Thomas Boston

“ O vex not the righteous soul of the godly from day to day, neither grieve the holy spirit of God but be converted that ye may live Cry mightily to the Lord, peradventure he may hear and forget and forgive all your provocations, weep that you have not lamented more; and grieve that you have not grieved more for sin. ”

“ Can you endure to see them pricked to the heart roaring and staring under the heavy yol and burden of their sins, crying out, What shall we do to be saved what shall we do to escape hell and damnation, and though unsupportable and unquenchable flames of the wrath of God. Canst thou stand still and say or do nothing, or father, canst tho braid the soul, assuredly the Lord will remember thee in the day of thy death and as thou hast shewn no mercy, so that thou receive no mercy is that day ”

“ The soul cannot part with its sins and lusts, which is its god, until he find himself wearied with them, and as gall and wormwood to him, and now this weariedness and burden of sin, must needs cause in the soul a sound sorrow for it, be- fore the soul sees the venomous and ugly nature of it, he is not willing to part with it. ”

“ The poor man lies crying under the burden of sin, sighing and saying, Oh, when will God revive his dronping soull Certamly it would make one's heart bleed to hear the sounding away of such a man, that the sword of the almighty hath pierced his heart, and he lying breathing out his sor- row as though he was going down to hell. ”

“ And here let me make a lamentation, in the nature of reproof, against the secure souls in this generation wherein we live: the Lord be merciful unto a world of men, that live within the bosom of the church. O that we lead a fountain of tears to bewail this age in this respect, as Diogenes went about Athens with a lanthorn & candles at noon-day seeking honest men, so should a minister go front country to country, and from shire to shire. O how few would he find mourning for sin, Sin is so far from being a burden to them, that it is their sport and pastime, just Esau like. ”

“ Many do despight to the spirit of grace, and glory is these things for which they love cause to be ashamed. Says the vile swearer, I have swore such a man out of his house. Saith the drunkard, I have drank such a man under the table dead. ”

“ Use 3, Is of exhortation, to exhort and beseech poor unconverted sinners that are under the command of the prince of the power of the air, who are strangers to God and aliens to the covenant of promise, who have lived all this while without God in the world to come in hither, and take the right way to bring your hearts to a right pitch of Sorrow. ”

“ Go thou and lie at God's footstool and convey thy sins before him, for it is he that confesseth and forsaketh all still find merry and where there is this true and hearty confession there must needs be a godly sorrow for sin. ”

“ What wilt thou do man, when God shall come to tear thee in pieces, and there be none to help when God shall grant the devil leave to take thee into his accused mansions, and there shalt thou lie, weeping and gnashing of thy teeth for ever ”

“ Consider it is not a vain thing that you are exhorted to, but that upon which the fate of your souls depends, for without a thorough sense and pricking at the heart for lo, there is no salvation from sin He that would be Christ's disciple, must leave all hath, father, mother, wife, children, all that's near and dear to him, and take up the Host and follow Christ. ”

“ Men upon their ale-benches can wear, drink, rail against God, and defy the Holy One of Israel. O how few rail against their sins, and wish the death and destruction of them. How far cry out, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved ”

“ Look to the time to come, and there shalt thou behold devils, troops and swarms of Sorrows and woes, and raging waves, and billows of wrath coming roaring on thee. Fly from it, О fools, before you feel it, be- wail yourselves, be sorry, grieve & mourn, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, be pricked to the heart; go tell God you cannot bear your sins, they are too heavy for you, much more the punishments com plain to him who is able to ease you. ”

“ Use I. It is so that this sorrow, under the burden and weight of sin, will pierce a man's soul to the quick, and grinds him as it were to powder, being run through the arrows of the almighty, and that it is so great necessity to be humbled and greatly sorrowful for sin. Then let this teach how to carry themselves one towards at ther, and to such as God hath dealt the with having their souls pierced. O do you pity them They lie down in sorrow, the bread of adversity, and drink the water of affliction, have compassion on them See what the Lord says, Deut. ”

“ But now when the Lord comes to lay a heavy weight on this man's shoulders that those wicked sins, which were so sweet before, he finds them now as bitter as all and wormwood, and now he lies down sorrow, and cries out Oh is sin such a deadly killing evil, as it will certainly destroy body and soul in and is there to entering into h er with the guilt of these upon any soul. ”