A Priest to the Temple or, The Country Parson: His Character and Rule of Holy Life

Being desirous (through the Mercy of God) to please Him, for whom I am, and live, and who giveth me my Desires and Performances; and considering with my self, That the way to please him, is to feed my Flock diligently and faithfully, since our Saviour hath made that the argument of a Pastor's love, I have resolved to set down the Form and Character of a true Pastor, that I may have a Mark to aim at: which also I will set as high as I can, since he shoots higher that threatens the Moon, then he that aims at a Tree. Not that I think, if a man do not all which is here expressed, he presently sins, and displeases God, but that it is a good strife to go as far as we can in pleasing of him, who hath done so much for us. The Lord prosper the intention to my self, and others, who may not despise my poor labours, but add to those points, which I have observed, until the Book grow to a complete Pastoral.

So the celebrated seventeenth century Anglican poet-priest George begins his classic work, A Priest to the Temple or, The Country Parson: His Character and Rule of Holy Life. The complete work in modern spelling is found in The Sweet Remains of That Singer of the Temple George Herbert. Sweet Remains also contains Izaak Walton and Barnabas Olney's biographies of George Herbert, Jaculum Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, a collection of proverbs by George Herbert, and a collection of Herbert's letters. Readers who are unfamiliar with the vagaries of seventeenth century English spelling will find this edition of The Country Parson more readable.