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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 the profound relationship between godly sorrow and holy joy, illustrating that true mourning for sin leads to the deepest forms of spiritual joy. He explains that a godly person's most joyful moments often coincide with their tears of repentance, as these tears nurture a heart filled with joy. Brooks likens this process to a bee extracting honey from bitter herbs, suggesting that the sweetest joys arise from sincere repentance. He asserts that a clear understanding of God's grace and mercy allows believers to experience both sorrow and joy simultaneously. Ultimately, a Christian's greatest joy and mourning occur in the presence of divine love and the hope of glory.
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Mourning for Sin and Holy Joy
"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 2 Corinthians 6:10 Godly sorrow is the parent of holy joy; a godly man's mourning time is his most joyful time. Tears are the breeders of spiritual joy. A holy man's heart is usually fullest of joy—when his eyes are fullest of tears. The bee gathers the best honey from the bitterest herbs. Christ made the best wine from water; the best, the purest, the strongest, and the sweetest joys—are made from the purified waters of evangelical repentance. Mourning for sin and holy joy are consistent in one and the same heart. The same eye of faith which drops tears of sorrow—also drops tears of joy. A clear sight of free grace, of pardoning mercy, and of a bleeding dying Savior—will fill the soul both with sorrow and joy at the same time. A Christian always joys most, and mourns most—when he is most under the sense of divine love and mercy, the influences of heaven, the hopes of glory, and the precious fillings of the blessed Spirit.
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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.