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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 profound nature of repentance, illustrating it as a divine gift that cannot be achieved by human effort alone. He likens the difficulty of turning one's heart to God to the impossibility of transforming adamant into flesh or raising the dead, underscoring that true repentance is not found in nature's garden. Brooks highlights that it is only through God's grace that individuals can experience genuine repentance and turn away from their sins. He reminds us that just as the Ethiopian cannot change his skin, we cannot do good without divine intervention.
A Flower Which Does Not Grow in Nature's Garden!
"Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy 2:25 Repentance is a turning from sin (the most darling sin) to God. It is mighty work, a difficult work; a work which is above our power. There is no power below that power which raised Christ from the dead, and which made the world—which can break the heart of a sinner, or turn the heart of a sinner! You are as well able to melt adamant—as to melt your own heart! You are as well able to turn a flint into flesh —as to turn your own heart to the Lord! You are as well able to raise the dead and to make a world—as to repent! Repentance is a flower which does not grow in nature's garden! "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good, who are accustomed to doing evil." Jeremiah 13:23 Repentance is a gift that comes down from above. Men are not born with repentance in their hearts, as they are born with tongues in their mouths! It is not in the power of any mortal to repent at pleasure.
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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.