“The poor have the gospel preached to them.” Matthew 11:5 J.C.Philpot What is the gospel? Is not the gospel a proclamation of pure mercy, of super-abounding grace? Does it not declare the loving-kindness of God in sending his only-begotten Son to bleed and die, and, by his obedience, blood, and merit, to bring in a […]
Restraining Grace John MacDuff “Satan hath desired to have you-that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee-that thy faith fail not.” Luke 22:31, 32 What a scene does this unfold!Satan tempting-Jesus praying!Satan sifting-Jesus pleading!“The strong man assailing”-“the stronger than the strong” beating him back! Believer! here is the past history and present secret of your […]
If salvation depends upon our being or doing anything, we shall inevitably be lost. Thank God, it does not; for the great fundamental principle of the gospel is that Christ is all: man is nothing. It is not a mixture of Christ and man—it is all of Christ. The peace of the gospel does not […]
“My Father Is Greater Than I” John 14:28 The Lord Jesus does not say, “My Father was greater than I,” as though the three Persons of the holy Trinity are not one co-eternal, co-equal God. In his eternal Diety, the Son is in every way equal with and one with the Father and the Spirit. And our […]
The religion of JOY (Octavius Winslow, “The Sympathy of Christ”) The religion of Christ is the religion of JOY. Christ came to take away our sins, to roll off our curse, to unbind our chains, to open our prison house, to cancel our debt; in a word, to give us the oil of joy for […]
“The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth!” John 1:14 (Charles Spurgeon) Believer, you can bear your testimony that Christ is the only begotten of the Father.You can say, “He is truly divine. He has done that for me, which none but a God could do!He has . . . subdued my stubborn will, melted […]
Spiritual Joy!(by Octavius Winslow)Spiritual joy is a holy, sensitive plant.It shrinks from the rude, ungentle touch;from every influence uncongenial with itsheaven born nature. Watch it with sleeplessvigilance; shield it with every hallowed defense. There are many hostile influences to whichit is exposed, any one of which will seriouslyinjure it. Temptation courted, sin tamperedwith, worldliness indulged, the […]
Joy!(“The Preciousness of Faith” by Octavius Winslow)Christian, your joy will be in proportion to thedirectness and simplicity with which your faithdeals with Christ, looks to Christ, lives uponthe fullness of Christ, rests in His completesalvation, and draws all its evidences andhopes from Christ. Nothing can kindle this holy joy in the heartbut a believing view of what […]
My only causes of complaint (Letters of John Newton) I am blessed with perfect health, and all things have been well with us abroad and at home. My only causes of complaint arise from my depraved nature and the workings of indwelling sin. I wish I was more humbled for them, and watchful against them. I […]
If a lobster loses its claw in a fight (Charles Spurgeon) “I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh!” Ezekiel 36:26 What a wonder it is, that a man could ever have a new heart! You know that if a […]