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

"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." -John 5:22, 27 [KJV] Here, my soul! here is a sweet and blessed portion to take with Thee, night by night, as a sleeping draught, to lie down with in holy composure; or if thou lie watchful, to give thee songs in the night. Everynight is a new watchword of the night of death; and none can tell thee when thou droppest asleep, whether, in the next opening of thine eyes, thou mayest not open them in eternity, and find thyself standing before the judgrnent-seat of Christ!     Dost thou not wish to be prepared for such an event, and not to leave so infinitely momentous a concern to a peradventure? Read then, again and again, this sweet scripture. I take for granted, that thou knowest Jesus; and art acquainted, yea, savingly acquainted with His glorious person, as thy Surety; and the merits of His blood and righteousnes...

"Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." -II Corinthians 4:9 [KJV] You may be cast down by many doubts and fears, and lose the sense of the Lord's love to your soul, but you cannot lose the reality, nor is your faith destroyed by the hottest flame. It is like gold; the fire melts away and separates the dross and tin, but never touches the gold. In your hottest trials your faith will not have lost a particle. Neither will your hope be destroyed, however you may be cast down about your state or standing; for not a particle of hope, or of any one Christian grace can ever be lost. They may seem to suffer diminution as the apostle speaks, "If a man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss" (1 Corinthians 3:15); but it is no real loss,—it is merely the dross taken away, that he may come forth a vessel for the finer. The work of the Holy Spirit is as indestructible as the work of Christ; and thus every grace which He implants in the soul...

"And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age." -Luke 3:23 [KJV] How marvellous in all things are the wa ys of God to us! Was Jesus indeed in the world, and the world made by Him, and the world knew Him not? And did He remain hid away, and unknown for the first thirty years of His life? Did the Son of God come on earth to do away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and yet enter not upon the full purpose of His mission until so large a portion of His life upon earth had passed away? Oh! wonder-working God! how true it is, that Thy ways are not our ways, nor Thy thoughts our thoughts!   Yet, my soul, though thy Jesus did not engage in His public ministry, in the more open display of it by His miracles and preaching, yet surely those thirty years were of vast importance on the score of redemption. No doubt Jesus spent them in obedience to His Father's law, manifesting a life of holiness and purity, suited and corresponding to the immaculate perfection of His nature...

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."   - Revelation 19:7 [KJV] We want two things to take us to heaven;  a title to it,  and  a meetness for it.  Our only  title  to heaven is the blood and righteousness of the Son of God— that blood which "cleanseth from all sin," and that righteousness which "justifies us from all things from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses." Nothing unclean or defiled can enter heaven. This is God's own testimony: "There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 21:27) .   But besides the  title,  there must be also a  meetness  for this heavenly city, according to the words of the apostle: "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers...

Weekend Gospel message to follow for All Hands (04-06FEB22) Heads-Up --- Please find enclosed encouragement in SO GREAT SALVATION by the perfect and finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ in saving poor, needy and wretched sinners by His sovereign free grace - God's unmerited favor - from our sins and from Hell: The Great Change Within  Before a sinner is born again by the Holy Spirit, he consists of nothing but fallen human nature and void of spiritual life. He is spiritually dead and nothing but sinful flesh with all the darkness, desires, aspirations, and motives of sin. He cannot bear or bring forth anything spiritual, for that which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). There is nothing about him, in him, or from him that God accepts. However, “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). When one of God’s elect is born again by the Spirit, he is given new, spiritual life, which he did not have before. Spiritual life is the work of God the Holy Spirit. It ...

"NONE OF THEM can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)" -Psalm 49:7-8 [KJV] How very striking is the former of these verses! And Oh! how justly true! If it were possible for the rich worldling to keep back from the grave, by purchase, his worldly friend, would he do it? Yes, indeed, it is possible he might, under the presumption, that when it came to his turn, he should himself be redeemed. It is, however, of little consequence to estimate human friendship, when they are altogether helpless in the most important of all concerns.  But, my soul, doth not this scripture point to Him, and tend to endear Him to thy warmest affections, who was indeed "a Brother born for adversity;" and Who, "though rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that through His poverty we might be made rich?" Jesus was, and is, the Brother (mentioned in that scripture, Leviticus 25:2...

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." - Colossians 3:1 [KJV] How many there are even of those who desire to fear God who are kept down by the world, and to whom it has not lost its attractive power; who are held fast, at least for a time, by worldly business, or entangled by worldly persons or worldly engagements. Their partners in business or their partners in life; their carnal relatives or their worldly children; their numerous connections or their social habits; their strong passions or their deep-rooted prejudices, all bind and fetter them down to earth. There they grovel and lie amid, what Milton terms,   "The smoke and stir of this dim spot which men call earth;"   and so bound are they with the cords of their sins that they scarcely seek deliverance from them, or even desire to rise beyond the mists and fogs of this dim spot into a purer air, so as to breathe a heavenly atmospher...