your suit is granted

A picture of the loving heart of Jesus for you…

Having been tenant long to a rich Lord,
Not thriving, I resolved to be bold,
And make a suit* unto him, to afford
A new small-rented lease, and cancel th' old.

In heaven at his manor I him sought:
They told me there, that he was lately* gone
About some land, which he had dearly bought
Long since on earth, to take possession.

I straight* return’d, and knowing his great birth,
Sought him accordingly in great resorts;
In cities, theaters, gardens, parks, and courts:
At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth

Of thieves and murderers: there I him espied
Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, & died.

— George Herbert, “Redemption”

(Suit: petition. Lately: recently. Straight: immediately.)

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To understand what Herbert wants to convey, we need to know that he’s on about a renegotiation of the covenant between God and man, moving from old, to new — see it there in the fourth line of the poem.

So here he is, a tenant for a long time to the same Lord of the manor (line 1), but realizing the current covenant arrangement (lease) is not something that is working towards the ideal life (not thriving), he decides to get bold with his Lord (line 2). And so he presents a petition for a new lease on life (lines 3 and 4).

Thus he travels far and wide to find his Lord to get about seeing if his petition may be granted — to his manor in heaven, back to earth, in great resorts, cities, theaters, gardens, parks, and courts. He goes to every place he can imagine his Lord may be, being the kind of great Lord that he is (the second and third paragraphs).

And then the shock of it…he hears “a ragged noise and mirth.” What could this be?

It is the place of death. Where thieves and murderers receive their judgment. He thought he would find his Lord in great resorts and cities, or a theater or court. But no. He espies him there, at the place of judgment, the place of crucifixion, on a cross.

And wonder of wonders, it is there that he finds the Lord saying, “Your petition is granted.”
And he espies the Lord dying, thus securing the granting of the petition.
And with it — redemption, freedom, new life from above, and every other new covenant blessing tied up in that death.

The loving heart of the Lord — Jesus — for us all.