Under all fiery trials, God will make good that golden
promise, "And we know that all things work together
for good to those who love God." Romans 8:28.
Mark, the apostle does not say, we suppose, or we
hope, or we conjecture—but we know! We know that
all our sufferings and afflictions work together for our
good! The apostle does not say they shall work—but
they do work.
Look! as several poisonous ingredients put together,
being well tempered and mixed by the skill and care
of the prudent apothecary, makes a sovereign medicine,
and work together for the good of the patient; just so,
all the afflictions and sufferings which befall the saints
—they shall be so wisely, so divinely tempered, ordered,
and sanctified by the hand of God—as that they shall
really and remarkably work for their good. Those
dreadful providences which seem to be most harmful
to us, shall in the outcome prove most beneficial to us!
Look! as vessels of gold are made by fire, so by fiery
trials God will make His people vessels of gold! Ususally,
the most afflicted Christians are the most golden
Christians.
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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.