gospel cometh, there is a shaking
of heaven and earth, Hag. ii. 6. The less wonder if I call reformation
like a refiner's fire. The dross of a church is not purged away without
this violence of fire.

This is the manner of reformation held forth in Scripture, and that in
reference, 1. To magistrates and statesmen; 2. To ministers; 3. To a
people reformed; 4. To a people not reformed.

In reference to magistrates and statesmen, reformation is a fire that
purgeth away the dross: Isa. i. 25, "And I will turn my hand upon thee,
and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin." Here is the
refiner's fire; and the Chaldee Paraphrase addeth the fuller's _borith_.
Then followeth, ver. 26, "And I will restore thy judges as at the first,
and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called,
The city of righteousness, The faithful city." Interpreters note upon that
place, that no effectual reformation can be looked for till rulers and
magistrates be reformed; and that therefore the Lord promiseth to purge
away the dross and tin of corrupt rulers and judges, and to give his
people such judges and rulers as they had of old, Moses, Joshua, the
judges, David, Solomon, and the like.

In reference to ministers the doctrine is most clear. The next words after
my text tell you, that this refining fire is specially intended for
purifying the sons of Levi. The same thing we have more largely, though
more obscurely, in 1 Cor. iii. 12-15. I do not say that the Apostle there
meaneth only of times of reformation, but this I say, that it holdeth
true, and most manifestly, too, of times of reformation; and that this is
not to be excluded, but to be taken in as a principal part of the Holy
Ghost's intendment in that scripture.(1407) He is speaking of the
ministers of the gospel and their ministry, supposing always that they
build upon Christ, and hold to that true foundation. Upon this foundation
some build gold, silver, precious stones; that is, such preaching of the
word, such administration of the sacraments, such a church discipline, and
such a life as is according to the word, and savoureth of Christ: others
build wood, hay, stubble; whereby is meant whatsoever in their ministry is
unprofitable, unedifying, vain, curious, unbeseeming the gospel; for the
ministers of Christ must be purified, not only from heresy, idolatry,
profaneness, and the like, but even from that which is frothy and
unedifying, which savour