The Country Parson by George Herbert

First published: wr. 1632, pb. 1652 as A Priest to the Temple: Or, The County Parson, His Character, and Rule of Holy Life

Edition used:The Country Parson, The Temple, edited with an introduction by John Nelson Wall, Jr. New York: Paulist Press, 1981

Genre(s): Nonfiction

Subgenre(s): Didactic treatise; handbook for living

Core issue(s): Baptism; Communion; prayer; preaching

Overview

George Herbert, who had served Cambridge University in positions of increasing importance, culminating in his appointment as university orator, left Cambridge in 1627, thereby forsaking a future career in diplomacy. Instead, he pursued a life devoted to religion. In 1630, at Archbishop William Laud’s urging, he took the position of rector at a small church at Bemerton, near Salisbury. There he wrote A Priest to the Temple: Or, The Country Parson, His Character, and Rule of Holy Life in 1632. The work was written in conjunction with The Temple, 1633, an organized collection of holy poems. In his preface, Herbert describes his book as an attempt to set high standards for the priesthood, while acknowledging his own shortcomings and allowing for other pastors to add information and observations to produce a true “pastoral,” a word suggestive not only of the curing of souls but also of the image of the pastor as a shepherd with his flock or congregation. Because his was a country congregation, shepherding and agricultural metaphors permeate the book.

Herbert begins by defining the pastor as the “deputy of Christ,” whose role is to bring his flock to a closer relationship with God. Quoting extensively from the Bible, he discusses how different clergy have varied gifts and how, regardless of the nature of their assignment, they are to serve God first. Acknowledging that nobles may have undue influence, Herbert nevertheless states that clergy should not kowtow to the wealthy but should walk a tightrope between correction and civility. The ideal way to bring people to God is to serve as a model by using self-control, avoiding covetousness, keeping one’s word, and exercising moderation in food and drink. Appearances are important, both in church and in person, because there can be no instruction without respect for the teacher. Aware of the importance of maintaining a good reputation, he cautions against involvement with women; and while he subscribes to the notion that unmarried clergy are superior to married ones, he admits that a good wife (he himself married Jane Danvers in 1629) may be a helpmate. However, he advocates marrying women whose behavior, not appearance, is excellent (he advises choosing a wife “by ear, not eye”). The parson’s family and servants should also serve as models for the congregation. In a sense, modeling behavior for a congregation provides the flock with a kind of “sermon,” a word he uses to describe charity, not just gifts, but charity in the sense of loving kindness.

Herbert’s parson is a busy fellow. He visits not only the sick but also all members of his congregation and usually in the afternoon in midweek, when parishioners do not wear their “Sunday best” in terms of behavior. His charity is not confined to his own parish; mindful of the less fortunate in neighboring parishes, he also reaches out to them. When he travels, he does not leave his pastor’s hat behind. He takes the parish with him in spirit, offers prayers at the inns where he stays, tends the spiritually afflicted, and discreetly reproves offenders. He not only is his parish’s “father” but also serves, with his wife’s assistance, as physician and as lawyer, referring his flock to professionals only when their problems are out of his depth.

At the core of Herbert’s desire to bring his flock closer to God is his belief that the parson should know his congregation. He does this by visiting them, counseling them, and catechizing them. His is a country congregation, a fact that influences his behavior, his teaching, and his preaching. According to Herbert, they are “thick, heavy, hard to raise to a point of zeal” and are the kind of people who are prone to take offense at a slight, real or imagined, so it is important to treat them equitably, to visit and receive all of them, regardless of their rank. In terms of rewarding virtue and punishing vice, the wise parson makes his rewards and reproofs in the present rather than in the vague future because the people do not think in terms of their long-term salvation. They are also liable to see sins in others rather than in themselves. To teach by catechizing the young, the parson uses the exact words from the Book of Common Prayer (1549), but to reeducate the older members of the congregation, the parson looks for answers that reflect understanding. These can be obtained by the use of agricultural and rural metaphors and illustrations. Therefore, to take the good from the bad is to “pare the apple.” To counter his congregation’s belief that all things come from natural causes, the parson uses crops as the metaphor to demonstrate how God works in their lives and affects their livelihood.

Prayer and preaching are Herbert’s two main concerns, and he offers at the end of his book a prayer for before the sermon and one for afterward. Before the sermon, Herbert acknowledges humankind’s fall, praises the Lord for salvation through Christ, and then announces that he, a sinful man, must feed his flock the word of Christ’s love. He prays that God will enable him to deliver a message faithfully, reverently, and readily, and then leads his congregation to the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer after the sermon is one of thanks for “the bread of life” and God’s continuing love for people and ends with a reference to the Trinity.

Christian Themes

Herbert’s “sample” prayers reflect his twin concerns, praying and preaching. When he prays in church, the parson acts in such a manner that his whole being suggests true devotion, because he desires that the congregation will be as affected as he is. He speaks deliberately but fervently, and he expects that the congregation will behave reverently—not sleeping, talking, or half-kneeling, but sitting attentively and providing responses that are heartfelt rather than rote. Herbert follows Anglican tradition regarding prayer (the necessity of praying three times a day) and encourages his flock to maintain a prayer life. Knowing that people sometimes fail to pray because they are embarrassed or feel guilty, he reminds them of their need for prayer. His concerns even extend to advising the church-wardens (those responsible for maintaining order during worship) to admonish those who do not behave properly during prayers or those who arrive too late for prayers, whatever their social status may be.

For Herbert, the parson’s life is preaching in action; his life is a sermon. He does offer some suggestions for reaching a congregation. The parson knows his flock, maintains eye contact, and speaks earnestly: He aims to inform and to inflame his audience. Clever eloquence and learned speech, which might be “over the heads” of his audience, are secondary to holy content and attitude. He relies on stories and metaphors tied to their lives, and he frequently interrupts the sermon with addresses to God and requests for his blessings on the congregation. (This same concern about letting one’s learning and wit interfere with a holy message appears in several poems in The Temple.) Finally, Herbert urges “preaching in friendliness.”

Herbert’s attitude toward the Sacraments is that of a typical Anglican pastor. For him, baptism is a solemn ceremony conducted only on Sundays and special occasions, and he instructs the godparents about its significance as the first step for a Christian. It is also a time for a congregation to reexamine their own baptisms and lives. Holy Communion should not be administered until a person understands the difference between the sacramental and ordinary bread and knows and understands the catechism (not just memorizes it). It is the understanding, not the age, of the person that determines fitness for Communion.

Sources for Further Study

Bloch, Chana. Spelling the Word: George Herbert and the Bible. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985. Bloch discusses the figurative language in the Bible and relates it to the kinds of metaphors that Herbert used in his poetry and in The Country Parson.

Guibbory, Achsah. Ceremony and Community from Herbert to Milton. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Depicts Herbert as taking a conformist, anti-Laudian attitude toward religious ceremony and clerical attire but exhibiting an open attitude toward receiving Communion.

Malcolson, Cristina. Heart-Work: George Herbert and the Protestant Ethic. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1999. Chapter 6, which is devoted to The Country Parson, contrasts Herbert as country priest with his life as a chaplain at court.

Singleton, Marion White. God’s Courier: Configuring a Different Grace in George Herbert’s “Temple.” New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Discusses The Country Parson in light of how it relates to Herbert’s focus on his calling, or choice of a vocation, and the necessity of serving humankind.

Stewart, Stanley. George Herbert. Boston: Twayne, 1986. Uses The Country Parson as a gloss with which to discuss Herbert’s attitudes toward Catholicism and Presbyterianism. Provides a time line and a bibliography.