- Home
- Speakers
- Thomas Brooks
- Beautiful Abominations
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.
Download
Sermon Summary
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that regardless of a person's outward religious practices and fervent desires, if their intentions are misguided, their actions are ultimately meaningless, described as 'beautiful abominations.' He illustrates this by comparing the righteous acts of David and Daniel with those of the Pharisees, who performed similar duties but lacked the right motives. Brooks warns that without proper aims, all efforts in prayer, fasting, and giving are futile and lead to spiritual loss. The sermon serves as a call to examine the heart behind our actions, stressing that God values the intent behind our service.
Scriptures
Beautiful Abominations
Let a man's profession be ever so glorious, let him be ever so abundant in the performance of duties, let his desires after this and that holy thing be ever so strong —yet if his ends and aims are wrong, all his pretensions and performances are but beautiful abominations. Did David pray three times a day? So did the pharisees. Did David and Daniel fast? So did the pharisees—and that twice in the week. Did Cornelius give alms? So did the pharisees. Did Abraham pay tithes? So did the pharisees; they tithed their very mint and rue. But their ends and aims being wrong—their time was lost, and their pains were lost, and their duties were lost, and their alms were lost, and their souls were lost—and that forever. God writes a zero upon all those services wherein men's ends are not right.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
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.