"He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed
for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace
was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5
Our sins were the cause of Christ's sufferings!
It was our transgressions which gave Christ His deadly
wounds! It was our sins which smote Him, and bruised
Him! Every Christian may look upon Christ and say, "I
was that Judas who betrayed You! I was that soldier
who murdered You! It was my sins which brought all
those sorrows, and sufferings, and evils upon You!
I have sinned—and You have suffered!
I have sinned—and You have died!
I have wounded You—and You have healed me!"
Oh, that we might look upon . . .
a humble Christ—with a humble heart,
a broken Christ—with a broken heart,
a bleeding Christ—with a bleeding heart,
a wounded Christ—with a wounded heart!
"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree;
by His wounds you have been healed." 1 Pet. 2:24
Here you see that the physician's blood became the
sick man's salve! Here is the gospel mystery—that
the wounding of one, should be the cure of another!
Oh, what an odious thing is sin to God—that He will
pardon none without blood, yes, without the precious
blood of His dearest Son! Oh, what a hell of wickedness
must there be in sin—that nothing can expiate it but the
best, the purest, the noblest blood of Christ! Oh, what a
transcendent evil must sin be—that nothing can purge it
away but death—the accursed death of the cross! Oh,
what a leprosy is sin—that it must have blood, yes, the
blood of God, to take it away!
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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.