- Home
- Speakers
- Thomas Brooks
- Because You Ate The Loaves
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.
Download
Sermon Summary
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that Christ is precious only to those who truly believe, urging Christians to value Him above all earthly duties, privileges, and benefits. He draws a distinction between those who love Christ for His personal qualities and those who seek Him merely for the benefits He provides. Brooks highlights that true believers appreciate Christ for His inherent beauty and glory, rather than for the material or spiritual gains they might receive. He warns that many professing Christians follow Christ primarily for the 'loaves'—the blessings—rather than for a genuine love of His person. Ultimately, he calls for a deeper, more authentic relationship with Christ that transcends mere transactional faith.
Because You Ate the Loaves
"Unto you therefore who believe, He is precious." 1 Peter 2:7 Christ is only precious to those who believe. As Christ is the Father's chief jewel, so He is your choicest jewel, is He not? Yes! The true Christian prizes Christ . . . above all duties, above all privileges, above all mercies, above all graces, above all contentments, above all his enjoyments. The true believer loves Christ for Christ; he loves Christ for His personal excellencies. What Alexander said of his two friends, is applicable to many in our day; says he, "Haehestion loves me as I am Alexander; but Craterus loves me as I am King Alexander." One loved him for his person, the other for the benefits he received from him. So true Christians love Christ for His person, for His personal excellency, for His personal beauty, for His personal glory. They see those perfections of grace and holiness in Christ, which render Him very lovely and desirable in their eyes; though they should never get a kingdom, nor a crown by it. But most of those who profess to belong to Christ, do it only in respect of the benefits they hope to receive from Him. When one asked Cato's daughter why she would not marry again, she being young when her husband died, answered, 'Because she could not find a man that loved her more than her goods.' Few there are, who love Christ more than His benefits. "I tell you the truth, you are looking for Me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill." John 6:26 It was Augustine's complaint of old, that 'scarcely any love Christ, but for His benefits.' Few follow Him for love; but many follow Him for loaves. Few follow Him for His inward excellencies, many follow Him for their outward advantages. Few follow him that they may be made godly by him; but many follow him that they may be great by him. Certainly, you are the bosom friends of Christ, you are in the very heart of Christ—who prize Christ above all. This is a work too high and too hard, too great and too noble, for all who are not true Christians, who are not twice born, who are not of the blood-royal, who are not partakers of the divine nature.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
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.