Jeremy Taylor, Bishop & Theologian

Today the Church remembers a bishop and theologian from the 1600s, Jeremy Taylor.  He was born in Cambridge, England in 1613, the son of a barber.

Taylor went to Cambridge as a student, and he was ordained a priest at the age of 20.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, recognized the intelligence Taylor possessed and took the young priest under his wing.   

Taylor was a Fellow of two Cambridge colleges and he also served as chaplain to King Charles. When the Puritans came to power, Taylor was placed into prison. After the Restoration, in 1661, he became Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland.

He is known for his writings, and John Wesley was quite fond of them.  Here is a sample of Taylor’s writing:

As our life is very short, so it is very miserable; and therefore it is well that it is short. God, in pity to mankind, lest his burden should be insupportable and his nature an intolerable load, hath reduced our state of misery to an abbreviature; and the greater our misery is, the less while it is like to last; the sorrows of a man’s spirit being like ponderous weights, which by the greatness of their burden make a swifter motion, and descend into the grave to rest and ease our wearied limbs; for then only we shall sleep quietly, when those fetters are knocked off, which not only bound our souls in prison, but also ate the flesh till the very bones opened the secret garments of their cartilages, discovering their nakedness and sorrow.  (Taken from Rules and Exercises of Holy Dying).

He died on this day in August of 1667.

Let us pray:  O God, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered: Make us, like your servant Jeremy Taylor, deeply aware of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let your Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

THANK YOU TO BOB NEWDING for the gift of the Wedding Plant, a cutting taken from his own parents wedding in November of 1939.  This plant has been blessed, and each time we have a coupled who is married at St. Augustine’s, they will be given a cutting from this plant.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Seaside Seniors, this Thursday, 16 August in Sutton Hall.

Bishop’s Committee Meeting this Sunday after the Eucharist.

The Feast Day of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 26 August starting with Eucharist Rite II at 9 a.m. and a luncheon after the service.

New Adult Christian Education Series starting September: Lord, Teach Us To Pray: Six Studies on the Lord’s Prayer from the Kerygma Series.  This study will be led by Jillian Bain on Sundays and by Tammie Taylor on Mondays.  Please join in this wonderful study of God’s Word.

The Roots of Christian Mysticism, a Three-Year Course of Study, Year One,  September 8, 2012 - May 4, 2013, Houston, Texas.  This three-year course offers a unique opportunity to explore, in depth, the history of Christian Mysticism. It is structured and taught by leading scholars and practitioners and focuses on the key figures of the mystical tradition.  Classes will be held one Saturday a month for nine consecutive months at the Dominican Sisters Spirituality Center, 6501 Almeda (at Holcombe), Houston, Texas. Annual tuition is $225.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, the family of Corlie Jackson whose mother died recently, for the health of Lee Runion’s mother, Steve, Gladys, and for all of those who are traveling.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550