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Holy Living and Dying: With Prayers Containing the Whole Duty of a Christian
Based on work originally published in 1650 and 1651, this book combines Jeremy Taylor's two most famous writings: *The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living* and *The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying.*
These books are owner's manuals for the soul, describing for readers how to attain virtue, avoid vice, and live a proper Christian life. The book is divided into sections based on which virtue and which vice the reader needs help with.
*On Dying* speaks to those who, before they are old and ill, have given some thought to dying and wish to ensure that they pass properly to Heaven. Devout Christians will find this book inspirational and instructional.
548 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1651
72 people are currently reading
433 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Taylor
736 books16 followersJeremy Taylor (1613-1667) was a cleric in the Church of England and a writer.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 10, 2012
Anglican clergyman and devotional writer Jeremy Taylor was one of the most influential of the “Caroline Divines,” and chaplain to Charles I. Later, during the Civil War, he was a chaplain in the Royalist army. The successes of Cromwell’s forces brought about Taylor’s imprisonment and, after Cromwell’s victory, Taylor spent several years in forced retirement as chaplain to the family of Lord Carberry in Wales. It was during this time that his most influential works were written, especially Holy Living and Holy Dying (1651). His written prayers are great expressions of Anglican spirituality. Among them is this prayer:
“Most holy and eternal God, lord and sovereign of all the creatures, I humbly present to thy Divine Majesty myself, my soul and body, my thoughts and my words, my actions and intentions, my passions and my sufferings, to be disposed by thee to thy glory; to be blessed by thy providence; to be guided by thy counsel; to be sanctified by thy Spirit; and afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory: for nothing can perish which is under thy custody; and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is thy portion, nor take it out of thy hands. This day, O Lord, and all the days of my life, I dedicate to thy honour, and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace, and the religion of all my days to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour Jesus, that in him and for him I may be pardoned and accepted. Amen.”
“Most holy and eternal God, lord and sovereign of all the creatures, I humbly present to thy Divine Majesty myself, my soul and body, my thoughts and my words, my actions and intentions, my passions and my sufferings, to be disposed by thee to thy glory; to be blessed by thy providence; to be guided by thy counsel; to be sanctified by thy Spirit; and afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory: for nothing can perish which is under thy custody; and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is thy portion, nor take it out of thy hands. This day, O Lord, and all the days of my life, I dedicate to thy honour, and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace, and the religion of all my days to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour Jesus, that in him and for him I may be pardoned and accepted. Amen.”
gave-up
February 10, 2014My favorite book on the life of the Christ follower was written in the 1600's. This is not it. I can't handle works that are primarily a relentless bulleted list of things to do and how to do them. One half of this book is recognized as a pinnacle of English prose, but I couldn't get to it. Obviously the broader literary and theological world is astronomically more intelligent and better read than I am, but I can't keep reading this.
February 12, 2023
"Oh is that Jeremy Taylor?"
"Why yes, have you read him?"
"No, but you better be careful reading him."
I can't say this conversation happened frequently, but it did happen twice, which is twice more than I expected. And sort of funny given nobody ever warns you against reading Hobbes' The Leviathan or listening to Wagner.
When I have heard of Bishop Taylor’s name surface in conversation between Anglicans, he is either an authority of Real Anglicanism, or a knave of moralism infiltrating the church. I found he’s not quite either of those things, though he is interesting, pastoral, and very well written. He had tremendous influence on John Wesley, and was much used by Early Anglo-Catholics (Tractarians), though their inheritance is rightly questioned.
Unlike most modern literature, Taylor ends each chapter with several pages of written prayers for various occasions, most of which are quite excellent (he wrote this when the Book of Common Prayer was outlawed in England), which help digest and apply his material.
The best parts of the book were his writing on spiritual disciplines, while his wading into complex issues of salvation left something to be desired. Chapter 1 is a jewel, as an introduction about the use of time in daily life. It is written for a very different economy but is full of beneficial material. Chapter 2 “Of Christian Sobriety” is helpful, and has lots of good wisdom, but he cites widely from the Romans, particularly the Stoics, which makes him a good observer of human nature, but sometimes a poor instructor in Christian holiness.
From there Taylor has his highest highs and lowest lows. His work on justice and obedience leave something to be desired (see Stoicism), while his prose on prayer and vows, fasting and zeal, are second to none in what I’ve read from the time, and worthy of much meditation and distribution from modern audiences. Consider the two quotes on zeal and love, respectively:
“If zeal be in the beginnings of our spiritual birth, or be short, sudden, and transient, or be a consequent of a man’s natural temper, or come upon any cause but after long growth of a temperate and well-regulated love—it is to be suspected for passion and frowardness, rather than the vertical point of love…Zeal must spend its greatest heat principally in those things that concern ourselves; but with great care and restraint in those that concern others.”
“Rely not on a single prayer in matters of great concernment; but make it as public as you can, by obtaining others to pray for you—this being the great blessing of the communion of saints, that a prayer united is strong, like a well-ordered army; and God loves to be tied fast with such cords of love, and constrained by a holy violence.”
"Why yes, have you read him?"
"No, but you better be careful reading him."
I can't say this conversation happened frequently, but it did happen twice, which is twice more than I expected. And sort of funny given nobody ever warns you against reading Hobbes' The Leviathan or listening to Wagner.
When I have heard of Bishop Taylor’s name surface in conversation between Anglicans, he is either an authority of Real Anglicanism, or a knave of moralism infiltrating the church. I found he’s not quite either of those things, though he is interesting, pastoral, and very well written. He had tremendous influence on John Wesley, and was much used by Early Anglo-Catholics (Tractarians), though their inheritance is rightly questioned.
Unlike most modern literature, Taylor ends each chapter with several pages of written prayers for various occasions, most of which are quite excellent (he wrote this when the Book of Common Prayer was outlawed in England), which help digest and apply his material.
The best parts of the book were his writing on spiritual disciplines, while his wading into complex issues of salvation left something to be desired. Chapter 1 is a jewel, as an introduction about the use of time in daily life. It is written for a very different economy but is full of beneficial material. Chapter 2 “Of Christian Sobriety” is helpful, and has lots of good wisdom, but he cites widely from the Romans, particularly the Stoics, which makes him a good observer of human nature, but sometimes a poor instructor in Christian holiness.
From there Taylor has his highest highs and lowest lows. His work on justice and obedience leave something to be desired (see Stoicism), while his prose on prayer and vows, fasting and zeal, are second to none in what I’ve read from the time, and worthy of much meditation and distribution from modern audiences. Consider the two quotes on zeal and love, respectively:
“If zeal be in the beginnings of our spiritual birth, or be short, sudden, and transient, or be a consequent of a man’s natural temper, or come upon any cause but after long growth of a temperate and well-regulated love—it is to be suspected for passion and frowardness, rather than the vertical point of love…Zeal must spend its greatest heat principally in those things that concern ourselves; but with great care and restraint in those that concern others.”
“Rely not on a single prayer in matters of great concernment; but make it as public as you can, by obtaining others to pray for you—this being the great blessing of the communion of saints, that a prayer united is strong, like a well-ordered army; and God loves to be tied fast with such cords of love, and constrained by a holy violence.”
Want to read
February 13, 2024Noticed Mark Shultz' podcast - The Evidence of Things Not Seen (2020) - highlighted this book in a number of his episodes. One of Jeremy Taylor's book titles in amazon is titled: Holy Living and Dying: With Prayers Containing the Whole Duty of a Christian. I'm guessing it's the same book. I like the subtitle - the Whole Duty of a Christian!
July 12, 2021
Application
Old language
Helpful guidance
Old language
Helpful guidance
April 7, 2025
A long slog but had many gems throughout. Sometimes a list of dos and don’ts, other times beautiful prose on the Christian life
March 25, 2026
Long and wordy
If you enjoy a good run on sentence or brevity isn't for you, this book is perfect for you. Otherwise skip it.
If you enjoy a good run on sentence or brevity isn't for you, this book is perfect for you. Otherwise skip it.
Read
December 30, 2018 These are some of those old books that many people have heard of but not read, quoted, but not studied. That is a shame. There is a lot of wise advice in this volume published by Seedbed Publishing.
It is actually two separate, slim books done in one volume. The second book, on Holy Dying, lays out thoughts for the ill, dying, and those who minister to them. Rev Taylor must have really admired Cyrus the Great, because he often tells stories about Cyrus dying in ancient Persia.
Here is a typical quote from Taylor; "Be content that the time that was formerly spent in prayer be now spent in vomiting, and carelessness, and attendance; since God has pleased that it should be so, it does not become us to think hard thoughts concerning it." Odd words, but down to earth and practical for a very ill person. Typical of this volume. Read it slowly.
It is actually two separate, slim books done in one volume. The second book, on Holy Dying, lays out thoughts for the ill, dying, and those who minister to them. Rev Taylor must have really admired Cyrus the Great, because he often tells stories about Cyrus dying in ancient Persia.
Here is a typical quote from Taylor; "Be content that the time that was formerly spent in prayer be now spent in vomiting, and carelessness, and attendance; since God has pleased that it should be so, it does not become us to think hard thoughts concerning it." Odd words, but down to earth and practical for a very ill person. Typical of this volume. Read it slowly.
March 3, 2010
This is literally a How-To manual, how to arrange things around the death-bed of a Christian.
March 22, 2025
You have to wade through a lot of monumental prose and 'miserable sinner' theology to discover some beautiful and remarkable insights. Jeremy is verbose but likable.
July 26, 2025
Interesting to see an insight into how God is perceived by an Anglican spiritual writer.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews