is like to be lost that hath no better Witness than an ignorant Nicodemus and we may suppose the Anabaptists at a Loss when the ablest and most learned among them are forced to summons in Nicodemus as a Witness for tho' they must own him to be a poor Evidence if they will believe Christ Verse 10. Art thou a Master in Israel and knowest not these things and they that do not know things are unmeet to prove them But either this Person put more Confidence in Nicodemus than Christ or else knowing his Cause was almost gone would rather cite Nicodemus concerning which he knew neither what he said nor whereof he affirmed rather than have no Witness but 't is no wonder to see the most Learned of the Anabaptists run into such gross Absurdities and to be at such a Loss in such Mysteries for if Learning could teach a Man the Mysteries of the Gospel Nicodemus had not been so grosly ignorant of Christ's meaning and I leave it to any Judicious Person to determine whether we have not as good Ground and better to judge that this Objecter was of the same Mind of Nicodemus in understanding it to be a natural Birth then to conclude that because he understood it as spoken of Adult only therefore it must be so for we may suppose had not this Doctor had great Confidence in the Infallibility of Nicodemus he would never have ventured that Cause which was as dear to him as his Life upon his single Evidence and especially in such a Cause wherein he had so many Hundreds opposed him and sure had he judged him in a gross Mistake as to the Nature of that new Birth he would never have put such Confidence in what he said with the same Breath as to the Subject and as we have infallible Ground to conclude from his own Words that this Objecter is far from believing any Necessity or Possibility for Infants to be regenerated so I think I do him no Wrong if I suppose 't is his Judgment that there is no more Necessity for grown Persons to be regenerated for of this Judgment was his trusty and well-beloved Friend Nicodemus for had Nicodemus once supposed that grown Persons any more than Infants must be born again Spiritually he would never have mentioned such a gross Absurdity as to be born again Carnally but taking it for granted that Adult to give the Objecter his Sence could not be born again Spiritually absurdly supposes it to be meant a Carnal Birth and why we may not suppose the Objecter to be of his Judgment in the one as well as the other especially since he puts such Confidence in him I see not and now I leave it to my understanding Reader to judge whether we have not better Ground to believe that under the Word Men Children are comprehended because the Word signifies both than to conclude Christ only meant grown Men because Nicodemus understood him so since it is past all dispute the Word signifies so but whether Nicodemus did rightly understand Christ's meaning may justly admit of a Debate nay it seems almost past all Dispute he did not by his gross Mistake about other Passages relating hereunto Thus I have I hope sufficiently proved a Necessity for Infants to have Faith if they get to Heaven from God's Appointment and what can be more cogent to confirm any Point than the express Mind of God And I am certain had the Anabaptists such-clear Proof that no Infants ought to be Baptized as I have given to prove that all Infants that get to Heaven must have Faith they would soon cry Victory nor should I ever hold up my Weapons against them was it so lest haply by so doing I was found fighting against God himself Secondly There is a Necessity for Faith in Infants if they get to Heaven arising from the Corruption of their Natures Which tho' the Anabaptist may probably deny yet I doubt not but to confirm this also from Scripture When Adam had sinned by eating the Forbidden Fruit he was immediately seized with a Spiritual Death according to the Commination in the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die And Adam being a publick Head and Representative of all Mankind this Spiritual Death is intailed on all his Posterity Hence we are said to bear the Image of the Earthly nor is this true of Adult only but of all his Posterity 1 Cor. 15.22 As in Adam all die Mind all die Infants as well as grown Persons and this I shall further prove from most express Scripture Eph. 2.3 And were by Nature the Children of Wrath even as others Gen. 8.21 For the Imagination of Man's Heart is evil from his Youth The Evil in our Hearts is the Cause of all the Evil in our Lives Hence Foolishness is said to be bound up in the Heart of a Child Prov. 22.15 It is so bound up that for a while it may not discover it self yet is in his Heart See Psal 58.3 The Wicked are estranged from the Womb they go astray as soon as they be born speaking Lies That is they have a straying Principle as soon as born Once more Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in Iniquity and in Sin did my Mother conceive me So that by Nature we not only want a Title to Heaven but a Meetness also Col. 1.12 Giving Thanks unto the Father who hath made us meet to be Partakers of that Inheritance of the Saints in Light Implying that by Nature they were unmeet and if Children are not thus corrupt by Nature how came they to die since the Wages of Sin is Death Now if Death reigned as the Apostle saith from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the Similitude of Adam's Transgression that is Infants that had not sinned actually then it must be because they were Sinners in Adam and had the Seed of Sin in themselves habitually for the Guilt of Adam's Act is not transferred to any of the meer Sons of Men but such as partake of his Image also and I dare be bold to say and can abundantly from Scripture prove that the Seed and Spawn of all our Actual Sins are in our Hearts before we commit one of them for as in Grace there must first be the Habit and then the Act so in Sin the Heart is first Wicked then the Life The Tree is first evil before the Fruit is so Mat. 12.33,35 Now if the Nature of all is so corrupt as I have proved then 't is impossible for any thus corrupt to get to Heaven without an inward Change for what would Heaven be to an unregenerate Soul What would the Works of praising God be to one that hates God Or what would Holy Company be to such as are dead in Trespasses and Sins and to every good Word and Work reprobate But least this should not suffice I shall prove from Scripture that such cannot get to Heaven in an unchanged State 1 Cor. 15.50 Now this I
attribute the Work to Christ in such a manner as may not in the least savour of Sin or carry in it the least absurdity or contradiction But now Christ can no ways be chargeable with Sin in bringing a Soul from Sin nor is it the least contradiction to say a Man of unwilling is now changed and made willing or for a Dead Man when made alive to act and move it would have been strange to see Lazarus have risen and walked while Dead but not strange at all to see him walk when Christ had quickened him So in this case 3. But say some when we press Sinners to come to Christ in their Sins we do not mean that they can so come but that they ought so to come And forasmuch as this Reply hath the fairest shew of truth I shall consider what of truth it really hath in it Now to this I answer by making this necessary distinction 't is one thing for it to be the Duty of Sinners to come to Christ another thing to come in their Sins to Christ And though I readily grant 't is the Duty of such as are in their Sins to come that is to cease to do Evil and to learn to do Well and by the strength of God's Grace to leave the Sins they now are in yet I absolutely deny 't is their Duty to come in their Sins Though I do not expect all should reach this who are not used to distinctions I shall endeavour therefore to illustrate this to you thus t is one thing for it to be the Duty of an unchanged Person to come another for that Person to come unchanged 'T is the Duty of Sinners to keep the Law but not to keep it in their Sins 'T is the Duty of a Man Drunk to praise God because he is not in Hell but 't is not his Duty to praise him Drunk His praising denotes the Work his praising of him Drunk would denote the manner how he should perform the Work and if this should be granted it would as much be such a Person 's Duty to be Drunk when engaged in that Work as to be engaged in that Work To illustrate this God hath made it our Duty to Praise him and to Worship him in Spirit and Truth the Worship denotes the Work to do it in Spirit is the manner of Working and one is a Duty as well as the other so that tho' it is the Duty of a carnal Man to Worship God yet not to Worship him carnally So though it is the Duty of Sinners to come yet not to come in their Sins for this would make Sin a Duty there may be a great difference in Sence when there may be but little in Sound To give you an Instance whole Christ is one thing the whole of Christ is another thing the Protestants own whole Christ to be every-where but Hundreds have chose rather to burn at a Stake than to own the whole of Christ to be every-where But I suppose the Patrons of this Opinion will never suffer much for Truths no clearer distinguished than thus though to any understanding Person the difference is exceeding great but unless a Man can find some Mens Understandings as well as Truths the Truths they prepare and explain to them will be but assom any Pearls cast before Swine which will rather Enrage them make them turn again and rend them than be profitable unto them So Christ assumed the Nature that was Polluted but not the Pollution of that Nature But to put all out of doubt I shall come in a more familiar Stile to prove that though it is undoubtedly the Duty of Sinners to come to Christ or believe in Christ yet it is not so much as their Duty to come in their Sins to Christ the great difference between which I hope by what hath been said you now will understand For as I have hinted when I say 't is the Duty of a Sinner to come it denotes no more than thus that it is his Duty to come from Sin to Christ but for any to come in their Sins to Christ denotes they must bring their Sins to Christ which is as impossible as to bring the East and West into one Point the disagreement between Christ and Sin not being so little as many do imagine What Communion hath Light with Darkness Christ is well pleased to see a Soul come from Sin but it is impossible for a Soul to come in Sin nor is it his Duty so to come which I prove from these following Arguments Argument 1. That which no Man was ever able to do is not so much as our Duty to do but no Man was ever able to come to Christ in his Sins therefore 't is not so much as our Duty so to do My Major I conceive will be granted only carefully observe I say that which no Man ever was able to do I do not say that which no Man is now able to do is not his Duty For if we consider Man in his fallen State so many things are his Duty to which he hath no strength to do and God may justly condemn him for not doing them because his Inability was procured by himself but God commands us to do nothing now but what Adam had Power to perform if God had but made it known to be his Duty And for any to deny my Major Proposition would be to affirm that God hath given Man a Law which was absolutely impossible to be kept and damns his Creatures for not obeying of it which hath too harsh a sound to be received for a Truth Minor Proposition But no Man ever was able to come to Christ in his Sins That we who are in a fallen and unregenerate State cannot come to Christ while such I hope I have sufficiently proved and it is impossible that Adam should have Power to come in Sin before he had committed Sin Therefore I conclude that tho' it is the Duty of Sinners to come from Sin to Christ or to believe in Christ because Thousands have by Grace been so enabled to come and Adam had once a Power to believe any thing that God should reveal yet because never any was able to come to Christ in his Sins therefore 't is not so much as a Duty so to do for tho' God hath sent many Sinners to Hell for not coming to Christ yet I am confident he never sent one Soul to Hell for not coming to Christ in his Sins for this would be to damn Souls for not continuing in Sin Argument 2. He that ought to come to Christ in a sinful State ought to continue in him in the same State but no Man can continue in Christ and a sinful State Therefore no Man ought to come in a sinful unrenewed State to Christ The former part of my Argument is clear from Col. 2.6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Now you know the present Enquiry is what