"Batter my heart, three-personed God"
John Donne
Aside from the incredibly unsettling images, this poem tells the story of a contrite sinner. But the speaker hints that his debauched nature is not his fault. He is but a prize in the eternal struggle between Satan and God, with Satan being the more frequent victor. A couple of paradoxes sum up the speaker's proposed resolution of utter fealty to God.
The first paradox asks God to free the speaker by revoking his freedom: "Take me to you, imprison me, for I, Except you enthrall me, never shall be free..." (Donne, 840). Even though being with God for eternity would seem appealing, having to be with God for eternity would most likely upset the most devout Christian. Still, in light of the speaker's alternative, his pleas seem reasonable. Earlier in the poem, the speaker compared himself to a usurped town serving only to hold its master. Likewise, there can only be one of two masters of the town. The speaker would rather face subjugation from God to ensure purity than submit to Satan's rule filled with guilt and sin.
The second paradox falls into the metaphor comparing the speaker to a town. The speaker claims he can never be chaste until God ravishes him. Being ravished usually doesn't relate to chastity and celibacy, but reasoning accompanies his... interesting choice of metaphors. If God were to fill the speaker with himself and have his way with him (as ravishing usually refers to a man's subjugating a woman), the speaker would be God's property and puppet. Being literally destined for heaven would be preferable to being filled with Satan and damnation.
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