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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 our strength and ability to thrive in various circumstances come solely through Christ. He illustrates that despite our efforts to cultivate our spiritual lives, true growth and fragrance can only come from Christ's internal operation within us. Brooks reassures believers that their graces, though they may seem weak, are nurtured by God, who will not let them wither. He encourages Christians to trust in God's timing for the increase of their spiritual gifts and to remain hopeful in their journey of faith.
We May Puff and Blow Our Hearts Out
"I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me." I can be high or low, poor or rich, honorable or base, something or nothing, etc., only through Christ who strengthens me. Canticles 4:16, "Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may send forth a fragrant smell." We may puff and blow our hearts out, and yet no fragrance will flow forth—if Christ does not blow. Our graces thrive and are upheld in life and power, in beauty and glory —only by the internal operation of Christ in our souls. Psalm 138:3, "In the day when I cried, You answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul." Your graces, Christians, are heavenly plants of God's own planting and watering; and certainly the heavenly Farmer will never allow such plants of renown to wither, for lack of heavenly sap. He will strengthen, support, and nourish the work of His own hand. He will cause the desires of His people to bud, and their graces to blossom, and their souls to be like a watered garden—green and flourishing. God is eminently and fully engaged to carry on the work of grace in His children's souls. Therefore do not sit down and say—My light is but dim, and my love but weak, and my joy but a spark which will quickly go out, etc. But always remember, that those weak measures of grace which you have, are a sure evidence of greater measures which God will confer upon you in His own time and in His own ways.
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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.