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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.
Sermon Summary
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that all aspects of salvation are rooted in free grace, illustrating how believers are freely loved, chosen, accepted, adopted, reconciled, justified, and saved by God's grace. He argues that this grace is the foundation of all spiritual and eternal mercies, providing comfort and strength to Christians in their daily lives. Brooks warns against measuring God's love based on personal merit, as it would lead to despair, but reassures that it is solely through grace that believers find hope and support in their spiritual journey.
Scriptures
All the Links of the Golden Chain of Salvation
All the links of the golden chain of salvation are made up of free grace! The people of God are . . . freely loved, Deut. 7:6-8; freely chosen, John 15:16-19, Eph. 1:4; freely accepted, Eph. 1:6; freely adopted, Eph. 1:5, Gal. 4:5-6; freely reconciled, 2 Cor. 5:18-20; freely justified, Romans 3:24; freely saved, Eph. 2:5, 8. All the golden rounds in Jacob's ladder—which reaches from heaven to earth—are all made up of free grace. Free grace is the foundation of all spiritual and eternal mercies. Free grace is the solid bottom and foundation of all a Christian's comfort in this world. Were we to measure the love of God to us by . . . our fruitfulness, our holiness, our humbleness, our spiritualness, our heavenly-mindedness, or our gracious behavior towards Him —how would our hope, our confidence every moment be staggered—if not vanquished! But all is of grace, of free grace. O sirs! it is free grace . . . which will strengthen you in all your duties, which will sweeten all your mercies, which will support you under all your changes, which will arm you against all temptations.
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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.