| "When men feel in themselves
the heavy burden of sin, see damnation to be the reward of it, behold with
the eye of their mind, the horror of hell: they tremble, they quake, and are
inwardly touched with sorrowfulness of heart, and cannot but accuse
themselves, and open their grief unto Almighty God, and call unto Him for
mercy. This being done seriously, their mind is so occupied, partly with
sorrow and heaviness, partly with earnest desire to be delivered from this
danger of hell and damnation, that all desire of meat and drink is laid
apart, and loathing of worldly things and pleasure cometh in place...
Concerning the gate of
religion (if I may be allowed so to speak) the true, Christian, saving
faith; we believe it implies abundantly more than an assent to the truth of
the Bible. Even the devils believe that Christ was born of a virgin; that He
wrought all kinds of miracles; that for our sakes He suffered a most painful
death, to redeem us from death everlasting And yet for all this faith they
be but devils. They remain still in their damnable estate, lacking the very
true Christian faith. The right and true Christian faith is: not only to
believe that the Holy Scriptures and the articles of faith are true, but
also to have a sure trust and confidence to be saved from everlasting
damnation through Christ." A
Letter to a minister from John Wesley
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