None on earth are so near to God, and so high in their
communion with God—as humble souls. And as they
have the clearest visions of God, so God gives them
the fullest sight and knowledge of their own sinfulness
and nothingness.
"I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear—but
now my eye has seen you, I abhor myself in dust
and ashes." says Job.
In a vision the Lord reveals His glory to the prophet
Isaiah, "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am
a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of
unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the
Lord Almighty." Oh, the vision that I have had of the
glory of God has given me such a clear and full sight
of my own vileness and baseness, that I cannot but
loathe and abhor myself.
When Abraham draws near to God, then he accounts
himself but dust and ashes, Gen. 18:26-27.
"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" That is
—a man, a sinner—a compound of dirt and sin! When
Peter saw that glorious miracle wrought by the Lord Jesus,
he cries out as one very sensible of his own weakness and
sinfulness. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." Ah! I
am not worthy to be near such majesty and glory—who
am a mere bundle of vice and vanity, of folly and iniquity!
The angels that are near God, that stand before Him,
in humility they cover their faces with two wings, as
with a double scarf, in Isaiah 6:2
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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.