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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 omnipresence of God, illustrating that sin committed in His sight is a profound affront to His holiness. He draws parallels between the actions of Ahasuerus and the awareness of God's ever-watchful eye, urging believers to recognize that no sin can be hidden from Him. Brooks highlights the example of Joseph, who refrained from sin because he saw God in the room, contrasting this with the temptation faced by Potiphar's wife. The sermon calls for a deep awareness of God's presence to deter wicked intentions and encourages believers to live in a manner that honors His omniscience. Ultimately, Brooks urges the congregation to keep their focus on God, who sees all things at all times.
Scriptures
Joseph Saw God in the Room!
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:9 The harboring of any known sin, either in heart or life, is a high contempt of the all-seeing eye of God—of the omnipresence of God. It is well known what Ahasuerus, that great monarch, said concerning Haman, when he found him cast upon the queen's couch on which she sat: "What!" says he, "Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes!" What! will he dare to commit such a villainy—as I stand and look on? O sirs! to do wickedly in the sight of God, is a thing which He looks upon as the greatest affront and indignity that can possibly be done unto Him. "What!" says He, "Will you be drunk before Me, and swear and blaspheme before Me, and be wanton and immoral before Me, and break My laws before My eyes!" This, then, is the killing aggravation of all sin—that is done before the face of God—in the presence of God! The consideration of God's omnipresence—that He stands and looks on, should be as a bar, to stop the proceedings of all wicked intentions; and a great dissuasive from sin. It was an excellent saying of Ambrose, "If you cannot hide yourself from the sun, which is God's minister of light—how impossible will it be to hide yourself from Him whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the sun!" There is no drawing of a curtain between God and you. When you are in secret—consider that God is present. God is all eye. He sees . . . all things, in all places, at all times. The godly are dissuaded from wickedness, upon the consideration of God's eye and omniscience. Joseph saw God in the room—and therefore dared not yield to lust. But Potiphar's wife saw none but Joseph—and so was impudently alluring and tempting him to sin. I have read of two godly men, who took contrary courses with two harlots—whom they desired to reclaim from their wicked course of life. One of the men told one of the women, that he was desirous to enjoy her company in secret. After she had brought him into a private room, and locked the door, he told her, "All your bars and bolts cannot keep God out!" The other godly man asked the other harlot to be unchaste with him openly in the streets—which she rejected as an insane request. He then told her, "It was better to do it before the eyes of a crowd—than before the eyes of the all-seeing God!" Oh, why shall not the presence of that God who hates sin, and who is resolved to punish it with hell-flames, make us ashamed or afraid to sin, and dare Him to His face! Let your eye be ever on Him—whose eye is always on you!
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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.