The meritorious cause of all our sorrows and – Thomas Brooks

“Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:39-40

“I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against Him.” Micah 7:9

Sins is the meritorious cause of all our sorrows and sufferings. In all our sorrows we should read our sins! When God’s hand is upon our backs, our hands should be upon our sins.

When a Christian is under the afflicting hand of God, he may well say, ‘I may thank . . .
this proud heart of mine,
this worldly heart of mine,
this froward heart of mine,
this formal heart of mine,
this dull heart of mine,
this backsliding heart of mine,
this self-seeking heart of mine for . . .
this cup so bitter,
this pain so grievous,
this loss so great,
this disease so desperate,
this wound so incurable!

It is my own self, my own sin which has caused these floods of sorrows to break in upon me!