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. VI. Devotions to be used upon the days of our Examination, relative to that duty.

The Hymne.

THe Lord is in his holy temple, the Lords throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eye lids try the children of men.

The Lord tryeth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

For the righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse: his countenance doth behold the upright.

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Thou hast proved mine heart, thou hast visited me in the night, thou hast tried me and shalt find nothing: I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

Hold up my goings in thy paths: that my foot∣steps slip not.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tryed; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

For who is God save the Lord? and who is our rock save our God?

Judge me O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: but I trust in the Lord, therefore I shall not slide.

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart: for thy loving-kindnesse is be∣fore mine ey••s, and I will walk in thy truth

I will not sit with vain persons: neither will I go in with dissemblers.

I hate the Congregation of evil doers: and will not sit with the wicked.

I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compasse thine Altar O ••ord.

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgi∣ving: and tell of all thy wondrous works

But as for me, I will walk in my integrity: re∣deem me and be merciful unto me.

So shall my foot stand in an even place: and in the congregations will I blesse the Lord.

Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the beginning, &c.

The Prayers.

O Eternal and most Glorious God, who sittest in heaven ruling over all things from the beginning; thou dwellest on high, and yet humblest thy self to behold the things that are in heaven and earth; thou hast searched me, O Lord, and known me; thou understandest my thoughts afar off, and art acquainted with all my ways; for there is not a word in my tongue but thou O Lord

knowest it altogether: Be pleased to impart unto thy servant a ray of thy heavenly light, a beam of the Sun of righteousnesse; open mine eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy Law, that I may walk in them all my days: Set all my sins before my face, that I may speedily and earnestly and perfectly re∣pent and forsake them all: Give me a sight of my infirmities, that I may watch against them; discover to me all my evil and weak principles, that I may reform them; and whatsoever is wanting in me towards the un∣derstanding of any thing whereby I may please thee and perfect my duty, I beg of thee to reveal that also unto me, that my duty may not be undiscerned, and my faith may not be reproved, and my affections may not be per∣verse, and hardned in their foolish pursu∣ance, and a secret sin may not lye undiscove∣red and corrupting my soul.

II.

GIve me an ingenuous and a severe spi∣rit, that whatever judgment of chari∣ty I make concerning others, I may give a right judgment concerning my own state and actions, condemning the criminal, censuring the suspicious, suspecting what seems allowa∣ble, and watchful even over the best, that I may in the spirit of repentance and mortifi∣cation

correct all my irregularities, and re∣form my errours, and improve the good things which thou hast given me; that en∣deavouring to approve my actions to my con∣science, and my conscience to thy law, I may not be a reprobate, but approved by thee in the great day of examination of all the world, and be reckoned amongst thy Elect, thy se∣cret ones, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A short form of Humiliation, after our Examination.

I.

THY Judgments O Lord God are declared in thunder, and with fear and dread thou sha∣kest all my bones, and my soul trembles when I con∣sider that great day in which thou shalt judge all the world, and that infinite justice which will not spare the mighty for his greatnesse, nor the poor for his poverty; and thy unlimited power, which can mightily destroy all them that will not have thee to reign over them.

II.

O most dreadful Judge. I stand in amazement when I consider that the heavens are not pure in thine eyes: and if thou foundest perversnesse in thy Angels, and didst not spare them, what shall

become of me? The stars fell from heaven; and what can I presume, who am but dust and ashes? They whose life that seemed holy are fallen into an evil portion; and after they have eaten the bread of Angels, they have been delighted with Carobe-nuts, with husks and draffe of Swine.

III.

There is no holinesse, O God, if thou with∣drawest thy hand; no wisdom profits if thy go∣vernment does cease. No courage can abide, no chastity can remain pure; no watchfulnesse keep us safe, unlesse thou doest continue to strengthen us, to purifie us, to make us stand. When thou leavest us, we drown and perish; when thy grace and mercy visits us, we are lifted up and stand upright. We are unstable, and unsecure, unlesse we be con∣firmed by thee; but we seek to thee for thy help; and yet depart from the wayes of thy commande∣ments.

IV.

O how meanly and contemptibly do I deserve to be thought of! how little and inconsiderable is the good which I do? and how vast, how innumerable, how intolerable are the evils which I have done? I submit O God, I submit to the abysses of thy righ∣teous and unsearchable judgements; for I have been searching for a little some little good in me; but I finde nothing. Much indeed of good I have re∣ceived; but I have abused it; thou hast given me thy grace; but I have turned it into wantonnesse: thou hast enabled me to serve thee; but I have served my self; but never but when I was thy

enemy: so that in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.

V.

I am a deep abysse, O God, of folly and ca∣lamity; I have been searching my heart, and can find no good thing; I have been searching, and I cannot find out all the evil. Thou didst create in me a hope of glory, but I have lost my confidence; and men have sometimes spoken good things of me, but I know not where they are; and who shall raise me up when I fall down before thy face in thy eter∣nal judgment?

VI.

I will no more desire, I will no more suffer, I will no more seek, I will no more be moved by the praises of men; for behold they speak, but they know nothing: Thou art silent, but thou knowest all things, and I increase the number of my sins. What shall I do, O thou preserver of men! I will lay my face in the dust, and confess my self to be nothing.

VII.

Pity my shame O God: bind up my wounds; lift me from the dust; raise me up from this no∣thing, and make me something; what thou wilt, what thou wilt delight in. Take away the parti∣tion wall, the hindrance, the sin that so easily be∣sets me; and bring me unto Jesus, to my sweetest Saviour Jesus; unite me unto him; and then al∣though in my self I am nothing, yet in him I shall

be what I ought to be, and what thou canst not chuse but love. Amen, Amen.

A Prayer for holy and fervent desires of Religion, and particularly of the Blessed Sacrament.

O Most Blessed, most glorious Lord and Saviour Jesus; thou that waterest the furrows of the earth, and refreshest her wea∣rinesse, and makest it very plenteous, behold O God my desart and unfruitful soul; I have already a parched ground, give me a land of Rivers of Waters; my Soul is dry but not thirsty; it hath no water, nor it desires none; I have been like a dead man to all the desires of heaven. I am earnest and concerned in the things of the world; but very indifferent, or rather not well enduring the severities and excellencies of Religion. I have not been greedy of thy Word, or longed for thy Sacra∣ments. The worst of thy followers came run∣ing after thee for loaves, though they cared not for the miracle; but thou offerest me loaves and miracles together, and I have cared for neither: Thou offerest me thy self, and all thy infinite sweetnesses; I have needed even the compulsion of laws to drive me to thee; and then indeed I lost the

sweetnesse of thy presence, and reaped no fruit. These things O God are not well, they are infinitely amiss. But thou that providest meat, thou also givest appetite; for the desire and the meat, the necessity and the relief are all from thee.

II.

Be pleased therefore, O my dearest Lord, to create in thy servant a great hunger and thirst after the things of thy kingdom and the righteousnesse of it, all thy holy graces, and all the holy ministeries of grace; that I may long for the bread of heaven, thirst after the foun∣tains of salvation, and as the Hart panteth after the brooks of water, so my soul may de∣sire thee O Lord. O kindle such a holy flame in my soul, that it may consume all that is set before me; that it may be meat and drink to me to do thy will.

III.

Grant O blessed Jesus that I may omit no opportunity of serving thee, of conversing with thee, of receiving thee; let me not rest in the least and lowest measures of necessity, but passe on to the excellencies of love, and the transportations of an excellent Religion, that there may remain in me no appetite for

any thing but what thou lovest; that I may have no satisfaction but in a holy Conscience, no pleasure but in Religion, no joy but in God, and with sincerity and zeal heartinesse and ingenuity, I may follow after righteousnesse, and the things that belong unto my peace, until I shall arrive in the land of eternal peace and praises, where thou livest and reignest for ever world without end. Amen.