The Burning Babe

In the Christian Bible, there is a distinct difference between the Old Testament and New Testament descriptions of God. Whereas the God of the Old Testament is wrathful and vengeful, the God of the New Testament is merciful and forgiving. In the New Testament, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is born and then crucified to save people from Hell and to provide them with eternal life in Heaven. This is the God presented in Southwell’s poem through the figure of the infant Jesus. The Babe in the speaker’s vision wants people to come to him for refuge, mourning that “none approach to warm their hearts or feel my fire” (Line 8). He wants to be a source of comfort and safety for everyone, especially those who need it most.

The babe personifies “Justice” and “Mercy” (Line 11) as the tools he uses to reach out to wayward souls. No soul is beyond saving—his furnace is full of love that can transform “men’s defiled souls” (Line 12). No one is turned away from the love of Jesus. Even the most corrupted sprits are capable of receiving God’s blessings and forgiveness. The infant Jesus states that he is ablaze to “work [men’s souls] to their good” (Line 13).