What bosom sin is there so sweet or profitable that is
worth a-burning in hell for, or worth a-shutting out of
heaven for? Surely none! This a gracious soul seriously
weighs, and accordingly he sets himself against the
toad in his bosom—against his darling sins, against
his complexion sins.
But now, unsound hearts are very favorable to bosom
sins, to complexion sins. They say of them, as Lot of
Zoar, "Is it not a little one?" Gen. 19:20; and as David
once said concerning Absalom, 2 Sam. 18:5, "Deal
gently with the young man."
An unsound heart is as fond of his bosom sins,
of his darling sins—
as Jacob was of his Benjamin;
or as Naaman was of his idol Rimmon;
or as Judas was of his money-bag;
or as Herod was of his Herodias;
or as Demetrius was of his Diana.
The besotted sinner is most engaged to his bosom
sins, his darling sins; and therefore it is as bitter a
thing as death for him to part with them. He had
rather part with thousands of rams, and with ten
thousand rivers of oil; than with his bosom sin. Let
God frown or smile, stroke or strike, lift up or cast
down, promise or threaten—yet he will hide and hold
fast his bosom sin! Let God set life and death, heaven
and hell, glory and misery before him—yet he will
not part with his bosom sins! Let God wound his
conscience, blow upon his estate, leave a blot upon his
name, crack his credit, afflict his body, write death upon
his relations, and be a terror to his soul—yet will he not
let his darling sins go! An unsound heart will rather let
God go, and Christ go, and heaven go, and all go—than
he will let his darling lusts go!
But now a sound Christian, a thorough Christian, he sets
himself most against the Delilah in his bosom, against the
Benjamin, the son, the sin of his right hand. A sincere
Christian looks upon bosom sins, upon complexion sins, as
the most God-provoking sins. There are no sins so provoking
to God's jealousies and justice as bosom sins! He looks upon
bosom sins as the most dangerous sins! He looks upon bosom
sins as the worst thing in all the world! He looks upon bosom
sins as more ugly and horrid than the devil himself, or
than hell itself! He looks upon bosom sins as the great
hindrance between God and his soul, and between his
conscience and his comfort. He looks upon bosom sins as
those enemies that have provoked God often to turn a deaf
ear to all his prayers! He looks upon his bosom sins as so
many Judases that have often betrayed him into the hands
of the devil! He looks upon his bosom sins as the waters of
Marah, which have embittered all his mercies! He looks upon
his bosom sins as the only things that have often clouded the
face of God! He looks upon his bosom sins as dead flies in the
box of precious ointment—which spoils all; and accordingly
with all his might he sets himself against them.
He fights most against these;
he weeps most over these;
he watches and arms most against these;
he prays most against these;
he resolves most against these;
he lays the axe of repentance most to these.
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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.