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  ALL THE AFFLICTIONS, TROUBLES AND EVILS
  by Thomas Brooks
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Summary: God uses afflictions to work together for the good of His
people, revealing and curing spiritual diseases.

Topics: "Afflictions", "Spiritual Growth"
Scripture References: Romans 8:28, James 1:2

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DESCRIPTION
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Thomas Brooks emphasizes that God uses afflictions, troubles, and evils
as a means to purify His people, much like an apothecary uses one poison
to eliminate another. These hardships serve multiple purposes:
revealing, preventing, embittering, mortifying sin, and reviving and
increasing the graces of His children. Brooks illustrates this with a
story of a man whose attempt to harm another inadvertently led to
healing, paralleling how God's trials ultimately lead to spiritual
growth and healing. He reassures that all things work together for the
good of those who love God, reinforcing the idea that afflictions are
part of His divine plan for believers.

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CONTENT
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As the apothecary makes one poison to drive out

another poison--so can God make the poison of

afflictions, to drive out the poison of sin. All the

afflictions, troubles and evils which befall the

people of God, work together for their good;

for God uses these afflictions . . .

to reveal sin;

to prevent sin;

to embitter sin;

to mortify sin;

to revive His children's decayed graces;

to exercise His children's graces;

to increase His children's graces.

I have read a story of Pereus, who, attempting

to kill another with a thrust of a sword, only

pierced and opened his abscess; and so he was

instrumental to save him, whom he designed

to have killed!

Just so, all the afflictions and troubles which

the righteous meet with--they do but serve

to cure them . . .

of the abscess of pride, or

of the abscess of earthly-mindedness, or

of the abscess of self-love, or

of the abscess of hypocrisy.

"And we know that in all things God works for

the good of those who love Him, who have been

called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/thomas-brooks/all-the-afflictions-troubles-and-evils/
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