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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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Thomas Brooks emphasizes that true Christians should seek God as their ultimate good, as He embodies perfection and completeness. He describes God as a pure, all-sufficient, and satisfying good, contrasting it with the mixed goodness found in earthly things. Brooks urges believers to earnestly and diligently pursue God, who alone can fulfill the deepest longings of the heart. He highlights that all the perfections of creation are found in God, making Him the only source of true satisfaction. Ultimately, Brooks reiterates the sentiment of Psalm 73:25-26, affirming that God is our strength and portion forever.
Scriptures
All the Whole Volume of Perfections
"Whom do I have in heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26 The true Christian seeks God as his choicest and chief good. God is a perfect good, a solid good. That is a perfect good—to which nothing can be added; that is a solid good—from which nothing can be spared. Such a good, God is, and therefore He is chiefly to be sought. God is a pure and simple good; He is a light in whom there is no darkness, a good in whom there is no evil. The goodness of the creature is mixed, yes, that little goodness which is in the creature is mixed with much evil; but God is an unmixed good. He is good, He is pure good. He is all over good. He is nothing but good. God is an all-sufficient good. Augustine said, "He has all—who has the Haver of all." God has in Himself . . . all power to defend you, all wisdom to direct you, all mercy to pardon you, all grace to enrich you, all righteousness to clothe you, all goodness to supply you, all happiness to crown you. God is a satisfying good, a good that fills the heart and quiets the soul. In Him, I have all. I have all comforts, all delights, all contentments. As the worth and value of many pieces of silver is to be found in one piece of gold, so all the petty excellencies which are scattered abroad in the creatures—are to be found in God. Yes, all the whole volume of perfections, which is spread through heaven and earth—is epitomized in Him. No good below Him who is the greatest good, can satisfy the soul. A good wife, a good child, a good name, a good estate, a good friend—cannot satisfy the soul. These may please—but they cannot satisfy. Ah! that we should seek early, seek earnestly, seek affectionately, seek diligently, seek primarily, and seek unweariedly—this God, who is the greatest good, the best good, the most desirable good, who is— a suitable good, a pure good, a satisfying good, a total good, and an eternal good. "Whom do I have in heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26
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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.