1636 THOMAS BROOKS. Very Scarce Signed Document by Prominent Puritan Divine & Author.

Had Brooks been a worldly man, his writings would have been most valuable; but since he was an eminent Christian, they are doubly so. He had the eagle eye of faith, as well as the eagle wing of imagination. He saw similes, metaphors, and allegories everywhere; but they were all consecrated to his Master’s service. C. H. Spurgeon

A lovely 6 x 7 inch 17th century legal document boldly signed by Thomas Brooks and pertaining to Northumbria, which extends up the Northeastern coast of England and into Scotland, encompassing Edinburgh. 

After graduating Emanuel College, that nursey of the Puritans attended by John Cotton, Thomas Hooker etc., he seems to have gone to sea, perhaps as a chaplain. He makes frequent allusion to it in his writings. And from those allusions we can roughly fix the date of the present document. In one account retold by Brooks as illustrative of a text, he says he was both at sea and on land with Colonel Rainsborough. Colonel Rainsborough was the son of and served with his father, William Rainsborough, Captain of the Triumph from the Early of Northumbria's fleet in 1636. It seems most likely this document was signed while on land just before or aftering serving as chaplain onboard that vessel. 

Thomas Brooks [1608-1680] remains one of the most beloved of Puritan authors. A witty, deeply pastoral, and experiential writer, Spurgeon found him such a favorite, he compiled and edited a group of writings for publication with Passmore and Alabaster under the title, Smooth Stones taken from Ancient Brooks.

Brooks scatters stars with both hands, with an eagle eye of faith as well as the eagle eye of imagination. C. H. Spurgeon

His works, issued in six volumes, have been almost continuously in print since the 17th century, including as issued as part of the Nichols Series of Puritan Divines in the 19th century, and again from Banner of Truth in the 20th. 

His most enduring works are Heaven on Earth: Treatise on Assurance; Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices; and The Mute Christian Under the Rod of God. 

After the 1643 Civil War, he assumed a pastorate in London, and never left the Metropolis. At the 1662 Act of Uniformity, he was ejected, but continued to preach in homes and secret; it was at this point that his writing career became his primary means of proclamation.

Very scarce. Would be lovely framed with an engraving of Brooks.

We should note that his name spelling was, as many 17th century persons' names were, inconsistent. Even in publication, we see Brookes, Brooks, and Brook. It is here, in his own hand, Brookes.