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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 death serves as a liberating force, freeing believers from the tyranny of sin, the assaults of Satan, and the afflictions of the world. He assures that in death, one gains perfect freedom from all sorrows, both internal and external, and that the consequences of sin will cease as well. Brooks highlights that while life is filled with tears and suffering, death will bring an end to all pain and sorrow, offering a perfect cure for both body and soul. He encourages listeners to view death not as a loss, but as a transition to a state of holiness and joy in heaven. Ultimately, he poses a thought-provoking question about the benefits of dying to escape the burdens of sin and suffering.
The Funeral of All Your Sorrows!
At death, you shall gain full freedom and liberty from all your enemies within and without—namely, sin, Satan, and the world! Death will free you from the indwelling power of sin. In this present world, sin plays the tyrant; but in heaven there is no tyranny—but perfect felicity. As in hell there is nothing but wickedness, so in heaven there is nothing but holiness. Death will free you from all provocations, temptations, and suggestions to sin. You shall be above all Satan's assaults. The old serpent is cast out, and shall be forever kept out of the new Jerusalem above! Death will free you from all the effects and consequences of sin—namely, losses, crosses, sicknesses, diseases, disgraces, sufferings, etc. When the cause is taken away, the effect ceases. When the fountain of sin is dried up, the streams of afflictions, of sufferings, must be dried up. Sin and sorrow were born together, live together, and shall die together. Death will free you from all bodily infirmities and diseases. Death will free you from all your sorrows, whether inward or outward, whether for your own sins or the sins of others, whether for your own sufferings or the sufferings of others. Now, it may be, you are seldom without tears in your eyes, or sorrow in your heart. Oh, but death will be the funeral of all your sorrows! Death will wipe all tears from your eyes, "and sorrow and mourning shall flee away!" Dear friend, death shall do that for you, which all your physicians could never do for you. It shall both instantly and perfectly cure you of all sorts of weaknesses and maladies, both inward and outward, of both your body and your soul! O my dear friend, is it not better to die, and be rid of all sin; and be rid of all temptations; and be rid of all sorts of miseries; than to live, and still carry about with us our sins, our sorrows, our burdens, and our constant ailments?
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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.