"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all."
1 John 1:5
Light expels darkness, it never mixes nor mingles with
it. God is a pure and an unmixed light, and there is
absolutely no darkness in Him.
Light is the most unmixed substance; it will never mix
with darkness—neither will God.
But all worldly portions are mixed with many . . .
troubles,
sorrows,
cares,
fears,
hazards,
dangers,
vexations,
oppositions,
crosses,
losses.
All earthly portions are mixed portions!
The goodness of all creatures is a mixed goodness.
Every bee has his sting, and every rose has his prickles.
And this mixture speaks out all earthly portions to be
"vanity and vexation of spirit," Ecclesiastes 1:13.
That great king Xerxes was accustomed to say—'You
look upon my crown and my purple robes—but if
you knew how they were lined with thorns—you
would not stoop to pick them up!' Great places are
not free from great cares. No man knows the weight
of a scepter, but he who sways it. Many a sleepless
night, many a restless day, many a sad temptation,
and many a busy shift, will their ambition cost them
—who aspire to such places of eminency. Besides,
high places are commonly very slippery; he who
stands in them may suddenly fall, and wound his
conscience, or easily fall and break his neck.
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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.