is styled “the righteousness of God.” Not as it is essential to His divine nature. For what comfort, what hope can a guilty sinner take from that? The more plainly that is revealed, the more clearly that is known, so much the more miserable must it make the unrighteous sinner. But it is the righteousness with...

"And Jesus said, Who touched Me? When all denied, Peter, and they that were with Him, said, Master, the multitude throng Thee, and press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched Me; for I perceive that *virtue is gone out of Me ." -Luke 8:45, 46 [KJV] *see notation below   What a most interesting passage is here! What an evidence does it afford of the clear knowledge of the Lord Jesus; and, by an undeniable conclusion from such a proof of His omniscience, what a testimony does it bring with it of the Godhead of Christ! Pause, my soul, over the portion, and mark it well. Next pass on to another sweet improvement of it, and duly consider what a beautiful distinction is here drawn between the violent pressure of the throng, and the gentle touch of faith. Multitudes crowd to churches, and they hear of Jesus; but the personal knowledge and enjoyment of the Lord Jesus, is this touching Him?   Oh! for grace to have this right disc...

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." -Psalm 62:5 [KJV]   I believe that the Lord, before ever He communicates a real blessing to the souls of His poor and needy children, not merely convinces them by the Spirit of the depth of their poverty, of their truly ruined and lost state by nature, of the destitution of everything good in them; but He opens their eyes in a mysterious manner to see certain blessings which are stored up in Christ; for instance, righteousness to cover their nakedness, blood to atone for their transgressions, grace to super-abound over all the aboundings of sin, faith to be the evidence of things not seen, hope to anchor within the veil, and love to be a foretaste of eternal bliss.    These and similar blessings the Lord presents before their eyes, and gives them a spiritual understanding that these mercies are stored up in Christ; and as He gives them this perception of what the blessing is, and shews them ...