AFter our right hartie commēdaci­ons: Aswell for the conseruacion of the quietnes and good ordre of the Kynges Maiesties subiectes, as that theishould not by euill & vnlearned Preachers be brought vnto supersticiō, er­xor, or euil doctrine, or otherwise bee made stubborne and disobe­dient, to the Kynges Maiesties Godly procedynges, his high­nes by our aduise, hath thought [Page]good to inhibite all maner of Preachers, who hath not suche licence, as in the same proclama­tion is alowed to Preache, or stirre the people in open and cō ­mon Preachynges or Sermo­nes by any meanes, that the de­uoute & Godly Homilies might the better in the meane whyle sincke into his subiectes hartes, and be learned the soner, the peo­ple beeyng not tossed to and frō with sedicious and contencious preachyng, while euery man ac­cordyng to his zeale, some better some worse, goeth about to sette out his awne phantasie, and to draw the people to his opinion. Neuertheles, it is not his Ma­iesties mynde, hereby clerely to extinct the liuely teachyng of the [Page]woorde of God, by Sermones made after suche sorte, as for the tyme the holy ghost, shall put in to the preachers mind: But that rashe, contencious, hote and vn­discrete Preachers should bee stopped: and that thei only whi­che be chosen and electe, discrete and sobre menue, should occupie that place, whiche was made for edificacion, & not for destrucciō, for the honor of God and peace and quietnes of conscience to be set forward, not for priuate glo­rie to bee auaunced: tappeace, to teache, to instruct y ^e people with humilitie & paciēce: not to make theim contencious and proude: to instill into theim their due­tie to their heddes and rulers, o­bedience to Lawes and ordres [Page]appointed by the superiors, who hath rule of God, not that euery man should runne before their heddes hath appoynted theim what to do, and that euery man should chose his awne waie in religion. The whiche thyng yet beyng dooen of some menne, and thei beyng rather prouoked ther to by certain preachers, then de­horted from it, it was necessarie to set a stay therein. And yet for­somuche, as wee haue a greate confidence and trust in you, that you will not onely preache truly and sincerely the worde of God, but also wil vse circumspeccion and moderacion in youre Prea­chyng, and suche Godly wisedō as shalbee necessarie, and moste cōuenient for the time and place [Page]we haue sent vnto you, the Kyn­ges Maiesties licence to Prea­che, but yet with this exhorta­tion and admonishement: That in nowise you dooe stirre, and prouoke the people, to any al­teracion, or innouacion, other then is already set furthe by the kynges maiesties Iniunccions, Homeltes, or Proclamacions. But contrariwise, that you do in all your sermones, exhort menne to that whiche is at this tyme more necessarie, that is to the e­mendacion of their awne lifes, to the obseruaunce of the com­maundementes of god, to humi­litie, pacience, and obedience to their heddes and rulers: Confortyng the weake, and teachyng thē the right waie, and to flee all [Page]old and erronious supersticiōs: as the confidence in Pardons, Pilgrymages, Beades, Religi­ons, Images, and other suche of the bisshoppe of Romes Tradi­cions, and supersticiōs, with his vsurped power, the whiche thin­ges be here in this realme, moste iustly abolished: and straightly rebukyng those, who of an arro­gancie and proude hastines, wil take vpon them to runne before thei be sēt, to go before the rulers to alter and chaunge thinges in religiō, without auchoritie: tea­chyng theim to expecte, and tary the tyme whiche God hath or­deined to the reuealyng of all truthe, and not to seeke so long blyndly and hedlynges after it, till thei bryng al ordres into cō ­tempt: [Page]It is not a priuate man­nes duetie, to alter Ceremonies, to innouate ordres in the Chur­che, nor yet it is not a Prea­chers part, to bryng that in con­tempte and hatered, whiche the Prince doth either alowe, or is content to suffre. The Kynges highnes by oure aduise, as a Prince moste earnestly geuen to the true knowledge of God, and to bryng vp his people therein, dooth not ceasse to labor and trauaile, by all Godly meanes, that his realme might bee brought and kept, in a moste Godly and Christian ordre, who onely maie and ought to doo it: why should a priuate manne or a Preacher, take this royall and kyngly of­fice vpon hym? and not rather [Page]as his duetie is, obediently fo­low hymself, and teache likewise other to folow, and obserue that whiche is commaunded. What is abolished, taken awaie, re­formed, and commaunded, it is easie to se by the Actes of Parli­ament, the Iniunccions, Procla­cions, and Homelies: The whi­che thynges moste earnestly it behoueth all Preachers in their Sermones, to confirme and ap­proue accordynly: in other thyn­ges whiche be not yet touched, it behoueth hym to thynke, that ei­ther the prince doth allowe them or els suffre theim: and in those it is the part of a Godly manne, not to thinke hymself wiser then the Kynges Maiestie and his counsail, but paciently to expect [Page]and to conforme hymself therto, and not to entermedle farther to the disturbaunce of a realme the disquietyng of the Kynges peo­ple, the troublyng of mennes consciences, and disordre of the Kynges subiectes. These thyn­ges wee haue thought good, to admonishe you of at this tyme, because wee thynke you will, set the same so forward in your preachyng, and so instructe the kyn­ges maiesties people accordyn­gly, to the mooste auauncement of the glory of God, and the kin­ges maiesties moste Godly pro­cedynges: that we do not doubt, but muche proffite shall ensue thereby, and greate conformitie in the people the whiche you do instructe: and so wee praie you [Page]not to faile to dooe, and hauyng aspeciall regarde, to the weake­nes of the people, what thei may beare, and what is moste conue­nient for the tyme, in no case to entermeddle in youre sermones or otherwise, with matters in cō tencion, or controuersion: Ex­cept it be to reduce the people in them also to obedience, and folo­wyng of suche ordres as y ^e Kyn­ges Maiestie hath all redy sette furth, and no others: as the kin­ges Maiestie and our trust is in you, and as you tendre his high­nes will and pleasure, and wil answere to the cō ­trarie at youre perill.

Fare you well.