HOW TO PROFIT FROM OUR AFFLICTIONS............... 3

Brief Memoir of Thomas Boston........................................ 1

Preface (Important)............................................................ 7

The Prosperity “Gospel”................................................. 8

Rewriting This Book...................................................... 20

Which Translation of the Bible Is Used?...................... 21

Reading This Book........................................................ 21

Chapter One: God is the Author of All Our Trials......... 23

Introduction.................................................................. 23

Context of the Theme Verse......................................... 23

I. God Makes All Our “Crooks”................................... 24

A. The “Crook” Itself................................................ 24

B. God Himself Makes Our Trials............................. 35

C. There are Three Uses of Trials in Our Lives........ 43

D. Objections to God’s Trials.................................... 47

II. What God Mars, No One Can Mend...................... 48

A. God Afflicts as He Deems Best............................ 49

B. Men Attempt to Mend God’s Trials..................... 49

C. In What Sense We Cannot Mend God’s Trial in Our Lives 50

D. How to Have the Trial Removed......................... 55

E. How to Use Our Trials Profitably........................ 56

F. How to Bear Trials................................................ 57

III. How to Consider Our Trials the Work of God...... 62

A. Considering That It is His Hand in the Trial...... 62

B. How Considering the Trial God’s Work Enables One to Behave Rightly 64

C. By Faith Alone One Is Enabled to Behave Rightly 65

Chapter Two: Humility under the Hand of God............ 67

I. The Humble................................................................ 68

A. There Are Humble People.................................... 68

B. The Character of the Humble............................... 69

II. The Proud................................................................. 73

A. The Proud Have More Trials and Worse Trials.. 73

B. The Proud Are Ruled by Pride............................. 73

C. The Proud Are Allowed to Have Their Way (Sometimes) 75

III. The Better Condition of the Humble...................... 76

A. Humility Always Preferable to Pride.................. 76

B. Those whose spirits are made to conform to their afflictions have tremendous blessings 79

Chapter Three: Saints Gaining Humility so that They May Be Exalted 85

Introduction: Two things in particular may be noted of the humble: 85

I. One’s Heart Must be Submitted to God’s Hand as Being the Author of His Circumstances 87

A. Being Oriented Toward Humility Assumes . . ... 87

B. There Are Many Kinds of Circumstances That God Uses to Humble Us 89

C. What It Means to Humble Ourselves under His Hand 91

D. Directions for Reaching Humiliation in Trials.... 96

II. There is a Time When the Humble Will Certainly Be Exalted 105

A. Those Who Will Be Exalted Must First Be Cast Down 105

B. We Must Learn to Lie Still Under His Hand..... 106

C. Those Not Humbled by Circumstances Shall Not Be Lifted Up by His Promise 106

D. Humility Will Definitely Result in a Lifting up with God’s Favor 106

E. There Is an Appointed Time for Lifting Up....... 107

F. There Are Two Kinds of Exaltation for the Christian: Partial and Total 107