"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
—and I am the worst of them." 1 Timothy 1:15
Divine and heavenly knowledge brings a man near to God;
it gives a man the clearest and fullest sight of God; and the
nearer any man comes to God, and the clearer visions he has
of God, the more low and humble will that man lie before God.
None so humble as those who have nearest communion with
God. The angels that are near unto Him cover their faces with
their wings, in token of humility. Divine knowledge makes a
man look inwards; it anatomizes a man to himself; it is a
mirror which shows a man the spots of his own soul, and
this makes him little and low in his own eyes.
In the beams of this heavenly light,
a Christian comes to see his own . . .
pride,
ignorance,
impatience,
unworthiness,
conceitedness,
worthlessness,
frowardness
nothingness.
That knowledge which swells you with self importance,
will undo you. That knowledge which puffs you with pride,
will sink you. That knowledge which makes you delightful
in your own eyes, will make you despicable in God's eyes.
Be the first to react on this!
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.