Affliction and misery are the common burden of the sons of Adam. In the present life, all are subject to misery, some more, some less. We walk through a valley of tears, live in a groaning world; none have such an uninterrupted current of worldly happiness but that they have their crosses and afflictions. These things are common to man. We are told in the book of Job, 5: 7, "Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward:" and xiv. 1, "Man that is born of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble." None can reasonably expect to be absolutely exempted from the common lot of human fallen nature. Though life be short yet is it long enough to be vexed with many sorrows. "Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been," saith old Jacob, Gen. xlvii. 9. Since they are evil, it is well they are but few. Few men consider this, that they come into the world to bear crosses but rather imagine they come hither to spend their days in pleasure; at least they do not observe the true cause of their troubles, nor the remedy. The true cause is sin. Man's transgressions are the door by which it entered. And the proper remedy is the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Whatever, then, may be the particular and various dispensations of God towards men, yet to be miserable in some sort or degree is common to all Adam's posterity, which should make us look higher than the present life.It may be asked, -what need was there for another book on the subject of affliction? Have we not already those that are excellent? - Hill's "It is Well."-Cecil's "Visit to the House of Mourning."- "Griffith and The Wall of Affliction." To this I would answer, in the language of St. Paul, or rather of HIM, by whom St. Paul was inspired, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; Who Comforteth us in all our tribulation, that We may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort, wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God," 2 Cor. i. 3, 4.

Honor. Courage. Commitment. Three things Jesse Carter has lost. A former Marine, Jesse used to stand proud of his achievements and live by the code. But when circumstance made him question everything he believed in, those most basic values didn't feel so important after all. Sex. Lies. Knights Rebels. Three things Jesse Carter has found. Reborn into a brotherhood not so different from the one he left behind, Jesse finds it all too easy to block out his past and claim the role as Rebels' fun-loving player. Until he meets Bell. Shy, awkward, and with troubles of her own, Bell Johnson's no stranger to hiding her pain. When Jesse forces himself into her life, she's at risk of her defences crumbling. Does Bell have the strength to survive Jesse and his demons or is she fated to become another casualty in the self-destruction of Jesse Carter

First published in 1646, Spiritual Desertion offers comfort and consolation to believers whose circumstances cause them to wonder if God has abandoned them. Reformation leaders Gisbertus Voetius and Johannes Hoornbeeck demonstrate that the anxiety of doubting believers is proof that God has not abandoned them; rather, it is evidence of the work of the Spirit in their hearts.

"The Digital Puritan" is a quarterly digest of carefully selected Puritan works which provides a steady diet of sound Puritan teaching. The language has been gently modernised to render it more readable, while still retaining much of the flavour and character of the original text. Hundreds of helpful notes and Scripture references (in the English Standard Version®) are included as end-notes; no internet connection is needed. The following articles appear in this autumn 2014 edition: 1. There Is An Answerableness Between the Greatness of the Misery of Hell and the Happiness of Heaven – by Jonathan Edwards. Edited by Don Kistler, who remarked that this was the best Edwards he has ever read, next to "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". 2. How to Bear Afflictions – in which William Bates teaches from Hebrews 12:5 how to avoid the extremes of despising the chastening of the Lord, or fainting beneath it. 3. Let Not Sin Have Dominion Over You – Thomas Manton explores what is meant by allowing sin to "have dominion" over oneself, and why this state must be avoided. Edited by Peter Overduin. 4. The Great Usefulness of the Law – in which John Flavel illustrates the proper role of the law in bringing the sinner to salvation, then participating in his sanctification. 5. How We May Read the Scriptures with Most Spiritual Profit – Thomas Watson. Twenty-four eminently practical instructions for making time spent in the Word more meaningful.