The foundation of Christian religion gathered into sixe principles. And it is to bee learned of ignorant people, that they may be fit to hear sermons with profit, and to receiue the Lords Supper with comfort.

To all ignorant people that desire to bee instructed.

POore people, your manner is to sooth vp your selues, as though ye wer in a most happy state: but of the matter come to a iust trial, it will fall out farr otherwise▪ For yee lead your liues in great ignorance, as may appeare by these your common opinions which follow.

1 That faith is a mans good meaning & his good seruing of God.

2 That God is serued by the rehearsing of the ten commaundements, the Lords praier, and the Creede.

3 That yee haue beleeued in Christ euer since you could remember.

4 That it is pitie that he should liue which dooth any whit doubt of his saluation.

5 That none can tell whether hee shall bee saued or not certainly: but that all men must be of a good beliefe.

6 That howsoeuer a man liue, yet if hee call vpon God on his death bedde, and say, Lord haue mercy on me, & so goe away like a Lambe, he is certainly saued.

7 That, if ani•• be strangely visited, hee is either taken with a Planet, or bewitched.

8 That a man may lawfully sweare when hee speakes nothing but the truth: & sweares by nothing but that which is good, as by his faith or troth.

9 That a Preacher is a good man no lon∣ger than he is in the pulpet. They thinke all like themselues.

10 That a man may repent when hee will, because the Scripture saith, At what time so∣euer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne, &c.

11 That it is an easier thing to please God than to please our neighbour.

12 That yee can keepe the Commande∣ments, as well as God will giue you leaue.

13 That it is the safest, to doo in Religion as most doo.

14 That merry ballads & bookes, as Scog∣gin, Beuis of Southampton, &c. are good to driue away time, & to remoue hart quames.

15 That yee can serue God with all your hearts: and that yee would be sorie else.

16 That a man neede not heare so many Sermōs, except he could follow them better.

17 That a man which cōmeth at no Ser∣mons, may as wel beleeue, as he which heares all the sermons in the world.

18 That yee know al the Preacher can tell you: For he can say nothing, but that euery man is a sinner, that we must loue our neigh∣bours as our selues, that euery man must bee saued 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 bezeling in the ale∣house or tauerne is good fellowship, & shews a good kinde nature.

21 That a man may sweare by the Masse, because it is nothing now: and byr Ladie, because she is gone out of the country.

22 That euery man must be for himselfe, and God for vs all.

23 That a man may make of his owne whatsoeuer he can.

24 That if a man remember to say his prai∣ers in the morning (thogh he neuer vnderstād them) he hath blessed himselfe for all the day following.

25 That a man prayeth when hee saith the ten Commaundements.

26 That a man eats his maker in the Sacra.

27 That if a man be no adulterer, no theef, nor murderer, and do no man harme, he is a right honest man.

28 That a man need not haue any know∣ledg of religiō, because he is not book learnd.

29 That one may haue a good meaning, when he saith and dooth that which is euill.

These and such like sayings, what argue they but your grosse ignorance? Now, where igno∣rance raigneth, there raignes sinne: & where sinne raignes, there the deuil rules: and where he rules, men are in a damnable case.

Ye will reply vnto me thus, that yee are not so bad as I would make you: if need be you can say the Creede, the Lords prayer, & the 10. cō∣mandements: and therefore ye will be of Gods beleefe say all men what they will, and you de∣fie the deuill from your hearts.

I answere againe, that it is not sufficient to say all these without booke, vnlesse ye can vn∣derstand the meaning of the words, and bee a∣ble to make a right vse of the Cōmandements, of the Creede, of the Lords prayer, by applying them inwardly to your hearts and consciences, and outwardly to your liues & conuersations. This is the very point in which ye faile.

And for an helpe in this your ignorance, to bring you to true knowledge, vnfained faith, and sound repentance: here I haue set downe the principall points of Christian Religion in sixe plaine & easie rules, euen such as the sim∣plest may easily learne: and hereunto is adioy∣ned an exposition of them word by word. If ye do want other good directions, then vse this my labour for your instruction:* 1.1 In reading of it first learne the six principles, & when ye haue them without booke, & the meaning of them withall, then learne the exposition also: which being well conceaued, & in some measure felt in the heart, ye shall be able to profite by Ser∣mons, whereas now ye cannot: and the ordi∣narie parts of the Catechisme, namely, the ten Commandements, the Creede, the Lords prai∣er, and the institution of the two Sacraments, shall more easily be vnderstoode.

Thine in Christ Iesus, William Perkins.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A direction for the igno∣rant.