"What do you have—that you have not received?" 1 Cor. 4:7
What grace do you have—that you have not received?
All the light,
and all the life,
and all the love,
and all the joy,
and all the fear,
and all the faith,
and all the hope,
and all the patience,
and all the humility, etc.,
that you have—are all grace gifts—they are all
from God. "Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and comes down from the
Father of lights." James 1:17
A man should never look upon his graces—but should
be ready to say, "These are the jewels of glory with
which God has bespangled my soul!"
Look! as all light flows from the sun, and all water from
the sea—so all temporal, spiritual, and eternal good flows
from God. All your graces, and the greatest excellencies
which are in you, do as much depend upon God, as the
light does upon the sun, or as the rivers do upon the sea,
or as the branches do upon the root, John 15:1-5.
All the springs of comfort that I have communicated to my
soul, and all the springs of grace that I have to quicken me,
they are all from God. A Christian's graces are all such
flowers of paradise as never grew in nature's garden. Now,
when a Christian looks thus upon all those costly diamonds
of grace, with which his soul is bedecked, he keeps humble,
though his graces are high.
Dear hearts, when you look upon the stream, remember
the fountain; when you look upon the flower, remember
the root; and whenever you look upon your graces, then
be sure to remember Christ the fountain of grace. When
one of your eyes is fixed upon your graces—let the other
be always fixed upon Christ the fountain of grace. "Indeed,
we have all received grace after grace from His fullness."
John 1:16
Grace is strengthened, maintained, nourished, and upheld
in your souls—in life and power, in beauty and glory—by
the spiritual, powerful, and glorious operations of Christ!
Christians, your graces are holy and heavenly plants
of Christ's own planting and watering! It is Christ alone
who can cause your graces to blossom, and your souls to
be like a watered garden—green and flourishing! Therefore
let the eye of your souls be firstly, mostly, and chiefly
fixed upon Christ.
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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.