The Temper (1)
The sermon explores the nature of God's love and its relationship to human faith and experience.
George Herbert's sermon emphasizes the deep desire to praise the Lord and engrave His love in our hearts, acknowledging the limitations of human understanding compared to the vastness of God's greatness. He reflects on the insignificance of man in comparison to God's immense stature and the comfort found in seeking refuge in God's presence. Herbert ultimately surrenders to God's will, recognizing that God's ways are always the best, whether in times of exaltation or humility.
Text
How should I praise thee, Lord! how should my rhymes
Gladly engrave thy love in steel,
If what my soul doth feel sometimes,
My soul might ever feel!
Although there were some forty heav'ns, or more,
Sometimes I peer above them all;
Sometimes I hardly reach a score,
Sometimes to hell I fall.
O rack me not to such a vast extent;
Those distances belong to thee:
The world's too little for thy tent,
A grave too big for me.
Wilt thou meet arms with man, that thou dost stretch
A crumb of dust from heav'n to hell?
Will great God measure with a wretch?
Shall he thy stature spell?
O let me, when thy roof my soul hath hid,
O let me roost and nestle there:
Then of a sinner thou art rid,
And I of hope and fear.
Yet take thy way; for sure thy way is best:
Stretch or contract me, thy poor debtor:
This is but tuning of nay breast,
To make the music better.
Whether I fly with angels, fall with dust,
Thy hands made both, and I am there:
Thy power and love, my love and trust
Make one place ev'ry where.
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of God's Love
- The Human Experience of God's Love
- The Relationship Between God's Love and Human Faith
- Faith is a response to God's love
- Faith is a means of experiencing God's love
Key Quotes
“O let me, when thy roof my soul hath hid, O let me roost and nestle there: Then of a sinner thou art rid, And I of hope and fear.” — George Herbert
“Whether I fly with angels, fall with dust, Thy hands made both, and I am there: Thy power and love, my love and trust Make one place ev''ry where.” — George Herbert
Application Points
- We can deepen our connection with God by trusting in His power and love, even when we don't fully understand it.
- Faith is a response to God's love and a means of experiencing it, allowing us to grow in our relationship with Him.
- We are in a state of gratitude and dependence on God's love and mercy, acknowledging that we owe Him our lives and our worship.