One of the first works of the Spirit is to make a man to
look upon all his sins as enemies; yes, as his greatest
enemies, and to deal with his sins as enemies, and to
hate and loathe them as enemies, and to fear them
as enemies, and to arm against them as enemies. He
has earnest and sincere desires, and makes careful
endeavors—to abandon all sin, to forsake all sin, and
to be rid of all sin.
Says the sincere Christian,
"Sin is the greatest evil in all the world!
Sin is the only thing which God abhors!
Sin brought Jesus Christ to the cross!
Sin damns souls!
Sin shuts heaven!
Sin has laid the foundations of hell!
Oh, sin is . . .
the pricking thorn in my eye,
the deadly arrow in my side,
the sharp sword which has . . .
wounded my conscience,
slain my comforts,
hindered my prayers,
embittered my mercies,
put a sting into all my crosses!
Therefore I condemn it to death,
yes, to hell, from whence it came!"
Certainly, a sick man is not more desirous to
be rid of all his diseases, nor a prisoner to be
freed from all his bolts and chains—than the
true penitent is desirous to be rid of all his sins!
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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.