"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my
soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry
and weary land where there is no water. I have seen
You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your
glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips
will glorify You!" Psalm 63:1-3
Be sure you don't take up your greatest delight . . .
in any creature,
in any comfort,
in any contentment,
in any worldly enjoyment.
When the mother sees that the child is enthralled
with the doll or the rattle—she comes not in sight.
If you take up your rest in any of the dolls and rattles
—in any of the poor things of this world, God will
certainly keep out of sight. He will never honor them
with His gracious presence—who are enthralled with
anything below Himself, below His presence.
When you begin to be tickled and enthralled with
this and that worldly enjoyment, reason thus—"Here
is a gracious spouse, here are precious children, here
is a pleasant home, here is a wonderful climate, here
is a gainful trade, etc. But what are all these to me,
so long as God has withdrawn His presence from me?"
Remember this once for all—that the whole world
is but a barren wilderness—without the gracious
presence of God!
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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.