Thomas Boston > Quotes

“a fatal recovery from a promising illness”
― Thomas Boston

“Go where thou wilt, thou canst not go out of thy Father's ground.”
― Thomas Boston

“Call on Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." The whole life of a Christian is a praying, waiting life.”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook in The Lot

“As the light depends on the sun, or the shadow on the body that casts it, so we also depend on God; without Him, we can do nothing,”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot: God's Sovereignty in Afflictions: In Modern English

“And here is the true ground in the law of the infallible perseverance of the saints; their time of trial for life is over in their Head the second Adam - the prize is won!”
― Thomas Boston, The Marrow of Modern Divinity

“Men believe that fire will burn them; and therefore, they will not throw themselves into it. But the truth is, most men live as if they thought the gospel was a mere fable, and the wrath of God, revealed in his word against their unrighteousness and ungodliness, a mere scarecrow. If”
― Thomas Boston, Human Nature In Its Fourfold State

“Trials wean us from this world and prompt us to look to the happiness of the next world.”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot: God's Sovereignty in Afflictions: In Modern English

“As to the crook in your lot, God has made it; and it must continue while He will have it so. Should you ply your utmost force to even it, or make it straight, your attempt will be vain: it will not change for all you can do. Only He who made it can mend it, or make it straight.”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot; or, The sovereignty and wisdom of God displayed in the afflictions of men

“The antinomian principle, that it is needless for a man perfectly justified by faith to endeavor to keep the law and do good works, is a glaring evidence that legality is so ingrained in man's corrupt nature that until a man truly come to Christ by faith, the legal disposition will still be reigning in him. Let him turn himself into what shape or be of what principles he will in religion though he run into antinomianism; he will carry along with him his legal spirit which will always be a slavish and unholy spirit.”
― Thomas Boston, The Marrow of Modern Divinity

“Most men are so far from making God their chief end, in their natural and civil actions, that, in these matters, God is not in all their thoughts. . . . They seek God indeed, but not for himself, but for themselves. They seek him not at all, but for their own welfare; so their whole life is woven into one web of practical blasphemy; making God the means, and self their end; yea, their chief end.”
― Thomas Boston, Human Nature in Its Fourfold State

“The most unreserved and unlimited obedience is due to the will and command of the great Lord of heaven and earth, and that without exception or reserve, say to the contrary who will.”
― Thomas Boston, The Works Of Thomas Boston: Volume 2

“Remember, whatever be your attainments, gifts, or graces, ye are decked with borrowed feathers: be not proud of them.”
― Thomas Boston, An Illustration Of The Doctrines Of The Christian Religion V3: With Respect To Faith And Practice Upon The Plan Of The Assembly's Shorter Catechism

“O how unconcernedly do many look on the miseries of others, how far are they from taking a lesson to themselves therefrom!”
― Thomas Boston, True Repentance

“we often find that our greatest cross occurs in the place where we expected the greatest comfort.”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot: God's Sovereignty in Afflictions: In Modern English

“A creature, as a creature, must acknowledge the Creator's will as its supreme law; for as it cannot exist without him, so it must not be but for him, and according to his will; yet no law obliges, until it is revealed. And hence it follows, that there was a law, which man, as a rational creature, was subjected to in his creation; and that this law was revealed to him. "God made man upright," says the text. This supposes a law to which he was conformed in his creation; as when anything is made regular, or according to rule, of necessity the rule itself is presupposed. Whence we may gather, that this law was no other than the eternal, indispensable law of righteousness, observed in all points by the second Adam, opposed by the carnal mind, and some notions of which remain yet among the Pagans, who, "having not the law, are a law unto themselves," Romans 2:14.”
― Thomas Boston, Human Nature In Its Fourfold State

“In order to test our submission to Him, God has subjected us to others whom He has set over us. He then discovers what regard we will pay to His authority through the commands from others. Dominion or superiority is a part of the divine image shining in us (1 Cor 11:7).5 Therefore, we must reverence these qualities with respect to the ray of the divine image shining in them (Eph 5:33).6 The same principle holds in all other relations and superiorities; they are reflecting the authority of God with those under them (Ps 82:6).7 And although those in authority are worthless in themselves, He does not release us from our debt of submission (Acts 23:1-5,8 Rom 13:79). Our respect rests not on the qualities of others but on their position, which is the ground of our debt of reverence and subjection”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot: God's Sovereignty in Afflictions: In Modern English

“So do men oftentimes find their greatest cross where they expected their greatest comfort.”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook In the Lot: God’s Sovereignty and Wisdom Displayed In Our Afflictions

“The truth is, the crook in the lot is the great engine of Providence for making men appear in their true colours, discovering both their ill and their good. And if the grace of God is in them, it will bring it out, and cause it to display itself. It so puts the Christian to his shifts, that however it makes him stagger for awhile, yet it will at length evidence both the reality and the strength of grace in him. "You are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, may be found unto praise.”
― Thomas Boston, The Crook in The Lot

“the holiest parent begets unholy children, and cannot communicate their grace to them, as they do their nature; which many godly parents find true, in their sad experience.”
― Thomas Boston, Human Nature In Its Fourfold State

“And the soul is never cured of this disease, until conquering grace brings it back to take up its everlasting rest in God through Christ—but until this be, if man were set again in paradise, the garden of the Lord, all the pleasures there would not keep him from looking, yes, and leaping over the hedge a second time.”
― Thomas Boston, Human Nature In Its Fourfold State

“It is plain, that the more difficulties the work of man's salvation is carried through, the free grace of God is the more exalted; our Lord Jesus, the author of eternal salvation, hath the greater glory; but in this way it is carried on over the belly of more difficulties, than it would have been, if by the first grace the Christian had been made perfect.”
― Thomas Boston