Page:The works of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., late fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford (IA worksofrevjohnwe3wesl).pdf/273

 only necessary conditionally, if there be time and opportunity for them, otherwise a man may be sanctified without them. But he cannot be sanctified without faith. Likewise let a man have ever so much of this repentance, or ever so many good works, yet all this does not at all avail: he is not sanctified till he believes. But the moment he believes, with or without those fruits, yea, with more or less of this repentance, he is sanctified. Not in the same sense; for this repentance and these fruits are only remotely necessary, necessary in order to the continuance of his faith, as well as the increase of it: whereas faith is immediately and directly, necessary to sanctification. It remains, that faith is the only condition, which is immediately and proximately necessary to sanctification.

14. "But what is that faith whereby we are sanctified, saved from sin and perfected in love?" It is a divine evidence and conviction, 1. That God hath promised it in the holy scripture. Till we are throughly satisfied of this, there is no moving one step further. And one would imagine, there needed not one word more, to satisfy a reasonable man of this, than the ancient promise, ''Then will I circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul''. How clearly does this express the being perfected in love? How strongly imply the being saved from