A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is

Sixthly, He that is ignorant of the nature, and extent of this natural defilement, he must needs grossly mistake about the nature of conversion, and be wholly ignorant of what regeneration is; As you see in Nicodemus, John. 3. 6. though a master in Israel, yet grossly mistaking about a new-birth, and what was the reason of it? That appeareth by our Saviours argument to prove the necessity of it, Whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh, implying by this, That if Nicodemus had known, that by natural generation he was nothing but flesh, that is, sin and evil, his soul, his mind, his conscience, all was flesh in this sense, as well as his ⟨p. 10⟩body, then he would quickly have discerned the necessity of being born again, then he would not have continued a day, an hour, a moment in such a dangerous condition. And what is the cause that most people are still such sots and senseless men about regeneration? Yea, learned and knowing men are as blind and brutish in this, as the simple and poor people are, doth not all arise from this? That they feel not, neither do perceive that original sin like a leprosy hath run over the whole man, both soul and body, especially there would not be these three mistakes about the work of grace, which are very common; As

Sixthly, He that is ignorant of the nature, and extent of this natural defilement, he must needs grosly mistake about the nature of conversion, and be wholly ignorant of what regeneration is; As you see in Nicodemus, John. 3. 6. though a master in Israel, yet grosly mistaking about a new-birth, and what was the reason of it? That appeareth by our Saviours argument to prove the necessity of it, Whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh, implying by this, That if Nicodemus had known, that by natural generation he was nothing but flesh, that is, sinne and evil, his soul, his mind, his conscience, all was flesh in this sense, as well as his ⟨p. 10⟩body, then he would quickly have discerned the necessity of being born again, then he would not have continued a day, an hour, a moment in such a dangerous condition. And what is the cause that most people are still such sots and sensless men about regeneration? Yea, learned and knowing men are as blind and bruitish in this, as the simple and poor people are, doth not all arise from this? That they feel not, neither do perceive that original sin like a leprosie hath run over the whole man, both soul and body, especially there would not be these three mistakes about the work of grace, which are very common; As