"Withhold not correction from the child, for if you beat
him with the rod, he shall not die. You shall beat him
with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell."
Proverbs 23:13-14
God uses the rod to prevent further folly, mischief, and
misery. It is said of the ape, that she hugs her young
ones to death; so many fond parents, by not correcting
their children, they come to slay their children. The best
way to prevent their being scourged with scorpions in hell,
is to chastise them with the rod here.
So God takes up the rod; He afflicts and chastises His
dearest children, but it is to prevent soul-mischief and
misery; it is to prevent pride, self-love, worldliness, etc.
The rod is to purge out that vanity and folly that is bound
up in the heart of the child. Proverbs 22:15, "Foolishness is
bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction
shall drive it far from him." The rod is an ordinance, as
well as the word; and such parents who use it as an
ordinance—praying and weeping over it—shall find it
effectual for the chasing away of evil out of their children's
heart. Eli and David were two very choice men, and yet, by
their fondness on one hand, and neglect of this ordinance
on the other hand, they ruined their sons; and whether
they did not undo their souls, I shall not at this time
stand to inquire.
When Moses cast away his rod, it became a serpent; and
so, when parents cast away the rod of correction, it is ten
to one but that their children become the brood of the
serpent: Proverbs 13:24, "He who spares his rod hates his
son; but he who loves him chastens him often." Not only
the care, but also the cure of the child—so far as the rod
will reach—lies upon the hands of the parent.
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.