Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | Grace
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | Grace
My stock lies dead, and no increase
Doth my dull husbandrie improve:
O let thy graces without cease
Drop from above!
If still the sunne should hide his face,
Thy house would but a dungeon prove,
Thy works nights captives: O let grace
Drop from above!
The dew doth ev’ry morning fall;
And shall the dew out-strip thy dove?
The dew, for which grasse cannot call,
Drop from above.
Death is still working like a mole,
And digs my grave at each remove:
Let grace work too, and on my soul
Drop from above.
Sinne is still hammering my heart
Unto a hardnesse, void of love:
Let suppling grace, to crosse his art,
Drop from above.
O come! for thou dost know the way.
Or if to me thou wilt not move,
Remove me, where I need not say,
Drop from above.
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | Grace
In this poem, Herbert expresses a yearning for divine grace to enliven and sustain his spiritual life. Herbert begins by admitting a sense of spiritual stagnation, stating, ‘My stock lies dead, and no increase / Doth my dull husbandry improve.’ Here, Herbert characterizes his inner resources or spiritual vitality as unproductive, and he attributes this lack to his own insufficient efforts, likened to a ‘dull husbandry’, or poor cultivation. This admission reveals Herbert’s dependence on external, divine intervention for renewal, as he implores grace to ‘drop from above’.
The repeated refrain ‘Drop from above!’ emphasizes Herbert’s awareness of grace as a necessary force, one that must be continually bestowed by God. Each stanza builds on the sense of this need, linking the grace of God to natural imagery. Herbert compares his dependency on divine grace to the dependence of the earth on the sun: ‘If still the sun should hide his face, / Thy house would but a dungeon prove.’ Here, ‘Thy house’ can be read as both the earthly world and the human soul, both of which rely on God’s grace, symbolized as sunlight, for life and purpose. Without this divine ‘sun’, Herbert suggests, his existence would feel dark and imprisoning.
The image of morning dew introduces a gentler parallel to sunlight as a source of grace: ‘The dew doth every morning fall; / And shall the dew outstrip thy dove?’ The reference to the dew, which naturally ‘falls’ each morning without needing to be called, serves as a quiet yet essential blessing from God. This comparison implies Herbert’s desire for God’s grace to be just as constant and life-giving as the dew that sustains plant life. The dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, is called upon to grant a similar quiet but sustaining grace.
Herbert contrasts divine grace with darker forces at work. Death, personified as a mole, ‘digs my grave at each remove’, reflecting Herbert’s awareness of mortality and the constant threat it poses to his soul. In parallel to death’s destructive actions, ‘Sin is still hammering my heart / Unto a hardness, void of love’. Here, sin is portrayed as shaping the heart into an unfeeling, hardened state, devoid of spiritual life. In response to these threats, Herbert asks for ‘suppling grace’, or a softening force, to counteract sin’s hardening effects. This dual presence of grace and sin reflects the inner struggle faced by Herbert, who feels vulnerable to forces of both spiritual decay and salvation.
The final stanza introduces a tone of urgency and surrender: ‘O come! for thou dost know the way.’ Herbert’s invitation to God to ‘come’ implies a desire for direct divine intervention. Acknowledging that God knows ‘the way’ highlights Herbert’s trust in God’s wisdom and omniscience, despite his own lack of direction. Herbert closes with a paradoxical plea: if God will not descend to him, then let he be removed to a place where grace is present without need for further asking. This suggests a longing for spiritual elevation or a transcendent state of union with God, where Herbert’s need for grace will be fully satisfied.
Saint Fulgentius reminds us that the great transformation of the resurrection begins now, in the hidden conversion of the heart. The ‘first resurrection’ is not merely an image but a real spiritual event: the passage from sin to grace, from darkness to light, from unbelief to faith. In this life, God works the first change within us — a change that prepares and guarantees the glorious change to come [ … ]
Saint Gregory Nazianzen presents the baptism of Christ as an event that concerns not only Jesus Christ himself but the whole renewal of creation. From the opening lines, Saint Gregory draws the reader into participation: what happens to Jesus Christ is meant to happen to us all. Christ enters the water, and humanity is invited to enter with him; Christ rises, and humanity is raised with Jesus Christ [ … ]
In the Bible, a miracle is an event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. Miracles are often seen as a sign of the intervention of God in the affairs of human beings. In the Old Testament, the most famous miracles are the Ten Plagues of Egypt, in which God punished the Pharaoh for refusing to release the Israelites from slavery, and the parting of the Red Sea, in which God allowed the Israelites to escape from the pursuing Egyptians by opening a path through the sea. In the New Testament, the miracles of Jesus are a central part of his ministry and are seen as evidence of his divinity. These include healings, such as the restoration of sight to the blind and the raising of the dead, and acts of nature, such as turning water into wine and walking on water. Is There A Theological Significance To Jesus’ Miracles? In the Christian tradition, the miracles performed by Jesus are seen as a manifestation of his divinity and as proof of his authority to teach and heal. Many of these miracles are described in the Gospels of the New Testament, which are the primary source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus. The purpose of the miracles, according to the Gospels, was to demonstrate Jesus’ power over natural forces and to show that he had the authority to forgive sins and offer salvation to those who believed in him. Why Did Jesus Ask To Keep His Miracles Secret? ‘Tell No One Of This.’ In the Gospels, there are a few instances where Jesus tells people not to tell others about what he has done for them. For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons, he told the man, ‘See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a proof to them’ (Matthew 8:4). In this case, it seems that Jesus was concerned that the man’s testimony might not be believed or might be misunderstood, and so he asked him to keep the experience to himself for the time being. It is difficult to say for sure why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle without knowing the specific context in which the request was made. However, some possible reasons that come to mind include: To avoid drawing unnecessary attention to himself. In the Gospels, Jesus often tries to avoid drawing too much attention to himself, especially from the authorities who are hostile to him. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding unwanted attention and allowing Jesus to continue his ministry without interference. To allow the person who was healed to experience the transformation for themselves. In some cases, the person who was healed might have been skeptical or unsure of what had happened to them. Asking them to keep quiet about the miracle might have given them time to reflect on the experience and come to their own understanding of it without being influenced by others. To test the person’s faith. In some cases, Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle as a test of their faith. If they were truly grateful for what Jesus had done for them, they would be willing to follow his instructions and trust that he had a good reason for asking them to keep quiet. These are just a few possible reasons why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle. It is important to remember that the Gospels are ancient texts and that we must be careful not to impose our own interpretations on them without considering the historical and cultural context in which they were written. To avoid creating conflict or division. In the Gospels, Jesus often encounters people who are skeptical or hostile to his teachings, and he sometimes tries to avoid confrontations with them. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding a confrontation or a heated debate that could disrupt his ministry. To avoid being misunderstood or misrepresented. In some cases, the person who was healed might not have understood the full significance of what Jesus had done for them, and they might have tried to explain it in a way that distorted or misrepresented the truth. Asking them to keep quiet might have given Jesus time to explain things to them more fully and help them to understand the true meaning of the miracle. To avoid becoming a spectacle. In the Gospels, there are many instances where people are amazed by the miracles that Jesus performs, and they often try to make him into a kind of celebrity or showman. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might have been one way of avoiding this kind of attention and keeping the focus on the message that Jesus was trying to convey. What Is The Significance Of Miracle Of The Wedding At Cana? In the Christian tradition, the wedding at Cana is significant because it is the first of the miracles performed by Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament. This event is described in the Gospel of John, where it is said that Jesus, along with his mother Mary and his disciples, attended a wedding in the town of Cana. At the wedding, the host ran out of wine, and Mary asked Jesus to help. In response, Jesus turned water into wine, which is seen as a miraculous act that demonstrated his power and authority. In the Gospel of John, after Mary asks Jesus to help with the wine at the wedding in Cana, he replies, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). This statement is often seen as indicating that Jesus was aware […]
