Edward Taylor's Gods Determinations and Preparatory Meditations

A Critical Edition

Daniel Patterson

• Publisher: The Kent State University Press
• Year: 1999
• Print ISBN:
  9780873387491
• eBook ISBN:
  9781612773407
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

The new standard edition of Edward Taylor's major works of poetry

Daniel Patterson's Edward Taylor's Gods Determinations and Preparatory Meditations: A Critical Edition reconsiders the texts of Taylor's two major works for the first time since Donald Stanford's 1960 edition. This volume also offers the first complete text of all of the Meditations that Taylor transcribed into his "Poetical Works" manuscript. The restoration of Taylor's text, however, is the most enduring value of this edition, which is designed to become the new standard edition of these poems.

PREPARATORY MEDITATIONS,
SECOND SERIES

[****]M [16]93

1. MEDITATION. COL.2.17. WHICH ARE [A] SHADDOW OF THINGS TO [COME] AND THE BODY IS CHRISTS.

Oh Leaden heeld. Lord, give, forgive I pray.

Infire my Heart: it bedded is in Snow.

I Chide myselfe seing myselfe decay

In heate and Zeale to thee. I frozen grow.

File my dull spirits: make them sharp and bright: 5

Them firbush for thyselfe, and thy delight.

My Stains are such, and sinke so deep, that all

Th’Excellency in Created shells

Too low, and little is to make it fall

Out of my leather Coate wherein it dwells. 10

This Excellence is but a Shade to that

Which is enough to make my Stains go back.

The glory of the world slickt up in types

In all Choice things chosen to typify,

His glory upon whom the worke doth light, 15

To thine’s a Shaddow, or a butterfly.

How glorious then, my Lord, art thou to mee

Seing to cleanse me, ’s worke alone for thee.

The glory of all Types doth meet in thee.

Thy glory doth their glory quite excell: 20

More than the Sun excells in its bright glee

A nat, an Earewig, Weevill, snaile, or shell.

Wonders in Crowds start up; Your eyes may strut

Viewing his Excellence, and’s bleeding cut.

Oh! that I had but halfe an eye to view 25

This excellence of thine, undazled: so

Therewith to give my heart a touch anew

Untill I quickned am, and made to glow.

All is too little for thee: but alass

Most of my little all hath other pass. 30

Then Pardon, Lord, my fault. And let thy beams

Of Holiness pierce through this Heart of mine.

Ope to thy Blood a passage through my veans.

Let thy pure blood my impure blood refine

Then with new blood and spirits I will dub 35

My tunes upon thy Excellency good. [167]

1 forgive orig. forgive my

9 is orig. are

12 make orig. give

16 To thine’s orig. Is but

[*****] [*****]

2. MEDITATION. COLL: 1.15. THE FIRST BORN OF EVERY CREATURE.

Oh! Golden Rose! Oh. Glittering Lilly White

Spic’d o’re with heavens File divine, till Rayes

Fly forth whose shine doth wrack the strongest Sight

That Wonders Eye is tent of, while’t doth gaze

On thee. Whose Swaddle Bonde’s Eternity. 5

And sparkling Cradle is Rich Deity.

First Born of e’ry Being: hence a Son

Begot o’th’First: Gods onely son begot.

Hence Deity all ore. Gods nature run

Into a Filiall Mould: Eternall knot. 10

A Father then, and Son: persons distinct.

Though them Sabellians contrar’ly inckt.

This mall of Steell falls hard upon these foes

Of truth, who melt the Holy Trinity

Into One Person: Arrians too and those 15

Socinians calld, who do Christs Deity

Bark out against. But Will they, nill they, they

Shall finde this Mall to split their brains away.

Come shine, Deare Lord, out in my heart indeed

First Born; in truth before thee there was none 20

First Born, as man, born of a Virgin’s Seed:

Before or after thee such up ne’er sprung.

Hence Heir of all things lockt in natures Chest:

And in thy Fathers too: extreamly best.

Thou Object of Gods boundless brightest Love, 25

Invested with all Sparkling rayes of Light

Distill thou down, what hony falls above.

Bedew the Angells Copses; fill our sight

And hearts therewith within thy Father’s joy.

These are but Shreads under thy bench that ly. 30

Oh! that my Soul was all enamored

With this First Born enough: a Lump of Love

Son of Eternall Father, Chambered

Once in a Virgins Womb; dropt from above.

All Humane royalty hereby Divin’de. 35

The First Born’s Antitype: in whom they’re shrin’de. [168]

Make mee thy Babe, and him my Elder Brother.

A Right, Lord grant me in his Birth Right high.

His Grace, my Treasure make above all other.

His Life my sampler: My Life his joy.

I’le hang my Love then on his heart, and sing

New Psalms on Davids Harpe to thee and him.

14 melt orig. th[*] d[**]ill

25 boundless orig. bounless

15.8 1693

3. MEDITATION. ROM. 5.14. WHO IS THE FIGURE OF HIM THAT WAS TO COME.

Like to the Marigold, I blushing close

My golden blossoms when thy sun goes down:

Moist’ning my leave...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Editorial Principles and Procedures
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Gods Determinations
• Prologue
• Preparatory Meditations, First Series
• Preparatory Meditations, Second Series
• Glossary
• Textual Notes
• Emendations
• Variants