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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 God chooses to dwell in the hearts of the humble, highlighting the profound relationship between humility and divine presence. He explains that God's dwelling with the humble includes His supervision, assistance, protection, sympathy, and teaching, ultimately leading to a richer experience of His grace and glory. Brooks illustrates that the humble receive not only God's support but also a deeper revelation of His goodness and love. The sermon encourages believers to cultivate a humble spirit to experience God's abundant blessings.
The Humble Man's Heart
"For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy—I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 57:15 God makes the humble man's heart his house to dwell in. The highest heavens and the lowest hearts are the habitations wherein the Holy One delights to dwell. Now this phrase, "I will dwell with the humble," includes several things: 1. It includes God's superintending the humble. 2. It includes God's assisting and strengthening of the humble. 3. It includes God's protection; I will dwell with the humble, that is, I will protect him and secure him, Job 22:29. 4. It includes God's sympathizing with the humble. 5. It includes God's applying all suitable good to the humble, Isaiah 57:18, and Isaiah 63:9. 6. It includes God's ruling and overruling the heart and the affections of the humble. 7. It includes God's teaching and instructing of the humble. 8. Lastly, it includes and takes in a clearer, a fuller, and a larger manifestation and communication of God to humble souls. "Ah!" says God, "I will dwell with the humble; that is, I will more richly, more abundantly, and more gloriously manifest and make known My grace and glory, My goodness and sweetness, My loving-kindness and tenderness—to humble souls!"
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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.