George Herbert's poetry: Christian calling, struggle and self-doubt

From The Guardian-

One of the things that is most striking about George Herbert's poetry, taken as a whole, is how unhappy he seems to have been for much of the time. The poems are full of tortured self-doubt, agonised examination of his motivations, and complaint. Usually these are resolved in a neat couplet at the end of the poem, recalling the poet to God's promises or presence, in typical psalmist style. Some of these neat resolutions are more convincing than others.

I suspect that this honesty about the struggles, fears and doubts of life as a Christian is a large part of Herbert's continued appeal as a poet. His doubts and agony about his vocation in life resonate even with many who do not share his faith. For those of us who do, it is refreshing and reassuring to know that we are not alone in finding being a faithful Christian difficult at times. As a member of the clergy, I take great comfort in knowing that even Herbert – the quintessential Anglican Divine – sometimes railed against and agonised about his vocation.

More here-

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/17/george-herbert-poetry-faith-vocation