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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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Sermon Summary
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the profound privilege of having a sanctified heart, which allows all circumstances—whether trials or blessings—to contribute to one's holiness. He reassures believers that every situation, even those that seem bitter, can be sweetened through sanctification, transforming hardships into opportunities for growth. Brooks encourages Christians to recognize that their mercies, though fewer or lesser than others, are still precious when sanctified. He reminds them that every aspect of life, from daily sustenance to personal belongings, is sanctified for the holy person, providing comfort and joy amidst struggles. Ultimately, this understanding can turn sorrow into joy and trials into triumphs.
Sweeten All Your Bitters
"We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28. When a man's heart is once sanctified, then all things are sanctified to him. O sirs! this is so great and so glorious a privilege, that it is more worth than a world, yes, than many worlds. It is a great mercy—that all things may be sanctified to him—that is, that all things may so work, as to make him more and more holy: that every cross may make him more holy, and that every comfort may make him more holy; that every mercy may make him more holy, and that every misery may make him more holy; that every ordinance may make him more holy, and that every providence may make him more holy; that every affliction at home may make him more holy, and that every judgment abroad may make him more holy. Every condition is sweet when it is sanctified to us: sickness is as sweet as health when it is sanctified to us: weakness is as sweet as strength when it is sanctified to us; poverty is as sweet as riches when it is sanctified to us; disgrace is as sweet as honor when it is sanctified to us; bonds are as sweet as liberty when they are sanctified to us; death is as sweet as life when it is sanctified to us. Look! as no condition can be a happy condition which is not a sanctified condition—just so, no condition can be a miserable condition, which is a sanctified condition. Now this is only the holy man's privilege, the holy man's mercy —to have every estate and every condition sanctified unto him; and this indeed is the cream and crown of all our mercies—to have them sanctified unto us, ay, and every bitter will be sweet, yes very sweet, when it is sanctified unto us. What though your mercies, O Christian, are fewer than others', and lesser than others', and leaner than others', and shorter than others'—yet you have no reason to complain, as long as your mercies are sanctified mercies. What though . . . your trials are greater than others', and your burden is heavier than others', and your sorrows are deeper than others', and your crosses comes thicker than others' —yet you have no cause to complain, as long as they are sanctified. Are you a holy person? Oh then remember for your comfort, that . . . every bit of bread you eat is sanctified, and every draught you drink is sanctified, and every suit of clothes you wear is sanctified; the beds you lie on are sanctified, and the stools you sit on are sanctified; the very air you breathe in is sanctified, and the very ground you tread on is sanctified; every penny in your purse is sanctified, and every dollar in your shop is sanctified; whatever you have at home is sanctified, and whatever you have abroad is sanctified. Oh! how should the sense of these things . . . sweeten all your bitters, and turn your hell into heaven, and wipe all tears from your eyes, and turn your sighing into singing, and your mourning into rejoicing, etc.
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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.