- Home
- Speakers
- Thomas Brooks
- The True Salamander's Skin!
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 the profound assurance that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses believers from all sins, providing them with eternal security from the fires of hell. He draws a parallel between the protection of the three Hebrew children in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace and the safety believers have through Christ's sacrifice, assuring that hell's flames will not harm them. Brooks likens Christ to a true salamander's skin, which protects from burning, illustrating that those washed in Christ's blood are shielded from eternal punishment. This message serves as a source of comfort and hope for those who fear the Lord and trust in Christ's redemptive power.
The True Salamander's Skin!
"The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all our sins." 1 John 1:7 O you who truly fear the Lord, and who are united to Christ by faith, know for your everlasting comfort and support—that Christ has secured you . . . from infernal fire, from everlasting fire, from unquenchable fire, from eternal fire, and from the worm which never dies! Christ by His blood has quenched the violence of infernal flames—so that they shall never . . . scorch you nor burn you, hurt you nor harm you! Some say that Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace was a type of hell. Now look! As the three Hebrew children, or rather champions, had not one hair of their heads singed in that fiery furnace—just so, hell-fire shall never singe one hair of your heads! O sirs, Christ's blood has so quenched the flames of hell—that they shall never be able to scorch or burn those souls who are saved by Him! Such as are washed and cleansed from their sins in the blood of Jesus, such shall never experimentally know what everlasting burnings or a devouring fire means. Such as are washed in Christ's blood—need no purifying by hell's flames! The fable says that a salamander cannot burn. Nero had a shirt made of a salamander's skin, so that if he walked through the fire in it—it would keep him from burning. O sirs! Christ is the true salamander's skin—which will certainly keep every gracious soul from burning in everlasting flames! "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all our sins." 1 John 1:7
- 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.