[b]You take the goods
(Thomas Brooks, "Heaven on Earth" 1667)
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants
for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?" Psalm 42:1-2
The rattle without the breast, will not satisfy the child;
the house without the husband, will not satisfy the wife;
the cabinet without the jewel, will not satisfy the maiden;
nor will the world without Christ, satisfy the soul.
The hungry soul will not be put off with any bread but
with the bread of life; the thirsty soul will not be put off
with any water but with the well-springs of life.
As the king of Sodom said once, "You take the goods,
give me the people," Gen 14:21. Just so, says the hungry
soul, "You take the goods--take your honors, and riches,
and the favor of creatures; you take the grain, the oil,
and the wine; give me Christ, give me the light of His
countenance, give me the joy of His Spirit, etc."