AP

“My dear father… died that night, in the 70^th year of his age… It was a heavy death to me…”

John Boston’s death

John Boston, Thomas’ father, was “a man of low stature… nimble, strong, and vigorous… one who in the worst of times retained his integrity.” Following what seems to have been a short illness, he died in April 1701.

            There is no doubt that John Boston had a great influence on his son. From spending time in prison with his father, to taking him to hear Henry Erskine preach, John Boston trained Thomas in the “way he should go (Prov. 22:6).” Now in death, his father had one last lesson for him: how to die trusting the Lord. John Newton’s (1725-1807) prayer is true for all believers:

Show me what I have to do,

Every hour my strength renew;

Let me live a life of faith,

Let me die Thy people’s death.

A dream about their dying daughter

Only five weeks after Boston’s father died, Katharine went into labour with their first child, also named Katherine. She was born on 24^th May 1701, and in the following years Thomas and Katharine were to have ten children born to them. Sadly, they were to bury six of them whilst still infants, including this baby daughter.

When young Katherine was born she had a double harelip. Boston was told this news, and it hit him hard: “my heart was struck, like a bird shot and falling from a tree.”Several months later, Boston and Katharine his wife travelled to Barhill in order to deal with a family issue about his father’s estate. By this stage, young Katharine’s health seemed to be improving, and so they left her in the care of another.

One morning whilst they were away, Katharine lay down to rest, having recently been ill from a “ram’s mutton” meal. There she “dreamed that she saw the child perfect, the natural defect being made up, and extraordinary beautiful.” The dream left an impression on Boston and Katharine, and together they returned home a quickly as possible. They were “eight or nine miles from home” when the news came to them that “our dear child was dead and buried.” It pierced their hearts.

They discovered that Katharine’s dream had been on the same day and hour of the day, “as near as could be judged” that young Katharine had died. Their anguish was compounded by “an acquaintance” who said unfair things to them in their grief.

What do we say to this, but may God, who is the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Cor. 1:3-4), be with all who grieve as they did.

The free offer of the Gospel – Marrow men

            Boston’s name is closely associated with the Marrow controversy. It began in an unassuming way. Whilst at Simprin, he visited an old solider who had been involved in the English Civil wars nearly sixty years earlier. Inside his home, Boston spied two books, one entitled The Marrow of Modern Divinity written in 1645and commonly attributed to Edward Fisher, a barber-surgeon. The other was Christ’s Blood Flowing Freely to Sinners. Boston borrowed the books and whilst the second book didn’t impress him; the first book struck him powerfully, so much so that he bought it from the old solider.

            Boston had been thinking of his own tendency towards legality, and the offer of the gospel to sinners. He wrestled with the question of whether the sins of believers that have not been repented of, would make those believers liable to eternal punishment? But he had come to realise that believers are in a “state of grace” and therefore, forgiven.

The Marrow also made clear to Boston that the free offer of the gospel is simply ‘come to Christ.’ We don’t bring anything to Him. We don’t even bring our repentance or faith to Him and offer them to Him. The Good News bids us “Come,” with the confidence that God forgives and transforms. 

Such an offer meant that Boston could say to the vilest sinner “Come to Christ,” without having to add a qualifier such as “First you must fix your life up and then come to Christ.” We do not make ourselves better in God’s eyes and then come. The way to Christ must be unobstructed and free of clutter. Repentance is worked within us as we come to Christ, but not as a qualification or condition to be met before coming to Him. In the words of Augustus Toplady (1740-1778):

Foul, I to the fountain fly:

Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

The Marrow is a conversation between four people. One of the characters, Evangelista, says: “I beseech you consider, that God the Father, as he is in his Son Jesus Christ, moved with nothing but with his free love to mankind lost, hath made a deed of gift and grant unto them all, that whosoever of them all shall believe in this his Son, shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Later, another character, Nomist, who is a legalist, accuses Evangelista: “Why, then, sir, it seems you hold, that the vilest sinner in the world ought not to be discouraged from coming unto Christ, and believing in him, by reason of his sins.” Evangelista replies: “Surely, if ‘Christ came into the world to seek, and call, and save sinners, and to justify the ungodly,’ as you have heard; and if the more sinful, miserable, and distressed a man judge himself to be, the more willing Christ is to receive him and relieve him; then I see no reason why the vilest sinner should be discouraged from believing on the name of Jesus Christ by reason of his sins.”

To some, offering Christ crucified to all was akin to saying that He died for all. For Boston, Christ’s death paid the penalty for sin for all who come to Him in repentance and faith. Not all will be saved, but the gospel can genuinely be offered to everyone. Boston did not believe in universal salvation, hypothetical or not. Rather, Christ died for His sheep, but the gospel call goes to all people. Boston loved to quote the prophet Isaiah:

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money,
            come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1)

            Against the charge that opening the way for sinners to come to Christ without first fixing up their lives would lead to more sin, Boston would say that God’s grace is such that it never leads to more sin but rather obedience. We need never fear God’s grace, for such is His power and goodness that grace leads to obedience and holiness, and properly understood, never to more sin.

These questions concerning grace and law were to cause disruptions within the Church. In 1718 James Hog reprinted the first part of the Marrow. But by 1720 the Assembly condemned the Marrow, and ministers were prohibited from recommending it. Despite being censored, in 1726 Boston ensured that The Marrow was reprinted with his own theological notes annotating the text.

Family worship

For Boston, family worship was a vital and regular part of daily life. The head of the family was to set the tone for those under his roof. Boston said: “The bond of all religion, is directed to heads of families.” When he first arrived at Simprin, he found only one home in which family worship was a regular part of the day. Through encouragement and example, he sought to change that situation for the better. Reform within society would begin in the home, and that by starting with family worship. Each Christian home was to be a smaller model of the church. Family worship was organised around three main activities: reading God’s word, singing Psalms, and prayer. Additionally, family fasts were sometimes held.

The Apostle Paul too called on Christian fathers to step up to their God-given responsibilities: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).” Their role is restraint and nurture in the Lord. To do this, Christian fathers ought to lead in family worship. Let children see your love and trust in the Lord.

When it came to raising children, Boston knew that children don’t fall naturally into the ways of God, but that they should be instructed and led in His ways. This requires parents to hold a clear doctrine of sin and grace. The Christian home is the training ground in the Lord. We ought to aim at the heart, because it is from the heart that behaviour flows.

Often these times of family worship and nourishment were extended to others. One time Boston was at the home of his eldest brother and joined him and his family in worship. Boston said of his brother, that afterwards “to my great satisfaction, he came along with me to my chamber, and by our converse I was led to Psalm cxix. 96, “I have seen an end of all perfection,” for my text, being to preach in Dunse the following Lord’s day.”

Another time, Boston commented: “I have this day found my heart bettered by a more conscientious preparing my heart for family-worship.” In saying this, family worship did not always go as planned, and sometimes the time could be misused. One time, during family worship in the home of another minister, Psalm 23 was read, however the message was twisted away from the meaning of the text. It left Boston with a sour taste in his mouth. He said, “the which I looked upon as a sorry piece of service at best, and unbecoming a man of sense and consideration, in these circumstances.”

            Amongst Boston’s works is Seven Motivations for Family Religion and Ten Directions for Family Religion. In them he said of children: “Their youth makes them raw and inexperienced, and disposes them to be rash and heedless. They have need of a monitor, and instructor, and guide. How shall they learn, if they are not taught?”

With regard to his directions for family worship, he said: “1st, Acquaint them with God’s word.” Boston advocated teaching children and servants to read, making use of good catechisms, especially the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and ensuring that practical spiritual lessons are learned. A whole world and life view, as well as encouragement to pray “by any means” was vital. Parents ought to “Make known to them how God is a God of exact justice, and purest truth.” Therefore, we must abhor anything less than integrity.

            Boston’s final word is one of encouragement: “Be not discouraged, though ye see not the fruit. The fruit may come when ye are in your grave. Mind Manasseh’s conversion, when his godly father was dead and gone [2 Chron. 33:1-16].”

Below are some thoughts and suggestions to encourage you to establish family worship;

• Try to establish a routine for reading God’s word, praying and singing together. It will not always go well or smoothly, but don’t give up. Involve all who are under your roof.
• Let your children see you pray. Let them see what it means to seek after God. Example means so much.
• Don’t simply teach them stories from the Bible, but teach them what these stories show us about God. Leave them with a sense of God’s greatness.
• When you read the Bible, beware of feeding them too much or too little.
• Be close observers of your children. You may see early signs, good or bad, that will later bloom into fuller behaviour (Prov. 19:26). If the bud is good, then encourage it, but if it is bad, such as temper, then try nip it before it develops any further.
• Encourage them with good Christian books to read in addition to the Bible. A good Christian book should be deep, yet simple to understand and engaging.

Above all, pray for God’s blessing and grace in all that we do. We look to God for His wisdom and seek to live out the gospel of Christ before children, knowing that it is God who changes hearts.

– Graham Barnes