Constitutions by the sacred power or Clergy for externall conformity in outward duties of outward worship and government and to have these confirmed by civill 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 say to the Kings Wee will studie out the faith and you shall maintain it and the faith they studied and brought to the Kings the Kings must maintain and not question but that it was Jure Divino And thus you see in generall what Gospel Reformation is and that it is a cleer different thing from Civil-Ecclesiasticall Reformation 2. Now in the next place let us see how this Gospel Reformation is qualified whereby the difference between this and the other will appear yet more cleerly First then it is a spirituall Reformation For as the Kingdome of Christ is a spirituall Kingdome so all the things that belong to it are spirituall things and so the Reformation of it A carnall Reformation is not sutable to a spirituall Kingdom And spirituall it is because it proceeds from the Spirit and stands in spirituall things as you shall see more fully anon But now the Reformation of the Civill and Ecclesiasticall State is but a carnall Reformation wrought by the power 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 Kingdome of God is an inward Kingdome the kingdome of God is within you so the Reformation that belongs to it is an inward Reformation This true Gospel Reformation layes 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 reformed And therefore this Gospel Reformation doth not much busie and trouble it selfe about outward forms or externall conformity but onely minds the reforming of the heart and when the heart is right with God the outward form cannot be amisse And therefore saith Christ touching the worship of the New Testament 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 make with them after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward 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-Ecclesiasticall Reformation is onely outward and busies st selfe 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 handsomâ—nesse and conformity they have brought about an excellent Reformation though the heart in the mean time remain as sinfull 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 leaving them all filthy and unclean within and whited over sepulchres to make them beautifull outwardly when inwardly they were full of rottennesse and corruption So Civill-Ecclesiasticall Reformation makes a man clean outwardly with an outward Confession of faith when inwardly hee is all filthy through unbelief and whites him over with a few handsome forms of worship when inwardly hee is full of ignorance of God and Atheism Obj. Now if any ask But must there be no change of outward 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 lesse an outward change to enforce an inward 3. It is a thorow Reformation 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 soule as it is in it selfe in its owne nature and essence so 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 selfe But Civill-Ecclesiasticall Reformation reforms by halfs it reaches the body and orders that but attains not to the soul much lesse to the spirit of the mind Again Gospel Reformation reforms sin wholly aswell as the man it reforms all sin whatsoever I will turn my hand upon thee saith God by this Gospel Reformation and will purely purge away thy drosse and take away all thy tinne 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 carnall mindednesse and all the evill desires of the flesh and of the minde Yea it doth not only reform all evill things in us but all imperfect things 〈◊〉 doing away 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 righteousnesse by the coming in of Gods wisdome and righteousnesse But now Civill-Ecclesiasticall Reformation reforms sin by the halfs aswell as the man and so only reforms outward and grosse 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 powerfull and mighty Reformation It is wrought in a man by the very power of God even by the right hand of his Righteousnesse And so no sin lust corruption though never so mighty is able to refist this work of God by the Gospel but it makes the whole body of sin and the whole kingdome of the Divell 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 above 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
Right Reformation OR The Reformation of the CHURCH of the NEW TESTAMENT Represented in GOSPEL-LJGHT In a Sermon preached to the Honourable House of COMMONS on Wednesday November 25. 1646. Together with a REPLY to the chief Contradictions of Master LOVE'S Sermon preached the same day All published for the good of the Faithfull at their desire By WILLIAM DELL Minister of the Gospel attending on his Excellency Sir THOMAS FAIRFAX Iohn 7. 12. And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him for some said He is a good man others said nay but He deceiveth the people Iohn 16. 3. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father nor Me Credo me Theologum esse Christianum in regno veritatis vivere ideo me debitorem esse non modo affirmandae veritatis sedetiam asserendae defendendae seu per sanguinem seu per mortem Luther LONDON Printed by R. White for Giles Calvert at the Black-spred-Eagle near the West end of Pauls 1646. TO THE HONOVRABLE THE COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT Honourable and Worthy AS the LORD represented these truths to you before in the Ministery of the Word so now again He offers them to your second consideration in this Printed Book because he hath a minde you should take notice of them And I must needs say it is the LORD's voyce to you and I hope he will move your hearts to regard it though Satan hath mightily bestirr'd himself by casting an ill Vizzard upon the Truth to make you dislike it But if you like CHRIST the worse for a Face spit on and buffeted you may want a SAVIOUR And if you like the truth of CHRIST the worse for a scratcht Face you may make your dwelling place with Errour Humane Doctrines wch are all one Micaiah had no sooner delivered the truth of GOD but there was a False Prophet to smite him on the face the LORD no sooner prepares Instruments to reveale his truth but Satan hath his instruments ready to turn the truth of GOD into a lye And this GOD suffers to be done to exercise your skill and wisdome that you might learn not to be offended at the truth with the World but to receive and love the truth notwithstanding all the indignities and reproaches of men When you reade what you have heard you must needs acknowledge it to be the minde of GOD if you received the anointing of the Spirit and the truth herein contained shall prevaile with all that belong to GOD For my part I am not carefull touching the successe of it I can trust GOD with that whose Word it is For as the Doctrine of the World hath the weak power of the World to carry on that so the Doctrine of Iesus Christ hath the mighty power of GOD to carry on that and the power of GOD in the World shall as soon be made void as the true Doctrine of the Gospel though called Errour Heresie Schisme and have all the misguises of Hell put upon it The truth you then heard delivered and may here reade again shall carry all opposition and opposers before it and none shall be able to stand against it that ingage against it And of this both your selves and this generation shall be Witnesses If any think that I gave too much power to CHRIST in the Reforming of the Church his own Body let them consider again that too much cannot be given to CHRIST in GODS kingdome seeing he is all in all in it Neither is that exaltation the Gospel gives to CHRIST in this Businesse any diminution to your selves neither by making CHRIST all in the Kingdome of GOD are you made ever the lesse in the Kingdomes of this World But what ever power the Word of GOD hath given you I will deny you none of it nay I will be among the first that shall attribute it to you And do desire you would no more any of you be displeased for attributing the Reformation of the Church to CHRIST alone then the Redemption Iustification Sanctification or Glorification of it to CHRIST alone The former being every whit as great and glorious a work of CHRIST as the latter I do most willingly allow you your Thrones in the Kingdoms of this World but only desire to reserve to Christ his own Throne in the Kingdome of GOD There are those indeed that would lift you up to this Throne not because they would have you sit there but place them there they would ascribe to you the power only due to the Sonne of GOD not because they would have you use it but would use it themselves they would derive power from you to do that which they say you cannot do and the power they attribute to you in the things of GOD they say is not well in your hands but in theirs And here I would desire you to take notice of the working of the Mysterie of Iniquity from the Head to the very Little-toes of the Man of Sinne At first you know the Pope interested himself in the Emperour and Powers of the World for his own advantage and support no doubt rather then for theirs after the Prelates successively said to worldly Kings Lend us your power and we will lend you ours Let our spiritual power deale in temporal things and your temporal power shall deale in spirituall things and still the Clergy-power which call'd it self spiritual so linkt it self with the temporal that the power that was not of God might be upheld by the power that was of God and having got this advantage they cried Destroy one Destroy both and so the Prelates were wont to say No Bishop no King And their successors in the Kingdome of Antichrist still cry No Minister no Magistrate and so still mingle interests and powers with the civil Magistrate that under the Magistrate the power of GOD they might cunningly shrowd that power that is not of GOD And thus they still under the name of the Magistrate seek themselves and the drawing of that power that is only his from him to themselves to whom it doth not belong Being in the mean time really against Magistracy further then it is serviceable to their own ends Whereas we reckon Magistracy not lesse Magistracy no lesse the Ordinance of GOD though we suffer under it and by it This Clergie-Antichristian power where ever it is will still sit upon the power of the Nation the power of Antichrist so domineering over the powers of the World that none but the power of CHRIST can cast it off That will still be uppermost what power soever is supream Besides all the experience of former Ages which is the greatest wonder in the World that men consider not GOD gives you sparklings enough of it in this Age some preaching That the government of the Church which they make outward and visible and over mens estates bodies and lives belongs not to King nor Parliament but to the Ministers and their
in the behalf of the faithful GODS peculiar portion in the Kingdome That you would not suffer us to be oppressed by our Adversaries who would use your power against us not for you but for themselves neither would suffer them thus publickly and shamelessely to call us Sectaries and Hereticks who do believe and professe the truth of the Gospel in sincerity and simplicity of heart according to what we received from GOD but that you would suffer yea procure us to live quietly and safely under you in the faith and practice of the Gospel we in all things obeying you as becomes Christians The Remainder is to assure you That there is no man shall serve the State more sincerely according to his place and calling nor in more faithfulness and humility tender the Truth of GOD either to your selves or the Kingdome as occasion serves according to the measure of the gift of CHRIST Then Your Servant in the Gospel VV. DELL To the Reader CHRISTIAN READER THE Times we live in are dangerous times it is dangerous to conceale the truth and dangerous to publish the truth if we publish the truth God hath taught us and we have heard and leaâ—n'd from the Father we fall into the hands of men if we conceale it we fall into the hands of God And therefore in this case in a contrary choice to David I reckon it much better to fall into the hands of men then into the hands of God seeing the wrath of men can but reach the bodie but the wrath of God bodie and soul I shall therefore willingly confesse Christ amidst an adulterous and sinful generation not doubting but Christ will confesse me before his Father and before his Angels And for the reproaches of men it is best conquering them as Luther was wont to say Silendo contemnendo by silence and contempt of them seeing a man may as easily restrain Satan himself in his various workings as stop the mouthes of his instruments And therefore it is good for us Christians to do the work of God without so much as taking notice of such men and if sometimes we are sensible of these things because we are flesh yet as we are Christians we are above them in the Spirit and see already in certain saith and hope all evils and enemies under our feet And therefore for Mr. Love and other men of the same mold and mettal I am resolved neither now nor hereafter to take them into any more consideration then the businesse it self necessarily requires and where they may be omitted without prejudice to the truth to let them quite alone being every day through the use of affliction enabled to patience and through patience brought to experience and so to a proportionable measure of hope And this carries me above the shame of the world in the strength of the love of God For the Doctrine contained in this Discourse thou shalt not finde it New light as some men slanderously affirme but the ancient light that sprange forth in the first morning of the Gospel but was since obscured by the New darknesse of Antichrist which these men love better then that old light and will by no means exchange the one for the other But this light that now after a long night breaks forth again in some of its first glory let these menset their hearts at rest for they shal never be able to obscure it again and the fire of the Spirit that GOD hath kindled in the Kingdome they shall never be able to quench with any fire either of Earth or Hell And therefore we fear them not though they breathe forth threatnings now and ere long are like to breathe forth blood For by all their subtile and industrious actings in the end they shall not work the truths ruine but their own And these as well as their forefathers of the same race and lineage in whose stead they are now risen up shall in due time become a reproach and a shame and their name shall be for a curse to all Gods chosen READER It is my earnest desire that the Lord would deliver thee from this new form of the Mysterie of Iniquity which in every Age puts on a severall form when the old one is discovered by the light of the Word And in this present Age it is become so exceeding cunning and so furnished with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse under the form of Righteousnesse that it seems to be the last and subtilest work of Antichrist that is now in hand and he that prevailes in this encounter hath Antichrist under his feet for ever but none are like to prevaile here but the Faithful and Elect alone And therefore hold fast that which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne and consider Christs encouragement to this work in the following verse Him that overcommeth will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God and he shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the City of my God which is New Ierusalem which commeth down out of Heaven from my God and I will write upon him my New Name Christian READER I commit thee and the Word now offered to thee in this Discourse to God and his powerful blessing and wonderful working Remaining Thine in the Difficult and Despised Service of JESUS CHRIST in the Gospel W. DELL RIGHT REFORMATION OR The Reformation of the Church of the New testament represented in Gospel-Light HEB. 9. 10. Untill the time of Reformation THe naturall man saith Paul 1 Cor. 2. knows not the things of the Spirit neither can hee for they are spiritually discerned Now a man that is not born of God and his Spirit with all his parts abilities reason wisdome prudence learning is but a naturall man still and so hath no right knowledge of the things of God and his Spirit And hence it hath come to passe that the things of God and his Spirit have been so grosly and dangerously mistaken by the world and the carnall Church For all the spirituall things of God they have understood carnally and have apprehended the whole Scriptures not according to Gods mind but according to their own not according to the sense of the Spirit but according to the sense of the flesh And thus was Antichrists kingdome first set up and thus it hath been kept up and continued even by the carnall understanding of the Scriptures For they have understood the Church the kingdom of God in the world carnally the rock on which it is built carnally the door of this Kingdome carnally the lawes of it carnally the liberties of it carnally the power authority government glory Officers c. all carnally And to this very day which of the things of God doth not the carnall Church understand carnally Faith hope love it understands carnally Redemption adoption justification sanctification glorification union with Christ communion of the Spirit accesse to the Father
blind by this he kils and quickens by this he saves and damns and all that ever he doth in this Kingdom he doth by his word and without this he doth nothing of all that he doth Christ doth all in his Kingdom by the word only but Antichrist doth all things without the word even by the Decrees and Constitutions of men Now as Christ doth all other things in the Church by the word so he reforms too Now are yee clean through the word that I have spoken to you All the powers in the world cannot reform the Church as the word of God can do for this is quick and powerfull and sharper then a two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart and doth change and renew and reform all and therefore Christ when hee comes to reform the Church comes with no worldly power or weapons but onely with the word in his mouth yea though God set him King upon his holy hill of Sion yet he reforms not by outward power but by preaching saying I will publish the decree whereof the Lord hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee for he hath annointed mee to preach the Gospel And again The Redeemer shall come to Sion and then follows the Covenant of God with the Redeemer My word shall never depart out of thy mouth Isa. 59. 10. and in Psalm 45. the Church saith by the Spirit to Christ Ride on prosperously on the word of truth meeknesse and righteousnesse which is the word of the Gospel And so Christ when the time of Reformation was come went up and down preaching the word And thus he brought to passe the glorious Reformation of the New Testament by preaching the Gospel of the Kingdome and nothing else And when hee was to leave the world hee sent his Disciples to carry on the work of Reformation as hee himselfe had begun it as hee saith As my Father sent mee so send I you not with the power of the world but with the power of the word and so hee bid them goe teach all Nations and preach the Gospel to every creature and by teaching and preaching to the world to reforme the world and so accordingly they did Mark 16. ver. 20. They went forth and preached every where the Lord working with them So that Christ sent them not forth with any power of swords or guns or prisons to reforme the world or with any power of States or Armies but sent forth poor illiterate mechanick men and only armed them with the power of the word and behold what wonders they wrought by that power alone They turned the world upside downe they changed the manners customes religion worship lives and natures of men they carried all oppositions and difficulties before them they won many in most Kingdoms unto Christ and brought them into willing subjection and obedience to him and all this they did I say not with any earthly or secular power but by the ministery of the Gospel alone Christs great and onely Instrument for the conquering subduing and reforming of the Nations And so the power appeared to be Gods onely and not the creatures And thus you see how the word is one means Christ useth for Reformation And this word only works a right Reformation For this reforms truly and indeed all other power reforms but in appearance So that there is no true reformation of any thing but what is wrought by the word but what ever evill is reformed and not by the power of the word it is not truly reformed it is onely reformed in the flesh and not in the spirit it is only suspended in the outward operation of it but the seed and nature of it still remaines in the heart to grow up and work again as opportunity serves And therefore what-ever evill or corruption is reformed in thee see it be reformed by the power of the word if the word hath killed it in thee it is killed indeed if not it is alive in thee though it seeme to be dead The outward power of the world may set up an image of Reformation but it is the word onely can work true Reformation And therefore let us learn to rely on the word for the Reformation of the Church For this is much for the honour of the word which God hath magnified above all his Name when wee can neglect the power of the world and leave the whole work of Reformation to the power working and efficacy of the word alone which is almighty and able to bring off the heart from all things to God As on the contrary it is a great dishonor to God and his word when men dare not relie on the word alone to reform the Church though it be stronger then men and Angels and all the creatures but will needs be calling in the power of the world and rest and rely on that for this work as if the power of the word were not sufficient But let such men know that if the power of the word will not reform men all the power of the world will never do it And therefore well said Luther Praedicare annuntiare scribers volo neminem autem vi adigam I will preach and teach and write but I will constrain no body Oh therefore that our civill and Ecclesiasticall powers would so much honour Christs Word as to trust the reformation of his Kingdome with it and that as it is sufficient to reform the Church so you would be pleased to think it sufficient and thus shall you give Christ and his Word due honour as well as declare your own faith And if you would commit this work to the power of the word to which onely it belongs you should soon see what the Word would do There is no such glorious sight under heaven as to see the Word in the spirit and power of it come in to an unreformed world and to observe the changes and alterations it makes there And thus you see that one means that Christ useth for the Reformation of his Church is the Word But here I must further declare to you that this Word by which Christ reforms the Church is not the Word of the Law for the Law made nothing perfect but the Word of the Gospel This this is the onely Word that works Reformation For first 1. This Word works faith and therefore it is called the word of faith because faith comes by hearing of this Word Rom. 10. ver. 8. and v. 17. Now as the Word workes faith so faith apprehends the Word even that Word that was with God and was God this living and eternall Word dwels in our heart by faith as the Apostle saith That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith And this Word dwelling in us by faith changeth us into its
raced out then the least truth contained in the word of God Though I like the Covenant well enough according to the true intention of it Again if the thing be truly considered it will appear that you are more against the Covenant then I for the Covenant engages us to reform according to the word of God but you it seems would reform without yea against the word with outward and secular power which you will not suffer in the Magistrates hands neither but will needs have it in your own Mr. LOVE If this Doctrine be true That Gospel Reformation be only spirituall then I wonder how Paul was so out who said When I come I will set all things in order surely that was a Church Order Reply But pray What outward or secular power had Paul who suffered not onely much from the world but most from the false Apostles to set the Church in order Did Paul think you use any worldly power to set the Church in order or only the power of the word and spirit But these men think if the Church be to be set in order by the word and spirit onely which were sufficient in Pauls time it 's like to be out of order for them Mr. LOVE To cry down all kinde of Government under heart-government and all Reformation as carnall because you have the Civil Magistrates hand to it is against that place of Paul 1 Tim. 2. 2. Pray for Kings and all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie Reply Well argu'd now indeed Babes and sucklings you shall come forth and answer this Master iâ— Israel The sense of this place is evidently this That Christians should pray for Kings Governors that God would so incline their hearts that whilest we live in godlinesse under them they would suffer us to live in peace and not make us fare the worse in the world for our interest in the kingdom of God And what one drop can Mr. Love squeeze out of this Scripture to cool the tip of his tongue For the meaning is not That the Magistrate should inforce godlinesse but protect us in godlinesse Mr. LOVE To justle out the Magistrates power is to justle out the first Article of the Covenant What again and they that justle out that will justle out you shortly Reply Good Sir Ascribe not your own work to â—â—r hands The justling out the Magistrate have you not made it the chief part of your businesse now for a long while together and are you not still so diligently acting it every day that now you think your work is in some forwardnesse and you are pretty well able to deal with him And now because you would not be mistrusted your selves you publickly slander us with it Wee see cleerly thorow all your slender disguises Mr. LOVE Ezra was of another mind Ezra 7. 26. Whosoever will not do the Law of thy God and the Law of thy King let Iudgement be executed speedily upon him whether it be unto death or unto banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment Reply Well Sir will you stand to this place and shall this end the controversie Pray mark then This was part of the Decree of Artaxerxes a King of the Nations touching the Jewes for the rebuilding of the material Temple That they should have liberty to do it and not be molested in the doing of it but should have what assistance the State could afford The Decree was this Ezra 7. 13. I make a Decree That all they of the people of Israel and of the Priests and Levites in any Realm which are minded of their own free will to go up to Jerusalem go with thee For asmuch as thou art sent of the King and his seven Councellors to enquire concerning Iudah and Ierusalem according to the Law of thy God that is in thy hand c. And ver. 21. â— Artaxerxes the King do make a Decree to all the Treasurers beyond the River That whatsoever Ezra the Priest shall require of you it be done speedily unto two hundred Talents of silver And then ver. 26. follows Whoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of thy King Let him be so and so punished as you have heard 1. Here then you see That Artaxerxes made no decree to inforce all the Jewes to go build but as the Text saith Those that were minded of their own free will See you not here that even a King of the Nations thought it unreasonable to force any man to go to build Gods material house against his will 2. And secondly you see How he gave them no lawes how to build but permitted them to do it according to the law of their God that was in their hands 3. And thirdly you see How he deterred any from hindering them from this work upon pain of death banishment c. Do you not perceive now by this time how you then deceived the people by giving them the letter of the Word without the true sense of it as Satan dealt with Christ in his temptations Such Sermons bring an Houre of Temptation upon the people This then is the force of the place 1. First That the Magistrate may make a Decree for all that are minded of their own free will to build the Spiritual Temple of Jesus Christ and to gather up into a Communion of Saints 2. Secondly That he ought to permit this to be done according to the law of our God that is in our hands or rather according to the law of the Spirit of life that is in our Hearts and not to inforce upon us any Clergy constitutions 3. And thirdly That he may deterre you and the rest of the Kingdome that are of the like minde from resisting and bindering this work which hath its authority from Heaven That so the Saints the Kingdome of Christ may pray for the Magistrate and Christ the King of Saints may blesse the Magistrate and make him prosperous And pray now what is all this to your purpose Mr. LOVE If it was good in your Hearts to think to Reform it s much better to do it Reply Does not GOD say It was well that David thought to build a Temple and yet for all that he should not build it And do you now dare to blame this very thing Cannot the Scripture it self be quiet for you Mr. LOVE You need not fear losing a Party Reply Yea but how if God be in that Party What then sir Is it not better keeping a little poor despised Party that hath GOD in it then a great and numerous Party without God Again Did you preach before the Parliament to make or cast off parties Doth this appertain to the mysterie of Christ and the Father Reader These men are so over-busie in making and marring Parties that I much feare they will in the end throw the Kingdome into more misery and blood than their Predecessors have
done Mr. LOVE Reformation is no forcing Conscience it meddles not with Conscience it restrains Practice If a Iesuite come from Rome to kill a great Person he does it in Conscience but I meddle not with his Conscience I restrain his Practice Reply Does not your Reformation meddle with Conscience Mr. LOVE Did you speak this of your self at randome as the rest or is this the sense of your Brethren And doth your Reformation only restrain outward Practice Then to tye up mad Dogs and Beares and Tygers is your most excellent Reformation You that will not meddle with the Consciences of men it is no wonder you are making so many iron yoaks for their necks and so many snares and fetters to hamper the outward man the proper subject it seems of your Reformation And thus taking upon your selves the Reformation of the outward man you do indeed put the Magistrates work to an end And then the Assembly may serve in the place of the House of Commons and Sion-Colledge in the place of the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Common-Councel See you not yet Oh ye Powers of the World how the Ecclesiastical Powers would â—aâ— you out And for your Iesuite Did you ever hear me say or hint That the Magistrate should not restrain and punish outward wickednesse I wish therefore you would unriddle your selves and tell truly if you dare how far you would limit the Magistrate and inlarge your selves upon the outward man But certainly if the Magistrates power hath under it the whole outward man as indeed it hath And if Christs power have under it the whole inward man as indeed it hath what place then I pray is there left for your Ecclesiastical power when the outward and the inward man are disposed of before Sure when the Magistrate takes his own proper power to himself and Christ his own proper power to himself your power will be found to have no place either in the Worlds Kingdom or GODS but you must find out some third place for it for I will assigne you none left you prove too angry Mr. LOVE The Church of Thyatira might thinke shee had new light and yet God saith I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest the woman Jezabel c. Reply Truly Sir when God shall make you a New Creature you will be glad of New light for behold saith God I make all things New even the light as well as the creature the Old light will serve the Old man wel enough And for the Spirits reproving the Angel of the Church for suffering false and erroneous Teachers doth this prove as you undertake that the Angel of the Church had or exercised civil and secular power in the Church of Christ You erre not understanding the Scriptures for then any thing is suffered in the Church when it is not reproved and condemned by the Word the Word of truth taught and published in the Church will suffer no errour there but you understand this suffering of outward and violent power Do you not remember that I said at the beginning that the carnal Church understands the whole Scriptures carnally Mr. LOVE And now to hear such Sermons preached and Books printed if it had been at Amsterdam it had been no marveil But at London and at Westminster c. Reply Truly such a Sermon as mine might have been preached at Amsterdam or anywhere else where the Gospel hath free passage and such a Sermon as yours might have been preached at Rome or anywhere else where the precious Word of GOD is under restraint and Ecclesiastical power exalts it self both above the power of the Word and the power of the Nation Your Sermon savours as ill to the Faithfull as mine to the World Many other weak passionate inconsiderate erronious things fell from Mr. LOVE neither worth the troubling the Reader with nor my self and so they may perish and rot in their own grave if they will for they shall never receive a Resurrection from me And now at the close of all I desire the Reader to observe the difference between our Enemies and our selves in this great point of Authority and Iurisdiction which is this That We exalt Iesus Christ alone in the spiritual Church and attribute to the Magistrate his full power in the world But they exalt themselves in Christs stead in the Church and set under their feet the Magistrates power in the world And this is so evident that there is some apcration of Satan more or lesse upon him that sees it not FINIS Praesens malejudicat aetas Iudicium melius Posteritatis erit Rev. 3. 11 12. Antichrists Kingdome set up by the carnall understanding of the Scriptures The Reformation of the Church understood carnally The imperfection of the worship of the old Law No outward law can make men perfect as pertaining to the conscience and so the Gospel abolishes all such outward laws imposed on conscience as well now as heretofore Doctr. Gospel Reformation 1. What it is Christ Judgement Christ Righteousnesse Gospel Reformation is 1. Spirituall 2. Inward Matth. 23. 25. 3. Thorows Isa. 1. 25. 4. Powerfull 5. Constant Christ the Reformer Note 1. The care of the Church given to Christ 2. Christ takes it 1. Out of obedience 2 Love 3 The work of Reformation only sutable to Christ 4. Christ only able for the work of Reformation 1. The Word The Gospell Reformes 1. Works faith 2. Communicates Righteousnesse 3. Shews Christ 2. The second meanes Christ useth to reform the Chureh withall 2. All errours Object Answ 1. Unbeseeming the Gospel Though the truth carry its evidence in it self and the Word of God is greater then all the testimonies of men yet for their sakes that are weak I have inserted the judgments of some godly men as I have accidentally met with them who have spoken of these things in the spirit that so you may see the truth though it hath but few followers yet it hath some Melancton on Psal. 110. v. 3. habebis populum non coactum gladio sed verbo collectum laeto corde amplectentem evangelium te sponte celebrantem Discernit igitur ecclesiam ab imperiis mundanis externam servitutem a cultibus cordis accensis voce evangelii a spiritu sancto Ag. Religio cogi non vult doceri expetit Immunitate non stabilitur sed evertitur Polan This Charls to whom Leo gave the title of the most Christian King was a great conquerer and overcame many Nations with the sword and as the Turk compelleth to his faith so he compelled with Violence to the faith of Christ but alas the true faith of Christ whereunto the Holy Ghost draws mens hearts through preaching the Word of truth he knew not c. Tindal Fides sua sponte non coacte agere vult Luth. Christus non voluitâ—vi igne cogere homines ad fidem Luth. Haereticos comburere est contra voluntatem spiritus Luth. He hath given in the Church the sword of the spirit to inforce with and not the sword of the Magistrate Prorsus diversa ratio est regni Christi mundi Mundani Magistratus quae volunt imperant subditi coguntur obedientiam praestare At in Regno Christi quod non est mundana aut pontificia Dominatio sed spirituale regnum nihil simile geritur sed quivis alterius judex quilibet alteri subjectus est At tyranni animicidae illi nihil morantes vocem Christi regnum meum non est de hoc mundo ex Ecclesia Politiam civilem seu potius pontificium imperium constituerunt â—uth Quare ipsam sedem Bestiae nego nihil moratus sit ne bonus vel malus qui in ea se det Sedes inquam quae sit super omnes sedes nulla est in Ecclesia super terram jure divino sed omnes sunt aequales quia una fides unum baptisma unus Christus c. Luth. Where there is no worldly superiority over one another there is no worldly compulsion of one another In the naturall body there is no convocation of many members to govern one or of more members to govern fewer but the foot performes its office without being under the authoritative power of the hands yea each member performs its office aright without being in subordination to another by the guidance of that head to which it is united and of that Spirit that dwels in it each member having an immediate influence of the head upon it self though it may outwardly seem to be further from the head then another member And thus it is in Beleevers and Congregations Quid autem vi coactione opus vobis est qui hujusmodi certamen decertatis in quo cogi nemo debet Ulrichus ab Hutten to the Councel of Priests What need you the power of the Magistrate to defend the truth who have so many Scriptures to defend it the truth of God being to be defended by the Word of God and not by the power of men Idem I could produce many more Testimonies but these are sufficient to shew that I am not alon in this point against Forcible reformation but have the Armory of David to defend it withall on which there hange a thousand bucklers all shields of mighty men 2. Unsutable to Christs Kingdome Isa. 11. 9. Isai. 60. 18. 3. A willing people Psal. 110. 3. 3. Humane institution is set up 4. It brings men into blind obedience 5. It makes Hypocrites 6. Causes Disturbances 7. Christ useth no such outward force 2. Neither commanded his Apostles 1. Object 2. Object Answ 3 b ject Answ 4. Object Answ 5. Obj. Answ 6. Obj. Ans. 7. Obj. Answ Psal. 72. 12. 2. Gods Kingdome