The H. Scriptures I
The Sweetness of Scripture
The poet exclaims over the sweetness of Scripture, desiring to draw honey from every letter for comfort in all grief.
Oh Book! Infinite sweetness!✦ Let my heart drink in every letter and gain honey, precious for any grief anywhere—to clear the breast, to soften all pain.✦1
Healing Mirror and Well
Scripture is presented as both a healing glass that restores sight and a washing well that cleanses what it reveals.
You are all health—health that thrives until it makes a full eternity. You are a mass of strange delights, where we may wish and take. Ladies, look here; this is the thankful glass23 That heals the eyes of those who look: this is the well that washes what it shows.4
Heaven's Ambassador
The poet declares that no praise can be too high for Scripture, which acts as heaven's envoy against death and hell.
Who could ever make your praise too dear?5 You are heaven's resident ambassador here, working against the states of death and hell.✦6
Joy's Open Heaven
Scripture is joy's first gift, revealing heaven itself and inviting all who kneel to ascend.
You're joy's first gift: heaven lies flat in you, subject to every climber's bent knee.7
Read the original English
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 & 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 indeare 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.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.19.10;Ps.119.103 — The fear of the LORD is pure, standing forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, righteous altogether. Ps.119.103 — How sweet are your words to my palate, more than honey to my mouth!
- ↩Ps.19.10;Ps.119.103;Ezek.3.3;Rev.10.9-Rev.10.10 — The fear of the LORD is pure, standing forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, righteous altogether. Ps.119.103 — How sweet are your words to my palate, more than honey to my mouth! Ezek.3.3 — And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you — fill your stomach and your belly with this scroll that I am giving you." So I ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey. Rev.10.9 — And I went to the angel, saying to him, 'Give me the little scroll.' And he says to me, 'Take it and eat it up, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.' Rev.10.10 — And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.
- ↩Rev.20.13-Rev.20.14;1Cor.15.26 — And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to their deeds. Rev.20.14 — And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 1Cor.15.26 — The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Notes
- 1 ↩Suck keeps Herbert's bee-and-honey metaphor for drawing sweetness from each letter of Scripture; clear the breast and soften all pain also carry the old medicinal use of honey for the chest and for easing pain.
- 2 ↩Early modern glass = looking-glass/mirror. Thankful glass: a mirror that shows (and stirs thanks for) what is good; the sense continues into the next section, which says it mends the looker's eyes.
- 3 ↩Strange here means extraordinary/marvelous, not merely odd.
- 4 ↩Continues the previous image of Scripture as a "thankful glass" (mirror): it not only reflects but mends the looker's eyes; the same book is also a well that cleanses what it reveals.
- 5 ↩Source "indeare" (endear): to make dear or enhance the worth of. The rhetorical question means no one can overpraise Scripture or make its praise too precious.
- 6 ↩Source "Lieger" (also leger/lieger-ambassador): a permanent resident ambassador stationed at a foreign court. Herbert casts Scripture as heaven's envoy on earth, opposing the political "states" of death and hell.
- 7 ↩handsell (handsel): a first gift, earnest, or installment that promises more to come; rendered as 'first gift' to keep that sense without archaic diction.
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