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

"Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak grievous things, proudly and contemptuously against the righteous."   - Psalm 31:18 [KJV]   The language of natural reason is, If I am righteous, God will love me : the language of faith is, Though I am a sinner, yet God loves me ; and, because He loves me, therefore He makes me righteous. How? The pen of inspiration answers: David, describing the character of a sinner, renewed by grace, and made meet to dwell with God, saith, “He shall receive righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:5.) Here we see plainly, that righteousness is a gift; that it is received, not worked out by the sinner; that it is given by the God of our salvation . It is the glorious robe, our elder brother, Jesus, wrought out for us; our heavenly Father imputes to us, and puts upon us. God the Holy Spirit enables us, by faith, to receive it, rejoice in it, and boast of it. For, we see ourselves made infinitely and everlasti...

"And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you, before I suffer ." -Luke 22:15 [KJV] My soul! thy Jesus holds a feast of the ordinance of His supper; that most interesting service, which He hath appointed in His church as a standing memorial of His death, until His second coming. Surely, thou canst need nothing more endearing, to prompt thee to attend it, than what the Lord himself expressed of His own pleasure in it, in these words. There is somewhat uncommonly affectionate in them: they seem to open and unfold the whole heart of the Redeemer upon the occasion. And do not forget, that what Jesus then said to His disciples, He saith now to thee, and to all His redeemed; they were the representatives of His whole body, the church. Listen to what Jesus here saith, and regard every word in this most tender and affectionate request, as if Jesus in person were now speaking to thee, in prospect of the coming supper: With desire I have ...

"Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." - Zechariah 4:7 [KJV] If the literal temple had been built up without any trouble whatever; if all had gone on smooth and easy, there would not have been any shouting of "Grace, grace , " when it was finished. But when it was seen how the Lord had brought a few feeble exiles from Babylon; how He had supported them amidst and carried them through all their troubles; and how He that laid the foundation had brought forth the head-stone, all that stood by could say, "Grace, grace unto it." It was these very perplexities and trials that made them join so cheerily in the shout, and made the heart and soul to leap with the lips, when they burst forth with "Grace, grace unto it." And who will shout the loudest hereafter? He that has known and felt the most of the aboun...