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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 the paramount importance of God's presence in the life of believers, as illustrated by Moses' insistence that he would rather remain in the wilderness than proceed to Canaan without God. He argues that no earthly blessings or victories can compensate for the absence of God's presence, which is essential for true safety and satisfaction. Brooks draws a parallel between the folly of idol worship and the necessity of keeping God at the center of our lives, asserting that without Him, even the strongest enemies can prevail against us. The sermon highlights that the presence of God is our ultimate source of comfort and security, and we must actively seek to maintain that relationship through faith and prayer.
They Chained and Nailed Their God Apollo to a Post
"Moses said unto God—If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here!" Exodus 33:15 Nothing would satisfy Moses, below the presence of God, because he knew that it would be better that they should never move a foot farther—as to go on without God's favorable presence. God promised that His angel would drive all their enemies out of the land. "Oh, but if Your presence does not go with us—do not send us up from here!" "Yes, but I will bring the necks of all your proud, stout, strong, and subtle enemies under your feet!" "Oh, but if Your presence does not go with us—do not send us up from here!" "Yes, but I will bring you to a land flowing with milk and honey. I will make you to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; and you shall drink the finest wine!" "Oh, but if Your presence does not go with us—do not send us up from here!" "Yes, but I will bring you to the paradise of the world—to a place of pleasure and delight, to Canaan, a type of heaven!" "Oh, but if Your presence does not go with us—do not send us up from here! O Lord, if I might have my wish, my desire, my choice—I had infinitely rather to live in a barren, howling wilderness with Your presence—than in Canaan without it! It is a mercy to have an angel to guard us, it is a mercy to have our enemies sprawling under our feet, it is a mercy to be brought into a pleasant land. Oh, but if Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here! Lord, nothing will please us, nothing will profit us, nothing will secure us, nothing will satisfy us—without Your presence!" I have read of the Tyrians, that they bound their gods with chains—that they might secure them, and not be conquered by their enemies. And among the rest, they chained and nailed their god Apollo to a post—that they might be sure to keep their idol, because they thought their safety was in it. I am sure of this—that our safety, our comfort, our all—lies in the special presence of God with us! Therefore let us, by faith and prayer—chain God to our self! If we let Him go, a thousand worlds cannot make up His absence! The heathens in Troy imagined that so long as their idol was kept safe, they were unconquerable; all the strength and power of Greece would never be able to prevail against them. Therefore the Grecians sought by all the means they could—to get this idol from them. O my friends, so long as you keep the presence of God with you—I am sure you are unconquerable! But if God withdraws His special presence—the weakest enemy will be too hard for you; yes, wounded men will prevail over you! The burning bush, which was a type of the Church, was not consumed—because God was in the midst of it. Oh, do but keep God's special presence with you—and nothing shall hurt you, nothing shall burn you! But if God's special presence departs—nothing can secure you! "Moses said unto God—If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here!" Exodus 33:15
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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.