A memoriall of a Christian life Wherin are treated al such things, as appertaine vnto a Christian to do from the beginning of his co[n]uersion, vntil the end of his perfection. Deuided into seauen treatises: the particulars whereof are noted in the page following. Written first in the Spanish tongue, by the famous religious father, F. Lewis de Granada, Prouinciall of the holy order of preachers, in the prouince of Portugall.

The first thing, that is required in him, that will receaue this most blessed Sacra∣ment: is, to haue a cleane and pure conscience THE II CHAPTER.

THE first thing, that is requisite for the worthie receiuing of this most blessed Sacrament, is, that aman doe ac∣knowledge with all humilitie, that no dili∣gence of men, nor of Angels, is sufficient to make this preparation, vnlesse the hād of Almightie God doe come betwene, & doe speciallie helpe vs therein. For as no man can dispose himselfe for the increasing

of grace, without grace: euen so no man can dispose himselfe to receaue Almightie God worthilie, without the special helpe of God himselfe. And therefore he must be cried and called vpon with humble & feruent desires, that it may please him with his owne hand to cleanse and prepare the house, wherin he himselfe shalbe lodg∣ed. We see, that when aking intendeth to lodge in a village, he looketh not that the owner of the house should prouide him a lodging, according as the maiestie of his princely entertainmēt requireth, (because the poore inhabitor of that place is not of ability to do it,) but the king himself send∣eth before his harbingers, and purueiours, with such furniture and ornamēts of hous∣hold, as are seemely for his roiall person. The which being so, we haue iust cause to become humble suters vnto our Lord, that sith he wil of his great goodnes, & mercie, vouchsafe to lodge in our cottage, that it may please him, in respect of this benefit, to graunt vs an other benefit, that is, to send the Holie Ghost with furniture of all his vertues & heauēly gifts: to the end, that af¦ter this sort, through the grace and vertue of Almighty God, the house in which god himself must be lodged, may be decked, &

prepared. Now that this may be done, as it behoueth the first thing that is requisite thereunto, is cleannes of conscience: that is to say, that we goe pure and cleane from all deadly sin: whereof the Prophet spea∣keth, saying: I will wash my handes among the Innocents, & will compasse about thine Aultar, O Lord? Where first he saieth, that he will wash his hands, (to wit, the sinfulnes of his deedes,) and afterwardes, that hee will ap∣proach to the Aultar, that is to say, vnto the table of our Lord. And for this verie cause hath the Apostle threatned vs so ter∣ribly, when he saied: Whosoeuer shall eate this bread, and drinke the cup of our Lord vnworthily, shall be guiltie of the bodie and blood of our Lord, &c. For not discerning our Lords body. By which words S. Paul giueth vs to vnderstand, that they that approach to receaue this diuine Misterie, being in deadlie sin, doe commit the like horrible offence, as those Iewes did, that Crucified Christ: forsomuch as both the one and the other doe sin against the selfe same body and blood of Christ, though it be after a diuers sort.

Moreouer, what other thing can ensue by ioyning together two thinges, which are so contrarie one to the other, as Christ, and a sinner, but the corruption of the one by the other: for things that are a like, may

easily be ioyned together: as Iron with I∣ron, & water with water: but things, that are contrarie, (as water and fire,) can by no meanes be ioyned together, but that the one will corrupt the other. Wherefore sith that by meane of this most blessed sa∣crament, man is ioyned with Christ, what other thing is there to be looked for of this ioyning, but the corruption of the weaker part? How shall the good ioyne together with the euill, the cleane with the vn∣cleane, the humble with the proude, the meeke with the furious, and the mercifull with the cruell. And therefore it is conue∣nient, that there be some kinde of likenes and resemblance betweene the Christian, and Christ, to ioyne him worthily vnto Christ: all which likenes sin destroieth, whē it is not purged by penance. And although all deadly sins do worke this effect, yet are there two, which doe it chiefly aboue the rest: to wit, hatred, & dishonest vncleane life, the which vices do repugne most par∣ticularly against the nature of this blessed Sacrament: For as touching the first, this blessed Sacrament is a Sacrament of loue, and of vnion: forsomuch as in the same the faithfull doe participate of one very same meate, and of one verie same Spirite,

which maketh al the faithfull one same thing through loue. And to signifie this v∣nion S. Augustine saieth, that our Lord in∣stituted this most Holy Sacrament in such kind of thinges, that of many become one, as bread and wine, (for bread is made of manie graines of wheate, and wine of ma∣nie grapes,) to giue vs thereby to vnder∣stand, that this diuine Sacrament, which is ministred in those two kindes, worketh this same effect in al such, as receaue it worthily: That is to say, it maketh of many hartes one hart, by communicating vnto them al one same spirit, when they re∣ceaue it. Which thing being so, what can be more absurd, than to come to receaue a Sacrament of vnion with a hart deuided? vvhat is this els, but to desire the Surgeon to close vp the wound, & thou on the other side to labour alwaies to keepe it opē? sure¦ly, it is no lesse absurd for vs to come to receaue this spirituall medicine (which hath uertue to close vp the vvoundes of hatred, and euill vvill, and to ioyne to∣gether againe the harts which are deui∣ded,) if we on the other side doe intend of set purpose to resist this benefit, and with particular enmity & dissention to breake the vnion of peace, which this medicine worketh

He then, that will auoide this inconueni∣ence, let him not aduenture to approach vnto this Holy Table, vnlesse he doe first resolue with himselfe to fulfill that Com∣mandemēt of our Sauiour, where he saith. If thou doe offer vp thine offering before the Aul∣tar, and shalt there remember, that thy brother hath ought against thee: leaue thine offering be∣fore the Aultar, and goe first of all, and reconcile thy selfe with thy brother. And after that this is done, thou maiest returne, and offer vp thine offe∣ring. Now with this manner of Satisfacti∣on, or at the least with a firme determina∣tion to doe the same, (according to the iudgement of a discreet Ghostly Father,) a man ought to come vnto this heauenlie Table: For whosoeuer doth otherwise, vn∣doubtedly the Maister of the feast will say vnto him. Friend, how haste thou entred in here, not hauing a wedding garment? that is, the vertue of Charitie: which as the Apostle Saint Peeter saieth, couereth the multitude of sinnes. And hee hath good cause to feare, least not hauing what to answere vnto that demaund, the Maister of the feast do com∣mand him, (as foloweth in the Gospell,) to be bound hand and foote, and to be cast into the fire. The other sin that is contrary to this most blessed Sacrament, is euerie

kinde of dishonest filthines, & vncleannes of life. For this most holy sacrament (which conteineth in it that virgins flesh gathered together of the most pure & virginall en∣trailes of our blessed Lady) requireth such a passing cleannes both of body & soule, that euen to haue had in a dreame some illusion of the diuell, by dreaming of car∣nall pleasures, holy men haue thought to be a sufficient cause to stay a man from ap∣proaching vnto this diuine sacrament, vn∣les it be at such a time as whē either our o∣bedience or some special & solēne feast do binde vs thereunto: or els when a mā find∣eth himselfe no lesse prepared and deuout when it happeneth, thā if it had not happe∣ned at all. Yea, & S. Bernard counsaileth vs, that when this illusiō chaunceth, we should abstaine, not only from receiuing the most blessed Sacrament, but also frō helping the Priest to Masse: (so great is the puritie & cleannes, which is required for this ho∣ly Mistery.) For if to attend vnto praier only, the Apostle willed, that maried folke should abstaine from the company of their wiues: how much more ought they to ab∣staine, when they come to receaue this di∣uine Sacrament, where Almighty God is corporally receaued? And if in the old law

one onely dishonest dreame caused a man to be banished for all the whole day fol∣lowing from the tents, & company of the people of God: how much more should it now banish him from the Communion, & participation of God himselfe.

It is also meete and conuenient, that we goe cleane and pure, when we come to re∣ceaue this blessed Sacrament, not only frō deadly sins, but also euen from veniall sins: For euen this kinde of sins although they quench not the fire of Charitie, yet doe they quench the feruour of deuotiō, which is the most proper preparation that is re∣quired for the receauing of this diuine Sa∣crament. And to the end, that we may be also cleansed of these veniall sinnes, it is meete & conuenient, that before we come to Communicate, there be made some confession of them, or at the least some re∣pentance and sorrow for them, or els some other holy exercises of loue and deuotion: that by these meanes the feruour, & actu∣all deuotion, which was lost by those sins, may be recouered againe. And whosoeuer doth none of all these, shal not be excused, at the least of a grieuous veniall sin, for this his negligence, and shall loose verie much of the sweetnesse and refection

of this Holy Sacrament, which is the pro∣per effect, that it worketh in such soules as come to receaue it with this preparation: But he that hath fallen into any deadly sin (besides the repentance spoken of before) is bound of necessity to confesse the same Sacramentally vnto his Ghostly Father, vnder paine of deadlie sin, as it is expresly commaunded in the, Holy Generall Councell of Trent.

Notes

• We must be cleane from all deadly sinne, when we come to receaue the blessed Sa∣crament. Psal. 15.6.
• Cor. 11.27.29.
• Christ and a sinner can not be ioy∣ned toge∣ther.
• Enmitie & dishonestie are most cō∣trarie to the sacrament of the Aul∣tar.
• S. Augus∣tine.
• How hatred and enmitie be contrarie to this bles∣sed sacra∣ment.
• Math. 5.
• Math. 22. vers. 12.
• 1. Pet. 4. vers. 8.
• All disho∣nest filthi∣nes of life is contrarie to this blessed sacrament.
• Summa. S. Thom. 3. part. quest. 80. artic. 7.
• S. Bernard.
• 1. Cor. 7.5. & 35.
• Deut. 23.10. & 14.
• The cleanes from venial sinnes is meete, for the recea∣uing of this Holy sacra∣ment. Sum∣ma. S. The. 3. pa••t. ques. 79. artic. 8 Note, that veniall sins doe quench the feruour of deuotion. Before we doe commu∣nicate, it is good to say the confiteo•• &c. We are bound of ne¦cessitie to Confesse all deadly sins before we Communi∣cate.

  Concil. Tri∣dent. Ses. 13 cap. 7. & can. 11.