To be in a state of true grace, is to be miserable no
more; it is to be happy forever. A soul in this state is
a soul near and dear to God. It is a soul much beloved,
and very highly valued by God. It is a soul housed in
God. It is a soul safe in God's everlasting arms. The
being in a state of grace makes a man's condition
happy, safe, and sure.
But the seeing, the knowing of himself to be in such a
state, is that which renders his life sweet and comfortable.
The being in a state of grace will yield a man a heaven
hereafter; but the seeing of himself in this state will yield
him both a heaven here and a heaven hereafter. It
will render him doubly blessed—blessed in heaven, and
blessed in his own conscience.
Assurance is the beauty and apex of a Christian's happiness
in this life. It is usually attended with the strongest joy, with
the sweetest comforts, and with the greatest peace. It is a
pearl that most want—a crown that few wear. His state is safe
and happy, whose soul is adorned with grace, though he sees
it not, though he knows it not. To have grace, and to be sure
that we have grace, is heaven on this side heaven.
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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.