Miserie
Invocation
The chapter opens with a prayer for the angels to praise God's name.
Lord, let the angels praise your name.
The Folly of Man
Man is described as foolish, drunk on sin, refusing to serve God, and unwilling to examine his own actions.
Man is a foolish thing, a foolish thing; Folly and Sin play out his whole game. His house is still burning, and yet he keeps on singing: Man is only grass—he knows it; fill the glass. How can you put up with his foolishness? He won't even give up a drink for you; just try telling him to moderate his excess, and he won't listen. He’ll swear he knows where he can be better off than serving you in fear.✦1 What strange defilements he marries and claims as his own, as if no one knew but him! No one will beat it into his head that you can see within his drawn curtains: they're made of cloth where moth has never yet come.2 Even the best of people, if you turn your hand aside for a mere minute, stumble over a pin: they don't want their actions examined, or any sorrow to tell them they've sinned—even if it's small—and they don't measure their fall.
God's Mercy and Our Unworthiness
God's love covers human follies, yet even the purest human praise is stained by clay hearts.
They quarrel with you and want to back out of the bargain they made to serve you; but your love holds them to it, covering their follies with the wing of your gentle Dove, and not letting those who might want to become your enemies.✦ My God, no human being can praise your name: you are all brightness, perfect purity. The sun hangs its head in shame, dead with eclipses, when we speak of you. How can infection presume on your perfection?3 As dirty hands foul everything they touch—and foul most of all the things that are purest and finest! So our clay hearts, even when we crouch to sing your praises, make them less divine. Yet either this is your portion—or none at all.4
The Blindness of Man
Man chooses to serve the swine of his passions rather than God, and is blind to heavenly treasures.
Man can't serve you; let him go and serve the swine: there—there is his delight. He doesn't like this virtue, no. Give him his dirt to wallow in all night. These preachers only make his head throb and ache. Oh, foolish man, where are your eyes? How did you lose them in a crowd of cares?5 You pull the covers over yourself and won't get up—no, not even to buy the whole pack of stars. Let them shine; you have to go to sleep or eat.6
Knowledge Without Wisdom
Man knows the source of all things but lets passions rule, making Christ's sacrifice vain, ending in a lament.
The bird that sees a lovely bower made in the tree where she used to sit wonders and sings—but not at his power who made the arbor: that is beyond her understanding. But humans know the source from which all things flow.✦ And yet, as though he didn't know it, his knowledge shuts its eyes and lets his passions rule. They make his life a constant stain, and make all the blood of God run in vain.✦7 Oh, you wretch! What verse can describe your strange ways?8
From Glory to Misery
Man was originally a glorious treasure, but sin has reduced him to a shipwrecked soul, and the speaker applies this to himself.
Indeed, at first Man was a treasure: a box of jewels, a shop of rarities, a ring whose motto was My pleasure. He was a garden in a Paradise. Glory and grace crowned his heart and face.9 But sin has made a fool of him. Now he is a lump of flesh, without a foot or wing to lift him toward even a glimpse of bliss: a sick, storm-tossed vessel, crashing into everything—no, into his own reef. My God, I mean myself.10
Read the original English
LOrd, let the Angels praise thy name. Man is a foolish thing, a foolish thing; Folly and Sinne play all his game. His house still burns; and yet he still doth sing, Man is but grasse, He knows it, fill the glasse.
How canst thou brook his foolishnesse? Why, he'l not lose a cup of drink for thee: Bid him but temper his excesse; Not he: he knows where he can better be, As he will swear, Then to serve thee in fear.
What strange pollutions doth he wed, And make his own, as if none knew but he! No man shall beat into his head, That thou within his curtains drawn canst see: They are of cloth, Where never yet came moth.
The best of men, turn but thy hand For one poore minute, stumble at a pinne: They would not have their actions scann'd, Nor any sorrow tell them that they sinne, Though it be small, And measure not their fall.
They quarrell thee, and would give over The bargain made to serve thee: but thy love Holds them unto it, and doth cover Their follies with the wing of thy milde Dove, Not suff'ring those Who would, to be thy foes.
My God, Man cannot praise thy name: Thou art all brightnesse, perfect puritie: The sunne holds down his head for shame, Dead with eclipses, when we speak of thee. How shall infection Presume on thy perfection?
As dirtie hands foul all they touch, And those things most, which are most pure and fine! So our clay hearts, ev'n when we crouch To sing thy praises, make them lesse divine. Yet either this, Or none thy portion is.
Man cannot serve thee; let him go And serve the swine: there, there is his delight: He doth not like this Vertue, no; Give him his dirt to wallow in all night: These Preachers make His head to shoot and ake.
Oh foolish man, where are thine eyes? How hast thou lost them in a croud of cares? Thou pull'st the rug, and wilt not rise, No, not to purchase the whole pack of starres: There let them shine, Thou must go sleep, or dine.
The bird that sees a daintie bowre Made in the tree, where she was wont to sit, Wonders and sings, but not his power, Who made the arbour: this exceeds her wit. But Man doth know The spring, whence all things flow:
And yet as though he knew it not, His knowledge winks, and lets his humours reigne; They make his life a constant blot, And all the bloud of God to run in vain. Ah wretch! what verse Can thy strange wayes rehearse?
Indeed at first Man was a treasure, A box of jewels, shop of rarities, A ring, whose posie was, My pleasure: He was a garden in a Paradise: Glorie and grace Did crown his heart and face.
But sinne hath fool'd him. Now he is A lump of flesh, without a foot or wing To raise him to the glimpse of blisse: A sick toss'd vessel, dashing on each thing; Nay, his own shelf: My God, I mean my self.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.2.11 — Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
- ↩Ps.91.4 — With his pinions he will cover you, and under his wings you will take refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and a buckler.
- ↩1Cor.8.6;Rom.11.36;Jas.1.17 — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. Rom.11.36 — For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. Jas.1.17 — Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
- ↩Acts.20.28;Gal.2.21;2Cor.6.1 — Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he obtained through the blood of his own. Gal.2.21 — I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. 2Cor.6.1 — As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'Then' is comparative 'than' (not temporal then): man swears he is better off elsewhere than in fearful service of God.
- 2 ↩"Curtains drawn" points to bed-curtains and pretended privacy: the sinner treats ordinary cloth as a cover that keeps God out.
- 3 ↩Infection names corrupted/sinful humanity as a contaminating agent; presume on means dare to approach or take liberty with God's pure perfection.
- 4 ↩portion: what falls to God from human praise—this imperfect, dirtied praise, or nothing.
- 5 ↩Source 'croud' is the early-modern spelling of 'crowd'; retained as crowd (throng/multitude), not a textual correction.
- 6 ↩Early-modern 'rug' is a bed-cover/blanket, not a floor rug; rendered as 'covers' for clarity. 'Pack of starres' means the whole company/set of the stars.
- 7 ↩Source 'humours' means the bodily passions/moods of early-modern psychology, not comedy; rendered as 'passions' for the governing appetites that displace known truth.
- 8 ↩Source 'rehearse' means recount or set forth, not practice for performance.
- 9 ↩Early modern 'posie' (posy) is the short motto engraved inside a ring; rendered as 'motto' for modern readability.
- 10 ↩Herbert's nautical 'shelf' means a submerged ledge or reef; rendered 'reef' for modern clarity while keeping the shipwreck image.
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