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Phillips Brooks
Phillips Brooks (1835–1893) was an American preacher, Episcopal priest, and hymn-writer whose eloquent ministry and towering presence made him one of the most celebrated clerics of 19th-century America. Born on December 13, 1835, in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the second of six children of William Gray Brooks, a merchant, and Mary Ann Phillips, both from prominent New England families with Puritan roots. Raised in a devout household where daily Scripture reading shaped his faith, Brooks graduated from Harvard College in 1855 with a degree in Classics. After a brief stint teaching at Boston Latin School, he pursued ministry, studying at Virginia Theological Seminary and graduating in 1859. He never married, dedicating his life to his calling and intellectual pursuits. Brooks’s preaching career began with his ordination in 1859 and his first pastorate at the Church of the Advent in Philadelphia, followed by Holy Trinity Church in the same city from 1862 to 1869, where his sermons—delivered at a rapid 200 words per minute—drew massive crowds and earned him national acclaim during the Civil War era. In 1869, he became rector of Trinity Church in Boston, overseeing its relocation to Copley Square and consecrating its iconic building in 1877, a pulpit he held until 1891. Known for his warmth, intellectual depth, and ability to connect with diverse audiences, Brooks authored the beloved Christmas hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem” in 1868. Elected Bishop of Massachusetts in 1891, he served briefly until his sudden death from diphtheria on January 23, 1893, at age 57, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose lyrical sermons and hymns, preserved in works like Sermons (1878), continue to inspire. He was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, mourned by thousands who filled Boston’s streets for his funeral.
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Phillips Brooks preaches about the importance of seeking truth in the inward parts to shape our character throughout life. This process begins from the earliest moments of conscious existence and continues to evolve as we grow. In the early stages of life, truth enters through obedient trust, while later it comes through individual conviction. Brooks emphasizes the need to honor both channels of truth in order to maintain the symmetry and unity of life, cautioning against disregarding either half or clinging to traditional ideas without personal conviction.
Shaping of Character by Truth
"Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). The great purpose of life--the shaping of character by truth--is to be sought in all the life. There are no wasted hours. It must begin in the life's morning and run on till the nightfall comes. With the first opening of conscious existence--nay, who can say how long before existence becomes conscious--this process, the shaping of character by truth, begins. In each period of the changing life it may change its methods and yet be the same process still. In the early life the channel through which truth enters for its work is obedient trust. Later it is individual conviction; but he mangles the life, and loses its symmetry and unity, who breaks off either half or dishonours either channel; who either thinks there can be no religion till the mind can understand its grounds, or tries to keep the mature mind under the power of traditional ideas of which it has received no personal conviction.
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Phillips Brooks (1835–1893) was an American preacher, Episcopal priest, and hymn-writer whose eloquent ministry and towering presence made him one of the most celebrated clerics of 19th-century America. Born on December 13, 1835, in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the second of six children of William Gray Brooks, a merchant, and Mary Ann Phillips, both from prominent New England families with Puritan roots. Raised in a devout household where daily Scripture reading shaped his faith, Brooks graduated from Harvard College in 1855 with a degree in Classics. After a brief stint teaching at Boston Latin School, he pursued ministry, studying at Virginia Theological Seminary and graduating in 1859. He never married, dedicating his life to his calling and intellectual pursuits. Brooks’s preaching career began with his ordination in 1859 and his first pastorate at the Church of the Advent in Philadelphia, followed by Holy Trinity Church in the same city from 1862 to 1869, where his sermons—delivered at a rapid 200 words per minute—drew massive crowds and earned him national acclaim during the Civil War era. In 1869, he became rector of Trinity Church in Boston, overseeing its relocation to Copley Square and consecrating its iconic building in 1877, a pulpit he held until 1891. Known for his warmth, intellectual depth, and ability to connect with diverse audiences, Brooks authored the beloved Christmas hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem” in 1868. Elected Bishop of Massachusetts in 1891, he served briefly until his sudden death from diphtheria on January 23, 1893, at age 57, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose lyrical sermons and hymns, preserved in works like Sermons (1878), continue to inspire. He was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, mourned by thousands who filled Boston’s streets for his funeral.