Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Holy Scriptures (1)
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Holy Scriptures (1)
Oh Book! infinite sweetnesse! let my heart
Suck ev’ry letter, and a hony gain,
Precious for any grief in any part;
To cleare the breast, to mollifie all pain.
Thou art all health, health thriving, till it make
A full eternitie: thou art a masse
Of strange delights, where we may wish and take.
Ladies, look here; this is the thankfull glasse,
That mends the lookers eyes: this is the well
That washes what it shows. Who can indear
Thy praise too much? thou art heav’ns lieger here
Working against the states of death and hell.
Thou art joyes handsell: heav’n lies flat in thee,
Subject to ev’ry mounters bended knee.
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Holy Scriptures (1)
In this poem, George Herbert reflects on the Bible, addressing it as a source of spiritual richness, healing, and profound wisdom. The poem opens with a direct address, calling the Bible an ‘infinite sweetness’ that nourishes the heart, suggesting that its contents offer a spiritual sustenance likened to honey, a substance both soothing and medicinal. Herbert compares the Bible’s words to a form of healing that reaches into any grief or pain one may experience, with the power to bring comfort and relief to the soul.
The poet expands this idea by describing the Bible as a wellspring of ‘health thriving’, one that ultimately leads to ‘a full eternity’. This line indicates Herbert’s belief in the Bible as a path to eternal life, where the scriptures are not only a source of comfort in this life but also serve as preparation for a life beyond. Herbert then characterizes the Bible as ‘a mass of strange delights’, a place where one can ‘wish and take’. This phrasing suggests that readers can find answers, inspiration, or even solace in its pages—whatever they may seek, they are free to discover within its text. For Herbert, the Bible is also a transformative mirror, ‘the thankful glass, that mends the lookers’ eyes’, meaning it not only reflects the inner state of the reader but also refines and clarifies their perspective.
Herbert explores a range of metaphors to emphasize the Bible’s unique qualities. It is a ‘well that washes what it shows’, implying a spiritual cleansing that purifies the reader’s vision, thoughts, or character. He questions if the praise given to the Bible could ever be sufficient, as he considers it ‘heaven’s lieger here’, suggesting that the Bible is an ambassador from heaven, acting on behalf of God within the earthly realm. In this role, the Bible works ‘against the states of death and hell’, an idea that emphasizes its power as a spiritual safeguard, offering divine protection and countering the forces of spiritual darkness.
Herbert also presents the Bible as an anticipation of divine joy, describing it as ‘joy’s handsell’—a foretaste of heavenly joy. This suggests that engaging with the Bible provides glimpses of the fulfillment promised in heaven. Herbert portrays the Bible as containing ‘heaven… flat in thee’, implying that it lays the essence of divine truth and joy within reach for those who read it. Lastly, the Bible is ‘subject to every mounter’s bended knee’, meaning that it is accessible to any person who humbles themselves in devotion and seeks its wisdom.
Through such imagery, Herbert presents the Bible as more than a religious text; it is a living, active presence of God’s grace, comfort, and wisdom. By engaging deeply with it, readers not only gain moral or spiritual insight but also align themselves with eternal life. The poem underscores the Bible’s unique role as a guide, healer, and bridge to the divine. For Herbert, it is a profound and dynamic entity, meeting believers at their level and lifting them towards a higher, eternal relationship with God.
Herbert’s poem unfolds as meditation on inner peace and spiritual discipline, crafted through precise imagery and reflective admonition. Herbert begins with a command to restless thoughts, urging them to remain within confines of their own being. This invocation sets the tone for the poem as both a prayer and an internal dialogue, where the soul seeks to reconcile its innate restlessness with a divine imperative for order and calm. This act of addressing thoughts directly implies their unruliness, underscoring tension between human inclination toward distraction and spiritual call to stillness [ … ]
Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner Lord, how I am all ague, when I seek What I have treasur’d in my memorie! Since, if my soul make even with the week, Each seventh note by right is due to thee. I finde there quarries of pil’d vanities, But shreds of holinesse, that dare not venture To shew their face, since crosse to thy decrees. There the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre. In so much dregs the quintessence is small: The spirit and good extract of my heart Comes to about the many hundredth part. Yet Lord restore thine image, heare my call: And though my hard heart scarce to thee can grone, Remember that thou once didst write in stone. George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner The poet reflects on his spiritual state, describing a struggle with weakness, sin, and the desire for divine alignment. The poem opens with the poet addressing God, expressing discomfort, likened to an ‘ague’ (fever or chill), when he searches his memory for spiritual treasures. This ‘ague’ suggests both a physical and spiritual unease, revealing the tension the poet feels in self-examination. The second line conveys a sense of regret as the poet searches for ‘treasur’d’ holiness in his memory. He recognizes that, although he might strive to keep his soul ‘even with the week’, dedicating every seventh day to God, he falls short. This phrase reflects the expectation to honour the Sabbath, but the poet’s efforts are met with disappointment in their perceived spiritual emptiness. The poet goes on to examine his inner self, describing ‘quarries of pil’d vanities’ that dominate his mind. Here, ‘quarries’ implies an overwhelming quantity of earthly or superficial concerns, while ‘vanities’ suggests that these concerns are meaningless in the context of divine expectation. In contrast, he finds only ‘shreds of holinesse’, fragmented attempts at righteousness, which he hesitates to bring forward as these elements are ‘crosse to thy decrees’, or in opposition to God’s laws. This imagery underscores the poet’s internal conflict and recognition of shortcomings. Further, the poet contrasts earth and heaven, saying that ‘the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre.’ This phrase symbolizes the poet’s focus on worldly concerns (the circumference) that orbit around a neglected spiritual core (the heavenly center). The poet reflects that his life is filled with ‘dregs’, the lesser, unrefined aspects of his being, while ‘quintessence’, or the purest part of himself, is scarce. This ‘quintessence’ is described as the ‘spirit and good extract’ of the poet’s heart, amounting to a ‘many hundredth part’ — a small fraction of life’s essence. The poet realizes that, despite attempts to cultivate holiness, his internal state largely lacks spiritual substance. The final lines shift to a plea for restoration. The poet calls on God to ‘restore thine image’, asking for renewal and transformation. This restoration request implies a yearning to reflect God’s nature more fully, as humanity is believed to be made in God’s image. The poet acknowledges that his heart ‘scarce… can grone’ to God, reflecting the difficulty he feels in truly connecting with or petitioning the divine. The poem ends with reference to the biblical account of the Ten Commandments, when God ‘didst write in stone’. This allusion serves as both a reminder of God’s past willingness to communicate directly and a plea for a similar intervention to etch divine law into the poet’s heart. The poem examines themes of introspection, human fallibility, and a longing for divine transformation. The poet’s self-examination reveals struggle to balance earthly concerns with spiritual commitments, culminating in a plea for God’s direct action to restore spiritual integrity.
Since beginning his ministry, Jesus has called his first disciples to follow him. Now it is time to choose, from his disciples, the twelve who are to be called Apostles, that is those who are to be most especially sent to preach, on mission, and to found and to lead the Church. There are key, notable stages as Jesus constitutes his Church – the Apostles will be fully confirmed in their mission on the day of Pentecost. This is one such important stage [ … ]
