What did ordinary people believe in post-Reformation England, and what did they do about it? This book looks at religious belief and practice through the eyes of five sorts of people: godly Protestant ministers, zealous Protestant laypeople, the ignorant, those who complained about the burdens of religion, and the Catholics. Based on 600 court and visitation books from three national and twelve local archives, it cites what people had to say about themselves, their religion, and the religions of others. How did people behave in church? What did they think of church rituals? What did they do on Sundays? What did they think of people of other faiths? How did they get along together, and what sort of issues produced tensions between them? What did parishioners think of their priests and what did the clergy think of their people? Was everyone seriously religious, or did some people mock or doubt religion? If these questions have been tackled before, it has usually been by way of claims about what the common people believed in books written by members of the educated ranks about their contemporaries. In contrast, by going directly to other sources of evidence such court records and parish complaints, this book illuminates what ordinary people actually said and did. Written by one of our leading historians of early modern England, it is a lively and readable account of popular religion in England under Elizabeth I and the early Stuarts, dealing with the results of the Reformation, reactions to official policy, and the background to the Civil Wars of the mid-17th century.

This is one of the all-time Puritan devotional classics. It went through 25 editions by 1640, and 47 editions by 1831. There are six sections in this book on man's misery by nature, the corruption of the world, the marks of the children of God, how hard it is to enter into life, the ignorance of the world, and the sweet promises of the gospel.

What is the Pathway to Heaven? What are the signposts that point man towards it? How about those obstacles? Join Puritan author Arthur Dent (1601) in this journey towards the Celestial City, in a wonderful and captivating book written as a dialogue of Bunyan-like characters that portray signposts or obstacles to Heaven and eternal felicity. "Pathway to Heaven" was one of the books that John Bunyan read during the four years of spiritual struggle that led to his conversion, and influenced his later writing of "Pilgrim's Progress." This book has also influenced other leading authors, among whom is well-known was the well-known Puritan preacher Richard Baxter. This book has been first published in 1601 and has been proofread, typeset, and edited for eBook readers.

Explore the Book is not a commentary with verse-by-verse annotations. Neither is it just a series of analyses and outlines. Rather, it is a complete Bible survey course. No one can finish this series of studies and remain unchanged. The reader will receive lifelong benefit and be enriched by these practical and understandable studies. Exposition, commentary, and practical application of the meaning and message of the Bible will be found throughout this giant volume. Bible students without any background in Bible study will find this book of immense help as will those who have spent much time studying the Scriptures, including pastors and teachers. Explore the Book is the result and culmination of a lifetime of dedicated Bible study and exposition on the part of Dr. Baxter. It shows throughout a deep awareness and appreciation of the grand themes of the gospel, as found from the opening book of the Bible through Revelation.

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