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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 the grave danger of allowing even one sin to persist in our lives, equating it to gross hypocrisy. He illustrates how one sin can lead to the loss of glory, dignity, and ultimately, the presence of God, much like a single leprous spot can render a person unclean. Brooks warns that indulging in one sin can lead to eternal misery and separation from God's blessings, drawing parallels to historical examples of loss due to singular actions. He concludes with a poignant reminder that the cost of one sin can be the forfeiture of a heavenly kingdom, urging listeners to seek complete purity.
Scriptures
One Sin Allowed, Wallowed and Tumbled In
To turn from some sins—but not from all, is gross hypocrisy. One sin stripped the fallen angels of all their glory! One sin stripped our first parents of all their dignity and excellency! One fly in the box of precious ointment spoils the whole box. One thief may rob a man of all his treasure. One disease may deprive a man of all his health. One strong wind may blow down and blow away all a man's comforts. Just so—one sin delighted and wallowed in, will make a man miserable forever! One sin allowed, wallowed and tumbled in, is sufficient to deprive a man forever of the glorious presence of God. In the law, the person who had but one spot of leprosy in any one part of his body was accounted a leper, although all the rest of his body was sound and whole; and accordingly he was to be shut up, and shut out from the society of the people of God, Lev. 13. Just so—one sin, one leprous spot, allowed and beloved—will forever shut a man out from the glorious presence of God! One sin wallowed in, will as certainly deprive a man of the blessed vision of God, and of all the treasures, pleasures, and delights which are at God's right hand—as a thousand sins! What can be the outcome of this, but ruin and damnation? It was a sore vexation to king Lysimachus, that he lost his earthly kingdom for one draught of water. O sirs! it will be an everlasting vexation to such, who for one lust shall at last lose not an earthly kingdom—but a heavenly kingdom!
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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.