Interpretation of Edward Taylor's Meditation 42 (First Series)

Like Edward Taylor's other Preparatory Meditations, Meditation 42 uses iambic pentameter with mostly ABABCC rhyming stanzas. The structure of the poem is similar to that of a sermon, beginning with a metaphor and a question, moving into the development of this question and metaphor, and finally concluding with a prayer of petition. As the Bible verse at the beginning suggests, this poem is about God's prerogative where heaven is concerned; in other words, how God's grace is completely necessary for humankind to obtain the afterlife experience of heaven. Taylor organizes the poem into three parts, beginning with the unified metaphor and problem of the "locked" heart "rusted by sin", which needs to be unlocked to God's love, moving on the 'unlocking' of God's wardrobe to bring forth the heavenly robes and a development of the heavenly place, and ending in a final prayer of petition to dwell there.
In the first part, the poet introduces golden apples"in silver pictures shrined" a...