Donne: simplicity and truth
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Commemoration of Bridget of Sweden, Abbess of Vadstena, 1373
Meditation:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
—Genesis 2:1-2 (KJV)
Quotation:
That earth and that heaven, which spent God himself, Almighty God, six days in furnishing, Moses sets up in a few syllables, in one line: In the beginning God created heaven and earth. If a Livie or a Guicciardine, or such extensive and voluminous authors, had had this story in hand, God must have made another world, to have made them a library to hold their books, of the making of this world. Into what wire would they have drawn out this earth? Into what leaf-gold would they have beat out these heavens? It may assist our conjecture herein to consider, that amongst those men, who proceed with a sober modesty, and limitation in their writing, and make a conscience not to clog the world with unnecessary books; yet the volumes which are written by them, upon this beginning of Genesis, are scarce less than infinite. God did no more but say, Let this and this be done; and Moses doth no more but say, that upon God’s saying it was done. God require! d not Nature to help him to do it; Moses required not Reason to help him to be believed.
... John Donne (1573-1631), Works of John Donne, vol. IV, London: John W. Parker, 1839, Sermon CIX, p. 491 (see the book)
See also Gen. 1:26; 2:1-2; Eccl. 12:12
Quiet time reflection:
Lord, Your word prevails.CQOD Blog email RSS
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Commemoration of Bridget of Sweden, Abbess of Vadstena, 1373
Meditation:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
—Genesis 2:1-2 (KJV)
Quotation:
That earth and that heaven, which spent God himself, Almighty God, six days in furnishing, Moses sets up in a few syllables, in one line: In the beginning God created heaven and earth. If a Livie or a Guicciardine, or such extensive and voluminous authors, had had this story in hand, God must have made another world, to have made them a library to hold their books, of the making of this world. Into what wire would they have drawn out this earth? Into what leaf-gold would they have beat out these heavens? It may assist our conjecture herein to consider, that amongst those men, who proceed with a sober modesty, and limitation in their writing, and make a conscience not to clog the world with unnecessary books; yet the volumes which are written by them, upon this beginning of Genesis, are scarce less than infinite. God did no more but say, Let this and this be done; and Moses doth no more but say, that upon God’s saying it was done. God require! d not Nature to help him to do it; Moses required not Reason to help him to be believed.
... John Donne (1573-1631), Works of John Donne, vol. IV, London: John W. Parker, 1839, Sermon CIX, p. 491 (see the book)
See also Gen. 1:26; 2:1-2; Eccl. 12:12
Quiet time reflection:
Lord, Your word prevails.
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sub fb twt Jonah Ruth
posted by Robert McAnally Adams at 7/23/2016 02:00:00 AM
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