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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 the inherent evil within humanity, asserting that even without the influence of Satan or wicked individuals, man's sinful nature would still lead him to sin. He describes the corrupted state of the human heart and mind, illustrating that temptation alone does not cause sin; rather, it is the evil root within that drives us to it. Brooks argues that while Satan can tempt, he cannot force us to sin, as the choice ultimately lies within our corrupted nature. He concludes by highlighting the redemptive work of Jesus, who endured immense suffering to save humanity from its sinful state.
Should God Chain Up Satan
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Mt. 15:19 Man has an evil root within him. Were there no devil to tempt him, nor any wicked men to entice him, yet that cursed sinful nature which is in him, would draw him to sin, though he knows beforehand that 'the wages of sin is eternal death.' The whole frame of man is out of frame. The understanding is dark, the will cross, the memory slippery, the affections crooked, the conscience corrupted, the tongue poisoned, the heart wholly evil, only evil, and continually evil. Should God chain up Satan, and give him no liberty to tempt or entice people to vanity or folly, yet they could not but sin against Him, by reason of that cursed nature that is in them. Satan can only present the golden cup—but he has no power to force us to drink the poison that is in the cup. He can only present to us the glory of the world, he cannot force us to fall down and worship him, to enjoy the world. He can only spread his snares, he has no power to force us to walk in the midst of his snares. From the cradle to the cross, His whole life was a life of sufferings. Jesus waded through . . . a sea of trouble, a sea of sin, a sea of blood a sea of wrath, that sinners might be pardoned, justified, reconciled, and saved!
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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.