- Home
- Speakers
- Thomas Brooks
- A Sweet Interpretation
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.
Download
Sermon Summary
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that love empowers believers to endure hardships by interpreting afflictions as divine tools for spiritual growth. He asserts that love helps the soul view trials not as punishments but as opportunities to experience God's glory and sweetness. Afflictions, according to love, are friends that refine us and lead us closer to God, ultimately resulting in greater heavenly joy. Brooks encourages believers to embrace their struggles with the understanding that they serve a higher purpose in God's plan.
A Sweet Interpretation
("The Glorious Day of the Saints Appearance") Love will enable the soul to persevere in the ways of godliness against all discouragements, by putting a blessed interpretation, and a heavenly construction upon all the afflictions, sorrows, and discouragements which an upright heart can meet with in the ways of God. All the afflictions and discouragements which upright hearts meet with, love will thus interpret and expound: "Oh! all these afflictions are but means that God will use to rub off my dross and filth, to convey more of Himself! They are all my friends, and shall work for my good! All these cursings, God will turn to blessings," says Love. "All these afflictions which befall me, are but out of some noble designs that God has to reveal more of Himself and of His glory to me. It is but that He may empty me more of myself and of the creature, so that he may communicate more of His own sweetness and fullness to my soul," says Love. "I know, though for the present it is bitter— yet," says Love, "it will be sweet in the end. I know the way to the crown is by the cross, and I know all those afflictions shall lead me to more heavenly enjoyments of God!" Love thus puts a sweet interpretation on all the afflictions which befall the soul.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
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.