Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Nicodemus, a Master in Israel, and one of the Judges in the great Sanhedrin, was startled at our Saviours. Doctrine, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, Joh. 3.5. That of being born of water, possibly he might understand, because the Jews did imitate their Proselytes, by washing or Baptism, and then counted them as newborn and regenerate, as Learned men have observed. But that of being born of the Spirit, he was totally ignorant of, which he could not have been had he had a true sense of Original Sin; which, where it is, makes the Doctrine of Regeneration obvious, but looking on that Sin as no great matter, and corrigible by mans own Reason and Will, he stood as it were at a maze at our Saviours words, as if there had been no promise at all of a new heart, and a new spirit made in the Old Testament.

Leaving the Jews, let us enquire among Christians for a true sense of Original Sin; here we must not expect it among Pelagians or Socinians, who deny the thing, as if the figment of the heart were but the figment of the brain: peccatum originis nullum prorsus est, saith the Racovian Catechism: Sine vitio nascimur, saith ⟨p. 257⟩Pelagius, placing Infants in the same state as Adam was before his Fall; neither must we look for it among those Popish Doctors, who mince and extenuate this Sin, Intensivè majus est peccatum actuale quam originale, saith Aquinas: It is, Omnium peccatorum minimum, saith another. Hence many of them assert, That it is not properly Sin; neither may I find it among those Protestant Doctors, who though they use the word Grace, yet attribute much to the Reason and Will of man. That famous place, Joh. 3, of being born of the Spirit, is taken by a learned man for an undertaking the Law of Christ, an entering on a new pure Spiritual life; as if Regeneration were Mans act. The fallen man (saith another) is not wholly destitute of power, but as the man in the Parable half-dead. Sin is not so unruly, but that Cain, if he will do well, may master it; the desire of Sin shall be subject to him, saith God. When a Man came to Delphos with a live-Bird under his Cloak, and asked the Oracle, Whether he should bring forth a dead thing or living? intending to put a trick upon it: Answer was made to him, In te est stulte: Fool, 'tis in thy power to do which thou wilt. So say such Doctors. The Gospel is proposed to Men, and to embrace it is in their own power; 'tis Gods part to call, but Mans to be elect or not; that is, to be sincere Believers or not. These Men to me understand little of Original Sin. Pretermitting them, I come to those who have a right notion of Sin and Grace, but are void