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

"For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the testator liveth." -Hebrews 9:17 [KJV] Precious Lord Jesus! and was it needful that Thou shouldest die, that the rich legacies of Thy will might be paid Thy children, and Thy spouse, the church? Was the testament in Thy blood of no force until Thou hadst finished redemption by expiring on the cross? And hast Thou now confirmed the whole, by this gracious act of Thine, when dying "the Just for the unjust, to bring us to God?" Sit down, my soul, this evening, and ponder over the unequalled love of thy dear Redeemer. Jesus died, and thereby gave validity and efficacy to His will. Now therefore it is of force. Now the large estate of "an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and which fadeth not away," which Jesus hath purchased by His blood, is eternally and everlastingly secured. Yea, the will hath since His death, been proved in the court of heaven, and ...

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."   -II Corinthians 3:18 [KJV] When our desires and affections ascend to where the Lord Jesus Christ now is, when raised out of all the smoke and fog, din and strife, noise and bustle, cares and anxieties, pursuits and pleasures, sins and sorrows of this earthly scene, we can in faith and hope, in love and affection, live above and beyond all things here below, and beholding with unveiled face the glory of the Lord, "are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" —this is being made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.   When the Lord Jesus went up on high He entered into His glory. As then we behold Him in His glory in faith and love, there is the reflection of His glory, and saints thus favoured enter into heaven when still upon earth, and have the f...

"And when they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them both." -Luke 7:42 [KJV] My soul, nothing can be more grateful, and commendatory to the state of thine insolvency; than the recollection of what thy God and Saviour hath taught in this beautiful parable; that the debtor of five hundred pence, and the debtor of fifty, being both equally incapable of discharging the respective claims upon there, are equally considered as objects of mercy, and are therefore both alike forgiven. And this, indeed, is the distinguishing property of grace. It is totally distinct from merit; yea, in direct opposition to it. Hadst thou the least pretensions to divine favour, or couldest thou have put forth the least helping hand towards thine own salvation; grace then would have been no more grace. The frank forgiveness of all debt, carries with it the plainest testimony of man's total helplessness, and the sovereign freedom of divine love. And hence, when the sinner, of every description a...

"For Thou, O God, hast proved us; Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried."   - Psalm 66:10 [KJV] The Lord's dealings with His people in the wilderness are very much to this purpose and to this end—to prove them, and to know what is in their hearts. Has the Lord implanted life in your soul? Has He touched your conscience with His finger? Has He begun a work of grace upon your heart? If so, in your travels through this wilderness there will be things from time to time to prove the reality of this work upon your soul. You will have  temptations;  now, when temptation comes, it will prove whether you have the fear of God in your soul to stand against the temptation, or whether you fall under the temptation; or, if you fall under the temptation, whether you are ever recovered out of it. And if you are a living soul, the Lord will keep bringing circumstance upon circumstance, event upon event, one thing after another; and all these things, as they come upon you, shall be made t...

"Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat, the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the L ORD , I will joy in the God of my salvation!"   -Habakkuk 3:17-18 [KJV] See, my soul, in the prophet's example, the blessedness of living above creature enjoyments, by living upon Creator fulness. Here is a sun, which never goes down! Here is a fountain, whose streams can never dry up! He that lives upon creature excellency, will want both food and comfort when that excellency dies, for they must die with it, when the period of its flourishing is over. But the soul that draws all from Jesus, the God of his salvation, will have Jesus and His salvation to live upon, and to be an everlasting source, when nature, in all its varieties, ceases to supply. My soul, what are thy resources for a day of famine? Canst thou jo...

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."   - Hebrews 12:1 [KJV]  Every fervent desire of your soul after the Lord Jesus Christ; every inward movement of faith, and hope, and love toward His blessed name; every sense of your misery and danger as a poor, guilty, lost, condemned sinner, whereby you flee from the wrath to come; every escaping out of the world and out of sin for your very life, with every breathing of your heart into the bosom of God, that He would have mercy upon you and bless you; all these inward acts of the believing heart in its striving after salvation as a felt, enjoyed reality, as the prize of our high calling, are pointed out by the emblem— "running the race set before us."   The Christian sees and feels that there is a prize to be obtained, which is eternal life; a victo...

  Weekend Gospel message to follow for All Hands (30SEP-02OCT22 A.D.) 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 - Almighty God's unmerited favor - from our sins and from Hell: “ The Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified .” - 1st Corinthians 1:22-23 [KJV] It is the same today; men want clever preachers, not Christ preachers, reason, not revelation, their minds challenged and not their hearts pricked. The wisdom of this world says, “ If you wish to reach the people of this day, you must not be dogmatic; share, discuss, exchange ideas, and counsel people; don’t preach !” I hear people say, “ If you would enlist today’s youth, you must adapt to their lifestyle and their language; pick up the rock beat, use comedy, puppets, and social entertainment; DON’T PREACH TO THEM!” Others i...