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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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Sermon Summary
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the fleeting nature of earthly riches and honors, comparing them to shadows, ships, bubbles, birds, dreams, arrows, and runners that swiftly pass away. He warns against the futility of striving for wealth, as it is ultimately uncertain and lacks true substance. Brooks illustrates that worldly possessions are merely illusions, devoid of lasting value, and can vanish as quickly as they appear. He encourages listeners to recognize the vanity of placing trust in material wealth, which can be lost through various unforeseen circumstances. The sermon serves as a reminder to seek eternal treasures rather than temporary gains.
Scriptures
A Shadow, a Ship, a Bubble, a Bird, a Dream, an Arrow
"Don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!" Proverbs 23:4-5 All earthly portions are very uncertain; now they are—and shortly they are not! Though the foolish world calls riches substance—yet they have no solid subsistence. All earthly portions are as transitory as a shadow, a ship, a bubble, a bird, a dream, an arrow, a runner who passes swiftly away. Riches were never true to any who have trusted in them. All earthly things are vain and transitory, they are rather phantoms and shadows—than real things themselves. All the glory of this world is rather a matter of shadow, than of substance; it is a body without a soul; it is a golden shell without a kernel; it is a shadow without a substance. There is no firmness, there is no solidness, there is no consistency, there is no constancy in any of the creatures. All the pomp, and state, and glory of the world is but a mere painted pageantry, a mask, a comedy, a fantasy! Look! As the rainbow shows itself in all its dainty colors, and then vanishes away—so do all worldly honors, riches, and preferments show themselves—and then vanish away! A storm at sea, a spark of fire, an unfaithful employee, a false oath, or a treacherous friend—may quickly bring a man to sit with Job upon an ash-heap! Look! As the bird flies from tree to tree—so all the riches, honors, and glory of this world—fly from man to man! There is nothing but vanity and uncertainty in all earthly portions.
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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.