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

"If ye do these things, ye shall never fall."   -II Peter 1:10 [KJV]   What things? add to your faith every Christian grace and good work. If ye live in the exercise of grace, and the discharge of duty, ye shall never fall. But it is here plainly implied, if ye do not these things, ye certainly will fall. How fall? Into all manner of sin; yea, and into hell too, if the Lord Christ keep you not. But He most assuredly will keep all His sheep from thus falling. For He hath said, They shall never perish—I give unto them eternal life . But what evidence can any one have that he is Christ’s sheep, if he do not hear His voice, and obey His word?    My dear fellow-sinner, deceive not thy own soul. Beware of corrupt notions, and unscriptural ideas. It is most true, salvation is sure . Every one who believes in Christ shall most assuredly be saved . But surely there is such a thing, as living and walking close with Christ—cleaving to Him with full purpose of heart, cheerfully ...

"Who maketh thee to differ from another?" -I Corinthians 4:7 [KJV]   My soul, sit down, in the cool of this lovely evening, and in the recollection of distinguishing mercies look up and behold the gracious hand that "maketh thee to differ from another;" until thine heart overflow, in a view of the wonderful subject, with thanksgiving, love, and praise. If thou wilt open the volume of thine own life (and surely, of all volumes, when explained by the word of God, it is the most interesting to read) thou wilt behold such a multitude of instances, in all the departments of "nature, providence, and grace," as under divine teaching, will bring home the question with the most awakened earnestness to the heart, and cause thee frequently to exclaim, as thou passest on, "Who maketh thee to differ from another?"   Every defect of nature in others, every poor cripple, or the blind, or deaf, which thou meetest with; the want of intellect, or the want of un...

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." -I John 2:19 [KJV]   How solemn! How awful! These antichrists came out of the apostolical church of Jesus. They had been in it. Their names had been registered in their church book. They had been church members with the best of saints. Yet all this did not preserve them from the foulest apostasy. They had heard and professed to have received and believed the very same doctrine the Apostles preached!  Yet this did not keep them steadfast in the faith. They were carried away with lust and lasciviousness. This led them to corrupt the doctrine of God’s free grace: to suit it to encourage their own corrupt affections, and from hence to proceed to set forth such a different "christ," such a different gospel, and such a different spirit as eclipsed the whole glory of that...

"The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." -I Corinthians 4:20 [KJV] It is through the word of God in the hands of the Spirit, that this kingdom is set up in the soul. All God's people are agreed on this point, that they have no more religion than they have inward power. And all the living family are sighing, each according to his measure and season, after the manifestation of this divine power in their souls. Those that are under the law, and toiling under heavy burdens, are sighing after relief, and for that relief to come in divine power—power that shall cast all their sins into the depth of the sea. Those who having tasted that the Lord is gracious have lost their first love, are at times breathing out their inmost desire after power to revive their souls.    Those who are beset with powerful temptations, and struggling, often ineffectually, with base lusts, are crying after power to deliver their feet from the fowler's snares. Those who are hard, need po...