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Thomas Brooks
Thomas Brooks (1608 - 1680). English Puritan preacher and author born in Glastonbury, Somerset. Likely educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, he entered ministry during the English Civil War, possibly serving as a chaplain in the Parliamentary navy. By 1648, he preached in London, becoming rector of St. Margaret’s, New Fish Street, in 1652, where he ministered through the Great Plague and Great Fire of 1666. A nonconformist, he was ejected in 1662 under the Act of Uniformity but continued preaching privately. Brooks wrote over a dozen works, including Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (1652) and The Mute Christian Under the Rod, blending practical theology with vivid illustrations. Known for his warm, accessible style, he influenced Puritan spirituality, emphasizing repentance and divine sovereignty. Married twice—first to Martha Burgess in 1640, with whom he had four sons, then to Patience Cartwright—he faced personal loss but remained steadfast. His sermons drew crowds, and his books, reprinted centuries later, shaped Reformed thought. Brooks’ legacy endures through digital archives and reprints for modern readers.
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Thomas Brooks emphasizes that assurance in Christ transforms the perception of death from a fearsome enemy into a welcomed friend. He illustrates how assurance sweetens the thoughts of death, making it a desirable release from sin, sorrow, and affliction, while also being a gateway to eternal joy with God. Brooks quotes Nazianzen, who boldly invites death to 'devour' him, highlighting the Christian's hope in the resurrection and the ultimate victory over sin. The assured soul looks forward to death as a day of liberation, where all that burdens them will be left behind. Thus, for the believer, death is not to be feared but embraced as a passage to eternal life with Christ.
Devour Me, Devour Me!
Assurance will sweeten the thoughts of death— and all the aches, pains, weaknesses, sicknesses, and diseases—which are the forerunners of death; yes, it will make a man look and long for death. Nazianzen said to the king of terrors, "Devour me, devour me! Death cures all diseases, the aching head, and the unbelieving heart!" Assurance makes a man smile upon the king of terrors. The assured soul knows that death shall be the funeral of . . . all his sins, all his sorrows, all his afflictions, all his temptations. He knows that death shall be the resurrection of his joys. He knows that death is both an outlet and an inlet; an outlet to sin; and an inlet to the soul's clear, full, and constant enjoyment of God! And this makes the assured soul to sing it sweetly out, "O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!" "Make haste, my beloved." "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!" Now death is more desirable than life. Now says the soul, "let him fear death, who is averse to go to Christ." The Persians had a certain day in the year, in which they used to kill all serpents and venomous creatures. The assured Christian knows that the day of death will be such a day to him—and that makes death lovely and desirable. He knows that sin was the midwife which brought death into the world; and that death shall be the grave to bury sin. And therefore death is not a terror—but a delight unto him. He fears it not as an enemy—but welcomes it as a friend.
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Thomas Brooks (1608 - 1680). English Puritan preacher and author born in Glastonbury, Somerset. Likely educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, he entered ministry during the English Civil War, possibly serving as a chaplain in the Parliamentary navy. By 1648, he preached in London, becoming rector of St. Margaret’s, New Fish Street, in 1652, where he ministered through the Great Plague and Great Fire of 1666. A nonconformist, he was ejected in 1662 under the Act of Uniformity but continued preaching privately. Brooks wrote over a dozen works, including Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (1652) and The Mute Christian Under the Rod, blending practical theology with vivid illustrations. Known for his warm, accessible style, he influenced Puritan spirituality, emphasizing repentance and divine sovereignty. Married twice—first to Martha Burgess in 1640, with whom he had four sons, then to Patience Cartwright—he faced personal loss but remained steadfast. His sermons drew crowds, and his books, reprinted centuries later, shaped Reformed thought. Brooks’ legacy endures through digital archives and reprints for modern readers.