A homily is a sermon, and it was issued under Queen Elizabeth I for regular use in the pulpits of English parish churches.
One of the mean reaosn for issuing homilies was that thay could be read in place of a sermon by clergy who did not hold a licence to preach. Because licences to preach were strictly controlled by the Elizabethan bishops and issued sparingly.Another reason for homelies was that common people, who were illiterate at that time, were "educated" and induced to obey their authorities as they obeyed God. As a conclusion ,rulers often used religious ideas and institutions to justify their rule.
