"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord
does not count against him." Psalm 32:1-2
A pardoned soul must be a very blessed soul.
Ah, souls! of all mercies, pardoning mercy is the most
necessary mercy. I may go to heaven without honors, and
without riches, and without the smiles of creatures; but I
can never go to heaven without pardoning mercy. A man may
be great and graceless, he may be rich and miserable, he
may be honorable and damnable.
Pardon entitles souls to all blessedness, it puts the royal
crown upon their heads. Of all mercies, pardoning mercy
is the most sweetening mercy; it is a choice jewel, and
swims to the soul in the blood of Jesus.
Pardon of sin is a voluminous mercy, a mercy which has
many, many precious mercies in its womb! It ushers in
troops of mercy. When you can number the sands of the
sea, and count the stars of heaven, then, and not until
then, shall you be able to recount the mercies which
attend pardoning mercy.
He who has this mercy cannot be miserable—and he who
lacks it cannot be happy! Get this and get all—miss this
and miss all.
Pardoning mercy is a gift conferred only upon Christ's
favorites: "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven
you!" Mat. 9:2.
No mercy will make a man everlastingly blissful—but
pardoning mercy. He has no reason to be sad—who has
his pardon in his bosom. Nor has he has any reason to be
glad—who is upon the last step of the ladder, ready to be
turned off without his pardon.
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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.