The worthy communicant, or, A discourse of the nature, effects, and blessings consequent to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper and of all the duties required in order to a worthy preparation : together with the cases of conscience occurring in the duty of him that ministers, and of him that communicates : to which are added, devotions fitted to every part of the ministration / by Jeremy Taylor ...

Question. II. But is he that intends to communicate bound to quit all those occasions of sin, by which himself was tempted, and did fall, and die?

1. I answer, That it is impossible he should. If you live in delights your chastity is tempted; your humility is assaulted by receiving honour;* 1.1 your Religion by much businesse: your truth by much talk; your charity by living in the world; and yet we must not hasten out of it, nor swear eternal silence, nor lay aside all our business, nor quit our preferment and honourable imploy∣ment, nor refuse all secular comforts and live in pains that we may preserve these respective graces: and yet something we must do; some occasions must be quitted, before we communicate. To that

therefore the answer is certain and indisputable; that the occasion that is immediate to the sin, must be quitted in that in which it does minister to sin. A woman is not bound to spoil her face, though by her beauty she hath fallen: because her beauty was not the immediate cause; it was her unguard∣ed conversation, and looser society; the laying her treasure open, or her wanton comportment. For beauty will invite a noble flame, as soon as kindle a smoaking brand; and therefore the face may be preserved and the chastity too, if that be removed which brings the danger and stands closer to the sin.

2. When Dionsius of Sicily gave to Aristippus five Attick talents, he and his servant dragged them home upon their backs: but finding himself too glad of his mony, he threw it into the sea, as supposing the money to be the tempter, and no safety to be had, as long as it was above the water. If he had thought right, he had done right: if he could not have cured his covetousness and kept the mony, he had done well to part with it; but it may be he might have been as safe, and yet wiser too. But the resolution is this. In this question distinguish the next occasion from that which is farther off; and we are bound to quit that not this, because the vertue may be secured without it. A man may very well live in the world, and yet serve God; and if he be hindred by the world, it is not directly that, but something else by which the cure must be effected: but if nothing else will do it, then there is no distinction, no difference between the neerest occasion and that which is far∣ther off: for they must be all quitted: the face must be disordered, the beauty sullied, the mony thrown away, the world renounced, rather than God be

provoked to anger, and thy soul ruined by thy in∣evitable sin.

3. He that comes to the holy Sacrament must before his coming so repent of his injury, of his rapine, of his slander, or what ever the instance be, that before he communicates he make actual restitution, perfect amends, intire satisfact••on, and be really reconciled to his offended brother. This is to be understood in these cases.

1. If the injury be remaining and incumbent on thy brother: for it is not fit for thee to receive benefit by Christs death, so long as by thee thy Brother feels an injury. Thou art unjust so long as thou continuest the wrong: and if the evil goes on, the repentance cannot:

No man that repents does injure any man: and this Eucharistical sacrifice will never sanctifie any man unlesse he have the holy spirit of God,* 1.2 neither will the Lord bring ad∣vantages or give him blessing consequent to these solemn prayers, if he hath already in∣jured the Lord, or proceeds to do injury to his brother.

There is no repentance unlesse the penitent as much as he can, make that to be undone which is done amisse; and therefore because the action can never be undone, at least undo the mischief; unty the bands of thy neighbours arms, do justice and judge∣ment; thats repentance; restore the pledges;* 1.3 give again that you had robbed, ask pardon for thy in∣jury, return to peace, put thy neighbour if thou canst into the same state of good from whence by thy sin he was removed. That a good repentance

that bears fruit, and not that which produces leaves only. When the heathens gods were to choose what trees they would have sacred to them and used in their festivals; Jupiter chose the Oake, Venus the Myrtle, Apollo loved the Laurel, but wise Minerva took the Olive.* 1.4 The other trees gave no fruit; an uselesse apple from the Oak, or little berries from the Laurel and the Myrtle; but besides the show, they were good but for very lit∣tle: but the Olive gives an excellent fruit, fit for food and Physick, which when Jupi∣ter observed, he kissed his daughter, and called her wise: for all pompousness is vain, and the solemn Religion stands for nothing, unlesse that which we do, be profitable and good for material uses. Cui bono? To what purpose is our repen∣tance? Why do we say we are sorrowful? Whats that? Nollem factum. I wish I had never done it; for I did amiss. If you say as you think, make that it shall be no more; do no new injury, and cut off the old. Restore him to his fame, to his money, to his liberty, and to his lost advantages.

2. But this must suppose that it is in thy power to do it. If it be in thy power to do it, and thou doest it not, thou canst not reasonably pretend that thou art so much as sorrowful. For what repentance is it which enjoyes the pleasure and the pro∣fit of the sin,* 1.5 that reaps the plea∣sant fruits of it, that eats the re∣venues, that gathers the grapes from our neighbours vine, that dwells in the fields of the Father∣lesse and kneads his bread with the infusion of the widdows tears? The snake in

the Apologue crept into the holy Phial of sacred oyle. and lickt it up till she swell'd so big that she could not get forth from the narrow en∣trance, but she was forced to refund it every drop, or she had there remained a prisoner for ever. And therefore tell me no more thou art sorry for what thou hast done:* 1.6 if thou retainest the pur∣chase of thy sin, thou lovest the fruit of it, and therefore canst not curse the tree. Thou didst never love the sin for it self without the profit, and therefore if thou still dost love that, thou lovest the sin as much as ever; neither more nor less; but thou art still the same man.

Notes

• * 1.1

  St. Ber∣nard.
• * 1.2

  Quando nec oblatio sancti∣ficare illic possit ubi spiritus sanctus non sit, nec cui∣quam Dominus per ejus orationes & preces profit qui Dominum [vel fra∣trem] violavit. St. Cyprian Epist. 63.
• * 1.3

  Ezek. 18.19.
• * 1.4

  Oliva no∣bis prop∣ter fru∣ctus est gratior.
• * 1.5

  Si res aliena propter quam peccatum est, cum reddi possit, non redditur, non agitur poenitentia sed singi∣tur: si autem non veraciter agitur, non remittitur pec∣catum, nisi restituatur ab∣latum: sed ut dixi quum restitui potest. S. August. ad Macedon.
• * 1.6

  Quod invenisti & non red∣didisti, rapuisti: quantum potuisti, fecisti: qui alie∣num negat, si potuit, tol∣lit. St. Aug. de verb. Apost.