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Tag Archives: What glory’s this my Lord?

Edward Taylor, What Glory’s This My Lord.3

12 Saturday Nov 2016

Posted by memoirandremains in Edward Taylor, Literature, Uncategorized

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Edward Taylor, poem, Poetry, What glory's this my Lord?

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The previous post concerning this poem may be found here.

Yet shall my mouth stand ope, and lips let run
Out gliding eloquence on each light thing?
And shall I gag my mouth and tie my tongue,
When such bright glory glorifies within?
That makes my heart leap, dancing to thy lute?
And shall my tell tale tongue become a mute?

Lord spare I pray, though my attempts let fall
A slippery verse upon thy royal glory.
I’ll bring unto thine altar th’best of all
My flock affords. I have no better story.
I’ll at thy glory my dark candle light
Not to descry the sun, but use thy light.

This poem makes no sense without an understanding of the theological commitments which underlie the expression.

The poet has been going back and forth between the desire to praise the glory of the exalted Christ and the realization that anything said cannot come up to what he has seen. As St. Paul said of his vision, that “he heard things that cannot be told, which man not utter” (2 Cor. 12:4).

In this section of the poem, the poet subtly moves onto another aspect of Christian theology: human beings as the “image of God”. There is enormous debate as to what is meant by this language concerning the creation of human beings from Genesis 1:26, “Let us make [Adam — the human being; which is defined in Genesis 5:1-2 as both male and female; the word “man” might lead a contemporary reader astray here] in our image.”

Yet, as Richard Lints explains, “An image reflects by virtue of having certain characteristics. A mirror has a physical set of qualities by which it is possible to see reflections in the mirror….Human kind reflects divine being. the language of ‘image’ draws attention to this reflection of and relationship to God as the defining aspect of humankind in creation.” (Identity and Idolatry, p. 60).

Here, the poet is looking upon the glorified Christ — both God and man and thus the perfect image, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exit imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). In looking on the exalted Christ, the poet is looking upon the glory of God displayed.

To come into contact with this glory is to irradiate the poet: he becomes charged and overcharged with glory and is transformed by this sight: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” 2 Cor. 3:18.

This glory and the transformation into a being glory is the promise of the Christian life (see, e.g., 1 Peter 1:7; Romans 8:28-290. However, prior to the resurrection, the human being is simply unable to bear but it will become so (1 Cor. 15:42-49).

The poet as he looks upon the glory finds that the “glory glorifies within.” He cannot keep quiet because the effects of the glory are overwhelming — but his fear is that he ability is not sufficient to speak fitting words. Therefore, he prays for help, “Lord spare I pray … a slippery verse”: yes, I lack the ability to speak, though overwhelmed, but you can transform my speech and give me adequate words.

This pray seems to allude to the reference in Romans 8:26, that, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.”

The glory and praise which the poet returns are mere dim returns of what has been received:

I’ll at thy glory my dark candle light
Not to descry the sun, but use thy light.

My candle does overcome the sun, but rather merely borrows the light.

He refers to this praise by using explicitly “sacrificial” language. Taking language from first covenant which required sacrifices, the poet promises to bring the best sacrifice is “flock affords.” He speaks of his song as if it were a sheep or goat

I’ll bring unto thine altar th’best of all
My flock affords.

But in doing this, he alludes to the “sacrifices” which are appropriate under the new covenant, “Through him, then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Heb. 13:15.

He then ends with his praise:

First, he notes that however glorious the throne and surrounding it pales in comparison to the glory inherent in Christ himself:

A golden throne who banisters are pearls
And pommels choicest gems: carbuncles-stayed
Studded with precious stones, carv’d with rich curls
of polished art, sending out flashing rays
Would him surround with glory, throne’d therein.
Yet this to the throne a dirty thing.

The true throne of the Son is the “heart” of his Father. And the true glory of heaven is the glory of his person:

Oh! glorious sight! Lo, how bright angels stand
Waiting with hat in hand on him alone
That is enthroned, indeed at God’s right hand [Heb.1:3]
God’s heart itself being his happy throne.
The glory that doth from this person fall
Fills heaven with glory, else there’s none at all.

The glory of heaven is derivative of the glory of Christ. The glory of the creation derives from the greater glory of the Creator. The praise and worship of the creature is to reflect this glory.

What Glory’s This My Lord? (Edward Taylor)

03 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by memoirandremains in Literature, Uncategorized

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Edward Taylor, Poems, Poetry, What glory's this my Lord?

The previous post on this poem may be found here:

Oh! Bright! Bright thing! I fain would something say
Lest silence should indict me. Yet I fear
To say a syllable lest at thy day
I be presented for my tattling here.
Coarse phancy, ragged faculties, alas!
And blunted tongue don’t suit: sighs soil the glass.

Tattling: speaking nonsense

Fancy: what we would mean by “imagination”.

Faculties: cognitive, preceptive abilities.

The poet gazes upon the exalted Christ: the joy of the sight has so overdone him that he cannot be silent. He fears not to speak, because the Lord deserves praise. The necessity to praise is built into the primary text underlying this (and the preceding poems in this series), the Carmen Christi of Philippians 2:6-11. That song of Christ ends with the proclamation that “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11, ESV). Therefore, praise of the exalted Lord is impossible to avoid.

And yet he fears to speak because his abilities and command of language are insufficient. This idea has ample Scriptural warrant. Perhaps the most pointed exampled being Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians upon seeing the heavenly state:

3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 2 Corinthians 12:3–4 (ESV)

Also relevant here would be Ecclesiastes 5:

5  Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:1–2 (ESV)

If we must guard our words on earth, how much more so if we were present in the heavenly court! There is of course the irony of the poet speaking about whether he should speak: in the very act of considering silence, he is not being silent. But what he does do is indict himself (rather than wait to be indicted for speaking foolishly on the “thy day”).

 

 

By referring to “thy day”, Taylor means “the Day of Lord”, which is a repeated phrase throughout Scripture and which arguably refers to different historical events of judgment:

Expression used by OT prophets (as early as the eighth-century B.C. prophet Amos) to signify a time in which God actively intervenes in history, primarily for judgment. Thus “the day of the Lord” is also called “the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zep 2:2 KJV).
Sometimes “the day of the Lord” is used in the OT to speak of a past judgment (Lam 2:22). More often an impending future judgment is in view (Jl 2:1–11). Ultimately, though, the term refers to climactic future judgment of the world (Jl 3:14–21; Mal 4:5). Often prophecy of a near-future event and an end-time prophecy are merged, the immediate judgment being a preview of the final day of the Lord. The prophecy of Isaiah against Babylon is an example (Is 13:5–10). Jesus combined events described there with other prophecies to explain his second coming (Mk 13:24–37). Another example is Joel’s prophecy of the day of the Lord (Jl 1:15–2:11). Though the prophet initially spoke of God’s judgment on Israel by a locust plague, that judgment prompted further pronouncements about a final day of the Lord far beyond Joel’s time (Jl 2:31; 3:14–17). That day of the Lord extended even beyond the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost predicted by Joel’s prophecy (Jl 2:28–32; Acts 2:16–21; Rv 6:12, 13). The NT uses the term exclusively to mean the end time.

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 588.

The rhythm of the piece underscores the wonder of the poet as he looks upon the Lord Ascended:

O! Bright! Bright thing!: ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Four straight stresses.The line is actually overloaded with stresses.

The rhythm is again interrupted in the fifth line of the stanza, where he indicts himself: Coarse fancy, ragged faculties:  ‘ ‘ ^ ‘^. The word “coarse” upsets the entire line thus doing in rhythm what he fears he would do if he spoke.

 

Edward Taylor, “What glory’s this my Lord?”

01 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by memoirandremains in Edward Taylor, Literature, Uncategorized

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Edward Taylor, poem, Poetry, Puritan, What glory's this my Lord?

What glory’s this my Lord? Should one small point
Of one small ray of’t touch my heart t’would spring
Such joy as would an adamant unjoint
If in’t, and tear it, to get out and sing.
T’run on heroic golden feet, and raise
Heart ravishing tunes, curl’d with celestial praise.

This poem is one of the four meditations upon Philippians 2:9, “God hath highly exalted him”, referring to the Ascension of Christ are his resurrection. For the previous poem in this group of poems look here.

This particular poem concerns the sight of Christ’s glorious throne and the effect upon the poet. Should I speak (and thus not rightly describe the beauty), or be silent (and thus not praise)? He finally settles upon praise, but seeks pardon in the praise because it is insufficient for the subject.

This first paragraph speaks to the subject effect of such beauty upon the poet. The first thing to realize is the glory is an objective fact: Glory is not first in the eye of the poet: the glory is overwhelmingly in the enthroned Christ. While not explicit in the biblical text, the power of this glory is implicit in the passage:

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9–11 (ESV)

The reference to every knee bowing may sound like angels go about breaking knees and every honors Christ because they have been bullied. But the text implies — and Taylor explicitly states — that the glory of Christ’s enthronement is such that bowed knees is the automatic response of even his enemies. The Father has been bestowed such surpassing glory upon Christ, which in turn honors the Father.

Taylor in this first stanza explains that this glory is of such power, that if the objective glory were to actually touch his heart it would tear it open “to get out and sin”. The joy would tear through his heart and run, singing praise.

The first three lines of the stanza proceed with a basically “normal” meter; however, at line four the rhythm changes

If IN’T, and TEAR it, to GET OUT and SING

The line also contains two pauses which force one to slow down significantly and consider this image: Glory proceeds from the throne, touches the heart, turns to joy and bursts out with extraordinary power.

This is a very interesting understanding of the Spirit’s work in the human heart. God affects the human so profoundly that the effect is the cause of God and a true spontaneously act of the human being.

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