Hereafter shall follow sermons on Fasting, Prayer, and Almsdeeds; on the Nativity, Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of our Saviour Christ; on the due receiving of his blessed body and blood under the form of bread and wine; against Idleness, against Gluttony and Drunkenness, against Covetousness, against Envy, Anger, and Malice; together with many other matters, as fruitful as they are necessary, for the edification of Christian people and the increase of godly living. Amen.

Since there appears in these days great slackness and negligence in a large number of people in coming to church, there to serve God their heavenly Father according to the duty to which they are most bound; and since there is also much unseemly and irreverent behaviour by many persons in that same place when they are assembled there; and since from this there may justly arise fear of the wrath of God and his dreadful plagues hanging over our heads for our grievous offence in this matter, among the many other great sins we commit daily and hourly before the Lord: therefore, to discharge all our consciences and to avoid the common peril and plague hanging over us, let us consider what may be said out of God's holy book concerning this matter. Give it good attention, I pray you, for it is of great weight and concerns you all.

The two previous Homilies have declared what the true ornaments of the church or temple of God consist in, treating of the right use of the temple or house of God and of the reverence that all true Christian people are bound to give it.

It is a common custom among all people that, when they mean to have their friends or neighbours come to their houses to eat or drink with them, or to hold some solemn gathering to discuss and talk over any matter, they will have their houses (which they keep in continual repair) made clean and fine, in case they should be thought slovenly, or thought to have little regard for their friends and neighbours.