("A Believer's Last Day, His Best Day")
A believer's last day is his best day! Death puts
an end to all changes. What is the whole life of
a man—but a life of changes?
Here on earth, you often change . . .
your joy for sorrow,
your health for sickness,
your strength for weakness,
your honor for dishonor,
your plenty for poverty,
your beauty for deformity,
your friends for foes,
your silver for brass,
your gold for copper.
All temporal things are transitory. Man himself—
what is he—but a mere nothing—the dream of
a dream, a shadow, a bubble, a flash, a puff!
Now the comforts of a man are smiling
—but the next hour they are dying.
Now the Lord smiles upon the soul—and
at another time He frowns upon the soul.
Now God gives assistance to conquer sin—but
before long the man is carried captive by his sin.
Now he is strengthened against the temptation,
in a short while he falls before the temptation, etc.
But death puts an end to all changes. Now the
soul shall be tempted no more, sin no more, be
foiled no more. Now you may judge by this,
that a Christian's dying-day is his best day.
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Thomas Brooks (1608 - 1680)
Much of what is known about Thomas Brooks has been ascertained from his writings. Born, likely to well-to-do parents, in 1608, Brooks entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1625, where he was preceded by such men as Thomas Hooker, John Cotton, and Thomas Shepard. He was licensed as a preacher of the Gospel by 1640. Before that date, he appears to have spent a number of years at sea, probably as a chaplain with the fleet.After the conclusion of the First English Civil War, Thomas Brooks became minister at Thomas Apostle's, London, and was sufficiently renowned to be chosen as preacher before the House of Commons on December 26, 1648. His sermon was afterwards published under the title, 'God's Delight in the Progress of the Upright', the text being Psalm 44:18: 'Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Thy way'. Three or four years afterwards, he transferred to St. Margaret's, Fish-street Hill, London. In 1662, he fell victim to the notorious Act of Uniformity, but he appears to have remained in his parish and to have preached as opportunity arose. Treatises continued to flow from his pen.[3]
Thomas Brooks was a nonconformist preacher. Born into a Puritan family, he was sent to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He soon became an advocate of the Congregational way and served as a chaplain in the Civil War. In 1648 he accepted the rectory of St. Margaret's, New Fish Street, London, but only after making his Congregational principles clear to the vestry.
On several occasions he preached before Parliament. He was ejected in 1660 and remained in London as a Nonconformist preacher. Government spies reported that he preached at Tower Wharf and in Moorfields. During the Great Plague and Great Fire he worked in London, and in 1672 was granted a license to preach in Lime Street. He wrote over a dozen books, most of which are devotional in character. He was buried in Bunhill Fields.