"An incorruptible inheritance." 1 Peter 1:4
All earthly inheritances are liable to corruption; they
are true gardens of Adonis—where we can gather
nothing but trivial flowers, surrounded with many
briars, thorns and thistles.
Oh, the hands, the hearts, the thoughts, the lives—
which have been corrupted by earthly inheritances!
Oh, the impure love, the carnal confidence, the vain
boastings, the sensual joys—which have been the
products of earthly inheritances!
If a man's estate lies in money—that may rust, or
thieves may break in and steal it. If a man's estate
lies in cattle—they may die, or fall into the hands of
the Sabeans and Chaldeans. If a man's estate lies
in houses—they may be burnt. Witness the recent
dreadful fire that turned London into a ruinous heap!
If a man's estate lies in lands—a foreign enemy may
invade them and conquer them.
All earthly inheritances are no better than the cities
which Solomon gave to Hiram, which he called Cabul,
that is, 'worthless, good-for-nothing, displeasing, dirty.'
"But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that
Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them.
'What kind of towns are these you have given me, my
brother?' he asked. And he called them the Land of
Cabul, a name they have to this day." 1 Kings 9:12-13
Earthly inheritances do but dirt, daub, and dust people.
It is only the heavenly inheritance which is incorruptible.
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.