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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 Christ rewards those who suffer and serve Him with eternal glory and blessings. He illustrates that the more one endures for Christ, the greater the reward will be, drawing parallels to earthly examples of reward and generosity. Brooks reassures believers that Christ's promises are faithful and that His rewards surpass any earthly recognition, being both abundant and everlasting. He contrasts the fleeting nature of human rewards with the eternal and incorruptible gifts from Christ, who gives generously beyond our expectations.
He Gives Kingdoms, Crowns, Thrones!
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." Revelation 22:12 The more any man does or suffers for Christ here—the more glory he shall have hereafter. It was the saying of an old disciple upon his dying bed, "He is come, He is come—with a great reward for a little work!" Agrippa having suffered imprisonment for wishing Caius emperor, the first thing Caius did when he came to the throne, was to advance Agrippa to a kingdom; he gave him also a chain of gold, as heavy as the chain of iron which was upon him in prison. And will not Christ richly reward all His suffering saints? Surely He will! Christ will at last pay a Christian . . . for every prayer he has made, for every sermon he has heard, for every tear he has shed, for every morsel he has given, for every burden he has borne, for every battle he has fought, for every enemy he has slain, and for every temptation that he has overcome! As there is no king compared to Christ—so there are no rewards compared to Christ's rewards. His rewards are the greatest rewards. He gives kingdoms, crowns, thrones! He gives grace—and glory! It is said of Araunab, renowned for his bounty, that he had only a subject's purse—but a king's heart. But Jesus Christ has a king's purse as well as a king's heart—and accordingly He gives! And as Christ's rewards are the greatest rewards, so His rewards are the surest rewards: "He is faithful, who has promised," 1 Thes. 5:24. Antiochus promised often—but seldom gave. But Jesus Christ never made any promise—but He has or will perform it. Nay, He is often better than His word. He gives many times more than we ask. The man sick of the palsy asked but health—and Christ gave him health and a pardon to boot! Solomon desired but wisdom, and the Lord gave him wisdom, and honor, and riches, and the favor of creatures, into the bargain. Jacob asked Him but clothes to wear, and bread to eat—and the Lord gave him these things, and riches, and other mercies into the bargain. Christ does not measure His gifts by our petitions—but by His own riches and mercies. Gracious souls many times receive many gifts and favors from God that they never dreamt of, nor dared presume to beg! The rewards which men give are like themselves—fickle and inconstant, they are withering and fading. Xerxes crowned his statesman in the morning—and beheaded him in the evening of the same day! And Andronicus, the Greek emperor, crowned his admiral in the morning, and then took off his head in the afternoon! As Christ's rewards are greater and surer than other rewards—so they are more durable and lasting than other rewards. The kingdom which He gives is a kingdom that can never be shaken; the treasures which He gives are incorruptible treasures; and the glory which He gives is glory which never fades away!
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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.