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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 unchanging and sovereign purpose of God, asserting that His eternal plans are the foundation of all spiritual blessings and the assurance of salvation for believers. He explains that God's immutable essence, wisdom, goodness, sovereignty, and power ensure that no one can be snatched from His hand, providing comfort and security to Christians. Brooks highlights that the reason for one person's salvation over another lies in God's eternal purpose and mercy, which is not dependent on human effort. The sermon reassures believers that their happiness and future hope stem from God's unwavering purpose, allowing them to live without fear of losing their salvation.
No One Can Snatch Them Out of My Hand
"My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:10 "The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations." Psalm 33:11 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21 God's eternal purpose never changes, never alters. The immutability of God's purpose, springs from . . . the unchangeableness of His essence, the perfection of His wisdom, the infiniteness of His goodness, the absoluteness of His sovereignty, the omnipotency of His power. The gracious purpose of God is the fountain-head of all our spiritual blessings. It is the foundational cause of our effectual calling, justification, glorification. It is the highest link in the golden chain of salvation. What is the reason that one man is everlastingly saved —and not another? It is from the eternal purpose of God. The purpose of God is the sovereign cause of all that eternal good which comes to man. All a believer's present happiness, and all his future happiness—springs from the eternal purpose of God. "God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done, but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." 2 Timothy 1:8-9 "For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy." Romans 9:15-16 There is no man, no power, no devil, no violent temptation —which shall ever be able to overturn those whom God has chosen. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand." John 10:27-29. (Also, Romans 8:35-39) If the purpose of God was uncertain, a Christian could never have a good day all his days; his whole life would be filled up with tears, doubts, disputes, distractions, etc. He would be still a-crying out, "Oh, I can never be sure that God will be mine, or that Christ will be mine, or that mercy will be mine, or that pardon of sin will be mine, or that heaven will be mine! Oh, I can never be sure that I shall escape the great damnation, the worm which never dies, the fire which never goes out, or eternal separation from the glorious presence of the Lord!"
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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.