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

"But the body is of Christ." -Colossians 2:17 [KJV] There is not a greater instance of the depravity of the human mind, and the blindness of the understanding, than its seeking happiness in the shadow of things, instead of the substance. What is all created good, but the shadow of Him who created it? Yet we are prone to grasp at the shadow, and seek to be satisfied with it, while we neglect God the substance.  But all, like a shadow, eludes our embraces. Still we are restless and pursuing. It is just the same in spiritual things. We are prone to take up, and rest satisfied with the shadow of things, without the body, which is Christ. Yea, so foolish are we, that unless we are kept, even after we have known the substance and fulness of Christ, and see that we are complete in Him, we turn again to trust in the shadow of our own works and duties. This is awful! “But the body is Christ.”   (1st.) Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, have put the glory of every attribute...

"Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not Thy law." -Psalm 119:136 [KJV] Who is there of whom this may be said? Jesus, and Jesus only . He wept indeed over His beloved Jerusalem, for He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And the love He had to His redeemed, induced a bloody sweat through all the pores of His sacred body. But of every other may it not be said, "All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." Did we truly love Zion, would not rivers of tears run down at the present languishing state of Zion? Did we feel the full sense of distinguishing grace, would not every heart mourn over the ruins of our common nature? Think, my soul, what a mass of sin ascends as a cloud before the view of the Lord every day from a single heart of the desperately wicked transgressor? Think what an accumulation in a town, a province, an empire, the world! Might not rivers of waters run down at the contemplation? And ...

"Since all men by nature have stony hearts, all the threatenings in the world will do no good (to bring them to Christ, added ) ; the stony heart of natural man must be pierced by THE POWER OF GOD in order to be tender!  One with a tender heart desires to know the will of God, has a readiness for spiritual things, has a disposition to obey revealed truth, and has a desire to make the things of God his chief business."   -preacher Scott Richardson Sermon Audio link:  https://www.sermonaudio.com/speakers/13611/

"Keep yourselves in the love of God." -Jude 21 [KJV] When Christ is made known to our soul by the power of God, we have views of truth in Him, of happiness in Him, and of deliverance. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." We receive Him as the Son of the Father in truth and love; we receive Him as suitable to our wants and woes; we receive Him as putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and endearing Himself to our heart in the sweet manifestation of His Person, goodness, and love. Now as long as Christ and the soul are together, there is no place for error, and no place for evil. He makes the soul tender, the heart upright, the spirit broken and contrite, truth precious, error hateful, and sin loathsome and detestable. And whilst He and the soul are engaged together, error cannot approach nor evil find an entrance, so as to get any standing-ground in the heart. But error is very subtle; it addresses itself to ...

"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?" -Song of Solomon 8:5 [KJV] Who! the wonder and joy of angels, the envy of devils, the contempt of the world, because a miracle of grace. Upon whom shines the glory of God’s justice, the riches of mercy, the abounding of His love, and the efficacy of His power? It is, a poor sinner, hopeless, and helpless in himself, coming up from a dismal, dreadful, dangerous state, leaning upon One who is mighty to save.  Some over-rate Christians. They paint their characters so very strong and perfect, as though they forgot that they are in themselves nothing but poor sinners, whose nature is only evil continually. And these people also under-rate them, not considering what they are in Christ— new creatures, perfectly righteous—without spot of sin— infinitely glorious and comely in God’s sight.  Consider, (1st.) this wilderness. You are in it, and will be coming up out of it, till you get out of the ...

"And I only am escaped alone to tell thee." -Job 1:19 [KJV] My soul, is there nothing in this account which the messenger to Job gave concerning himself which suits thy case and circumstances? Nay, mayest thou not in a great variety of ways, both in providence and grace, adopt similar language, in which thou art escaped alone to tell? Pause! look back to thy boyish days. Nay, look further back, even to the birth, and to the womb; for had not the Lord carried thee from thence, surely from the womb wouldest thou have died and given up the ghost. And what was thy childhood, but years of perils and dangers, in which multitudes dropped all around thee, so that thou mightest say, while contemplating them, "and I only am escaped alone to tell thee?"   And where are numbers with whom the stages of thy youth, and years at school were spent? Where are they? May it not here again be said, "And I only am escaped alone to tell thee?" Go on, and trace the...

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost." -Jude 20 [KJV] By the words "most holy faith," we may understand chiefly the grand truths of the everlasting gospel which are revealed unto and embraced by faith. And they are called "our most holy faith," because they are imbued with all the holiness of God; and not only so, but as they are received into believing hearts, communicate sanctification, because they have a liberating, sanctifying efficacy. The words "build up" assume that there is a foundation laid. Christ is that foundation which God hath laid in Zion, a chief corner-stone, elect, precious; and where Christ is revealed to the soul by a divine power, a foundation is laid in the heart on which every subsequent truth is to be built up. The grand thing to be clear of in our own experience is, whether Christ has been laid as a foundation in our souls or not, and if He has, we ha...