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A36052 To the Most Reverend Fathers in God, William Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England and Metropolitan, and John Lord Archbishop of York, Primate of England and Metropolitan England and Wales. Sovereign (1685-1688 : James II) 1686 (1686) Wing D1529A; ESTC R33451 3,479 16

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J R HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT To the most Reverend Fathers in God William Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Metropolitan and John Lord Archbishop of York Primate of England and Metropolitan JAMES R. MOst Reverend Fathers in God We Greet you well Whereas the bold abuses and extravagancies of Preachers in the Pulpit have not onely by the experience of former Ages been found to tend to the Dishonour of God the Scandal of Religion and Disturbance of the Peace both of Church and State but did also through the Licentiousness of the late Rebellious times much increase to the Inflaming Fomenting and Heightening of the sad Distempers and Confusions that were then among us And whereas even at this present notwithstanding the merciful Providence of God so signally manifested in Restoring Our Royal Family and the Lawful Government of these Realms and putting an end to the great Rebellion and notwithstanding the Pious care and endeavours of Our late Dear Brother and Our Self ever since to Govern Our Realms in Peace and Tranquility it may justly be feared that in sundry parts of this Realm there want not men of unquiet and Factious Spirits who instead of Preaching the pure Word of God and building up the People in Faith and Holiness will if they be not restrained make it a great part of their Business to beget in the minds of their Hearers an evil Opinion of their Governours by insinuating Fears and Jealousies to dispose them to Discontent and to season them with such unsound and dangerous Principles as may lead them into Disobedience Schism and Rebellion And whereas also sundry young Divines and Preachers either out of a Spirit of Contention and Contradiction or in a vain ostentation of their Learning take upon them in their Popular Sermons to handle the deep Points of Gods Eternal Councils and Decrees or to meddle with the Affairs of State and Government or to wrangle about Forms and Gestures and other fruitless Disputes and Controverfies serving rather to amuse than profit the Hearers which is done for the most part and with the greatest Confidence by such Persons as least understand them We out of Our Princely Care and Zeal for the Honour of God the Advancement of Piety Peace and true Religion and for the Preventing for the future as much as lieth in Us the many and great inconveniencies and mischiefs that will unavoidably ensue if a timely stop be not given to these and the like growing Abuses Do according to the Examples of several of Our Predecessors of Blessed Memory by these Our special Letters straitly Charge and Command you to use your utmost Care and Diligence that these Directions which upon long and serious Consideration Our late Dear Brother thought good to give concerning Preachers * Anno 1662. and which We upon like Consideration have Approved and caused to be Reprinted and herewith sent unto you be from henceforth duly and strictly observed by all the Bishops and others concerned therein within your Provinces And to this end Our Will and Pleasure is That you forthwith send them Copies of these Our Directions to be by them speedily Communicated to every Parson Vicar Curate Lecturer and Preacher in every Cathedral Collegiate and Parish-Church within their several Diocesses And that you earnestly Require them to imploy their utmost endeavour for the due Observation of the same whereof We shall expect a strict Account both of you and every one of them And these Our Letters shall be your sufficient Warrant and Discharge in that behalf Given at Our Court at Whitehall the Fifth day of March 1685. In the Second Year of Our Reign By His Majesties Command SVNDERLAND P. DIRECTIONS Concerning PREACHERS 1. THat no Preachers in their Sermons presume to meddle with Matters of State to Model new Governments or take upon them to Declare Limit or bound out the Power and Authority of Sovereign Princes or to State and Determime the Differences between Princes and the People But that upon all good Occasions they faithfully Instruct the People in their Bounden Duty of Subjection and Obedience to their Governours Superiour and Subordinate of all sorts and to the Established Laws according to the Word of God and the Doctrine of the Church of England as it is contained in the Homilies of Obedience and the Articles of Religion set forth by Publick Authority II. That they be Admonished not to spend their Time and Study in the Search of Abstruse and Speculative Notions especially in and about the deep Points of Election and Reprobation together with the Incomprehensible manner of the Concurrence of Gods free Grace and Mans free Will and such other Controversies as depend thereupon But howsoever that they presume not Positively and Doctrinally to Determine any thing concerning the same III. That they forbear in their Sermons ordinarily and causlesly to enter upon the Handling of any other Controversies of less Moment and Difficulty But whensoever they are occasioned by Invitation from the Text they Preach upon or that in Regard of the Auditory they Preach unto it may seem Requisite or Expedient so to do That in such cases they do it with all Modesty Gravity and Candour Asserting the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England from the Cavils and Objections of such as are Adversaries to either without Bitterness Railing Iearing or other unnecessary or unseemly Provocation IV. That for the more Edifying of the People in Faith and Godliness the aforesaid abuses laid aside all Ministers and Preachers in their several respective Cures shall not onely diligently apply themselves to Catechise the Younger sort according as in the Book of Common Prayer is appointed But also shall in their ordinary Sermons Insist chiefly upon Catechetical Doctrines wherein are contained all the necessary and undoubted Verities of Christian Religion Declaring withall unto their Congregations what Influences such Doctrines ought to have into their Lives and Conversations and stirring them up Effectually as well by their Examples as their Doctrines to the Practice of such Religious and Moral Duties as are the proper Results of the said Doctrines as Self-denial Contempt of the World Humility Patience Meekness Temperance Iustice Mercy Obedience and the like And to a Detestation and Shunning of Sin especially such Sins as are so rife among us and common to the Age we Live in such are those usually Stiled the Seven Deadly ones in short all kind of Debauchery Sensuality Rebellion Profaness Atheism and the like And because the late Licentious Times have Corrupted Religion even in the very Roots and Foundations That where there is an Afternoons Exercise it be especially Spent either in Explaining some part of the Church-Catechism or in Preaching upon some such Text of Scripture as will Properly and Naturally lead to the Handling of some thing Contained in it or may Conduce to the Exposition of the Liturgy and Prayers of the Church as Occasion shall be offered the onely cause They grew into Contempt amongst the People being this that They were not Vnderstood That also the Minister as often as Conveniently he can Read the Prayers himself and when he cannot so do he Procure or Provide some fit Person in Holy Orders who may do it with that Gravity Distinctness Devotion and Reverence as becomes so Holy an Action And whensoever by Reason of his Infirmity or the Concurrence of other Offices the Time may seem too short or he unable to Perform the Office of both Prayers and Sermon at length he rather shorten his Discourse or Sermon then Omit any thing of the Prayers lest he Incur the Penalty of the Act for Vniformity Requiring them to be Read according as the Book Directs V. And further Our Will and Pleasure is That all Ministers within their several Cures be enjoyned publickly to read over unto the People such Canons as are or shall be in force at least once and the Thirty nine Articles twice every year to the end they may the better understand and be more throughly acquainted with the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England and not so easily drawn away from it as formerly they have been VI. Since Preaching was not Anciently the work of every Priest but was re●●●●●ed to the choicest Persons for Gravity Prudence and Learning the Archbishops and Bishops of this Kingdom are to take great care whom they Licence to Preach and that all Grants and Licences of this kind heretofore made by any Chancellour Official Commi●●●ty or other Secular Person who are presumed not to be so Competent Iudges in matters of this nature be accounted void and Null unless the same shall likewise be allowed by the Archbishop or the Bishop of the Diocess and that all Licences of Preachers hereafter to be made or Granted by any Archbishop or Bishop shall be only during Pleasure otherwise to be void to all intents and purposes as if the same had never been made nor Granted VII Lastly that for the better observing of the Lords-Day too much neglected of late they shall as by often and serious Admonitions and sharp Reproofs endeavour to drain off People from such Idle Debauched and Profane courses as dishonour God bring a Scandal on Religion and Contempt on the Laws and Authority Ecclesiastical and Civil so shall they very earnestly perswade them to frequent Divine Service on the Lords-Day and other Festivals appointed by the Church to be kept Solemn And in case any Person shall resort unto any Taverns or Ale-houses or use any unlawful Sports and Exercises on such days the Minister shall Exhort those which are in Authority in their several Parishes and Cangregations carefully to look after all such Offenders in any kind whatsoever together with all those that Abett Receive or Entertain them that they may be Proceeded against according to the Laws and quality of their Offences that all such Disorders may for the time to come be prevented Given at Our Court at Whitehall the Fifth Day of March 1685. In the Second Year of Our Reign By His Majesties Command Sunderland P. LONDON Printed by Charles Bill Henry Hills and Thomas Newcomb Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty 1685.