“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.”
Source: The Marrow of Modern Divinity
“Many a lash in the dark doth con science give the wicked.”
Source: Human Nature in Its Fourfold State: Of Primitive Integrity, Entire Depravation, Begun Recovery, and Consummate Happiness Or Misery, in the Parents of Mankind in Paradise, the Unregenerate, the Regenerate, All Mankind in the Future State, in Several Practical Discourses
“None can comprehend eternity but the eternal God. Eternity is an ocean, whereof we shall never see the shore; it is a deep, where we can find no bottom; a labyrinth from whence we cannot extricate ourselves and where we shall never lose the door.”
Source: Human Nature in Its Fourfold State: Of Primitive Integrity, Entire Depravation, Begun Recovery, and Consummate Happiness Or Misery, in the Parents of Mankind in Paradise, the Unregenerate, the Regenerate, All Mankind in the Future State, in Several Practical Discourses
“Let the mantle of worldly enjoyments hang loose about you, that it may be easily dropped when death comes to carry you into another world.”
“Go where thou wilt, thou canst not go out of thy Father's ground.”
Source: A soliloquy on the art of man-fishing. Repr
“Faith is the soul going out of itself for all its wants.”
“What an honourable thing is it to be fishers of men! How great an honour shouldst thou esteem it, to be a catcher of souls! We are workers together with God, says the apostle. If God has ever so honoured thee, O that thou knewest it, that thou mightst bless his holy name, that ever made such a poor fool as thee to be a co-worker with him. God has owned thee to do good to those who were before caught. O my soul, bless thou the Lord. Lord, what am I, or what is my father's house, that thou hast brought me to this?”
“O what hardness of heart mayst thou see in every corner whither thou goest, and where thou preachest, most part being as unconcerned as the very stones of the wall; and say what thou wilt, either by setting before them alluring promises or dreadful threatenings, yet people are hardened against both, none relenting for what they have done, or concerned about it.”
Source: The Distinguishing Characters of True Believers: In Relation To, I. God in Christ, ... XI. Their Entering Into Rest in Christ. ... To which is Prefixed, a Soliloquy on the Art of Man-fishing. Now First Published from the Manuscripts of the Late Reverend and Learned Mr Thomas Boston, ...
“Good education is not regeneration. Education may chain up men's lusts, but cannot change their hearts.”
Source: Human Nature in Its Fourfold State: Of Primitive Integrity, Entire Depravation, Begun Recovery, and Consummate Happiness Or Misery, in the Parents of Mankind in Paradise, the Unregenerate, the Regenerate, All Mankind in the Future State, in Several Practical Discourses
“The regenerate man's desires are rectified; they are set on God himself, and the things above... Before, he saw no beauty in Christ, for which he was to be desired; but now he is all he desires, he is altogether lovely... regenerating grace sets the affections so firmly on God, that the man is disposed, at God's command, to quit his hold of every thing else, in order to keep his hold of Christ... If the stream of our affections were never thus turned, we are, doubtless, going down the stream into the pit.”
“If a man be new-born, he will desire the sincere milk of the word.”
Source: Human Nature in Its Fourfold State: Of Primitive Integrity, Entire Depravation, Begun Recovery, and Consummate Happiness Or Misery, in the Parents of Mankind in Paradise, the Unregenerate, the Regenerate, All Mankind in the Future State, in Several Practical Discourses
“In regeneration, the mind is enlightened in the knowledge of spiritual things... The will is renewed... The will is cured of its utter inability to will what is good. While the opening of the prison to them that are bound is proclaimed in the gospel , the Spirit of God comes to the prison-door; opens it; goes to the prisoner, and, by the power of his grace, makes his chains fall off; breaks the bond of iniquity, wherewith he was held in sin so as he could neither will nor do anything truly good; brings him forth into a large place.”
“It is our duty to look to God's commands, and not to His decrees; to our own duty, and not to His purposes. The decrees of God are a vast ocean, into which many possibly have curiously pried to their own horror and despair; but few or none have ever pried into them to their own profit and satisfaction.”
Source: An Illustration of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion, with Respect to Faith and Practice, Upon the Plan of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, Comprehending a Complete Body of Divinity
“Has God decreed all things that come to pass? Then there is nothing that falls out by chance, nor are we to ascribe what we meet with either to good or ill luck and fortune. There are many events in the world which men look upon as mere accidents, yet all these come by the counsel and appointment of Heaven.”
Source: An Illustration of the Doctrines of the Christian Religion, with Respect to Faith and Practice, Upon the Plan of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, Comprehending a Complete Body of Divinity
“Again, the glory of one attribute is more seen in one work than in another: in some things there is more of His goodness, in other things more of His wisdom is seen, and in others more of His power. But in the work of redemption all His perfections and excellencies shine forth in their greatest glory.”
Source: The Whole Works of the Late Reverend and Learned Mr. Thomas Boston, Minister of the Gospel at Etterick
“Affliction doth not rise out of the dust or come to men by chance; but it is the Lord that sends it, and we should own and reverence His hand in it.”
Source: The Whole Works of the Late Reverend and Learned Mr. Thomas Boston, Minister of the Gospel at Etterick
“Whoever be the instruments of any good to us, of whatever sort, we must look above them, and eye the hand and counsel of God in it, which is the first spring, and be duly thankful to God for it. And whatever evil of crosses or afflictions befalls us, we must look above the instruments of it to God.”
“Free grace will fix those whom free will shook down into a gulf of misery.”
“As the corruption of our nature shews the absolute necessity of regeneration, so the absolute necessity of regeneration plainly proves the corruption of our nature; for why should a man need a second birth, if his nature were not quite marred in the first birth?”
“For the turning away of the simple, shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”
Source: Complete Works of Thomas Boston, Volume 06 of 12
“Call it no more free-will, but slavish lust; free to evil, but free from good, till regenerating grace loosens the bands of wickedness.”
“Saving faith is the faith of God's elect; the special gift of God to them, wrought in them by his Spirit.”
Source: Human Nature in Its Fourfold State: Of Primitive Integrity, Entire Depravation, Begun Recovery, and Consummate Happiness Or Misery, in the Parents of Mankind in Paradise, the Unregenerate, the Regenerate, All Mankind in the Future State, in Several Practical Discourses
“Believing, repenting, and the like, are the product of the new nature; and can never be produced by the old corrupt nature... as the child cannot be active in his own generation, so a man cannot be active in his own regeneration. The heart is shut against Christ: man cannot open it, only God can do it by his grace.”
Source: Human Nature in Its Fourfold State: Of Primitive Integrity, Entire Depravation, Begun Recovery, and Consummate Happiness Or Misery, in the Parents of Mankind in Paradise, the Unregenerate, the Regenerate, All Mankind in the Future State, in Several Practical Discourses
“The natural man cannot but resist the Lord's offering to help him; yet that resistance is infallibly overcome in the elect, by converting grace.”
Source: Human Nature in Its Four-fold State of Primitive Integrity: Subsisting in the Parents of Mankind in Paradise : Entire Depravation, in the Irregenerate; Begun Recovery in the Regenerate; Consummate Happiness Or Misery, in All Mankind in the Future State : in Several Practical Discourses
“The believer is sensible of his infirmities, for it is supposed that he is wrestling under them. He sees, he feels, that he is not man enough for his work; that his own hands are not sufficient for him, nor his own back for his burden; this is what drives him out of himself to the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And thus he lies open to the help of the Spirit, while proud nature in unbelievers is left helpless.”
Source: Select Works of Thomas Boston: With a Memoir of His Life and Writings
“The law discovers the disease, and the gospel the physician.”
Source: The Whole Works of the Late Reverend and Learned Mr. Thomas Boston, Minister of the Gospel at Etterick
“Ye are God's building. All hands of the glorious Trinity are at work in this building. The Father chose the objects of mercy, and gave them to the Son to be redeemed: the Son purchased redemption for them; and the Holy Ghost applies the purchased redemption unto them.”
“No work nor deed of ours whatsoever, no not faith itself, can be the condition of the covenant of grace properly so called; but only Christ's fulfilling all righteousness.”
Source: A view of the covenant of grace from the sacred records: Wherein the parties in that covenant, the making of it; its parts ... and the administration thereof, are distinctly considered. Together with the trial of a saving personal in-being in it, and the way of instating sinners therein ...
“Sinners in their natural state lie dead, lifeless, and moveless; they can no more believe in Christ, nor repent, than a dead man can speak or walk: but, in virtue of the promise, the Spirit of life from Christ Jesus, at the time appointed, enters into the dead soul, and quickens it; so that it is no more morally dead, but alive, having new spiritual powers put into it, that were lost by Adam's fall.”
Source: A view of the covenant of grace from the sacred records: Wherein the parties in that covenant, the making of it; its parts ... and the administration thereof, are distinctly considered. Together with the trial of a saving personal in-being in it, and the way of instating sinners therein ...
“Many will be affected with some gross sins of theirs against the law, who never see the venom of their unbelief of the gospel. But this is the sin that draws deepest; and therefore that is the sin which the Spirit is in a special manner to convince of.”
“Persuade yourselves, that the faith of the gospel is beyond the power of nature; that there is a necessity of a power from on high to bring you to believe. This will raze the old foundation, and cause you to look up for it.”
“The gospel casts out a rope to hale sinners to land; but the sinner has no hands to lay hold on it; his very faith must be wrought in him by the Spirit.”
“There is no true believing or trusting to the report of the gospel, but what is the effect of the working of a divine power on the soul for that end.”
“God will not pity them, but “laugh at their calamity.” The blessed company in heaven shall rejoice in the execution of God's righteous judgment, and sing while the smoke riseth up for ever.”
“God will hold sinners with one hand over the pit of hell, while He torments them with the other.”
“A fatal recovery from a promising illness”
