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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 emphasizes the sweet nature of grace, describing it as a source of immense joy and a refuge against life's troubles. He illustrates grace as a nourishing force, likening it to sweet spices, wine, and milk, and highlights its role in enhancing our spiritual services, making them pleasing to God. Grace is portrayed as essential for the soul, providing strength, healing, and guidance in our walk with Christ. Brooks also notes that grace transforms even the harshest natures into something beautiful and amiable, showcasing its power to change lives. However, he warns that grace can sometimes be overshadowed by an unrefined nature, much like a precious jewel in an unsuitable setting.
Scriptures
The Sweet Nature of Grace
Dwell much upon the sweet nature of grace. Grace begets the greatest joy and sweetness in the hearts of men, that possibly can be. Grace is a panoply against all troubles—and a paradise of all pleasures. Grace is compared to the sweetest things; to sweet spices, to wine and milk. Grace is a sweet flower of paradise, a spark of glory, etc. Grace is nourished and maintained by that sweet word, which is sweeter than the honey or the honey-comb, and by sweet union and communion with the Father and the Son. Grace is exercised about the sweetest objects, namely— God, Christ, promises, and future glory. Grace sweetens all your services and duties. Your best religious performances are but stinking sacrifices—if they are not attended with the exercise of grace. Grace is that heavenly salt which makes all our services savory and sweet in the nostrils of God. Grace is of the greatest and sweetest use to the soul. It is an anchor at sea, and a shield at land. Grace is a staff to uphold the soul, and a sword to defend the soul. Grace is bread to strengthen the soul, and wine to cheer the soul. Grace is medicine to cure all diseases, and a plaster to heal all wounds, and a cordial to strengthen the soul under all faintings, etc. Grace is . . . your eye to see for Christ, your ear to hear for Christ, your head to design for Christ, your tongue to speak for Christ, your hand to do for Christ, and your feet to walk with Christ. Grace makes men of the harshest, sourest, crabbedest natures—to be of a sweet, lovely, amiable, pleasing temper. Grace turns lions into lambs, wolves into sheep, monsters into men, and men into angels—as you may see in Manasseh, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Zaccheus, and others. Yet sometimes grace, in a rugged unhewn nature, is like . . . a gold ring on a leprous hand, or a diamond set in iron, or a jewel in a swine's snout, etc.
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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.