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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 delivers a powerful sermon on the eternal torment of hell, emphasizing that the fires of hell are unquenchable and everlasting, unlike earthly fires that can be extinguished. He warns that no amount of tears or time can alleviate the suffering of the damned, who are bound in eternal darkness and punishment. Brooks highlights the seriousness of hell, urging listeners to recognize it as a real and terrifying reality, not to be taken lightly. He poignantly illustrates the despair of those in hell, who would wish for death but find it forever out of reach. The sermon serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the need for repentance.
Scriptures
Could Every Damned Sinner Weep a Whole Ocean!
"They will be tormented day and night forever and ever!" Revelation 20:10 Our earthly fires may be quenched and extinguished. The hottest flames, the greatest conflagrations have been quenched and extinguished by water. Fires on our hearths and in our chimneys often die and go out by themselves. Our fire is maintained with wood—and put out with water. But the fire of hell never goes out; it can never be quenched. It is . . . an everlasting fire, an eternal fire, an unquenchable fire! In Mark 9 from verse 43 to verse 49, this fire is five times said to be unquenchable—as if the Lord could never speak enough of it. Beloved, the Holy Spirit is never guilty of idle repetitions; but by these frequent repetitions, the Holy Spirit would awaken men, and teach them to look upon hell as a real thing, and as a serious thing, and not sport with unquenchable flames—nor go to hell in a dream! Certainly the fire into which the damned shall be cast shall be without all intermission of time or punishment. No tears, nor blood, nor time—can extinguish the fire of hell. Could every damned sinner weep a whole ocean—yet all those oceans of tears together, would never extinguish one spark of infernal fire! The damned are in "everlasting chains of darkness;" they are under the "vengeance of eternal fire;" they are "in blackness of darkness forever." Said a poor despairing creature on his deathbed, "Oh, that word 'forever'—breaks my heart!" The damned in hell would gladly die—but they cannot. They shall be always a-dying—yet never dead. They shall be always a-consuming—yet never consumed. "The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever!" Revelation 14:11
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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.