Pithy quotes from Thomas Boston

(1676 – 1732)

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Morality is not regeneration. Morality may chain up men's lusts—but cannot change their hearts.

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Whatever crosses or afflictions befall us—we must look above the instruments, to God.

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Go where you will—you can not go out of your Father's ground.

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It is our duty to look to God's commands—and not to His eternal decrees. We are to look our own duty—and not to His hidden 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.

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None can comprehend eternity—but the eternal God. Eternity . . .
  is an ocean, whereof we shall never see the shore;
  is a deep, where we can find no bottom;
  is a labyrinth from whence we cannot extricate ourselves.

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The glory of one attribute is more seen in one work of God, 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 of His perfections and excellencies shine forth in their greatest glory!

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God shall not pity them—but laugh at their calamity. The righteous company in Heaven shall rejoice in the execution of God's judgment, and shall sing while their smoke rises up forever! "And again they shouted: Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever." Revelation 19:3

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Sinners in their natural state lie dead, lifeless, and motionless. They can no more believe in Christ, nor repent—than a dead man can speak or walk.

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Has God decreed all things that come to pass? Then there is nothing that happens by chance, nor are we to ascribe what we meet with either to good or bad luck. There are many events in the world which men look upon as mere accidents—yet all these come by the counsel and appointment of God.

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Saving faith is the special gift of God to the elect, wrought in them by his Spirit.

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Affliction does 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.

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Faith is the soul going out of itself unto God—for all of its needs.

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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 everything 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 bottomless pit.

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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.

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If a man is new-born—he will desire the sincere milk of the word.

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The Father chose the objects of mercy, and gave them to the Son to be redeemed.
The Son purchased redemption for them.
The Holy Spirit applies the purchased redemption unto them.

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Let the mantle of worldly enjoyments hang loose about you—that it may be easily dropped when death comes to carry you into the eternal world.