A saint or a brute the certain necessity and excellency of holiness, &c. ...…

4. Every truly sanctified man, is restored from the misery that he was brought into by sin. He hath all his sins forgiven him, and is freed from the curse of the Law, by the merits of Christ, and the promise of the Gospel. For in him we have Redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1. 14. And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses. Acts 13. 39. When we were dead in our sins, we were quickened with Christ, and had all our trespasses forgiven us, Col. 2. 13. Ask a wounded Conscience that groaneth under the weight of sin, and under the sense of Gods indignation, Whether forgiveness of sin be a Treasure or not? I am sure they that now are past forgiveness, and feel what sin is in the bitter fruits, would give ten thousand worlds, if they had them, for the pardon of their sins; and would account forgiveness a greater mercy then all the Riches and Kingdoms of the world. What a heavy curse did the Spirit of God pass upon Simon Magus, for thinking that money was a valuable thing to purchase the Holy Ghost with! Acts 8. 20, 21. Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased by money: Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God: repent therefore of this thy wickedness, &c. The name of Simon Magus is odious to us all; and yet I doubt that most among us exceed him in the sin for which he is thus cursed. For he thought the gift of the holy-Ghost to be better then his money, or else he would not have offered his money for it. But most men take their money to be better then the gift of the Holy-Ghost. If he that would have purchased the Holy-Ghost, yea a lower and less necessary gift of the spirit, was pronounced ⟨p. 225⟩wicked, and cursed with such a heavy curse; What are they that set more by their money then by the special gift of the Holy-Ghost, yea that hate and deride it, and plead against its Sanctifying work? The time is near when your Riches will fail you, and your prosperity die, and your sins will live; and then there is none of you all but will say that Pardon and Grace are greater Riches then all the world.