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 ...

SECT. I. Of Examination of our selves in order to the Holy Communion.

THere is no duty in Christianity that is partly solemn and partly moral, that hath in it more solemnity and more morality than this one duty; and in the greatest declension of Religion, still men have fear when they come to receive this holy Sacrament. They that have no Religion will fear when they come to die; and they who have but a little, will fear when they come to communicate. But although men who believe this to be the great∣est secret and sacrednesse of our Religion, do more in their addresses to this than to any thing else, yet many of them that do come, consider that they are only commanded to examine themselves; and that according to the ordinary methods is easily done. It is nothing but asking our selves a few questions: Do I believe? Do I repent? and am I in charity? To these the answers are ready enough; I do be∣lieve that Christ gave his body and blood for me, as for all mankind; and that Christ is mystically pre∣sent in the Sacrament: I have been taught so all my life, and I have no reason to doubt it. 2. I do also repent according to the measures I am taught: I am sorry I have sinned, I wish I had not done it;

and I promise to do so no more: and this I do constantly before every Communion; and before the next comes I have reason enough to renew my vows; I was never so good as my word yet, but now I will. 3. I am also in charity with all the World; and against this good time, I pray to God to forgive them; for I do. This is the usual ex∣amination of Consciences; to which we add a fa∣sting day, and on that we may say more prayers than usual; and read some good discourses of the Sacrament; and then we are dressed like the friends of the Bridegroom, and with confidence come to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. But this exa∣mination, hath it self need to be examined. No∣ah laboured a hundred years together in making the Ark that he and a few more might be saved: and can we think in an hour to prepare our souls for the entertainment of him that made all the World? This will very hardly be done. For al∣though our duty of preparation is contained in this one word, of [Try, or Examine] it being after the manner of mysteries, mysteriously and secretly described, yet there is great reason to be∣lieve that there is in it very much duty, and there∣fore we search into the secret of the word, and to what purposes it is used in the New-Testament.

* 1.11. It signifies to try and search, to enter into the depths and secrets, the varieties and separati∣ons and divisibilities of things. The word is taken from the tryers of Gold: which is tryed by the touch-stone; and in great cases, is tryed by the fire. And in this sense St. Paul might relate to the present condition of the Christians, who were of∣ten under a fiery t••yal For the holy Communion being used by the Primitive Christians according to

its intention, was indeed a great consolation to the Martyrs and Confessors, as ap∣pears often in St. Cyprian:* 1.2 and this blessing and design was my∣stically represented to the Church in the circumstance of the institu∣tion, in being done immediately before the passion: they who were to pass through this fiery tryal,* 1.3 ought to examine them∣selves against this solemnity in order to that last tryal, and see whether or no they were vessels of sanctification and honour; for none else were fit to communi∣cate but they also that were fit to die; Christ would give himself to none but to them who are ready to give themselves for him; ac∣cording to that saying of Christ, * 1.4 If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and sup with him and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me &c. That is, those who are tryed by the experiments of a great love, and a great patience, that out of love are willing to suf∣fer, and with patience do suffer unto the end;* 1.5 these are the guests at my heavenly Table: for labour and affrightment put a price upon the Martyrs Crown, while his vertue grows in danger, and like the water-plants ever grow higher than the Floods. Now the use that we can make of this sense of the

word is that we also are to examine what we are likely to be, or what we have been in the day of persecution; how we have passed through the fire? Did we contract the smel of fire, or the pollution of smoak? or are we improved by the purification of the discerning flames? Did we do our duties then, and then learn to do them better? or did we then only like glasse, bend in all the flexures and mobilities of the flame, and then mingle with the ashes, incorporating with the interests and foulest pollutions of the world? or were we like Gold, patient of the hammer, and approved by the stone of tryal? like Gold in the fire, did we untwist our selves from all complications and mix∣tures with impurer drosse? certain it is, that by persecution and by mony * 1.6 men are in all capaci∣ties and relations best examined how they are in their Religion and their Justice.

* 1.7Sometimes God tries his friends as we try one another, by the infelicities of our lives; when we are unhappy in our affliction, if we be not unhap∣py in our friend too, he is a right good one; and God will esteem of us so, if we can say with David, though thou hast smitten us into the place of Dragons, yet have we not forgotten thee; and my soul is alway in my hand, that is, I am alwayes in danger and trouble, and I bear death about me, yet do I not forsake thy Commandments. This indeed is Gods way of Examination of us; but that's all one; for we must examine our selves here in order to our duty, and state of being, as God will examine us hereafter in order to what we have been and done. And there is no greater testimony of our being fit to receive Christ, than when we are ready to die for him. But this is a final trial: we must have

some steps of progression before we come thus far.

2. There is a way something less than this;* 1.8 Ly∣curgus instituted among the Spartans, that the Princes, the Magistrates, the Souldiers and every Citizen that was capable of dignity should be try∣ed; They examined their lives whether they had lived according to the rate of their employment or pretensions; and those who were so examined were called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 tryed and examined men; and if they were persons quitting themselves like men, they were ascribed into the number of the good Citizens. That is our way, to try whether we be instructed and rightly prepared to this good work, and that is to be examined by a course and order of good works, that was the old and true way of ex∣amining.

For examination is but a relative duty; and no∣thing of it self, for no man is the better for being examined if being examined there follows nothing after it. He that is examined, either must be ap∣proved, or else in St. Pauls phrase he is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a reprobate; and to what purpose is it that every man should examine himself, but in case that he find himself unfit, to abstain and forbear to come: for if he comes unworthy he dies for it; and there∣fore to Examine must signifie; let every man ex∣amine himself so that he be approved;* 1.9 and so the word is used by St. Paul, Happy is he that doth not condemn himself in that which be approveth: The word signifies both to examine and to approve that is indeed to examine as wise men should; [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, saith Suidas] it is all one as to judge righteous Judgment after due exami∣nation;

and that is expresly added by the Apostle, in the same Chapter, after the precept of examina∣tion, judge your selves that you be not judged of the Lord; that is, your examination of your selves will prevent the horrours of the eternal scrutiny; your condemnation of your sins will prevent Gods condemnation of you for them; and then when you examine so as to judge, and so condemn your sins that you approve your selves to God and your own Consciences, then you have examined right∣ly.

The sense then is this: Let a man examine and prove himself, whether he be fit to come to the ho∣ly Communion, and so let him eat: not so if upon examination he be found unfit: but because it is intended he should come, and yet must not come without due and just preparations, let him who comes to the holy Communion, be sure that he worthily prepare himself.

These then are the great inquiries: 1. How a man shall so examine himself, as to know whether he be fit or no. 2. What are those necessary dis∣positions without which a man cannot be worthily prepared. The first will represent the general rules of preparation. The second inquiry will consider the more particular.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.2

  Non edit Israel sine amaris caulibus agnum, Tolle tuam, Christum qui cupis esse, crucem, Quos amat, aerumnis ete∣nim Deus angit, at illis Foetior exhausto palma labore venit.
• * 1.3

  Lib. de lapsis. & Epist. 54. Nunc non infirmis sed for∣tibus pax necessaria est; nec morientibus, sed viventi∣bus communicatio à nobis danda est: ut quos excita∣mus & hortamur ad praeli∣um, non inermes & nudos relinquamus: sed protecti∣one sanguinis & corporis Christi muniamus: & cum ad hoc fiat Eucharistia, ut possit accipientibus esse tu∣tela, quos tutos esse contra adversarium volumus, mu∣nimento Dominicae saturi∣ritatis armemus.
• * 1.4

  Revel. 3.20, 21.
• * 1.5

  — sit laurea justisEx pretio quod terror agit, mansuraque virtusCrescit in ad versis, quae testibus usa periclisAd meritum discrimen habetArat. Diacon. lib. 2. in acta.
• * 1.6

  Ecclus. 81.9.
• * 1.7

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.8

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Sui∣das.

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.9

  Rom. 14, 22.

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Phil. 1.4, 10.

  Gal. 6.4. Ephes. 5.10.