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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 contrast between the gifts of Christ and those of the world, noting that while the world gives infrequently and often with impurities, Christ continuously bestows pure and royal favors upon His people. He reassures the troubled with peace, the guilty with pardon, and the mourners with comfort, illustrating that His generosity is constant and abundant. Brooks highlights that Christ's gifts are of the highest quality, free from the dross and poison found in worldly offerings, making them truly valuable and pure.
His Hand Is Always in His Purse
There is a difference between Christ's giving and the world's giving. The world gives—but they give more rarely. But Christ gives, and He gives frequently. He is every day, every hour, yes, every moment, a-giving of royal favors to His people. "Here is peace for you who are in trouble," says Christ; "and here is pardon for you who groan under guilt," says Christ; "and here is comfort for you who are mourners in Zion," says Christ, etc. His hand is always in his purse, He is still a-scattering pearls of glory, ay, the very jewels of His crown, among the beloved of His soul. Augustus, in his solemn feasts, gave gold to some—and trifles to others. The Lord gives the gold, the best things, to His own; but the trifles of this world to the men of the world. The gifts which Christ gives are pure gifts. He gives . . . wine without water, light without darkness, gold without dross, and sweet without bitter. There is much dross and poison in the gifts which the world gives—but there is none in the gifts which Christ gives. The streams are as the fountain is; the fountain is pure, and so are the streams.
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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.