"As He is—so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17
To be a holy person is to know a holy Christ, to
be in love with a holy Christ, and to imitate the
virtues of a holy Christ.
"Indeed, we have all received grace after grace
from His fullness." John 1:16
There is no grace in Christ—which is not in some
degree formed in a holy heart, and therefore the
work of grace and holiness is called a forming of
Christ in the soul, Gal. 4:19. Holy hearts have the
very prints, stamps, and impressions of the graces
of Jesus Christ upon them!
The graces which are in Christians correspond
to the graces which are in Jesus—in truth and reality,
though not in degree and quantity. It is the height
of a Christian's glory to tread in the virtuous steps
of his dearest Lord.
The Christian labors to resemble Christ in all things,
especially in those holy virtues which were most
shining in the heart and life of Christ.
"Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as
Jesus did." 1 John 2:6
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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.