- Home
- Speakers
- Thomas Brooks
- That Immortal Bird!
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 delivers a powerful sermon titled 'That Immortal Bird!' emphasizing the stark contrast between God's infinite mercy towards the elect and His infinite justice towards the reprobate in hell. He vividly describes the eternal torment faced by the impenitent sinner, who has no hope of relief or escape from their suffering. Brooks uses the metaphor of an immortal bird carrying away grains of sand to illustrate the endless nature of hell, where the damned will endure punishment without any possibility of respite. The sermon serves as a sobering reminder of the eternal consequences of sin and the importance of seeking God's mercy while there is still time.
Scriptures
That Immortal Bird!
As the mercy of God is infinite towards the elect— so the justice of God is infinite towards the reprobate in hell. The reprobate shall have . . . punishment without pity, misery without mercy, sorrow without support, crying without compassion, mischief without measure, and torment without end! All men in misery comfort themselves with the hope of an ending to their misery. The prisoner comforts himself with hope of a deliverance. The mariner comforts himself with hope of a safe harbor. The soldier comforts himself with hope of victory. The slave comforts himself with hope of liberty. But the impenitent sinner has no hope in hell! He shall have . . . death without death, night without day, mourning without mirth, sorrow without solace, bondage without liberty! The damned shall live as long in hell, as God Himself shall live in heaven! Suppose, say some—that the whole world were turned to a mountain of sand, and that a little bird should come every thousandth year and carry away one grain of sand from that heap. What an infinite number of years—not to be numbered by all finite beings—would be spent and expired before this supposed mountain would be fetched away! Now if a man should lie in everlasting burnings so long a time as this—and then have an end of his woe—it would administer some ease, refreshment, and comfort to him. But when that immortal bird shall have carried away this supposed mountain a thousand times over and over; alas! alas! man shall be as far from the end of his anguish and torment as ever he was! He shall be no nearer coming out of hell, than he was the very first moment that he entered into hell. If the fire of hell were terminable, it might then be tolerable; but being endless, it must needs be easeless and remediless!
- 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.