| THOMAS BOSTON
1676 - 1732
Thomas Boston was born at Duns in Berwickshire. At the age of seven he began to read the
Bible. At the age of eleven, he began to think about the state of his soul after hearing a sermon
by
Henry Erskine. He attended the University of Edinburgh. He was licensed to preach by the
Presbytery of Duns and Chirnside. In 1699, he was ordained and held a pastorate at Simprin until
1707. The congregation was very small. It was during his time at Simprin that his preaching
began
to take form and he spoke the gospel with boldness. He was an extremely popular preacher, but
he was extremely self-effacing, considering that he had but "small talents." He was reluctant to
publish his works, although he wrote out completely all of his sermons before they were
preached.
Many of his works were published after his death, as he left his manuscripts to the Lord and for
his friends to manage. He went from Simprin to Ettrick in 1707, where he remained until his
death
at the age of 57..
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- "How We Ought To Think About God's
Providence"
"...Happy is the people whose God is the Lord: for all things shall work together for their good.
They may sit secure in exercising faith upon God, come what will."
- "Important Lessons Drawn From The Decrees Of
God"
"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 bad 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."
- "Man's Utter Inability To Rescue
Himself"
"We have now had a view of the total corruption of man's nature, and that load of wrath which
lies on him, that gulf of misery into which he is plunged in his natural state. But there is one part
of his misery that deserves particular consideration; namely, his utter inability to recover
himself,
the knowledge of which is necessary for the due humiliation of a sinner."
- "The Nature Of That Faith And Obedience Which The Holy
Scriptures Teach"
"Divine faith is a believing of what God has revealed, because God has said it, or revealed it.
People may believe scripture truths, but not with a divine faith, unless they believe it on that
very ground, the authority of God speaking in his word...As to obedience, it is that duty which
God requires of man. It is that duty and obedience which man owes to God, to his will and laws, in
respect of God's universal supremacy and sovereign authority over man; and which [he] should
render to film out of love and gratitude"
- "Of The Holy Trinity"
"There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: and these three
are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory."
- "The Properties Of God's Decrees
Explained"
"If the divine decrees were not eternal, God would not be most perfect and unchangeable. Weak
like man, he would have to change his plans and would be unable to tell every thing that would
to
come to pass."
- "The Purpose Of God's Decrees"
"And this is no other than his own glory. Every rational agent acts for an end; and God
being the most perfect agent, and his glory the highest end, there can be no doubt but all his
decrees are directed to that end."
- "Treatise On The 4th
Commandment"
"The Jews under the Old Testament had several days beside the weekly Sabbath, that by divine
appointment were to be kept as holy days, and by virtue of this command they were to observe
them, even as by virtue of the second commandment they were to observe the sacrifices and
other parts of the Old Testament instituted worship. But these days are taken away under the
gospel by the coming of Christ."
- "Useful Directions For Reading And Searching The
Scriptures"
"Labour to be disciplined toward godliness, and to observe your spiritual circumstances. For a
disciplined attitude helps mightily to understand the scriptures."
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