He who is truly holy will be still a-reaching and stretching
himself out after higher degrees of holiness. Yes, a man
who is truly holy can never be holy enough; he sets no
bounds nor limits to his holiness; the perfection of holiness
is the mark that he has in his eye; he hears, and prays, and
mourns, and studies, and strives—that he may come up to
the highest pitch of holiness.
Received measures of holiness will not satisfy a holy soul;
so much holiness as will keep hell and his soul asunder—will
not satisfy him; nor will so much holiness as will bring him
to eternal happiness satisfy him. He will be still reaching and
stretching out after the highest measures of holiness; his
desires are for more holiness. The beauties of holiness do
so affect him and inflame him, that he cannot but desire
to be more and more holy. "Lord," says the soul, "I desire
to be more holy, that I may glorify Your name more. Lord,
I desire to be more holy, that I may sin less against You,
and that I may enjoy more of You! I would be more holy,
that I may be more victorious over all earthly vanities."
A holy man earnestly prays for more holiness. He prays
that his spark of holiness may be turned into a flame, his
drop of holiness into a sea, and his mite of holiness into
a rich treasury.
I dare boldly to say, that that man was never truly holy,
who does not endeavor to get up to the highest pitches
of holiness. True holiness knows no restrictions nor limitation.
True holiness makes a man divinely covetous. Look! as the
victorious man can never make enough conquests, nor can
the ambitious man ever have enough honor, nor can the
voluptuous man ever have enough pleasure, nor can the
worldling ever have enough mammon—no more can a man
of holiness have ever have enough holiness. As the grave
and the barren womb are never satisfied, they never say
"it is enough," Proverbs 30:15-16—just so, a holy man,
while he is on this side eternity, he is never satisfied,
he can never say that he has holiness enough.
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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.