Forbes on Article XXXV: Of the Homilies

FROM the very beginning of Christianity, the preach ing of Sermons and Homilies has formed a very im portant department of the teaching office of the Church. It mainly took the form of commenting upon the in spired records, hence the usual term was “tractare.” In the time of St. Cyprian, at least in the Church of Africa where the sees were very small and numerous, preaching was the special office of Bishops. Even elsewhere, it was contrary to usage that a Presbyter should discourse in the Presence of a Bishop. In the Alexandrian School, however, we have the catechetical lectures of Origen. After the age of the Apologies, when the faith had to be vindicated from the attacks of open enemies, we find that the edification of the faithful by exhortations from the Holy Scriptures forms a great part of the literature of the Church. St. Cyril, of Jerusalem, has given us his Sermons on the Mys-

teries of the Faith, delivered in preparation for the Easter Baptism and Communion of the neophytes of Jerusalem; and St. Chrysostom, he of the golden mouth, is emphatically the great sermon -writer of the East. Eusebius preserves his own great Sermon at the con secration of the Basilica at Tyre. Other Fathers also in the East, as SS. Gregory of Nyssa and Nazianzen, and Basil, have come down to us in the exhortations they gave to their people ; while in the West, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, and St. Leo, are the most prominent of the many sermon - writers, who, like St. Zeno of Yerona, St. Maximus of Turin, St. Gau- dentius of Brescia, fulfilled one solemn function of the episcopal office in preaching the Word of God. St. Cyril of Alexandria is said by Gennadius, of Marseilles, who flourished about sixty years after St. Cyril’s death, to have composed very many Homilies, which ” are committed to memory by the Bishops of Greece.” There seems to be an allusion to something of this in St. Cyril himself, in a very curious exegesis of the words, ” When thou comest into thy neigh bour’s vineyard a,” &c., although of his popular ser mons but few have reached us, except the glowing one on the Mystic Supper, and those on St. Luke, pre served in a translation by the Syriac Christians, and lately brought to England and translated. He says on the passage above mentioned : ” I think it not unfit for us to apply this to some others, who, plucking as it were some spiritual food the words of the teachers • Dent, xxiii. 24.

in the Churches, which are, may be, somewhat suddenly uttered, are not content with this, but going on to speak beyond bounds, and, as it were, putting them into a vessel, commit them to their tablets, with love of learning indeed, but wronging, in respect of under standing, the brethren, in that what is treated off-hand they commit to writing, as if it had been finished with much care. And yet the Law, my good friends, would I say to them, clearly commanded to put nothing into a vessel V

Many of these teachings lived on beyond the fall of the Empire into the Dark Ages, and we cannot doubt that the exposition of Scripture in Homilies must have been one of the methods whereby the fresh nations of the North were won under the dominion of Christ. But as love waxed cold, the duty of preaching became less insisted on, and the habit of preaching varied with the langour of the Church. Among the very popular writers of the ninth century was Haymo, Bishop of Ilalberstadt. His Homilies for the Sunday; and principal Saints’ Days, were printed in Paris in 1545. In the East, preaching gradually died out, so that at present it hardly forms any part of th< public worship of the Church ; but in the West it nevei entirely ceased in the worst times. There was per haps little original in the teaching till the time of St. Bernard, when the Crusades, stimulated by th< trumpet-voice of Peter the Hermit, called all Westei Christendom to fight for the Sepulchre of the Lord. b De Adoratione, lib. viii. p. 267.

These public appeals, however, were not the only ser mons of the period. In the Cistercian Order, follow ing St. Bernard, there rose up a school of mystical inter pretation of the Word of God, which spoke to the con sciences of men, and drew them to faith and obedience by the tenderest persuasion. That School passed away, and, in opposition to the Manichsean and Socialistic errors of the twelfth century, the powers of preaching were again called forth by the formation of the Domi nican Order ; and the eternal wisdom of God, sanctify ing the intellect of man, was invoked to the crushing of error and inculcation of religious truth. From this Order emerged the celebrated Thauler, who had so pro found an effect on Luther, and many others of distinction. This School, debased by the scandals of the century before the Reformation, recovered itself. For in 1612 Bernard Gualtier published an anonymous volume by some members of the Dominican Order, called Sermones DiscipuU. Perhaps the Disdpulus was John Herolt, whose Sermones Quadragcsimales were printed at Maintz in the same year. Neither were there wanting in the Seraphic order, which inculcated a more mystical and affective theology, preachers of renown. St. Anthony of Padua, is renowned for the wonderful effect of his simple exhortations in making many conversions to God ; shewing that it is unction and not learning only, the blessing of God and not the ability of the preacher only, that touches the soul of man. In the fifteenth century a well-known collection was made with the quaint title of Dormi Secure, and was published. The full

title was ” Sermons for Sundays, with Explanations of the Gospels throughout the year, sufficiently notable and useful for all Priests, Pastors, and Chaplains : which under another name is now called, Sleep se curely, or sleep without care, because they can with out much study be incorporated and preached to the people.”

There exist many copies in MS. of the Sermons of John Felton, Yicar of St. Mary Magdalene, in Oxford. A selection from the names of the authors of the ser mons that were printed soon after the discovery of the art of printing, will shew what was deemed best worth preserving of the mediaeval sermons : — There are those of Robert Caraccioli di Licio, printed in 1473 ; F. Bartholomseus de Ursinis, 1473 ; Joannes Gritsh, 1477; Ambrosius Spiera, the Servite, 1497; Antonio de Vercellis, Minorite, 1491 ; Bartholomaaus de Pisis, Minorite, 1498 ; Leonardus de Utino, 1471 ; Matthias Bosso, of Yerona, 1495 ; Blessed Michael Carchano, of Milan, 1476 ; Thomas de Haselbach, 1478 ; Herman de Pitra, 1481 ; Jacobus de Clusa, 1474; Prater Peregrinus, 1480; Paul Warm, 1497; Hugo de Prato Florido, 1484 ; Meffret, 1487 ; Jacobus a Yoragine, 1485 ; Gabriel Biel, 1496 ; Joannes Mder,

But by the time that the Reformation had arrived, much of this had lost its savour. The quality of the preaching, according to the testimony of Berthold, had greatly deteriorated. It is matter of history how it was used by the venders of indulgences. Nay, even

as to the quantity of the Sermons, the neglect of preaching by the clergy of all ranks was a never- failing subject of complaint and invective in Scotland for many years before the Reformation. “The Pre lates certainly are dumb dogs,” says the reforming monk of Cambuskenneth, in 1536, ” unable to bark in the cloister. They associate with kings and princes in cities and palaces, and therefore their voice is not heard in the cloister. Wherefore, in the day of anger and vengeance, the blood of their brethren will be demanded at their hands c.” Dunbar and Lindsay, as satirists and Protestants ; Quentin Kennedy, and Ninian Wingate, as Catholics and apologists, alike bear witness to this fact. We know from the satirists of the day, into what a state the public preaching had been degraded. Probably the parochial clergy in England had very much abandoned the practice, and left it to the ignorant and superstitious friars. In any reform that must take place, fresh life must be in fused into this department of Christian theology. As a matter of fact, the Reformers, before the breach with Rome, began to use it for their own purposes. It was not to be supposed that the Church of Eng land should neglect this weapon in doing the work of those times.

The Eirst Book of the Homilies was the first book pertaining either to the public worship or teaching of the Church, which was put forth in the reign of

[…]

Edward VI. Henry died in January, 1547, and the Homilies bear the date of July 31 of the same year. Taverner had had Cranmer’s sanction for the publish ing of his ” Postils,” and the Bishops in the Convo cation of 1542 had agreed ” to make certain Homi lies for stay of such errors as were then by ignorant preachers sparkled among the people.” The project took none eifect then, but five years afterwards the present First Book was printed by Grafton, with a preface running in the King’s name, in which all the clergy, having cure of souls, were commanded to read it through to their parishioners again and again, until the King’s pleasure should be further known. Nine editions were printed before the end of 1547, but they were very ill received. If the Priest misliked them, he read them unintelligibly ; if the people, there was such talking and babbling in the church that nothing could be heard. In 1549, when the Prayer-book was put out, to make them less distasteful, they were divided into parts. In March, 1552, they obtained the express sanction of Convocation in the Thirty-fourth of the Forty-two Articles. On the accession of Elizabeth, a bill of Uniformity passed both Houses, with the Book of Common Prayer annexed to it. This, by the rubric in the Communion Service, carried with it the Homi lies. In the editions a few verbal alterations were made, the only doctrinal one being the substitution of the word ” governor” for “supreme head over all,” in the Homily of Obedience. It was printed separately, but uniformly with the Second Book. The two books

were not incorporated till near the end of the reign of James I.

It was intended in King Edward’s time to put forth fresh Homilies, as may be seen from the rubric in the second Prayer-book, but death prevented him. Bonner published some Homilies in Queen Mary’s reign, and on the accession of Elizabeth the Second Book of the Homilies, in which the number of subjects treated was twenty, while the number of treatises were thirty- eight, was published. In 1573, on the occasion of the two rebellions, the Homily against Rebellion gave six parts more. Much time passed before the book was ready, but at length, with the Thirty-nine Arti des, it was submitted to the famous convocation of 1562, and received its approbation ; yet Convocation had not much to do with them, as it only began to sit on the 12th of January, and the Articles involving the Homilies were passed on the 5th of February. The Queen took much longer time for her consideration of them. They did not come out of her hands untouched. The exact date of publication is not ascertained. They were, however, in the hands of the public Aug. 1, 1563. Six editions were speedily published. At first, it was necessary to enjoin the clergy to read the Homilies distinctly, on account of their dislike of the innovations contained in them. In process of time the aspect of things changed, Puritanism became the enemy to be dreaded, and the Homilies were enjoined to be read by way of stifling the prophesyings ; James, for the same reason, sought assistance from the Homilies, as

is noticed in his directions concerning preachers, dated Aug. 4, 1622. Then came forth the first folio edition of 1623, in which the two books are for the first time united into one volume. Some changes were made in the style, but the only modification of teaching is contained in two brief marginal notes, referring to the conduct of St. Ambrose and the Emperor Theo- dosius.

The authorship of the Homilies in every case has not yet been ascertained. Some, however, have been distinctly traced to their writers. In the First Book : — •

1. “The Exhortation to the Reading of Holy Scrip ture,” is probably by Archbishop Cranmer.

2. ” Of the Misery of Man,” is certainly by Arch deacon Hartsfield.

3. 4, 5. ” Of Salvation,” ” Of Faith,” and ” Of Good Works,” are all by Cranmer.

4. ” Of Charity,” by Bishop Bonner.

5. ” Of Swearing,” by an anonymous writer who made use of Becon’s invective against swearing.

6. 9, 10. “Of Falling from God,” unknown; “Of Fear of Death,” unknown ; ” Of Obedience,” un known.

7. “Against Adultery,” by Thomas Becon.

8. ” Against Contention,” unknown.

The authorship of the Homilies in the Second Book is much more uncertain, though Burnet speaks of the great share which Bishop Jewel had in compiling them : —

1, 2, 3. ” Of the Right use of the Church,” “Against

peril of Idolatry,” “Of repairing and keeping clean of Churches,” are probably from the same hand. The second is based upon a document under the title of ” A Treatise of Master Nicholas Ridley,” purporting to be an address to King Edward, but really presented to the Queen by Archbishop Parker. It again is de rived from a work of Bullinger.

4. ” Of Fasting,” probably by Bishop Grindal.

5. ” Against Gluttony and Drunkenness,” partly from a Homily by Bishop Pilkington, and partly an adaptation of a discourse of Peter Martyr.

6. ” Against Excess of Apparel,” perhaps by Bi shop Pilkington.

7. 8, 9. ” Concerning Prayer,” ” Of the Place and Time of Prayer,” ” Of Common Prayer and Sacra ments,” probably Jewel.

8. ” Of certain Passages in Scripture,” a few sen tences taken from a tract of Erasmus.

9. ” Of Alms-deeds,” the author is greatly indebted to St. Cyprian.

10. ” Of the Nativity,” unknown.

11. ” Of the Passion for Good Friday,” from Taver- ner’s Postils.

12. “The Second Sermon of the Passion,” unknown.

13. ” Of the Resurrection,” from Taverner.

14. ” Of the Sacrament for Whit-Sunday,” ascribed to Jewel.

15. “For Rogationweek,” unknown.

16. “Of Matrimony,” half from Yeit Dietrick, of Nuremberg, and half from St. Chrysostom.

17. ” Of Repentance,” two thirds of the first part are translated from Rodolph Gualther.

18. ” Against Idleness,” perhaps by Jewel.

19. “Against Rebellion,” added on the occasion of the rising in the North in 1569.

The measure of authority claimed for the Homilies is one that has been affected by the views of those that have quoted them. One party, in order to gain authority for their tone of doctrine, have sought to elevate them almost into the position of a standard of doctrine, not seeing how any such attempt would recoil upon themselves. Others have used them with more skill as bearing witness to many truths obscured by a current teaching, yet distinctly enunciated or presupposed by them. It is enough to say that, in the words of the Article, ” they contain a godly and whole some doctrine;” that the great truths of Christianity are borne witness to ; that at the time of the Refer mation some of these truths, having become obscured by superstition, needed to be re-asserted ; that there fore the Homilies were ” necessary for these times.5’ To extend the expression ” these times” to the present epoch seems to do violence to the natural meaning of the words. It would become an insulated passage in the Articles, in which the words were no longer to be taken in their original grammatical meaning, and which the Convocation which imposed them could not have imagined without the gift of prophecy. If any meaning in relation to the present times were to be forced into the words, it must be that they should