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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.
Sermon Summary
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the destructive nature of pride, describing it as the root of many vices and a significant danger to the soul. He illustrates pride as a 'gilded misery' and a 'hidden plague' that leads to deceit, hypocrisy, and spiritual downfall. Brooks warns that spiritual pride, in particular, is a severe offense against God, leading to a false sense of superiority and the despising of others. He cites biblical examples of pride leading to destruction, reminding listeners that the Lord will ultimately humble the proud. The sermon calls for self-examination and humility before God to avoid the pitfalls of pride.
Scriptures
A Tumor and Swelling in the Mind
"The Lord Almighty has done it to destroy your pride and show his contempt for all human greatness." Isaiah 23:9 Pride is the original and root of most of those notorious vices that are to be found among men. Of all sins, pride is most dangerous to the souls of men. Pride is . . . a gilded misery, a secret poison, a hidden plague. Pride is . . . the engineer of deceit, the mother of hypocrisy, the parent of envy, the moth of holiness, the blinder of hearts, the turner of medicines into maladies. Of all sins, spiritual pride is most dangerous, and must be most resisted. Spiritual pride is the lifting up of the mind against God; it is a tumor and swelling in the mind, and lies in despising and slighting of God—and in the lifting up of a man's self, by reason of birth, breeding, wealth, honor, place, relation, gifts or graces—and in despising of others. Spiritual pride is a white devil, a gilded poison—by which God is robbed of His honor, a man's own soul of his comfort and peace. Pride is a sure forerunner of a fall. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty mind before a fall." Herod fell from a throne of gold—to a bed of dust. Nebuchadnezzar fell from a mighty king—to be a beast. Adam fell from innocency to mortality. The angels fell from heaven to hell—from felicity to misery. "The day is coming when your pride will be brought low and the Lord alone will be exalted. In that day the Lord Almighty will punish the proud, bringing them down to the dust!" Isaiah 2:11-12 "The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished." Proverbs 16:5
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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.