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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 that a true Christian harbors a profound and deadly hatred for all sin, recognizing that every sin attacks God's holiness and undermines the happiness of the upright. He illustrates that sin is a universal evil that has led even the most righteous figures, like Noah, Abraham, and David, to fall. An upright heart, therefore, rises in arms against all forms of sin, viewing them as traitors to the glory of God. In contrast, an unsound heart may resist some sins while clinging to others, highlighting the need for complete rejection of sin in the life of a believer.
The True Christian Hates All Sin
("The Glorious Day of the Saints Appearance") "I hate every wrong path." Psalm 119:104 The original word signifies to hate with a deadly and irreconcilable hatred; to hate so as that nothing will satisfy but the destruction of the thing hated. The true Christian hates all sin. All sin strikes at God, at His holiness, as well as at an upright man's happiness. All sin strikes at God's glory, as well as at the soul's comfort; therefore the soul strikes at all sin. All sins, in the eye of an upright heart, are traitors to the crown and dignity of the Lord Jesus; therefore the soul rises in arms against all. An upright heart looks upon sin to be a universal evil. An upright heart looks upon sin as that which has thrown down: the most righteous man in the world, as Noah; the best believer in the world, as Abraham; the best king in the world, as David; the best apostle in the world, as Paul; the strongest man in the world, as Samson; the wisest man in the world, as Solomon; the meekest man in the world, as Moses; the patientest man in the world, as Job; and so his soul rises against it. An upright heart hates all sins, even those he cannot conquer. An unsound heart, a rotten heart, strikes at some sins—and yet loves and retains other sins.
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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.