Author Archives: gatekeeper

Salvation of the Lord

Salvation of the Lord
a sermon
(no. 131)

delivered on sabbath morning, may 10, 1857, by the
rev. c. h. spurgeon
at the music hall, royal surrey gardens.

“Salvation is of the Lord.” — Jonah 2:9.

JONAH learned this sentence of good theology in a strange college. He learned it in the whale’s belly, at the bottom of the mountains, with the weeds wrapped about his head, when he supposed that the earth with her bars was about him for ever. Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble; they must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction, otherwise we shall not truly receive them. No man is competent to judge in matters of the kingdom, until first he has been tried; since there are many things to be learned in the depths which we can never know in the heights.

We discover many secrets in the caverns of the ocean, which, though we had soared to heaven, we never could have known. He shall best meet the wants of God’s people as a preacher who has had those wants himself; he shall best comfort God’s Israel who has needed comfort; and he shall best preach salvation who has felt his own need of it. Jonah, when he was delivered from his great danger, when, by the command of God the fish had obediently left its great deeps and delivered its cargo upon dry land, was then capable of judging; and this was the result of his experience under his trouble—”Salvation is of the Lord.” Continue reading →

True Unity Promoted

True Unity Promoted
delivered on sunday morning, january 1, 1865,
by c.h. spurgeon
at the metropolitan tabernacle, newington

“Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3

YOU will remember that for several years I have received my morning’s text for the first Sunday in the year from an esteemed Brother, a clergyman of the Church of England. This year he very kindly sends me this verse, which I hope will be useful to us all, reminding us of our former faults and of our present duty in the matter of “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Continue reading →

The Christian Pilgrim

The Christian Pilgrim

or

The True Christian’s Life a Journey Toward Heaven

by

Jonathan Edwards
(1703-1758)

Dated September, 1733

“And confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a country.” — Hebrews 11:13, 14
Subject:
this life ought so to be spent by us as to be only a journey
towards heaven

The apostle is here setting forth the excellencies of the grace of faith, by the glorious effects and happy issue of it in the saints of the Old Testament. He had spoken in the preceding part of the chapter particularly, of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob. Having enumerated those instances, he takes notice that “these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers,” etc. — In these words the apostle seems to have a more particular respect to Abraham and Sarah, and their kindred, who came with them from Haran, and from Ur of the Chaldees, as appears by the 15th verse, where the apostle says, “and truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.” Continue reading →

Go and Tell Jesus

Go and Tell Jesus

by

Octavius Winslow

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Continue reading →

Do You Believe?

Do You Believe?

by

J. C. Ryle

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish—but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Look at the well-known text which heads this page. Its words are probably familiar to your ears. You have very likely heard them, or read them, or quoted them, a hundred times. But have you ever considered what a vast amount of divinity this text contains? No wonder that Luther called it “the Bible in miniature!” And have you ever considered what an immensely solemn question arises out of this text? The Lord Jesus says, “Whoever believes shall not perish.” Now, reader, DO YOU BELIEVE?

Questions about religion are seldom popular. They frighten people. They oblige them to look within and to think. The insolvent tradesman does not like his books to be searched. The faithless steward does not like his accounts to be examined. And the unconverted professing Christian does not like to be asked home-questions about his soul. Continue reading →