A Golden Chain

To all ignorant people that desire to be instructed.

Poor people, your manner is to sooth up your selves, as though ye were in a most happy estate: but if the matter come to a just trial, it will fall out far otherwise. For you lead your lives in great ignorance, as may appear by these your common opinions which follow.

POore people, your manner is to sooth vp your selues, as though yee were in a most happie estate: but if the matter come to a iust triall, it will fall out farre otherwise. For you lead your liues in great ignorance, as may appeare by these your common opinions which follow.

1 That faith is a mans good meaning and his good serving of God. 2 That God is served by the rehearsing of the ten Commandments, the Lords prayer, and the Creed. 3 That ye have believed in Christ ever since you could remember. 4 That it is pity he should live which doth any whit doubt of his salvation. 5 That none can tell whether he shall be saved or no certainly: […] that all men must be of a good belief. 6 That howsoever a man live, yet if he call upon God on his death-bed, and say, Lord have mercy upon me, and so go away like a lamb, he is certainly saved. 7 That, if any be strangely visited, he is either taken with a Planet, or bewitched. 8 That a man may lawfully swear when he speaks nothing but the truth: and swears by nothing but that which is good, as by his faith or troth. 9 That a Preacher is a good man no longer then he is in the pulpit. They think all like themselves. 10 That a man may repent when he will, because the Scripture saith, At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sin, &c. 11 That it is an easier thing to please God then to please our neighbour. 12 That ye can keep the commandments, as well as God will give you leave. 13 That it is the safest to do in Religion as most do. 14 That merry ballads and books, as Scogin, Bevis of Southampton, &c. are good to drive away time, and to remove heart-qualms. 15 That ye can serve God with all your hearts, & that ye would be sorry else. 16 That a man need not hear so many sermons except he could follow them better. 17 That a man which cometh at no sermons, may as well believe, as he which hears all the sermons in the world. 18 That ye know all the Preacher can tell you. For he can say nothing, but that every man is a sinner, that we must love our neighbours as our selves, that every man must be saved by Christ: and all this ye can tell as well as he. 19 That it was a good world when the old Religion was, because all things were cheap. 20 That drinking and boozing in the alehouse or tavern is good fellowship, and shows a good kind nature, and maintains neighbourhood. 21 That a man may swear by the Mass, because it is nothing now: and