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Edward Taylor, Edward Taylor Meditation 38, Meditation 38, poem, Poem Analysis, Poetry, Poetry Analysis
Seventh Stanza
My case is bad, Lord, be my advocate.
My sin is red: I’m under God’s arrest.
Thou hast the hit of pleading; plead my state.
Although it’s bad, thy plea will make it best. 40
If thou wilt plead my case before the king
I’ll wagon loads of love and glory bring
Judgment is coming, the court is set; but the Advocate has been appointed. The poet’s fear that he may be rejected has been met with
nor doth refuse
The vilest sinners case that doth him choose.
What then is left but to retain the attorney? And so we come this final stanza, a prayer as petition. The first two lines state his situation and request:
My case is bad, Lord, be my advocate.
My sin is red: I’m under God’s arrest.
These lines are interesting, because they are in the style of Hebrew poetry, which roughly stated entails to syntactically parallel lines where the second repeats and intensifies the propostion of the first.
The first states the matter generally: My case is bad: a bad case could be any unpleasant situation. The second line repeats the structure: My X is Y. But here, rather than the ambiguous “case” we have the more specific “sin.” Rather than bad, the sin “red.” By red, Taylor is alluding to Isaiah
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18 (AV)
The reference to red being the color of sin is explained in 1:15, which speaks of their acts of bloody violence, “your hands are full of blood.” The verse also illustrates well the nature of Hebrew poetry: First clauses in parallel:
Though you sins be as scarlet
Though they be red like crimson.
Second clauses in parallel
They shall be white as snow
They shall be as wool
In our poem the second clause contains more variation in structure.
Line 1, second clause,
Lord, be my advocate.
The second line does not repeat the request but instead intensifies the need:
I’m under God’s arrest.
By repeating the need rather than the request, he intensifies the expression of his desperation.
Thou hast the hit of pleading; plead my state.
Although it’s bad, thy plea will make it best.
“Hit of pleading” is admittedly unclear in the detail, though the general sense is apparent: You have the ability or strength to make such a plea. It sounds idiomatic (“hit the bottle,” “hit the bricks”), but I have not heard it before. You have this ability, plead (make an argument to the court on my behalf).
My state is bad, but you can put it in the best light.
The use of pleading/plea in three consequence lines is quite effective:
Thou hast the hit of pleading; plead my state.
Although it’s bad, thy plea will make it best. 40
If thou wilt plead my case before the king
I’ll wagon loads of love and glory bring
Does the final couplet make for a bribe: If you give them this I will give you that? No. God is no need, and thus is not fulfilled by the praise. But praise and thankfulness is the appropriate response to forgiveness. For instance, David’s great penitential Psalm 51 ends:
Psalm 51:19 (AV)
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
But perhaps it is best understood by its negative, what if there is no thankfulness for a benefit received:
Luke 17:11–19 (AV)
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
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