George Herbert: "The Church-porch"
Day 1: Morning
Lord, my first fruits present themselves to thee;
Yet not mine neither: for from thee they came, And must return. Accept of them and me, And make us strive, who shall sing best thy name. Turn their eyes hither, who shall make a gain: Theirs, who shall hurt themselves or me, refrain. |
![]() The dedication is also our dedication, our offering and presentation of our gifts, talents and accomplishments. Was it easier for Herbert to believe that all he did was God's gift, loaned to him, like the parable of the talents, to be returned with increase to the Master who gave them? You who seek to gain something from reading, look here at these stanzas, but those who would hurt themselves by reading these or degrade the author with their derision, refrain from reading. He calls the motive of the reader into evaluation. Why do we read any work? Do we seek to criticize or belittle the writer? Do we seek pleasure or our own guilt? Or, on the other hand, do we hope to improve ourselves, our relationship with those we deal with and our spiritual life? |