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  A COOLER HELL
  by Thomas Brooks
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Summary: The sermon emphasizes the importance of piety over morality,
warning that even the most moral person can be Christless and destined
for eternal misery.

Topics: "True Repentance", "Civility vs. Sanctity"
Scripture References: Luke 18:11

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DESCRIPTION
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Thomas Brooks emphasizes that mere civility and common morality are
insufficient for true sanctity and communion with God. He warns that
many people mistakenly believe their moral behavior exempts them from
the need for genuine holiness, while in reality, they may be far from
God and unaware of their spiritual condition. Brooks illustrates that a
moral person, though seemingly good, may still be Christless and
graceless, ultimately leading to a cooler hell rather than salvation. He
contrasts this with the humility of the tax collector, who recognized
his sinfulness and sought God's mercy, demonstrating that true
justification comes from a heart of repentance rather than mere moral
conduct.

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CONTENT
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"God, I thank You that I'm not like other people--greedy,

unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get."

Luke 18:11-12

Many please and satisfy themselves with mere civility and

common morality. They bless themselves that they are not

swearers, nor drunkards, nor extortioners, nor adulterers,

etc. Their behavior is civil, sincere, harmless, and blameless.

But civility is not sanctity. Civility rested in--is but a beautiful

abomination--a smooth way to hell and destruction.

Civility is very often . . .

the nurse of impiety,

the mother of flattery, and

an enemy to real sanctity.

There are those who are so blinded with the fair shows of

civility--that they can neither see the necessity nor beauty

of sanctity. There are those who now bless themselves in

their common morality, whom at last God will scorn and

cast off for lack of real holiness and purity.

A moral man may be an utter stranger . . .

to God,

to Christ,

to Scripture,

to the filthiness of sin,

to the depths and devices of Satan,

to their own hearts,

to the new birth,

to the great concerns of eternity,

to communion with Christ,

to the secret and inward ways and workings of the Spirit.

Well, sirs, remember this--though the moral man is good for

many things--yet he is not good enough to go to heaven! He

who rises to no higher pitch than civility and morality--shall

never have communion with God in glory. The most moral

man in the world, may be both Christless and graceless.

Morality is not sufficient to keep a man out of eternal misery.

All morality can do, is to help a man to one of the best rooms

and easiest beds which hell affords! For, as the moral man's

sins are not so great as others--so his punishments shall not

be so great as others. This is all the comfort that can be given

to a moral man--that he shall have a cooler hell than

others have. But this is but cold comfort.

Morality without piety is as a body without a soul. Will

God ever accept of such a stinking sacrifice? Surely not!

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even

look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have

mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than

the other, went home justified before God." Luke 18:13-14

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/thomas-brooks/a-cooler-hell/
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