Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The World
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The World
Love built a stately house; where Fortune came,
And spinning phansies, she was heard to say,
That her fine cobwebs did support the frame,
Whereas they were supported by the same:
But Wisdome quickly swept them all away.
Then Pleasure came, who liking not the fashion,
Began to make Balcones, Terraces,
Till she had weakned all by alteration:
But rev’rend laws, and many a proclamation
Reformed all at length with menaces.
Then enter’d Sinne, and with that Sycomore,
Whose leaves first sheltred man from drought and dew,
Working and winding slily evermore,
The inward walls and Sommers cleft and tore:
But Grace shor’d these, and cut that as it grew.
Then Sinne combin’d with Death in a firm band
To rase the building to the very floore:
Which they effected, none could them withstand.
But Love and Grace took Glorie by the hand,
And built a braver Palace then before.
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The World
George Herbert’s ‘Love Built a Stately House’ is an allegorical poem exploring themes of divine grace, human fallibility, and spiritual struggle between sin and redemption. The poem uses the metaphor of a grand house to represent the soul and its vulnerability to the forces of Fortune, Pleasure, Sin, and ultimately, divine restoration through Love and Grace.
The poem opens with the image of a ‘stately house’ built by Love, suggesting a structure founded on divine principles. Love, personified as the ultimate creative force, constructs a place of spiritual integrity and strength. However, Fortune enters, spinning her fragile ‘cobwebs’, symbolic of worldly illusions and transient success. Though she claims her delicate webs support the house, they are in fact reliant on the underlying divine foundation. Wisdom, a stabilizing force, arrives and clears these deceptions, emphasizing the ultimate futility of human pride and superficial pursuits when weighed against divine truth.
Next, Pleasure attempts to alter the structure, dissatisfied with its simplicity and spiritual focus. Her modifications— ‘balconies’ and ‘terraces’—introduce instability, highlighting how indulgence and excess weaken the soul. The intervention of ‘reverend laws’ and ‘proclamations’ restores the original order, suggesting the importance of divine commandments and moral discipline in maintaining spiritual integrity.
Sin’s arrival marks a deeper threat to the house’s foundation. The reference to the ‘sycamore’ recalls the biblical story of Adam and Eve, whose first act of covering their nakedness with fig leaves represents human attempts to conceal sin. Sin works insidiously, ‘winding slyly’ and causing internal damage, yet Grace intervenes, restoring the structure by ‘shoring’ the damaged areas. This image of support conveys divine intervention as both a healing and protective force against moral decay.
The poem’s climax involves the alliance of Sin and Death, who conspire to completely destroy the house. Their destructive power brings the structure down to ‘the very floor’, an image of total collapse and the consequences of unchecked spiritual corruption. Yet, the poem does not end with despair. Love and Grace, personified once more, take ‘Glory by the hand’ and rebuild the house, making it ‘braver than before’. This final image emphasizes redemption and the transformative power of divine mercy. The house, once weakened by sin, is restored to an even greater spiritual strength through the actions of Love and Grace working in harmony with divine Glory.
The structure of the poem reflects its themes, with carefully balanced stanzas and controlled rhyme scheme suggesting a moral order that, despite disturbance, is ultimately restored. Herbert’s use of personification deepens the poem’s theological message, making abstract concepts vivid and immediate. The narrative progression—from initial construction to decay and eventual restoration—parallels the Christian understanding of Fall, Redemption, and the promise of spiritual renewal through Christ’s grace.
‘Love Built a Stately House’ explores how spiritual integrity can be compromised by worldly distractions and sin, yet ultimately restored through divine intervention. Herbert’s emphasis on Love and Grace as active, restorative forces underscores his belief in the redemptive power of divine mercy, offering hope for spiritual renewal. The poem becomes not just a meditation on the vulnerability of the soul but also celebration of the transformative power of divine compassion.
- The Temple by George Herbert (Complete Collection)
- George Herbert: A Literary Life by Sidney Gottlieb
- The English Poems of George Herbert edited by Helen Wilcox
- George Herbert and the Seventeenth-Century Religious Poets edited by Mario Di Cesare
- Metaphysical Poetry: A New Perspective by Colin Burrow
- The Devotional Poetry of George Herbert by Chana Bloch
- George Herbert and the Mystery of the Word by Richard Strier
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.
Psalm 84 expresses human yearning for divine presence. The psalm begins with an exclamation of admiration: ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!’ The term ‘tabernacles’ here refers to the sacred dwelling places of God. The psalmist’s words convey awe and reverence for the sanctuaries where God is believed to reside. This opening sets the tone for a poetic exploration of the soul’s yearning for proximity to the sacred [ … ]
Jesus has performed miracles and his redeeming power over the devils which possess people is clearly apparent; Jesus’ power over evil is manifest. The people marvel, and yet their hearts are hardened to the truth of Jesus. Rather than see with their eyes and understand, they reject the truth of Christ. They retreat to within the evil that holds them captive, which prevents them from seeing the truth of Jesus. They mutter and grumble and gossip, actively seeking to suggest the worst possible and false interpretation of what they have witnessed. They have seen the work of absolute good. They choose to accuse this good of being evil. They do not rise to the message of Christ [ .. ]
