'If there is one book that more than any other stands out as representative of the best of our Scottish religious classics it is Human Nature in its Fourfold State,' says John Macleod in Some Favorite Books. In Boston's most famous work he expounds the biblical teaching on the four different "states" of man's relationship with God - innocence, sin, grace, and glory. So basic is his material, and so thorough his presentation of it, that this book speaks to the spiritual needs of every reader. For those who ask about the origin and meaning of human existence, Boston provides the biblical answer; for those who are confused about the biblical gospel, Boston explains its meaning and power.

Author  Thomas Boston (March 17, 1676 – May 20, 1732) was a Scottish church leader. He was born at Duns. His father, John Boston, and his mother, Alison Trotter, were both Covenanters. He was educated at Edinburgh, and licensed in 1697 by the presbytery of Chirnside. In 1699 he became minister of the small parish of Simprin, where there were only 90 examinable persons.His autobiography is a record of Scottish life, with humorous touches, intentional and otherwise. His books, The Fourfold State, The Crook in the Lot, and his Body of Divinity and Miscellanies, had a powerful influence over the Scottish peasantry. His Memoirs were published in 1776 (ed. GD Low, 1908). An edition of his works in 12 volumes appeared in 1849.