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 second General.

To whose hand this work of Reformation is committed.

Now that is only to Jesus Christ, the great and only Magi∣strate in the Kingdom of God; and who only, is to do all that is done, in the Church of God: he is the Dominus fac totum (as they say.)

If the Church be to be redeemed, Christ must redeem it; if it be to be governed Christ must govern it; if it be to be protected Christ must protect it; if it be to be saved, Christ must save it: All that is to be done in the Church of God, Christ only is to do it; and so among other things to reform it; that is, to wash it, sanctifie it, purifie it.

Christ then is the only Reformer of the Church of God. For,

First, God hath committed the care of the Churches Refor∣mation to Christ onely, and to no body else: and this is a thou∣sand times better for the Church, then if he had committed it to all the Princes and Magistrates in the world. All things are gi∣ven to me of my Father, saith Christ; and the Church above all other things: Thine they were, and thou gavest them me; thine they were by election, and thou gavest them me, that I might re∣deem them, and reform them, and present them to thee again without spot. So that the Father hath committed the care of the Reformation of the Church to Christ.

And secondly, Christ hath taken this care upon himself out of obedience to his Father, and love to his Church.

1. Out of obedience to his Father: for he saith, I came not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me: and this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that he hath given me I should lose none. And so Christ reforms all, that he might lose none, out of obedience to his Father.

2. Out of love to his Church he takes this care and charge on him. For such is the love of Christ to the Church, everywhere so gloriously discovered in the Gospel, that he doth not onely give himself for us, to redeem us; but also gives himself to us, to reform us. Christ dying for us, is our Redemption; Christ dwelling and li∣ving in us, is our Reformation.

Thirdly, This work of Reformation, is only sutable to, and convenient for Christ the Head, as having so near and deer inter∣est in the Church his Body. And so he is full of love, and bowels, and tender compassions to the Church: he will not deal roughly ruggedly, and boystrously with the Saints; he will not grieve them, and vex them, and oppress them, and crush them in pieces: but he being their Head, will deal meekly and gently with them; He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoaking flax. When he is reforming the sins and corruptions of the faithfull,

he deals with them in the very love and goodness of God, and will not put them to more sorrow then needs must; and when he must needs put them to sorrow in the flesh (for flesh cannot chuse but mourn to part with it self utterly in this reformation) yet he is present with the comforts of his Spirit, and when he hath smitten them, is ready to heal them, and to bind them up as soon as he hath broken them. He deals with every Christian in this re∣formation, as tenderly as a man doth with one of his own mem∣bers, that is in grief and anguish; he regards and handles him as his own body, as his own flesh. And so the reformation of Christ is altogether for edification, and not at all for destruction: for it is his own body he reforms, and so doth it with the love of the Head.

But when strangers, whose the Church is not, set upon refor∣ming it, what havock do they make of the Church of God? how do they wound, and threaten, and punish, and destroy it, and have no regard at all to the weak, infirm, sorrowful Saints, that are wrestling with many doubts, fears, agonies, corruptions, temptations, till they are overtaken with the very shadow of death? how do they persecute them that are already smitten, and grieve them more that are already wounded?

And so you see, that he only that hath an interest in the Church, as being the Head of the Church, is onely fit to reform it; where∣as the reformation of strangers, hath more cruelty in it then love, and more destruction then edification.

Fourthly, Christ is onely able for this work: for the Reformation of the Church is as great a work as the Redemption of it: and he on∣ly that could do the one, can do the other, Christ must die to redeem the Church and he must live to reform it: and so as the Government of the Church only lies upon his shoulders who is the Head; so the Reformation of it onely lies upon his hands, and his hands onely are sufficient for it. If all the Angels of heaven should undertake the work of Reformation, they would sink under it; how much more the powers of the world?

For, the taking away transgression for us, and from us, which is the only Reformation of the New Testament, is a work agree∣able to none but the Son of God; as it is written, His name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins: where you have, both the Reformer, Christ; and the Reformation, shall save his people from their sins: now he must needs be the

Righteousness of God, that must save people from sin.

And he must need be God in the flesh, that must reform the flesh; none else can do it.

To conclude this: None but the Power of God, and Wisdom of God, and the Righteousness of God, which is Jesus Christ, can reform the Church, which is the Kingdom of God: and the power, wisdom, and righteousness of men have no place at all here, except they will turn the Power, Wisdom, and Righteous∣ness of God out of his office; for so speaks the Spirit by the Pro∣phet Isaiah, Chap. 2. 17. The loftiness of men shall be bowed down and the haughtiness of men shall be made low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted. Now what is the loftiness and haughtin••ss of men, but the power, wisdom, and righteousness of men? and all this, saith the Lord, shall be bowed down and laid low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted, that is, Christ alone, who is the Power, Wisdom, and Righteousness of God; and that in the day of the Churches Reformation, as well as in the day of the Churches Re∣demption. And thus you see that Christ is the Reformer of the Church his Body, which is the City and Kingdom of God.

And therefore the Reformation of the Church is certain; for Christ will a surely reform it, as he hath redeemed it; and all that the Father hath given him he hath redeemed; and all that hath re∣deemed he will reform, that he may make them fit to present to God: That so all that the Son hath received from the Father, ha∣ving redeemed and reformed them, he may give them back to the Father again.

So that I doubt not of the Churches Reformation, because it is Christs own work, and he hath undertaken the doing of it. And as none of the powers of the earth could help him to reform the Church; so none of the powers of hell shall be able to hinder him, but as many as he hath redeemed unto God by his blood, in his due time he will reform them all by his Spirit, as belonging to his care and charge. And therefore let us look to Christ for the reformation of his Church, that is, of his faithful people: the rest of the world that lies in wickedness, he lets remain in wickedness, as not belong∣ing to his care and charge. This Reformation is the work of Christs care and love: and he being faithful in this business, I am at rest and quiet, seeing Christ is as able for the reformation of the Church, as for the redemption of it.

And therefore (Honourable and Beloved) I say to you touching this work of the reformation of the spiritual temple of the New Testament, as God once said to David touching the building of the material Temple of the Old Testament, 1 King. 8. 18. Whereas it was in thine heart (said God) to build an house to my Name, thou didst well it was in thy heart. Nevertheless, thou shalt not build the house, but thy Son that shall come out of thy loyns, he shall build an house unto my Name. And elswhere he renders the reason of it, why David should not, and Solomon should build this house, be∣cause, saith he, thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed much blood: but Solomon, he shall live and florish in peace, and he shall do it.

So say I to you, touching this work of Reformation; You did well, in that it was in your hearts to reform the Kingdom of God, and the spiritual Church, which is Christs own dear body. Nevertheless you shall not reform it, for you have been men of war; that is, you have managed a great and mighty war against great and mighty ene∣mies, and have shed much blood; for the Lord hath given you the necks of your enemies, and hath subdued them; under you that rose up against you, and you have trod them down as mire in the streets. And therefore you shall not do this work, having been men of war; but Christ the Prince of Peace, he shall reform the Chruch of God: For this is not a work of men of war, but of the Prince of peace, seeing this is not a work of humane might or strength, but of the Spirit. So that you did well, that you thought to reform the Church: but when you shall understand, that the Reformation of the Church, is as great a work as the Redemption of it. you will acknowledge the work is too great for you, and that it belongs only unto Christ, seeing the Father hath committed the care of this work only to him; and he hath taken this care and charge upon himself, and it is onely sutable to him, as being the Head of the Church: and he only is able for it, as being the Son of God, and equall to God.

Notes

• Christ the Reformer.
• Note.
• 1 The care of the Church given to Christ.
• 2 Christ takes it.
• 1. Out of o∣bedience.
• 2. Love.
• 3. The work of Reformati∣on only suta∣ble to Christ.
• 4. Christ only able for the work of Re∣formation.