¶ A short treatise of certain things abused In the popish Church long used: But now abolished to our consolation And Gods word advanced the light of our salvation. Matthew .vii. every three that bringeth not forth good fruit shalbe hewn down & cast into the fire Psalm .cxxiii. Our soul is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the foular, the snare is broken and we are delivered. Mat .xv. Al plants that my heavenly father hath not planted shal be plucked up by the roots Psal. cxviii It is time( O Lord) to lay to thine hand for, they haue destroyed thy lawe. preserve me, O god, for in the do I trust. Psalm .xv. GRace which is the mercy favor and acceptation. Apoc. i. Of God our heavenly father, be given to this audience Peace, from Iesu Christ, our health and satisfaction which is the true tranquillity, of a quiet conscience Be ministered unto you with a more relyced sentence Than all tongues be able to make declaration My intent is to declare, yf a while ye well keep silence How goddes word is florisshed, the light of our salvation We haue been drowned with dreams, Ps. Cvi. as out forefathers haue been living in wilful Ignorance, not searching for the verity believing to haue sight, Eccl. xxi. when we haue not sene But heapinge sin vpon sin, committing iniquity For lack of godly knowledge, brought into captivity So that the blind lead the blind as Christ maketh demonstration And both fell in the lake, Mat xv of utter darkness of tenebre But now gods word is florisshed, the light of our salvation. The shepeheardes that should feed the flock, Eze. xxxiiii as ezechiel doth say And hath famysshed them for food, wo unto them all That thus suffereth the sheep to perish going astray From the hands of such blind guides the lord doth us call The sick haue they not healed the weak haue they let fall But churlishly and cruelly, be they had in estimation viii. Come away good people from their doctrine o●a●oucan For now goddes word is florisshed the light of our salvation A great colour of holiness in the Popes church hath ben used The which is plain wickedness, as goddes word proveth right iiii. xc.xvii. To mainteyn the old customs, of most men now refused The verity clean banished, and truth put to flight Yf god had not ben merciful, all men had lost the light blind was the cerymony, for all the sainctification But now it is evident, to every chrysten wight How goddes word is florysshed, the light of our salvation In the stede of goddes word we had holy bread and water Holy palms holy ashes, holy candles holy fire Holy bones holy stones, holy crewittes at the altar Holy censars holy bannars, holy crosses holy atyet Holy wax holy pax, holy smoke holy smyer Holy oil holy cream, holy wine for veneration Holy coop holy canepy holy relics in the quiet Thus gods word could not florissh the light of our salvation We haue had belles christened vestments consecrated Chalices anointed high altates washed and hallowed Images tabernacled, dead mens bones shrined conjured Crosses censed, spittled and spattled With turn and halfeturne the people was deceived sayst we or sayst me not, and much more abomination Feattes of legerdemayne, by these ingglers invented That goddes word should not flourish, the light of our salvation. Vpon the high holy euennes as they do them call They range al the belles a solemn noys to hear There had we evensong complyne, & salve with all Of that was song or said, i. co● iiii. themselves were never the nere For it was in a foren tongeras it doth well appear neither to thym nor us, Esa. xxix. was there edification For it was all lip iabo, song they never so clear Syldome preach they christ, to be the light of our salvation The next day following we had masynes, with prime and hours holy Many a deus in adiutorium, al in the latin tongue conjuring of holy water followed then immediately Procession after idols, al the church yard long high mass with devout sensinges, ruffling it in priksong Then ran we to take holy bread without signification These plants be plucked up, Mat. xv. be they never so strong They were not graffed on goddes word, the light of our salvation. With these old customs & such like god is displeased sore As in the first of Esay ther is demanded plain Who required these of you such things I do abhor Your Sabothes and your solemn days your fastings are in vain new holidays & fastings from my hart I do disdain God saith he is weary both of you and your oblation He biddeth you labour in his vine yard, Esai. i. and therein take pain To teach the people Gods word the light of our salvation Sone it is sene what pains in this veneyarde they did take For every quick spring that brought forth the fruit of Gods verity They cried out on him heretic burn him at a stake He speaketh against our Ceremosyes and therfore shall he die throw such wretches in prison / and let the caytyles lie And yf they be not willing, to make their recantation papists make traditions the light of their salvation Famysh them for ●… e, or murder them rejoicingly They speak against tradycions the light of our salvation. Than scourged they the simplo souls, with their whyp of correction And there on hanged .vi. strings, surely fastened with a lawe This whyp was very more, for ther pestilent complexion For thorough such tyranny, the peoples hartes were raw Thus many faithful membres from the truth did draw Psa. Cxxiii until, our noble king of his mercy and compassion broke this cruel whyp that kept the people in awe And hath advanced Goddes word the light of our salvation. bewail doth our Balamytes, disclosynge their own nature even as vnshamefaste shauelynges thret●ninge Christes poor sheep asking yf the sword were on our sides, be ye sure As it hath been before than wolde ye not ones peep But now that ye think al good order is laid down to sleep Ye make a braggynge and a boasting of your exaltation Now who but ye gospelers that Christes flock doth keep Ye teach the people gods word the light of our salvation Thus was their hands defiled with blood / their fingers with vnrightuousenes Deuouringe up the gospelers in every town and city From their lips proceeded lies, their tongues advanced wickedness Without respect to the trewth they judge nothing treulye They hatched Coccatrice eggs / as we haue sene it plainli And weaued spiders webs by their cruel consultation. Esa. lviii Now he that eateth of their eggs shal not escape but die Or be an enemy to the truth the light of our salvation. The chiefest thing they set by is almost fallen away I mean their masking mass by so many Popes devised For thorough it the lords supper hath been in great decay And the right institution blasphemously blemysshed Thus in the popish church it hath been long abused But now verity will haue the matter, in examination He saith plainly such abusion shal no more be used It shal be tried by Gods word, the light of our salvation This mass as they supposed was alone sufficient To pacify Goddes wrath, for our wretched misery Fre forgiveness of sins, being never so vnpenitent might be received at the mass this was their doctrine daily No ●… nale time were we blinded, with such Popysshe peltry Making us to pay, fore the holy consecration like thieves that were vnsacrat, they robbed so 〈…〉 Without the fear of Goddes wor 〈…〉uacion Christ held not the bread over his head, it is not in the Scripture. Mat. x●…. But broke it and divided it, to his Apocstls al Christ bad them not gail to it of this ye may be sure yf ye do search the Scriptures finde it so ye shal Christ willed them to reserve it in the memorial That his body for our sins, i. Cor. xi. suffered pain and passion To pacify the fathers wrath, when we in sin do fall He. vii. x. Thus was he offered ones for al the light of our salvation mark how blyndly we were fed, with out popish gentylmen 〈…〉 vi mark how with false doctrine, they haue bleared our eyes. mark how craftily we were fed with pharisees leaven mark also how they repine, the goddes word should arise mark what deuylish doctrine these dreamers did devise ii. Ti. iiii. mark how cruel they haue been, to Christes comgregation mark how much they haue maintained, phantasyes and lies Nothing regarding gods word, the light of our salvation Of long time haue they caused us, commit abomination Ac vii. xvii robbing god of the honor, which to him is dew, By muenting false gods of their Imagination making therof a sacrifice, and yf they prove this true They must confess they crucify gods son again a new For yf their bread be christ, by transubstanciation Than offer they in sacrifice, this must needs insewe God and man flesh and blood, the light of our salvation Mar. xvi. acts. vii. Heb. x. Doth not scripture say, into heaven Christ ascended And dwelling not in temples made with mannes hand But sat him down for ever / until the world be ended making intercession, both for fre and ●onde That unto his godly promise faithfully do grind This should be to the Idolatres an honest reformation To drive them from Idolatry for fear they be fonde Enemy●s unto gods word the light of our salvation John .vi. Christ is the bread of life which descended from the deite john viii. Yf any eat of that bread he shal live evermore mat. i. Christ alone the son of God maketh us free And from al our sins clearly doth us restore christ for al penitent hartes, hath said up mercy in ●ore christ dyed for our sins, Rom. iiii. and rose for our justification We bele to finde him a merciful saviour For god hath chosen him to be the light of our salvation Now seing we haue christ, to be our onely advocate In whom God the father, Mat. iii. hath a special delight Let us hear him, for he alone doth invocate And of our sins clean forgiveness, ii. Pet. i we haue in Goddes sight What need we than to seek help, at any other wight But even onely in the merites, Eph. i. of Iesu Christes passion bewailing our great misery desiring day and night To finde him a merciful God, Heb. i the light of our salvation All we haue offended and haue need of Goddes glory No man is found righteous and pure in his presence Yet thorough his son Christ, Rom. iii. we be forgiven freely For he hath made a sacrifice for our sins and offence He is our reconciler, peace maker, Heb. vii. and defence He it is that shed his blood, onely for our redemption And would haue al men saved this is his pretence Thus are we cleansed by Christ, the light of our salvation No small cause haue we to rejoice, yf we do consider How our merciful God, hath for his flock provided Replenyshinge us with meat, that endureth for ever I mean his eternal word, John. v● from which we were divided By way of persecution, abhorred and derided But thankes be to the living God, which for our consolation Hath over thrown the ennemyes that thus enterprised To persecute the gospel, the light of our salvation. Act. i● And where we lived in fear, Ma. xx● to confess the virite Psa. c.xxiii. 〈…〉 es vnpro●y●a● Now is that yoocke broken, and we set at liberty Plenteously to publish the truth without fable Let us therfore beware, we be not found variable Lucke. ix. But lay a sure hold to the thorough, with heart and cogitation i. Cor. xv. Continuinge unto the end, strong steadfast and stable In no wise to renounce the truth the light of our salvation. Apo. xvii. Forsake the whore of Babylon and the mark of the beast Apo. xviii. Forsake her merchants all, for they be most pestelent Forsake the wears that she sold, from the most to the least Forsake her holynes, that she esteemed excellent Apo. xvii Forsake the deuelysh doctrine, that she did invent Forsake and fle utterly, from her abomination Apo. xviii. For kings and Princes were disceyued, that to her did consent Persecuting Gods word, the light of our salvation. Let us forsake all ceremonies, that to Scripture be not consonaunt traditions of forefathers wherein we haue ben led Psal. cv. And with the lively word of God, let us now be conversant For therein shall we se with what baggage we were fead Wandering in the Popes laws forsakinge christ our head ii. Pe. ii. Heapinge vpon ourselves the more greater damnation Thus were traditions and Ceremonies, maintained in the stede Of Gods true and sincere word, the light of our salvation Let us earnestly therfore desire with an heart unfeigned That in all thing we do, Ti●. God may haue the glory Yea / and embrace this heavenly word, which we haue received Not in talk, nor to receive it as a carnal liberty But to bring forth the fruit of the spirit, so that thereby It may appear manifest, in our Godly conversation To be a light unto the world, forsaking al iniquity And to persever in the truth the light of our salvation. And doubt not al that the heavenly father hath not planted He will pluck up by the roots, Mat. xv. they shall no more endure This in his eternal word he hath it promised Therfore be not unfaithful for his covenant is full sure heaven and earth shall perish, Luk. xvi. this is without recure But his word shal never pass, by no determination until al thing be ended therfore I you 'allure To trust wholly in his word, the light of our salvation hunger and evangelist for righteousness, Mat. v than shal ye be satisfied Mortify the flesh, with the deeds therof also Let no filthy communicaon out of your mouths procede But as it becometh sayntes, Ephe. iiii. even so look ye do Blessed be he to whom sin is not imputed to Neither in his spirit is there found dissimulation such shall enjoy the heavenly joys, Psal. xxx● knowing no kind of woe But haue the fruicion of Goddes sight, the light of our salvation And above all thing to embrace / Gods eternal viritie which unto a Christen man, there as nothing so acceptable For as much as in it, is contained sincerely The duty of al persons, a doctrine most profitable And in especial to this we must be agreeable To love God above al thing this is the chief foundation And our neighbours as ourself, thus shal we without fable receive at the hand of God, the light of our salvation. Let us be thankful to our God for his etern verity With which he hath most plenteously endued our noble king So that among al his affairs, he may setforthe goddes glory With no less zeal than he hath done sense his first beginning I mean, Edward the sixth, over us now rayninge Right inheritor by dissent of this ream or dominion That out of his Princely heart / there may dystyll and spring Gods power and lively word the light of our salvation. Also for those good ladies, of the same stock and lineage Mary and elizabeth, miters unto his grace The heavenly lord endewe them / unto their last age even as their noble father did all Popery to deface And Gods eternal Testament / alway to embrace For there in shal they learn, by the heavenly instigation To follow the fruit of the spirit, and thereby to purchase The celestial kyndome, the light of our salvation. For the most honourable council, with my lord Protector Which stryueth strongly with the enemies of God night and day In his proceedings and doings / the lord be his director With his holy spirit also / to rule their hartes alway That thorough their spiritual labour al Poperye may decay And utterly banished the land, with Godly reformation Suppressing all false doctrine and to set such a stay That Goddes word may increase / the light of our salvation. And that it may please the( O God) to llumine the spiritualty As bishops and al ministers, with knowledge and understanding Of they most blessed word to set it forth with sincerity And vnfaynedly follow; both in doctrine and living feeding Christes flock with the word everlasting Not compelled ther unto nor for hope of promotion But for favor which they bear to it above al thing And thus shall Goddes word flourish the light of our salvation. i. Pet. v. Let Christ be preached the saviour, where in we may trust rebuk every sin, i. Ti. iiii beware of Deuelysh Doctrine Double tongued men / in no wise be they must Not given to filthy lucre / nor ●o much wy●e But having the mystery of faith / in conscience pure and clean And or they presume to minister in the congregation They ought to be well proved this doth saint paul determine And then to feed us with the truth the light of our salvation. .i. Tim. iii. And even as it is ther duty to rebuk sin So is it our partes also to seace from sin alway Eze. xxxiii. considering satan was the first that did it begin Therfore he they our watch men as Ezechiel doth say Now yf we haue a warning and will fully decay our own blood vpon our heads this is without negacion Rede the text and more plainly se it there ye may Thus God wolde haue al men saved the light of our salvation. And for us poor communs also the lord be our over fear That above al we may desire peace and quiet rest Both of soul and body for that do we require So shal we prosper in al goodness and god pleased best And at the last to be with Christ this is our request Which is the head of the faithful and Christian congregation receiving there a kingdom ever to haue rest In joy and bliss without end there to haue our salvation AMEN. james .i. every good gift, and every resolve gift is from above and cometh down from the father of light. proverb .ii. For it is the lord that giveth wisdom out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Psalm .cxv. Not unto us, O lord, not unto us but unto thy name give the praise. Timothe .i. To god onely, give the glory. Quod, Peter Moo●…. Imprinted at London by Wyll●am Copland. ¶ come privilegio ad imprimendum solum