Book Review | In All Things Thee to See

By James Jeffery

I will admit that as far as I can remember, I have not been particularly fond of poetry. In high school, I scarcely enjoyed reading it, and I remember frequently getting in trouble by my English teacher for causing mischief. In recent years, it has been on my mind to consider how I may ignite a poetic spark, if there is indeed one deep within my soul. For this reason, I was excited to review Crossway’s new publication of George Herbert’s (1593-1633) poems — In All Things Thee to See: A Devotional Guide to Selected Poems of George Herbert (2026).

Living to the mere age of 39, George Herbert was a priest in the Church of England whose life was filled with health challenges. Yet, he is best remembered today for the 164 poems he left behind, published posthumously in The Temple: Sacred Poems (1633).

In the recently published In All Things Thee to See, Herbert’s key poems are anthologised alongside Dr. Stephen Witmer’s devotional commentary. From an aesthetic standpoint, it is the sort of volume you’d love to have displayed in a vintage bookshelf. It has a sage green cover with rose debossed title and cover art.

Throughout the book, footnotes accompany each poem to translate archaic English words and clarify terms whose meanings have drastically changed. To be frank, without these annotations, the vocabulary alone would have left me completely bewildered.

Witmer’s commentary following each poem follows a twofold structure: first, how we can savour the poem, and second, how we can be shepherded by it. This approach reminds us that reading is not solely for the purpose of completing the book (something I need to be reminded of), but so that our lives would be changed by what we read.

First, Witmer challenges readers to meditate upon Herbert’s poetry as one might walk through a garden, appreciating the beauty of God’s creation. It is a reminder to smell the roses, so to speak. It is clear that Herbert was a genius in his use of the English language, and was something of a pioneer in the publication of shape poems (the most well known being ‘The Altar,’ in which the poem visually represents the shape of an altar).

Second, Witmer exhorts us to see how Christ is shepherding us through the wisdom and truth manifest in Herbert’s poetry. He urges readers to advance from our cognitive and emotional appreciation of Herbert’s art, to the flesh-and-bones application of doctrine in our lives. For instance, in ‘Easter Wings,’ Witmer writes:

“The great narrative of humanity’s sin and Christ’s provision becomes [Herbert’s] own. Can we, like Herbert, tell both stories — one the size of the universe and the other the size of our lives? Let’s study the shape of those wings carefully in order to remind ourselves of the scrawniness of a Christless life and the plentitude of a Christ-filled one.” (pp. 10-11)

The Bottom Line

Overall, I found this book both rewarding and difficult to read. It was a blessing to reflect upon the gospel of our salvation through the painted words of a word-smith. Every word Herbert uses is chosen with precision, and he wastes no ink.

However, it was laborious at times due to the outmoded English Herbert employed and the mysterious manner in which some stanzas are written (maybe also due to my under-developed right brain).

While I would not recommend this book for someone delving into poetry for the first time, those with a prior appreciation will certainly be blessed by Herbert’s work. Furthermore, Witmer’s theological reflections are rich, meaningful, and will leave you with much to reflect upon.