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

"A citizen of no mean city."     - Acts 21:39  [KJV] It certainly was very laudable in Paul, in a moment of danger, to avail himself of the common privileges of his freedom, in the common rights of men. But it would have been a sad thing for the apostle, had he not, at the same time, been also "a fellow citizen with the saints, and of the household of God." He, like the patriarchs, knew his right in that city "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."     My soul! see to it, this evening, that thy name is enrolled among the citizens of those who are built upon the "foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone." And if thou canst find evidences of this high calling, thou wilt know also, as well as Paul, that thou art "a citizen of no mean city." Now a city that hath "foundations, and whose builder and maker is God," differs totally from all the cities founded amon...

"Let Israel hope in the L ORD : for with the L ORD there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption." - Psalm 130:7 [KJV] "Let Israel hope in the Lord." Has she ceased to hope in the creature? Does she despair of salvation from any other source or quarter but the blood of the Lamb? Is she crying, sighing, longing, panting, and begging of the Lord to appear in her soul? "Let Israel," then, "hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy." He will not spurn His waiting Israel from His feet; He will not smite her with the lightnings of His wrath; He will shew mercy to the poor, guilty sinner that comes with dust upon his head, clothed with sackcloth and ashes, mourning and lamenting his vileness before the Lord. There is no wrath in the bosom of the Lord against him; there is mercy, pardoning mercy in the bosom of Jehovah for Israel; therefore "let Israel hope in the Lord."   If Israel look to herself, she cannot have one gra...

  Weekend Gospel message to follow for All Hands (18-20FEB22) 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: “ For by grace are y e saved. ” – Ephesians 2:8 [KJV] We are saved by grace, free grace, rich grace, sovereign grace, distinguishing grace without one atom of works, without one grain of creature merit, without anything of the flesh. Oh! Sweet grace, blessed grace! Oh! What a help, what a strength, what a rest for a poor toiling, striving, laboring soul to find that grace has done all the work, to feel that grace has triumphed in the cross of Christ, to find that nothing is required, nothing is needed, nothing is to be done! —J. C. Philpot In Jesus Christ, God has reconciled me to Himself, imputing my trespasses to Him and His obedience to me. God by Jesus Christ ta...

"Thus saith the L ORD , the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch; thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Thus shalt thou say unto him: the LORD saith thus: Behold, that which I have built, will I break down; and that which I have planted, I will pluck up, even this whole land. And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not ." -Jeremiah 45:2-5  [KJV] Here, my soul! take an instruction, and a blessed one it is, when applied by the Holy Ghost, suited for God's people in all ages of the church, and in all generations, at all seasons, it is unbecoming in a believer in Jesus to have a mind hankering after things of the world, which the carnal seek; but the evil is increased in times of general calamity.  Baruch, though the Lord's servant, yet felt too much desire of the world's ease. My soul, learn to avoid every thing which may lead to an attachment to things below; that when thou...

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28 [KJV] To look at all our varied circumstances; and then to believe that if we are the lovers of God, all things we experience are working together for our spiritual good, what a view does it give us of the wisdom, grace, and power of a wonder-working God! And we are to measure this good, not by what the creature thinks, but by what God Himself has declared to be good in His word, and what we have felt to be good in our soul's experience.   Have your trials humbled you, made you meek and lowly? They have done you good. Have they stirred up a spirit of prayer in your bosom, made you sigh, cry, and groan for the Lord to appear, visit, or bless your soul? They have done you good. Have they opened up those parts of God's word which are full of mercy and comfort to His afflicted people? Have they stripped off the covering that is to...

  "And Peter said unto Him, Lord, dost Thou wash my feet ? " -John 13:6  [KJV] My soul! dost thou want some sweet, some tender, some more than ordinarily interesting view of thy Jesus, this evening, to draw out all the finer feelings in love and adoration of thy Redeemer? Look at Him then in the moment in which this scripture represents Him, in His lowliness and meekness, washing the disciples' feet. Had I the power of drawing the most endearing portrait, Jesus should be my one and only object; and for a subject of the most finished kind, the humbleness and tenderness of Jesus, the Lord of life and glory, washing poor fishermen's feet, should be the picture. And what, my soul, tends if possible, infinitely more to endear and bring home to the heart this unparalleled condescension and grace of Jesus, is, that it was, as the evangelist relates it, at a time when Jesus knew that all things were given by His Father into His hands: that is, all things relating to His medi...

"I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." - Galatians 1:12 [KJV] When I speak of a revelation of Christ, I am not contending for anything visionary. Dreams, voices, appearances in the air, sights and sounds, crosses in the sky, and apparitions at the bedside, I must leave to others. I believe that for the most part they are the portion of visionaries and enthusiasts, for we have all these in the visible Church of God, as well as Pharisees and hypocrites, Arminians and Antinomians. I will not indeed deny that the Lord may have wrought by them in some peculiar instances, as in the cases of Augustine and Colonel Gardiner. But taking the generality of God's people and the ordinary mode of divine operation, the revelation of Christ to the soul is a gracious internal discovery by the power of the Spirit, revealing Him to the eyes of faith.  Nothing is seen or heard by the bodily senses; and yet His glorious Person is as muc...