Sin never appears so odious, as when we behold it in the
red glass of Christ's sufferings. Can we look upon sin as
the occasion of all Christ's sufferings; can we look upon
sin as that which made Christ a curse, and which made
Him forsaken of His Father, and which made Him live
such a miserable life, and which brought Him to die such
a shameful, painful, and cruel death—and our hearts not
rise against it?
Shall our sins be grievous unto Christ—and shall they
not be odious unto us? Shall He die for our sins—and
shall not we die to our sins? Did not He suffer for sin
—that we might cease from sin?
If one would kill our father—would we hug and embrace
him? Surely not! We would be revenged on him. Sin has
killed our Savior—and shall we not be revenged on it?
Can a man look upon that snake which has stung his
dearly-loved wife to death—and preserve it alive, warm
it at the fire, and hug it in his bosom? Would he not
stab it with a thousand wounds? It is sin which has
stung our dear Jesus to death, which has crucified our
Lord, clouded His glory, and shed His precious blood!
Oh, how should this stir up our indignation against sin!
Ah, how can a Christian make much of those sins, which
have killed his dearest Lord! how can he cherish those sins
which betrayed Christ, and bound Christ, and condemned
Christ, and scourged Christ, and which violently nailed Him
to the cross, and there murdered Him!
It was neither Judas, nor Pilate, nor the Jews, nor the
soldiers—which could have done our Lord Jesus the
least hurt—had not our sins, like so many butchers
and hangmen, come in to their assistance!
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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.