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The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying
A devotional manual written by the 17th century divine, Jeremy Taylor, intended to prepare one for death. This is a facsimile reproduction of an 1831 edition published by Thomas Wardle in Philadelphia.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1651
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About the author
Jeremy Taylor
834 books13 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 4, 2015
Like the Book of Common Prayer (the Fourth edition (1604) of which would have been in use in Taylor’s day) the form and style of language employed by Taylor is deeply spiritual. Yes, Taylor’s language looks antiquated to the modern eye: but then more so is William Shakespeare’s. ‘Holy Dying’ is a book to read slowly, to provoke thought, and to savour the riches within.
This is a book which reminds us that until relatively recently, Death was a constant companion in Life; a fellow traveller better met after preparation; not to be faced in a state of un-readiness. What a stark contrast that makes to our present-day society; where death too often comes to many as a greatly feared calamity, and the final end.
Taylor is above all a practical and keen observer of man. Thus he writes a section on “Reflections that may lessen our Impatience” and gives “Rules for the Practice of Patience”. Personally I find such advice of far more use and effect than any number of scented candles or bath oils sold in shops today! He urges that we examine our actions daily; “Let not sleep seize upon the regions of your senses before you have three times recalled the conversation and accidents of the day.” (pg.41). In other words, set misunderstandings and wrongs right before they can fester and mushroom out of all proportion to the original error. In our present age of electronic communications, we should not necessarily leave such a review ‘til as late as the end of the day!
Lastly, I’d like to observe that for the historian, or indeed for any person who enjoys looking round old houses, historic towns and city centres, pubs, mills, etc; one cannot really even begin to appreciate and understand what life was really like in that past, without first gaining some understanding of the philosophies, and practice of faith, of the period. For the mid-seventeenth century, this book is an informative, and deeply moving, source.
Please, do read it.
This is a book which reminds us that until relatively recently, Death was a constant companion in Life; a fellow traveller better met after preparation; not to be faced in a state of un-readiness. What a stark contrast that makes to our present-day society; where death too often comes to many as a greatly feared calamity, and the final end.
Taylor is above all a practical and keen observer of man. Thus he writes a section on “Reflections that may lessen our Impatience” and gives “Rules for the Practice of Patience”. Personally I find such advice of far more use and effect than any number of scented candles or bath oils sold in shops today! He urges that we examine our actions daily; “Let not sleep seize upon the regions of your senses before you have three times recalled the conversation and accidents of the day.” (pg.41). In other words, set misunderstandings and wrongs right before they can fester and mushroom out of all proportion to the original error. In our present age of electronic communications, we should not necessarily leave such a review ‘til as late as the end of the day!
Lastly, I’d like to observe that for the historian, or indeed for any person who enjoys looking round old houses, historic towns and city centres, pubs, mills, etc; one cannot really even begin to appreciate and understand what life was really like in that past, without first gaining some understanding of the philosophies, and practice of faith, of the period. For the mid-seventeenth century, this book is an informative, and deeply moving, source.
Please, do read it.
January 3, 2016
For my taste, one of the most gorgeous pieces of prose I know of. He has the splendid architecture of the 17th century sentence and he has it completely in control.
"For, if we consider the disorders of every day, the multitude of impertinent words, the great portion of time spent in vanity, the daily omissions of duty, the coldness of our prayers, the indifference of our spirit in holy things, the uncertainty of our secret purposes, our infinite deceptions and hypocrisies, sometimes not known, very often not observed by ourselves ... from all this we shall find, that the computations of a man's life are busy as the tables of sines and tangents, and intricate as the accounts of eastern merchants: and therefore it were but reason, we should sum up our accounts at the foot of every page, I mean, that we call ourselves to scrutiny every night, when we compose ourselves to the little images of death (sleep)".
"For, if we consider the disorders of every day, the multitude of impertinent words, the great portion of time spent in vanity, the daily omissions of duty, the coldness of our prayers, the indifference of our spirit in holy things, the uncertainty of our secret purposes, our infinite deceptions and hypocrisies, sometimes not known, very often not observed by ourselves ... from all this we shall find, that the computations of a man's life are busy as the tables of sines and tangents, and intricate as the accounts of eastern merchants: and therefore it were but reason, we should sum up our accounts at the foot of every page, I mean, that we call ourselves to scrutiny every night, when we compose ourselves to the little images of death (sleep)".
July 9, 2023
Every page is deep and thoughtful. The main intended reader seems to be a minister shepherding his ailing flock, but I also benefited greatly. I read it slowly - as a devotional.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews