p. 11 | Unholy Tempers by John Wesley

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Dec 24, 1903

Unholy Tempers

By John Wesley

HEAR ye this, all ye that are called Methodists! You, of all men living, are most concerned herein. You constantly speak of “salvation by faith;” and you are in the right for so doing. You maintain (one and all) that a man is justified by faith, without the works of the law. And you can not do otherwise, without giving up the Bible and betraying your own souls. You insist upon it that we are saved by faith; and, undoubtedly, so we are. But consider, meantime, that let us have ever so much faith, and be our faith ever so strong, it will never save us from hell unless it now saves us from all unholy tempers; from pride, passion, impatience; from all arrogance of spirit, all haughtiness and overbearing; from wrath, anger, bitterness; from discontent, murmuring, fretfulness, peevishness. We are of all men most inexcusable, if, having been so frequently guarded against that strong delusion, we still, while we indulge any of these tempers, bless ourselves, and dream we are in the way to heaven!—John Wesley.