Divinitie
The Overreaching of Reason
Human reason, like astronomers who impose spheres on stars, carves up divine truth with definitions, setting aside faith and rending the seamless garment of Christ.
Because people fear the stars might sleep, nod, and stumble at night, they've fitted them with spheres—as if a star were duller than a clod of earth, which knows its way without a guide.1 Just so they also serve the other heaven—Divinity's transcendent sky—which they cut and carve with the edge of wit.2 Reason triumphs, and Faith is set aside.3 Couldn't that wisdom which first broached the wine have thickened it with definitions? And jagged his seamless coat—if that had been fine—with intricate questions and divisions?4
The Clarity of Christ's Doctrine
Christ's teaching is as clear as heaven, and its saving beams outshine any flame of human ingenuity.
But all the doctrine he taught and gave was as clear as heaven, from which it came. At least those beams of truth that alone can save surpass any flame in brightness.5
Plain Commands, Dark to the Wise
The simple commands to love God and neighbor, watch and pray, and do unto others are ironically called 'dark' because they confound the learned who seek complex knots.
Love God, and love your neighbor. Watch and pray. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Oh, dark instructions — even as dark as day!6 Who can undo these Gordian knots?7
The Saving Simplicity of the Sacrament
Christ bids us take his blood for wine, and the simple act of taking and tasting is all that saves, clear and unclouded.
But He tells us to take His blood as wine. Let him bid whatever he will; yet I'm sure that taking and tasting what he designs there is all that saves—and it isn't obscure.✦8
Faith's Unburdened Ascent
Burn the man-made spheres of reason, for faith needs no earthly staff and can journey to heaven alone, leading the way.
Then burn your epicycles, you fool; break all your spheres, and save your head.9 Faith needs no staff of flesh; it can boldly go to heaven alone and also lead the way.10
Read the original English
AS men, for fear the starres should sleep and nod, And trip at night, have spheres suppli'd; As if a starre were duller then a clod, Which knows his way without a guide:
Just so the other heav'n they also serve, Divinities transcendent skie: Which with the edge of wit they cut and carve. Reason triumphs, and Faith lies by.
Could not that wisdome which first broacht the wine, Have thicken'd it with definitions? And jagg'd his seamlesse coat, had that been fine, With curious questions and divisions?
But all the doctrine, which he taught and gave, Was cleare as heav'n, from whence it came. At least those beams of truth, which onely save, Surpasse in brightnesse any flame.
Love God, and love your neighbour. Watch and pray. Do as ye would be done unto. O dark instructions; ev'n as dark as day! Who can these Gordian knots undo?
But he doth bid us take his bloud for wine. Bid what he please; yet I am sure, To take and taste what he doth there designe, Is all that saves, and not obscure.
Then burn thy Epicycles, foolish man; Break all thy spheres, and save thy head. Faith needs no staffe of flesh, but stoutly can To heav'n alone both go, and leade.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.34.8 — The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Notes
- 1 ↩Herbert's 'spheres' are the Ptolemaic celestial spheres imagined to carry the stars; the simile mocks the idea that stars need artificial machinery the way later lines mock reason carving up divinity.
- 2 ↩"Serve" continues the previous stanza's image of men supplying artificial spheres for the stars: here they likewise manage and dissect the divine realm. "Divinities transcendent skie" is read as a possessive (Divinity's transcendent sky), appositive to "the other heaven."
- 3 ↩"Lies by" means rests unused or is left to the side, not that Faith is false. Rendered as "is set aside" to keep that sense in plain modern English.
- 4 ↩Early modern 'curious' here means over-subtle or elaborately refined, not merely inquisitive; rendered as 'intricate' to preserve the critique of scholastic hair-splitting.
- 5 ↩Source 'onely save' uses Early Modern only = alone/exclusively; rendered as 'that alone can save' to keep the exclusive salvific force without archaic 'only' placement.
- 6 ↩Ironic: the simple gospel commands just listed are called 'dark' (obscure), then undercut by 'as dark as day' — i.e. not dark at all, but plain as daylight.
- 7 ↩Continues the irony: the 'knots' are the plain commands above, not truly hard puzzles; 'Gordian knots' evokes the famously insoluble knot cut by Alexander.
- 8 ↩"there" points to the sacramental act just named (taking his blood for wine); kept as "there" rather than expanded into an interpretive gloss.
- 9 ↩Epicycles and spheres are Ptolemaic astronomy used as an image for elaborate human systems that over-map divine mystery; kept as concrete metaphors rather than paraphrased away.
- 10 ↩staffe of flesh = fleshly prop or worldly support; stoutly = firmly/boldly. leade kept as faith's capacity to guide, not only to travel.
The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
- Save favourites into your personal pocket collection you can open anywhere