Divinely covetous – Thomas Brooks

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.