Thomas Adams (1583-1652) was an English clergyman and reputed preacher. He was called “The Shakespeare of the Puritans” by Robert Southey. Adams was a Calvinist in theology. He is not accurately described as a Puritan. He was for a time at Willington, Bedfordshire, and his works may later have been read by John Bunyan. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1601 and M.A. in 1606. Ordained in 1604, he was a curate at Northill in Bedfordshire, a position he lost. By 1611, he was vicar of Willington.
On 21 December 1614 he became vicar of Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, a position he held until 1618. From 1618 to 1623 he held the preachership of St Gregory by St Paul’s, and during the same period preached occasionally at St. Paul’s Cross and Whitehall.
He was ‘observant chaplain’ to Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester, lord chief justice of England. Incidental references show that he was on intimate terms with William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke and Lord Ellesmere. Montagu was a dedicatee, as was Sir Henry Marten.
He was buried on 26 November 1652. [More via Wikipedia] [or read Dr. Joel Beeke’s Biographical Sketch] [A memoir of Thomas Adams is here]
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THOMAS ADAMS:
Commentary on the Second Epistle of St. Peter. (913 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
The Happiness of the Church. Hebrews 12:22-24.
From Works, Volume 2. (86 pages) [pdf]
Meditations Upon Some Part of the Creed.
From Works, Volume 3. (177 pages) [pdf]
A Memoir of Thomas Adams.
From Works, Volume 3. (48 pages) [pdf]
The Works of Thomas Adams, Volume 1. (537 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
This volume contains 25 sermons:
- Politic Hunting (Genesis 25:27) – [pdf, 18 pp.]
- Plain-Dealing, or, A Precedent of Honesty (Genesis 25:27) – [pdf, 12 pp.]
- The Soldier’s Honour (Judges 5:8-9) – [pdf, 18 pp.]
- The Sinner’s Mourning Habit (Job 42:6) – [pdf, 18 pp.]
- Heaven Made Sure, or, The Certainty of Salvation (Psalm 35:3) – [pdf, 11 pp.; Digital Puritan reprint, 5 pp.]
- A Generation of Serpents (Psalm 58:4) – [pdf, 10 pp.]
- The Rage of Oppression (Psalm 66:12) – [pdf, 9 pp.]
- The Victory of Patience With The Expiration of Malice (Psalm 66:12) – [pdf, 8 pp.]
- God’s House, or, The Place of Praises (Psalm 66:13) – [pdf, 16 pp.]
- The Sacrifice of Thankfulness (Psalm 118:27) – [pdf, 23 pp.]
- God’s Bounty, or, The Blessings of Both His Hands, part 1 (Proverbs 3:16) – [pdf, 11 pp.]
- God’s Bounty, or, The Blessings of Both His Hands, part 2 (Proverbs 3:16) – [pdf, 10 pp.]
- The Fatal Banquet, part 1 (Proverbs 9:17-18) – [pdf, 17 pp.]
- The Fatal Banquet, part 2 (Proverbs 9:17) – [pdf, 21 pp.]
- The Fatal Banquet, part 3: The Breaking-Up of the Feast (Proverbs 9:17) – [pdf, 17 pp.]
- The Fatal Banquet, part 4: The Shot; or, The Woeful Price Which the Wicked Pay for the Feast of Vanity (Proverbs 9:18) – [pdf, 30 pp.]
- The Fool and His Sport (Proverbs 14:9) – [pdf, 9 pp.]
- Mystical Bedlam, or The World of Madmen (Ecclesiastes 9:3) – [pdf, 40 pp.]
- The Gallant’s Burden (Isaiah 21:11-12) – [pdf, 35 pp.]
- The Sinner’s Passing Bell, or A Complaint from Heaven for Man’s Sins (Jeremiah 8:22) – [pdf, 29 pp.]
- Physic From Heaven (Jeremiah 8:22) – [pdf, 36 pp.]
- England’s Sickness, part 1 (Jeremiah 8:22) – [pdf, 28 pp.]
- England’s Sickness, part 2 (Jeremiah 8:22) – [pdf, 26 pp.]
- Heaven and Earth Reconciled (Daniel 12:3) – [pdf, 23 pp.]
- The Soul’s Sickness: A Discourse, Divine, Moral, and Physical – [pdf, 36 pp.]
The Works of Thomas Adams, Volume 2. (593 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
This volume contains 31 sermons and one discourse (“The Happiness of the Church”):
- Christ’s Star, or, The Wise Men’s Obligation (Matthew 2:11) – [pdf, 12 pp.]
- The Way Home (Matthew 2:12) – [pdf, 11 pp.]
- The Good Politician Directed (Matthew 10:16) – [pdf, 12 pp.]
- The Black Saint, or, The Apostate (Matthew 12:43-45) – [pdf, 33 pp.]
- The Leaven, or, A Direction to Heaven (Matthew 13:33) – [pdf, 12 pp.]
- The Two Sons, or, The Dissolute Conferred with the Hypocrite (Matthew 21:28-30) – [pdf, 17 pp.]
- Majesty in Misery, or, The Power of Christ Even Dying (Matthew 27:51) – [pdf, 11 pp.]
- Lycanthropy, or, The Wolf Worrying the Lambs (Luke 10:3) – [pdf, 14 pp.]
- The Cosmopolite, or, The World’s Favourite (Luke 12:20) – [pdf, 22 pp.]
- The Fire of Contention, or, The Trouble That Follows the Gospel (Luke 12:49) – [pdf, 21 pp.]
- The Barren Tree (Luke 13:7) – [pdf, 20 pp.]
- Faith’s Encouragement (Luke 17:19) – [pdf, 23 pp.]
- The Lost Are Found (Luke 19:10) – [pdf, 12 pp.]
- The White Devil, or, The Hypocrite Uncased (John 12:6) – [pdf, 33 pp.]
- The Holy Choice (Acts 1:24) – [pdf, 10 pp.]
- A Visitation Sermon (Acts 15:36) – [pdf, 10 pp.]
- The Three Divine Sisters: Faith, Hope, and Charity (1 Corinthians 13:13) – [pdf, 10 pp.]
- The Temple (2 Corinthians 6:16) – [pdf, 26 pp.]
- Eirenopolis: The City of Peace (2 Corinthians 13:11) – [pdf, 25 pp.]
- The Bad Leaven, or, The Contagion of Sin (Galatians 5:9) – [pdf, 25 pp.]
- Man’s Seed-Time and Harvest, or, Lex Talionis (Galatians 6:7) – [pdf, 15 pp.]
- Spiritual Eye-Salve, or, The Benefit of Illumination (Ephesians 1:18) – [pdf, 13 pp.]
- The Saints’ Meeting, or, Progress to Glory (Ephesians 4:13) – [pdf, 16 pp.]
- The Christian’s Walk, or, The King’s Highway of Charity (Ephesians 5:2) – [pdf, 9 pp.]
- Love’s Copy, or, The Best Precedent of Charity (Ephesians 5:2) – [pdf, 9 pp.]
- A Crucifix, or, A Sermon Upon the Passion (Ephesians 5:2) – [pdf, 13 pp.]
- A Divine Herbal, or, The Garden of Graces (Hebrews 6:7-8) – [pdf, 12 pp.]
- The Praise of Fertility (Hebrews 6:7) – [pdf, 10 pp.]
- A Contemplation of the Herbs (Hebrews 6:7) – [pdf, 14 pp.]
- The Forest of Thorns (Hebrews 6:8) – [pdf, 14 pp.]
- The End of Thorns (Hebrews 6:8) – [pdf, 8 pp.]
- The Happiness of the Church (Hebrews 12:22-24) – [pdf, 86 pp.]
The Works of Thomas Adams, Volume 3. (591 pages)
[pdf epub mobi txt web via Internet Archive]
This volume contains a memoir, 8 sermons and a discourse (“Meditations on Some Part of the Creed”):
- Memoir of the Reverend Thomas Adams – [pdf, 48 pp.]
- Semper Idem, or, The Immutable Mercy of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:8) – [pdf, 9 pp.]
- The Taming of the Tongue (James 3:8) – [pdf, 13 pp.]
- The Soul’s Refuge (1 Peter 4:19) – [pdf, 15 pp.]
- The Spiritual Navigator Bound for the Holy Land (Revelation 4:6) – [pdf, 25 pp.]
- Presumption Running into Despair (Revelation 6:16) – [pdf, 11 pp.]
- Heaven-Gate, or, The Passage to Paradise (Revelation 22:14) – [pdf, 11 pp.]
- Meditations on Some Part of the Creed – [pdf, 177 pp.]
- God’s Anger (Psalm 80:4) – [pdf, 15 pp.]
- Man’s Comfort (Psalm 94:19) – [pdf, 20 pp.]
Want to discuss something pertaining to Thomas Adams? Leave a public comment below (subject to moderation), or send a private message to the webmaster.
Would like to read his comments on the book of Jonah .
Oh, I found it. It is in “The Victory of Patience…”
Apparently, one of Thomas Adam’s sermons was the first recorded instance of the phrase “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” Anyone know which sermon it is in?
I would like to read his bible commentary on the book of Psalm