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

" For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" — Mark 8:36, 37 [KJV] Hast thou heard the voice of thy Beloved? art thou a willing disciple of a despised Master? But does the flesh shrink from, murmur and reason against taking up the cross daily, "and suffering the loss of all things?" Listen, O soul, to the reasonings of WISDOM. Though the followers of the Lamb are counted fools and madmen, yet their dear Master here teaches them such reasoning and argument, drawn from the nature and fitness of things, as will in a dying hour, and at the judgment-day, silence the tongue of every adversary. Ever use thy Master's weapon.  Reason daily, O, Christian, upon thy spiritual gain, by the knowledge of Jesus. Study to look with contempt upon thy trifling worldly loss. What is all the wisdom of this world but folly? the righteousness of the whole world, but filthy r...

" They shall put you out of the synagogues." —John 16:2  [KJV] So it must be in all ages. The scriptures cannot be broken. But what are the crimes of the ministers of Jesus, to deserve such usage? Is it for a life of intemperance and lewdness, of sin and folly, in frequenting play-houses, card-tables, routs, assemblies, horse-racing? etc. No; friends of the Lamb have done with all such vain paltry matter. Their hearts feed upon infinitely higher delights, and their time is too precious to be devoted to sacrifice upon the altars of heathenish vanities.  For these things they might gain no censure, but keep their places in the synagogues, and their characters in the world as good, honest, orthodox preachers, and stand free from the charge of mopish, dreaming enthusiasts; chief priests themselves being judges. But they stand arraigned of crimes of the highest nature, even of inverting the very order of things; "turning the world upside down;" "preach...

" And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them: for I am the L ORD their God." —Leviticus 26:44 [KJV] Can any child of God read his Father's awful threatenings in this chapter, and think light of sin? Can he count it a small thing to walk contrary to God's revealed mind and will? Indeed one would think it impossible; nor can we hardly believe any one who has known the true grace of God could read this verse and ever dare open his mouth and shoot his arrows of bitter words against the doctrines of everlasting, electing love, sovereign grace, and the certain salvation of every redeemed soul. But alas! when the mouth of proud man is not held in by the bridle of humility, what awful, what horrid speeches will he dare to utter, even against the plain and express declarations of Jehovah Himself!  The rank weeds of natural not...

" The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." — Romans 8:16 [KJV] These words dropt not from the pen of a saint in a state of sinless perfection; nor is this invaluable privilege, this heavenly blessing, peculiar to the experience of Paul the apostle, but to Paul, less than "the least of all saints, and chief of all sinners," as he confesseth himself to be. It hath been enjoyed by poor sinners, through faith in Jesus, in all ages; it is the common privilege of all Christians. We may well cry out in astonishment with Solomon, "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee." — II Chronicles 6:18 .  Amazing condescension! "Lord what is man, sinful, hell-deserving man, that Thou shouldest thus visit him" with Thy comforting presence! Delightful to think of. There is a sweet relation subsists between the high and lofty One and ...

" I am with you, saith the L ORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remaineth among you: Fear ye not." — Haggai 2:4, 5 [KJV] When the Lord calls His people to great work, or grievous sufferings, He animates them with strong consolations; for as their day is, their strength shall be. This passage shines bright, as it manifests the most comforting views and clearest discoveries of covenant-grace and love to saints of old, engaged in a very arduous work of Jehovah. "Whatever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we might have hope." — Romans 15:4 . Our hope is established and strengthened through patience and comfort of the scriptures; and as they encourage our hope, they also forbid our fears; as if salvation was precarious and uncertain, as though the foundation of hope rested upon conditions we fulfil to secure it.  Blessed be God faith hath a surer anchor-ho...

"In the way of Thy judgments, O L ORD , have we waited for Thee: the desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee." — Isaiah 26:8 [KJV] Herein appears the wisdom and glory of our Lord. He hath ordained the way wherein His people should walk, as well as the end which they shall surely enjoy, salvation . Thus is it manifest, by perseverance in grace and holiness, that any sinner is effectually called to the knowledge of Jesus and salvation by Him. Though in regeneration the carnality and corruption of our nature are not destroyed, yet by the word and Spirit the soul is possessed with a desire after Jesus, and the sweet remembrance of His name is fixed in the heart; He is all their desire and all their salvation; they know and feel themselves to be poor and lost; they are humbled in soul; hope from every object but Christ is cut off.  But yet some cannot speak of such manifestations of joy and tokens of comfort which others tell of. Hence they...

Fully God and Fully Man by D. G. Miles McKee In Christ Jesus, the sovereign majesty of deity meets with the perfect man.  Christ Jesus is both God and perfect man … one person with two natures.  If Jesus was only the great all-powerful God but not also man, we would feel very nervous about going near Him. And rightly so.  But what does Isaiah say of this mighty God?  The great prophet says that the coming King ( Christ ) would be a man who would be a hiding place from the wind, and a covert ( a shelter ) from the tempest ( storm ). See Isaiah 32:1-2. There’s, therefore, no need for the believer to be afraid of Him. Isaiah also clearly tells us that our Lord would be both God and man (See Isaiah 9:6). So, let’s be unmistaken on this matter, in Jesus we meet the mighty God and the perfect man. This is one of the excellent gospel truths which we have the privilege to feast upon.   My friend, Daniel E Parks, Gospel Minister in Great Falls, Montana, sa...