Several sermons and discourses of William Dell Minister of the Gospel; sometimes attending both the generals in the army: and now Master of Gonvil and Caius Colledge in Cambridge. Heretofore published at several times, and on several occasions; and now gathered in one volumn, for the benefit of the faithful, and conviction of the world.

The first General.

What true Gospel Reformation is,* 1.1 and how qualified.

1. What it is.* 1.2 It is the mortifying, destroying, and utter abolishing out of the Faithful and Elect, all that sin, corruption, lust, evil, that did flow in upon them, through the Fall of Adam. Or,

It is the taking away and destroying the body of sin out of the Faithfull and Elect, by the presence and operation of the righte∣ousness of God, dwelling in their hearts by faith. This is true Go∣spel-Reformation, and besides this I know no other. This the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah describeth, Chap. 1. 27. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her Converts with righteousness.

Now Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith,* 1.3 as he discovers, reproves, condemns, and destroys sin, so he is called Judge∣ment: And thus is Judgement to be understood in the Gospel sense, and not terribly, as in the sense of the Law: And this

Judgement shall at last break forth into victory; that is, though Christ in us hath to do with many strong Corruptions, and Lusts in the Soul, yet at last he prevails against them all, and Judgement breaks forth into victory; because Christ, the Judge∣ment of God in the Soul, must needs in the end prevail against e∣very sin of man.

Again, Christ the Righteousness of God,* 1.4 as he makes us righte∣ous with his own righteousness, and makes us the righteousness of God in him, so he is called Righteousness, not in himself onely, but in us: he is the Lord our Righteousness: and by this Judgement and Righteousness is Zion and her converts redeemed and reformed. And so true Gospel reformation is the destruction of sin out the faith∣full, by the presence of righteousness.

And therefore you see how grosly they are mistaken who take Gospel Reformation to be the making of certain Laws and Consti∣tutions by the sacred power or Clergy, for external conformity in outward duties of outward worship and government, and to have these confirmed by civil sanction, and inforced upon men by secu∣lar power; when in the mean time, all that inward corruption and sin they brought with them into the world, remains in their hearts and natures as it did before. After this manner the old Pre∣lates reformed, who were wont to say to the Kings, We will study out the faith, and you shall maintain it; and the faith, they studied and brough•• to the Kings, the Kings must maintain, and not quest∣••on but that it was Jure Divino.

And thus you see in general what Gospel Reformation is, and that it is a cleer different thing, from Civil Ecclesiastical Refor∣mation.

2. Now in the next place let us see how this Gospel Refor∣mation is qualified,* 1.5 whereby the difference between this and the other will appear yet more cleerly.

First then,* 1.6 it is a spiritual Reformation. For as the Kingdom of Christ is a spiritual Kingdom: so all the things that belong to it are spiritual things; and so the Reformation of it. A carnal Re∣formation, is not sutable to a spiritual Kingdom. And spiritual it is, because it proceeds from the Spirit, and stands in spiritual things, as you shall see more full anon.

But now the Reformation of the Civil and Ecclesiastical State, is but a carnal Reformation, wrought by the powes of

flesh and blood, and stands in outward and fleshly things, as you shall presently see.

Secondly, it is an inward Reformation. For as the Kingdom of God is an inward Kingdom,* 1.7 (the kingdom of God is within you) so the Reformation that belongs to it, is an inward Refor∣mation. This true Gospel reformation, lays hold upon the heart, and soul, and inner man: and changes, and alters, and renews, and reforms that; and when the heart is reformed, all is reform∣ed. And therefore this Gospel Reformation doth not much busie and trouble it self about outward forms, or external conformity, but onely minds the reforming of the heart; and when th•• heart is right with God, the outward form cannot be amiss. And therefore saith Christ touching the worship of the New Testa∣ment, God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth; but speaks not one word of any outward form. So that God in this Gospel Reformation aims at nothing but the heart, according to the tenour of the new covenant, Jer. 31. 33. This shall be the covenant that I will will make with them after those dayes, saith the Lord, I will put my Law in their in∣ward parts, and write it in their hearts: so that they shall not onely have the word of the letter in their books, but the living word of God in their hearts: and God intending to reform the Church, begins with their hearts, and intending to reform their hearts, puts his word there; and that living word put into the heart, reforms it indeed.

But now Civil Ecclesiastical Reformation is onely outward, and busies it self in reforming the outward man, in outward things; and so is very industrious and elaborate about outward forms, and outward orders, and outward government, and outward confession, and outward practice, and thinks if these be put into some handsomeness and conformity, they have brought about an excellent Reformation: though the heart in the mean time remain as sinful, vile, and corrupt as ever, and so altogether unreformed.

And so this Reformation is like that Reformation of the Scribes and Pharisees, notorious hypocrites, who made clean onely the outside of the cup or platter;* 1.8 leaving them all filthy and unclean within: and whited over sepulchres, to make them beauti∣full outwardly, when inwardly they were full of rottenness and cor∣ruption.

So Civil Ecclesiastical Reformation makes a man clean outwardly, with an outward Confession of faith, &c. when in∣wardly he is all filthy through unbelief; and whites him over, with a few handsom forms of worship, when inwardly he is full of igno∣rance of God, and Atheism.

Object. Now if any ask, But must there be no change of out∣ward things, in the Reformation of the Gospel?

Answ. I answer, Yes; an outward change that flows from an inward: but not an outward change without an inward; much less an outward change to enforce an inward.

3. It is a thorow Reformation;* 1.9 for it reforms the whole man; it reforms not the soul onely, but the body too, and the very spirit of the mind: the spirit as it animates, and quickens, and acts the body, is called the soul; as it is in it self, in its own nature and essence, so it is called the spirit of the mind: and this Gospel Reformation reforms all; that is, both inward and out∣ward, and outward and inward man; yea, the inwardest of the inward man; and not only the operations of the soul in the body, but of the soul in its self.

But Civil Ecclesiastical Reformation reforms by halfs, it reaches the body, and orders that, but attains not to the soul, much less to the spirit of the mind.

Again, Gospel Reformation reforms sin wholly, aswell as the man: it reforms all sin whatsoever,* 1.10 I will turn my hand upon thee, (saith God by this Gospel Reformation) and will purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin. It reforms a man not only of outward sins, but of inward It reforms him of those sins that seldome come forth into the view of the world, as Atheisme, ignorance of God, pride, vain glory, self-seeking, hypocrisie, carnal mindedness, and all the evil desires of the flesh, and of the minde. Yea, it doth not only reform all evil things in us, but all imperfect things: doing a∣way imperfect things by the coming of perfect things, doing away our own strength by the coming in of Gods strength, and our own wisdome and righteousness, by the coming in of Gods wisdome and righteousness.

But now, Civil-Ecclesiastical reformation reforms sin by the halfs, aswel as the man; and so only reforms outward and gross sins, such as run into the eyes of the world, which are the least by a

thousand times, of the evils that a man hath and acts; but the greatest part of sin, it still leaves within as it was.

Fourthly, It is a powerful and mighty Reformation: It is wrought in a man by the very powor of God,* 1.11 even by the right hand of his Righteousness. And so no sin, lust, corruption, though never so mighty, is able to resist this work of God by the Gospel; but it makes the whole body of sin, and the whole kingdom of the Divel, fly in pieces before it: The power of God in creating and redeeming the elect, may as well be resisted, as the power of God in reforming them: for it is a power a∣bove all power, that God puts forth in this work, and so is not to be made void by any creature. In every stroke of this work, the power of the Lord God almighty is put forth, as every rightly reformed Christian knows. And if the love of God, had not put forth this power in the soul, a Christian had never been re∣formed, no not from one sin.

Now the power of this Reformation eminently appears, in that it changeth the very natures of men; it findes them lions, it makes them lambs; it findes them wolves, it makes them sheep; it findes them birds of prey, it makes them doves; It finds them trees of the forrest, it makes them apple-trees; In a word, it finds them flesh, it makes them spirit; it finds them sin, it makes them righteousness. Mighty indeed is the power of this Reformation.

But now, as this Gospel Reformation is mighty, so Civil-Ecclesiastical Reformation is weak: for as the former hath the power of God engaged in it: so this later hath only the pow∣er of man; and so can do no such works as the former. I ap∣peal to all that are spiritual, what heart or nature was ever changed by this sort of Reformation? For, there its that cor∣ruption in the heart of every man, that is able to stand out a∣gainst all the Reformation that all the powers in the world can undertake. And so, the Reformation mannaged by the mightiest and severest power of man, is weak as water in this business of changing natures; and can onely change some outward forms and postures, and the like, leaving in the mean time a mans nature the same it was before; It onely puts sheeps clothing upon men, which is easily done; but still leaves them wolves underneath.

Fifthly,* 1.12 It is a constant Reformation; a Reformation which being once begun, is never intermitted again, till all be perfected. For as long as Gods nature dwels in ours, it will ever be reform∣ing our nature to it self, till it be altogether like it. As long as the Spirit of God dwels in the flesh, it will still be reforming the flesh to the Spirit, till the whole body of sin be destroyed, and the na∣tural man be made spiritual. So that the whole time of this life that is lived in faith, that is, in union with Christ, is a time of con∣tinual Reformation; and a Christian is daily washing, cleansing, and purifying himself, till he purifie himself even as Christ is pure.

But now Civil-Ecclesiastical Reformation at first makes a great noise and tumult in the world, and after lies as still as a stone. For such Reformation reforms States and Kingdoms to mens own profit, honour, power, advantages; and so to themselves, rather then to Christ. And when men have once attained to their own ends, their activity ceases.

Again, it brings men to certain outward orders and conformi∣ties, and then runs round as in a mill, and goes no farther.

Again, It reforms for a time, and not constantly, because the outward power being taken away, nature returns to its own course again. For State-Ecclesiastical Reformation onely changes some outward works leaving the nature the self same that it was (as you have heard.)

Now where the works are contrary to nature, nature by de∣grees returns to it self again, and puts an end to those works; and so there is an end of that Reformation.

And thus you see what Gospel-Reformation is, and how qualified, whereby you see it cleerly differenced from Civil-Ecclesiastical Reformation.

And oh that that Prophesie might here be fulfilled, Isa. 32. 3. The eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gospel Refor∣mation:
• * 1.2

  1. What it is.
• * 1.3

  Christ Judge∣ment.
• * 1.4

  Christ Righte∣ousness.
• * 1.5

  Gospel Refor∣mation is.
• * 1.6

  1. Spiritual.
• * 1.7

  2. Inward.
• * 1.8

  Latth. 23. 25.
• * 1.9

  3. Thorow.
• * 1.10

  Isa. 1. 25.
• * 1.11

  4. Powerful.
• * 1.12

  5. Constant.