Hey on Article XXXV: Of the Homilies

The ancient Greek Fathers, Chrysostom, Basil, &c. used to preach plain discourses to the people; and the proper name for such a discourse was “Owiaiz., Sermo answers to it in Latin. Neither word implies anything refined or elaborate : but each rather denotes familiar, and popular discourse, And such all sermons ad Populum should be.

In later times, the word Homily signifies a popu- lar discourse, or Sermon, regularly composed ; but it includes the additional idea, of being publicly read, and professedly, by one who was not the Author. Those of which we usually speak, are

{supposed to have been published by authorzty. Sparrow, in his Rationale, page 223, says, that by a Council at Vaison (Conc. Val.) in France, in case of the Priest’s sickness, &c. the Deacon was ordered to read the Homilies of the Holy Fathers. I see, by Cave, that one Conc. Val. was in 442, another in 529.— 1 should imagine the latter to be meant by Sparrow,

We are told, that in the ninth Century, fo large a number of what we should now call Homilies as 209, were composed by our Countryman Alcutn, Preceptor to Charlemagne, and used as ours were intended to be*. — That Great Emperor seems to have known how to improve mankind.—I feel re- gret that they are lost ; probably they would be plain, short, instructive.

But though in the ninth Century Preachers might want helps, yet at the time of the Reforma- tion, the need of them was inconceivably great.— The country Priests were extremely ignorant, if they had desired to instruct the people; but they were, a great many of them, given up to 1dlenels

and

2 Wheatly, page 283. from Sixtus Sinensis.— Priestley, Hz; Corr, Vol. 2. page 125.

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458 BOOK iv. 1.

and worldly pleasures. And from those who did employ themselves at all in instruction, little good was to be expected, either to individuals, or the community.—The Papist taught in one extreme, the Puritans in another;- and the proper English reformed Ministers, in a mean between the two; but a mean, though the most reasonable, is least likely to strike men, or to succeed. —Nor were teachers only of these three forts; all mens minds were afloat, all running wild, being set free after a long and slavish confinement ; one might say, there were almost as many sects as teachers What effects must this have on the minds of the people! how destructive must it be of every good prin- ciple Dr. Balguy observes, That the support of oppolite religions tends to the destruction of all religion*®.” It happened moreover unfortu- nately, that the Puritans were more able as well as more diligent than those Teachers, who were molt supported by authority; so that those of the English Church, who wished to do Meir best, were not able to contend with their adversaries; nor were they able, generally speaking, to give a satis- factory account of the doctrine of Frtification, on which the Reformation turned; or to answer the long-establithed arguments of the Romanifis in in favour of their Sacraments, celibacy, &c.— In short, all was either neglect of religion, or con- tusioa about it. No wonder that preaching was frequently forbiddza.—Tt was forbidden by Henry VIII. by Edward VI. by Queen Mary; and by Queen Elizabeth; nay, in the latter end of the reizn of Llizabeth there were? still very few preachers.

d Dr. Balguy, Charge v. page 256. and before and after this passage.

© In 1578. See Neal, Vol. 1. page 114. 116.,—cee also Neal, 1 245. and John Burgess, Pref, page 3.

BOOK IV. ART. xxxv. SECT, 1. 459

preachers. Neal speaks of eight thousand parishes which had no preaching“ Ministers. — And in Bishop Sparrow’s collection we may find many authentic expressionsꝰ to confirm the account now given. There was, in the time of Henry VIII. an intention* of publishing a collection of Homilies, but it was never executed. —Qur first Book, which is mentioned in our Article, though the titles are not there given, was prepared in the first year of King Edward VI. in 1547, and copies of it were distributed throughout the Nation. It is said to

have been composed, for the most part, by Arch-

bishop Cranmer, though some think that those eminent men who had assisted in reforming the Lifurgy, were joined with him in compiling the Homilies; Ridley, Thirlby, &c. and Heylin fancies, he perceives in those compositions, the popular stile of Latimer.—The method of distri- buting them was by a Royal visitation: a solemn affair! superseding all other visitations, not only of Archdeacons, &c. but of Bishops and Arch- bishops. Not that the King went into any district in person; he was very young; but every thing was transacted in his name. The nation was divided into fix circuits, and a committee of five was appointed to visit each; consisting of two Gentlemen, and one Civilian; with a Divine, or Chaplain, and Registrary: a copy of the first Book of the Homilies was left, in this visitation, for every parish Priest. |

Our second Book of Homilies, the titles of which are mentioned in our Article, was published early

4 Neal, 1. page 320. | © Sparrow’s Collection, page 11. 75, 76. 123. 127.—See also Heylin’s Laud, page 8. and Rutherforti’s Charges, page 1, f Strype’s Cranmer, page 148. For the other things here mentioned, see page 146.—Neal, 1. page 31, 32. and Heylin’: Hist. Quinqu. page 550.

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460 BOOK IV. ART. xxxv. SECT. I.

in the reign of Queen Elizabeth; in 1560. - They had been prepared, or nearly fo, before the death of King Edward; and they seem to be, in a manner, promised in his Injunctions.— They were compoled, in a good measure, by Bishop Jewel, author of the famous Apology for the Refor- mation.

Fox speaks of some Homilies in Queen Mary’s time. :

After this, the Puritans were fo diligent and powerful in preaching, and at the fame time fo regular and decent in their manners, that some of their adversaries, in the Church of England, wished for more Homilies and less preaching : more homi- lies for the Churchmen, less preaching from the Puritans. This was the case of Archbishop Ban- croft* at the Hampton Court Conference in 1603, and afterwards of Heylin*. This looks as if the Homilies had incidentally contributed towards a remissness about improvements in preaching : how- ever, the number is very {mall for one to be read every Sunday and Holiday. — Alcuin’s 209 would have been a properer number.

The number of Sermons prescribed by Law, was small, in the time of Elizabeth : and preach- ing Ministers were distinguished from others, be- cause none could preach without a licence from his Bishop.— But James I. made a Canon ordering a Sermon to be preached every Sunday*x; the

| Puritans,

See Sparrow’s Collection, page 11.— Neal, Vol. 1. page 108. - Compare Burnet on the Articles, Preface, page xii. octavo, with exposition of this Article, near the beginning. — Wheatly on the Common Prayer, page 283, says, the second Book of Homilies was published in 1563, the year of the Con- VOCALICN. |

• Neal, 1. 416. i Heylin’s Life of Laud, page 9.

k Canon 45, that is, by a /icenced preacher, « If any one was not licenced, he could only, by Canon 49, read an Homily,

BOOK Iv. 1. 46r

Puritans, always attentive to their business, con- trived to get Sunday afternoons to address the people in: they would not call their discourses, Sermons; they were Lectures: and that was the origin of Lectures; these Lectures would of course be in a degree hostile to the Church at first; now they are not so in the least. —Puritans pleaded against* any- thing but Scripture being read in Church; they were always enemies to the Apocrypha.

Dr. John Burges has been mentioned® before ;:— he refused to subscribe the Articles, except his in- terpretation of some paslages, might be accepted by those in authority. Not being at first attended to, he was deprived, in course. But afterwards, James I. Archbilhop Abbot, and his .Diocesan accepted his sense as the rig/t sense, and he was restored. One Article on which he offered his interpretation, was this thirty-fifth. His Book, in which this appears, was published by command of Charles 1“. |

Dr. Balguy*® says, it seems, we are allowed, not required, to read the homilies of the church, instead of our own private compositions : especially as those homilies are recommended to us with a particular reference to the times in which they were written.” Yet in many laws, &c. ministers are? ordered to read the Homilics unless they be licenced to preach.—And the Rubric which says, © then {hall follow the Sermon or one of the Homilies,” &c. must mean a Sermon by a person authorized to preach : a sermon, if the officiating Minister

be Rogers on the Article,

vi. and in other places.

a X—4—10, did. Coll. entitled, An anfiver rejoined, &c. page 23 — 26: The Dedication is to Charles l.

9 Dr. Balguy, Discourse . page 118. 9 $55

See Burn’s Ecclesiastical Law, under Public Worship.

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m Book 111. Chap. vii. Sect. 1v, — Book iv. Introd. Sect.

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462 BOOK IV. ART. xxxv. SECT. 11.

be a licensed preacher, and chuse to preach a sermon; otherwise an Homily. Nevertheless, Dr. Balguy’s opinion appears to me to be just : for it is now the general practice to preach; and not check. ing practice, is ratifying it. Then the form of or- daining a Priest is, “take thou authority to preack the word of God.” And old Canons before the Reformation, enjoin preaching. — For a while there was a necessity for putting a stop to preaching without licence; that necessity is acknowledged, in our Article, to be the ground of publishing the Homilies; but in all cases of necessity, when the difficulty which presses is over, things return into their former regular channel; therefore, in this case, when preaching is no longer dangerous, the obligation to use the Homihes ceases.

E conclude this History with mentioning, that Dupin*® suspends his judgment in regard to this Article, having never read the Homilies which are the subje of it. Some things in them might possibly occasion difficulties, |

11. Our next business is Explanation.

Godly; — sometimes cue ne means pious, as op- posed to virtuous’; and fo, I think, it does here; though sometimes it means good, in a popular sense, without distinction of Religion and Virtue; as when it is oppoled to adizes*—Al religious doc» trines are not worthy of this epithet. The doctrine of the Mats has been called blasphemors.

« I//liclsome” doctrine, we had in Art. xi. falu- tary, uletul;—* full of mercy and good fruits,” according to” St. James’s expression; or what we

should

• Burn, ibidem; and Sparrow’s Rationale, 12mo. page 219. r Third Appendix to Mosheim,

Tit. ii. 12. t 2 Pet. ii. q.

4 James iii. 17.

BOOK IV. Ax r. XXXV. SECT, 11. 463

should more commonly call, of a good moral tendency : godly relates to Religion, and wholsome, to Virtue. 5

Doctrine the Latin word Doctrina conveys a more just idea than the English word Doctrine. The meaning seems to be, teaching, instruction,

Doctrine is sometimes“ oppoled to arguments, illustrations; figures of speech, &c.

Saying that the Homilies convey pious and moral instruction, or good and wholsome doctrine,“ seems to me to be opposed to any high preten- sions; seems to say, they may not be perfef, they may not be above criticism, but they are good and useful. —And who that has read them attentively, unprejudiced by the language being somewhat an- tiquated, 1s so perverse as not to allow this? who indeed does not allow it of any Sermon he hears, if the fundamentals of it are not to him, heretical ? That cannot be the case while we conceive our- {dyes members of the Church of England; becaule the principles of the Homilies must be the {ame with those of - the Articles. — Take the words literally, and it is enough if piety and virtue are inculcated in two pages, though all the rest be worthless and insipid; or even foolish. — But in all interpretation, we should aim at finding out the tre intent aud meaning of the Author: and any person means to speak, or express himself, on any subject, as it is u, spoken of. |

Suppose then you had been hearing a Sermon, might not you say of it, naturally, Our Preacher gave us a very good Sermon to day, in a spirit of true piety and virtue; I hope his hearers will reflect upon it. That reconciliation of St. Paul and St. James, though a sensible one, was not the very belt in my judgment; but the Sermon was a very

good

= Bennet’s Directions; on the Article.

464 BOOK IV. 11.

good and useful Sermon ??—Such seems to be the meaning of the account which our Article gives of our Homilies. It cannot possibly mean that they are totally peryect, unexceptionable, such as can never be improved upon by the human understand. ing. Indeed the character given of them shews

eat moderation; especially considering how very good they must appear when new.

« And necessary for these times;”—that is, for the beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s reign : as the Epistle to the Galatians was for the times in which it was written:—but necessary seems opposed to godly and wholsome:—the discourses are godly and wholfome in themselves, without considering any particular state of things, but for these times, they are necessary : for times when all would be confusion and disorder without them; when that unity of doctrine, which is necessary to the very being of religious society, is unattainable in the common method of preaching.— I would farther observe, on the word necessary, that it seems to imply what we ordinarily call a case of necessity : the nature of which is, to occasion certain measures for a time, and to have them left off when the necessity ceates?.

And

I never was more 1 by a piece of criticism than by one in the Monthly Review for September 1790, page 110, per- fitted in, page 360, of the same Vol. in spite of the remonstrance of E. P.—In which, the words, these times,” are supposed to be understood by each subscriber, of his own times. — The Critic ridicules the notion of any one’s understanding them of the times of the Reformation; and argues, by way of reductio ad absurdum, that, if such were the case, any one who sub- scribed the Article, must understand Hi/fory; nay, he might go on to 9ther articles, and take hem as declarations to be construed by some sort of reference to the times in which they were made. — How much Hisery any one mult understand for our present Art. has already appeared; with regard to others, 1 have endea-

voured

BOOK IV. ART. XXXV. SECT, 11. 465

And therefore we judge them,” &c.—who is meant by the word we? Queen Elizabeth, I ap- prehend? not the Subscriber. The words seem part of an injunction; I do no remember any thing like them in the Articles; except “ we decree“ in Article xxxv1. |

« By the Ministers,” = seems to confirm this notion; it would be an odd thing for a Candidate for Deacon’s Orders to say, I think it proper, that such a particular set of Discourses should be read by © the Ministers.” | |

« Ministers,” are distinguished from licensed preachers. | | oo

« To be read,” - these words want no explana- tion; but yet they suggest the difference between preaching and reading. When a man reads any- thing he does not answer for its being true: a man may read what is ever fo false, without the least impeachment of his veracity. In a Court of Jultice, if a Cryer reads a depo/ition, he has no concern with the truth of it. The honest Chap- lain of Sir Roger“ de Coverly, read to the Famil a Sermon, first of one author, and then of another; he gave their illustrations and arguments fairly; they might differ from each other; that was no concern of his. If the Szatute Law of the Land requires me to read several pages of a book in a

certain

voured in the third Book (Chap. 1x.) to shew how far History is useful for ascertaining their sense: and on every Article I have thought it well worth while to make some historical observa- tions, —T believe the sense of those times,” given by the Reviewers, is quite new. All other accounts which I have ever seen, make the expression relate to the times of the Refer- mation. — (Book 111. Chap. 1x, Sect. vi.) _

There is an appearance, in the above Criticism, of des:;feng the subject, so as not even to wi/k to seem to be reilonable upon it.

= Spectator, No. 106.

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466 BOOK IV, ART, XXXV. SECT. 11.

certain assembly, it must be very bad indeed, or very erroneous, idolatrous, &c. before I should think myself obliged in honour and conscience to resist: in such a case might not the reader be allowed to suspect his own judgment? | Heylin wishes there had © been more reading of Homilies, in which the reader speaks the sense of the Church; and not so much of sermonizing, in which the Preacher many times speaks his own factious and erroneous* sense.” I have sometimes thought, that even a Preacher ought to preach the Rnss of the Church, and not his own sense; as I had once an occasion of mentioning before®.

Is then Bishop Burnet’s observation just, that one should believe the Romanists to be [dolaters, before one signs this Article? The Reader need not form a judgment ; he reads to the Congregation the passages which are quoted in the Homuly, from Romish writers; and the arguments which are there

used; let every man judge tor himself. The titles of the Homilies vary, in different laces where they occur, more than might be wished: of the Homily of Justification we spoke under the eleventh Article. That called the tenth Homily in our present thirty-fifth Article, is entitled thus, © 10. Of the reverent estimation of God’s Word;” but in the Book of Homilies it is entitled, An information for them which take offence at certain places of Scripture ;” and one mould be aware of the same irregularity in other instances. — Sometimes a title is more full in one

enumeration, sometimes in the other. tut, We

= Heylin’s Laud, page .

b Book 111. Chap. v. Sect. v.—T am glad to see a Confir- mation of this idea from authority : See Sparrow’s Rationale, page 219, duodecimo,

< Art, XI. Sect. xx t.

BOOK IV. ART. xxxv. SECT. 111. 1V. 467

111. We should now proceed to Proof; but it seems to me, that our Explanation has rendered proof unnecessary: at least direct proof: perhaps it may be thought, that we ought to mention some objeftions to the Homilies.

IV. 1. It has been said, then, that when our Homilies represent * different Patriarchs as desirous to have the Messiah for a descendant, they err; because it was well known, that the Messiah was to be of the Tribe of Judah. But the Homily is speaking of Abraham and Jacob; who both would entertain such a wish before Judah was born.

2. It has been said, that passages of the Apocry- pla are* ascribed to the teaching of the Holy Ghost. — But the compilers of the sixth Article would scarcely make an Homily to contradict that Article in sense: on examination it appears, that some passages of the Apocrypha are mixed and incor-

rated with others from the Book of Proverbs; and they, all together, are piously referred to the Holy Ghost. And why may we not refer any ex- pression, as well as any action, which we think good, to divine influence ?

Such a sentiment as is expressed in our Homily by words taken from the Apocrypha, if it occurred in a work of the Imagination, in polished lan- guage, would by some be called an heavenly senti- ment. - Little more seems to have been meant, in former times, when some mention was made of the Holy Ghost : only the view of the subject might be always religious when such an expression was used. For the ordinary manner of referring events to heaven, see Art. x. Sect. XXX1X,

Making

4 Homilies, 8 vo. page 290. The objection is mentioned in Pingham, Vol. 2. page 742, folio. * Page 303, octavo.—on Alms, second Part.

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468 BOOK IV. ART. Xxxv. SECT. iv.

Making such poor objections as these does in reality refle& great praise upon our Homilies.— Some exceptions, I think, have been taken to the Homily on Rebellion*. The reconciling of St. Paul and St. James has been thought not so good as some more modern. I have owned that | could not quite come up to some expressions about good* works. But if we even subscribed to the Homilies (which we do not) and many more improvements had been made since they were written, than these, or than have been made, I should think myself safe, on the principles laid down in the third Book®,

] have hitherto spoken, since 1 entered on this Article, as if our Homilies were only excuseable, and deserved no praise; but that was only for the sake of those who have a less favourable idea of them than myself.—I have really a very high opi- mon of them, and I read them with much pleasure; they seem to me to shew strong intellects and fine feelings; a very great insight into the true mean- ing of {cripture, and a very nice and accurate knowledge of mankind. They abound with fine {strokes of eloquence, and they contain some 1n- stances of the ridiculous, which may be imitations of Elijah’s sarcasms on the Prophets of Baal.

The authors of them have been also very con- versant in the writings of the Fathers, and in Church-History. |

To mention one or two in particular; I have already quoted passages from the second, third, fourth, and fifth, sixteenth, twenty-first, and the twenty-seventh. I have also recommended that on Matrimonyi. But I thought we received the molt important service from those on what may be

called,

Bennet, on the Article, (Directions).

3 Art. x III. Sect. v. Homily, part 1st. on Good Works. Book 111. Chap. vi. and Chap. 1x. Sect. x. xi. Art. xx v.

BOOK Iv. ART. XXXV., SECT, v. 469

called, | in a large sense, Justification.— Strype is of opinion“, that the Homily on Salvation was par-

ticularly the composition of Cranmer himself. And Bishop Horsley praises the set’ which we now speak of, and recommends them strongly to the perusal of the Clergy® of his Diocese.

When we were treating of single life, I had in- tended to read the conclusion of the eleventh; as suggesting rules for making that state innocent.

It these compositions contain so many things worthy of notice in the present times, how valu- able must they have been in such a dearth of Doctrine as prevailed at the times when they were published !—I before had occasion” to ob- serve, that they throw great light upon our Articles; and therefore I will now only add, that I find them continually improve upon me; the more I read them, the more I find in them to approve and admire.

This opinion, being in reply to objections, is part of our indirect proot.

v. As the „times“ are, in this Article, ex- pressly taben into consideration, any Application, arising from estimating the difference of tunes, seems to be unnecessary.

To enter into a discourse on the nature and benefits of preaching, would carry us too far out of our way; yet I may just observe, that our approbation of the Homilies must not be under- stood as if they superseded the composition of Sermons at this time: I said something of this before, in the third Book“.

• Strype’s Life of Cranmer, page 149.

1 See these spoken of collectively, Art. x1. Sect. xx1.

n Charge, 1790, page e 30.

Introduction to Book 1 v. Sect. 1v.

Book 111. Chap. v. Sect. vi. and Chap. 1x. Sect. v1,

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470 BOOK iv. ART, XXXVI. SECT, 1.