The Agony

The Agony

Philosophers have measur’d mountains,

Fathom’d the depths of seas, of states, and kings,

Walk’d with a staffe to heav’n, and traced fountains:

But there are two vast, spacious things,

The which to measure it doth more behove:

Yet few there are that sound them; Sin and Love.

Who would know Sinne, let him repair

Unto mount Olivet; there shall he see

A man so wrung with pains, that all his hair,

His skinne, his garments bloody be.

Sinne is that presse and vice, which forceth pain

To hunt his cruell food through ev’ry vein.

Who knows not Love, let him assay

And taste that juice, which on the crosse a pike

Did set again abroach; then let him say

If ever he did taste the like.

Love in that liquour sweet and most divine,

Which my God feels as bloud; but I, as wine.

To consider how great the love of Christ is that he would sacrifice himself for us to save us from our sins is awe- and worship-inspiring (John 15:13; Rom. 5:8). I feel as though this poem is an exact illusion of the agony in the garden of Gethasmane. This brief poem explains the relationship between man and Christ's love.

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Philosophers have measur’d mountains,

Fathom’d the depths of seas, of states, and kings,

Walk’d with a staff to heav’n, and traced fountains:

But there are two vast, spacious things,

The which to measure it doth more behove:

Yet few there are that sound them; Sin and Love.

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Consider what we think about--when we do begin think more substantial thoughts, we are often simply philosophers, interested in science, politics or the economy or other things. All of those things are valuable and worth thinking about, however, Herbert is expressing that we would be better off to consider “Sin and Love" more often. Those others things are as easily comprehended, but are trivial compared to “Sin and Love”.

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Who would know Sin, let him repair

Unto mount Olivet; there shall he see

A man so wrung with pains, that all his hair,

His skin, his garments bloody be.

Sin is that press and vice, which forceth pain

To hunt his cruel food through ev’ry vein.

To understand sin, Herbert points us to Jesus’ sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane on mount Olivet. Herbert is showing how large our sins are and how far Christ went to forever forgive the sin of man. When Christ was in the garden he realized jsut how harmful our sins were/are. In reference to Luke 22:44 - "His agony was so deep that his sweat was dropping as blood." Herbert says that “sin is that press and vice” which caused Jesus to sweat blood. Our sin pressed against Christ to create torture, similar to wine being pressed from grapes.

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Who knows no Love, let him assay

And taste that juice which on the cross a pike

Did set again abroach; then let him say

If ever he did taste the like.

Love is that liquor sweet and most divine

Which my God feels as blood, but I, as wine.

To understand love, Herbert refers to Jesus’ sufferings “on the cross” on mount Golgotha. To die for us is Jesus as God's final revelation. God's love is reveled to us. In the third stanza, Herbert again takes up the theme of Christ’s blood. He refers to the thrust of the Roman spear into Jesus’ side and the blood that flowed from that wound (John 19:34). The symbol refers to wine, again; this time not to wine in a winepress but to wine flowing from a broken cask. Herbert relates the blood of Christ from that mount to the cup at the Lord's Supper. Christ’s blood on the cross reveals the depth of God’s love.