Certayne sermons or homilies, appoynted by the kynges Majestie, to be declared
and redde, by all Persones,
Vycars, or Curates, every Sonday
in their Churches where they have Cure.
ANNO, 1547
…
pages: R4r-S1r
An exhortation concerning good ordre and obedience, to rulers and Magistrates.
Almighty God hath created and appointed all thinges, in heaven, yearth, and
waters, in a moste excellente
and perfyte ordre. In heaven he hath appoynted
distinct orders, and states, of Archangels and Angels. In yearthe
he hath assigned kynges, and princes, with other governours under them, all in good and necessary ordre. The water
about is kepte, and rayneth
doune in due tyme and
season. The Sunne,
Moone, Starres, Raynebowe, Thunder, Lightenyng, Cloudes, and all byrdes of the ayre do kepe theyr
ordre. The yearthe, trees, seeds, plantes, herbes, corne, grasse,
and all maner of beatles kepe them in theyr ordre. All the partes of the whole yere, as Winter, Summer, monethes, nightes and dayes, continue in theyr ordre. All kyndes of
fishes in the sea, rivers and waters, with all fountaynes,
and sprynges, yea, the seas themselves kepe their comely course and ordre. And man hym selfe also hath all his partes both within and without, as soule,
hearte, mynde, memory, understandyng, reason, speache,
with all and singuler corporal members of his body,
in a profitable, necessarie and pleasaunt
ordre. Every degree of people, in theyr
vocation, callinge, and office, hathe
appointed to them, theyr buetye
and ordre.
Some are in high degree, some in lowe, some kynges and princes, some inferiors, and subjectes,
priestes and lay men, maysters,
and servauntes, fathers and children, husbandes and wyves, riche and poore, and every one have nede of
other: so that in all thynges, is to be lauded and praysed, the goodly ordre of God:
without the whiche, no house, no cytie,
no common wealth, can continue and endure.
For where as there is no right ordre,
there reigneth all abuse, carnal libertie,
enormity, sinne, and Babilonicall
confusion. Take awaye kynges, princes, Rulers,
Magistrates, Judges and suche states of Gods ordre, no man that ride or go by the high waye unrobbed, no man shall sleepe in his owne house or bed unkylled, no man shall kepe his wyfe, chyldren, and possessions
in quietnes: all thyinges shal be common: and there must nedes
folowe all mischief and utter destruction, both of sowles, bodyes, goodes, and common wealthes. But blessed be God, that we
in this realme of Englande,
feele not the horrible calamyties,
myseries and wretchednes, whiche all they undoubtedly feele
and suffre, that lacke this
godly ordre.
And praysed be God, that we knowe the great excellente benefite of God, shewed towarde us in this behalf.
God hath sent us his high gifte our most deare soveraigne lorde kyng Edward the sixte, with godly, wyfe, and
honorable counsel, with other superiours and inferiours, in a beautifull ordre. Wherfore,
let us subjectes, doo oure bounden dueties, givyng harty thankes
to god, and praying for the preservation of this godly ordre. Let us all obey, even from the botome or our heartes, all their
godly procedynges, lawes, statutes, proclamations, and injunctions with
all other theyr godly ordres. Let us consider the scryptures,
of the holy ghost, whiche perswade
and commaunde us all, obediently to be subjecte, first and chiefly, to the kynges
majeste, supreme head over all, and nexte to his honorable counsel, and to all other noble men,
magisrates, and officers, which by Gods goodnes, be placed and ordered. For almightye god
is the only authour and provider of this fornamed state of order, as it is written of god in the boke of the Proverbes .. Through me, kynges doe raigne: through me counsaylers
make juste lawes:
through me do princes beare rule, and all judges of
the earth execute judgement. I am loving to them
that love me.
Notes: Adapted from the 1547 version of homilies that were
read in rotation every Sunday to a compulsory church-going audience. The homilies were republished in the 17th
century with some differences in spelling and capitalization (capitalization of
nouns is more consistent in the 1687 version) and with current information
about the monarch of the day. (The 1687
printing replaces “kyng Edward the sixte” with “King James.”)
Although the typeface of the 1547 version is very difficult to read, I
decided to use it over the 1687 version to provide a greater sense for what an
Elizabethan pastor might have had in his possession. The texts are very similar, though; most
differences lie in punctuation and capitalization. For letters that were extremely difficult to
decipher because of the quality of the original text, I consulted with the 1687
edition for clarification. I followed
the capitalization of the source exactly.
The two periods that appear before the quotation from the Book of
Proverbs were used in the source, though no spaces appeared before or after the
periods; I added spaces to aid in the readability of the text. Otherwise, I followed standard conventions in
modernizing early modern typography: “v” becomes “u,” “u” becomes “v,” the long
“s” becomes “s,” and “vv” becomes “w” where modern practice would have it
so. Contractions are expanded. Otherwise, original spelling and punctuation
are kept.
Please note also that page headings on R4v and S1r read “Of
Obedience” and that the sermon is referred to elsewhere as the Homily of
Obedience.