Gospel Re

and mingled it felf with the Power of the World, as being able to do nothing without it.

2. I will indeavour to fhew, to whofe hands the Work of Gofpel-Reformation is committed. 3. By what means he to whofe hands it is committed, brings it about.

4. The Advantages of fuch a Reformation, where it is wrought.

5. The Ufe.

The first General.

What true Gospel Reformation is, and how qualified.

1. What it is. It is the mortifying, destroying, formation. and utter abolishing out of the Faithful and 1.What it Elect, all that Sin, Corruption, Luft, Evil, that did flow in upon them, through the Fall of Adam.

is.

Chrift

Or,

It is the taking away and deftroying the Body of Sin out of the Faithful and Elect, by the prefence and operation of the Righteoufnefs of God, dwelling in their hearts by Faith. This is true Golpel-Reformation, and befides this, I know no other. This the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah defcribeth, Chap. 1. 27. Zion shall be redeemed with Judgment, and her Converts with Righteousness.

Now Chrift dwelling in our hearts by Faith, Fudgment as he discovers, reproves, condemns, and deftroys Sin, fo he is called Judgment. And thus is Judgment to be understood in the Gospel-fenfe, and not terribly, as in the fenfe of the Law: And this Judgment fhall at last break forth into victory; that is, though Chrift in us hath to do with many ftrong Corruptions, and Lufts in the Soul, yet at last he prevails against them all, and Judgment breaks forth into victory; because Christ. the Judgment of God in the Soul, muft needs in the end prevail against every Sin of Man.

Again, Christ the Righteousnefs of God, as he Chrifts makes us Righteous with his own Righteoufnefs, Righteouf and makes us the Righteousness of God in him, "ešfo he is called Righteoufness, not in himself only, but in us; he is the Lord our Righteoufnefs; and by this Judgment and Righteousness is Zion and her Converts redeemed and reformed. And fo true Gospel Reformation is the deftruction of Sin out of the Faithful, by the prefence of Righteousness,

And therefore you fee how grofly they are miftaken, who take Gofpel-Reformation to be the making of certain Laws and Conftitutions by the Sacred Power or Clergy, for External Conformity in outward Duties of outward Worship and Government, and to have thefe confirmed by Ci vil Sanction, and inforced upon Men by Secular 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 Prelates reformed, who were wont to fay to the Kings, We will ftudy out the Faith, and you shall maintain it; and the Faith, they ftudied and brought to the Kings, the Kings muft maintain, and not queftion but that it was Jure Divino.

And thus you fee in general what Gospel-Reformation is, and that it is a clear different thing from Civil Ecclefiaftical Reformation.

2. Now in the next place let us fee how this Gofpel R Gospel Reformation is qualified, whereby the formation difference between this and the other will appear yet more clearly...

is,

al.

First then, it is a Spiritual Reformation. For 1. Spirisu as the Kingdom of Chrift is a Spiritual Kingdom, fo all the things that belong to it are Spiritual things, and fo the Reformation of it. A Carnal Reformation is not fuitable to a Spiritual King

dom.

dom. And Spiritual it is, because it proceeds from the Spirit, and ftands in Spiritual things, as you fhall fee more fully anon.

But now the Reformation of the Civil and Ecclefiaftical State, is but a Carnal Reformation, wrought by the Powers of Flesh and Blood, and ftands in outward and fleshly things, as you fhall presently fee.

2. Inward. Secondly, it is an inward Reformation. For as the Kingdom of God is an inward Kingdom, (the kingdom of God is within you) fo the Reformation that belongs to it, is an inward Reformation. This true Gospel reformation, lays hold upon the heart, and foul, and inner man: and changes, and alters, and renews, and reforms that; and when the heart is reformed, all is reformed. And therefore this Gofpel Reformation doth not much bufie and trouble it felf about outward forms, or external conformity, but onely minds the reforming of the heart; and when the heart is right with God, the outward form cannot be amifs. And therefore faith Chrift touching the worship of the New Testament, God is a Spirit, and they that worship him muft worship him in fpirit and in truth; but speaks not one word of any outward form. So that God in this Gofpel 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 make with them after thofe dayes, faith the Lord, I will put my Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts: fo that they fhall not only have the word of the letter in their books, but the living word of God in their hearts and God intending to God intending to reform the Church, begins with their hearts, and intending to reform their hearts, puts his word there; and

that

that living word put into the heart, reforms it indeed.

But now Civil Ecclefiaftical Reformation is only outward, and bufies it self in reforming the outward man, in outward things; and fo is very industrious and elaborate about outward Forms, and outward Orders, and outward Government, and outward Confeffion, and outward Practice; and thinks if these be put into fome handfomness and Conformity, they have brought about an excellent Reformation; though the heart in the mean time remain as finful, vile, and corrupt as ever, and fo altogether unreformed.

And fo this Reformation is like that Reformation of the Scribes and Pharifees, notorious Hypocrites, who made clean only the outfide of the cup or platter, leaving them all filthy and unclean within; and whited over fepulchres, to make them beautiful outwardly, when inwardly they were full of rottenness and corruption. So Civil and Ecclefiaftical Reformation makes a Man clean outwardly, with an outward Confeffion of Faith, &c. when inwardly he is all filthy through Unbelief; and whites him over with a few handfom forms of Worship, when inwardly he is full of ignorance of God, and Atheism.

Object. Now if any ask, But must there be no change of outward things, in the Reformation of the Gofpel?

Anfw. I Answer, yes; an outward change that flows from an inward; but not an outward change without an inward; much lefs an outward change to enforce an inward.

Matth.

23. 25

3. It is a thorow Reformation, for it reforms 3. Thorow the whole Man; it reforms not the Soul only, 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

felf,

felf, in its own nature and effence, fo it is called the Spirit of the Mind; and this Gospel Reformation reforms all; that is, both inward, and outward, 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 felf.

But Civil Ecclefiaftical Reformation reforms by halves, 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, as well as the Man; it reforms all Sin whatsoever, Ila. 1.25. I will turn my hand upon thee, (faith God by this Gospel Reformation) and will purely purge away thy drefs, and take away all thy tin. It reforms a man not only of outward Sins, but of inward. It reforms him of thofe Sins that feldom come forth into the view of the world, as Atheism, Ignorance of God, Pride, Vain-glory, Self-feeking, Hypocrifie, Carnal-mindedrefs, and all the evil defires of the flesh, and of the mind. Yea, it doth not only reform all evil things in us, but all imperfect things; doing away imperfect things, by the coming of perfect things; doing away our own ftrength, by the coming in of Gods ftrength, and our own wisdom and righteousness, by the coming in of Gods wisdom and righteousness.

4. Power

ful.

But now, Civil Ecclefiaftical Reformation reforms Sin by the halves, as well as the Man; and fo only reforms outward and grofs Sins, fuch as run into the eyes of the World, which are the leaft 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 power of God, even by the right hand of his Rights

ousness.