And yet forasmuch as we have a great confidence and trust in
you, that you will not only preach truly and sincerely the word
of God, but also will use circumspection and moderation in
your preaching, and such godly wisdom as shall be necessary
and most convenient for the time and place, we have sent
unto you the King’s Majesty’s license to preach ; but yet with
this exhortation and admonishment, that in no wise you do stir
and provoke the people to any alteration or innovation, other
than is already set forth by the King’s Majesty’s Injunctions,
Homilies, and Proclamations ; but contrarywise, that you do in
all your sermons exhort men to that which is at this time more
necessary ; that is, to the emendation of their own lives, to the
observance of the commandments of God, to humility, patience,
and obedience to their heads and rulers; comforting the weak,
and teaching them the right way, and to flee all old erroneous
superstitions, as the confidence in pardons, pilgrimages, beads,
religious images, and other such of the Bishop of Rome’s tradi-
tions and superstitions, with his usurped power; the which
things be here in this realm most justly abolished: and straitly
rebuking those, who of an arrogancy and proud hastiness will
take upon them to run before they be sent, to go before the
rulers, to alter and change things in religion without authority,
teaching them to expect and tarry the time which God hath or-
dained to the revealing of all truth, and not to seek so long
blindly and hidlings after it, till they bring all orders into con-
tempt. It is not a private man’s duty to alter ceremonies, to inno-
vate orders in the Church ; nor yet it is not a preacher’s part to
bring that into contempt and hatred, which the prince doth either
allow, or is content to suffer. The King’s Highness, by our
advice, as a prince most earnestly given to the true knowledge
of God, and to bring up his people therein, doth not cease to
labour and travail by all godly means that his realm might be
brought and kept in a most godly and Christian order, who only
may and ought to do it. 