Page:The works of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., late fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford (IA worksofrevjohnwe3wesl).pdf/308

 unholy neighbours; as well as your neighbours that die in their sins. For you will all drop into the pit together, into the nethermost hell. You will all lie together in the lake of fire, ''the lake of fire burning with brimstone''. Then, at length you will see (but God grant you may see it before!) the necessity of holiness in order to glory: and consequently, of the new birth, since none can be holy, except he be born again.

3. For the same reason, except he be born again, none can be happy even in this world. For it is not possible, in the nature of things, that a man should be happy who is not holy. Even the poor, ungodly poet could tell us,

Nemo malus felix:

No wicked man is happy. The reason is plain. All unholy tempers are uneasy tempers. Not only malice, hatred, envy, jealousy, revenge, create a present hell in the breast, but even the softer passions, if not kept within due bounds, give a thousand times more pain than pleasure. Even hope, when deferred (and how often must this be the case?) maketh the heart sick. And every desire which is not according to the will of God, is liable to ''pierce us through with many sorrows''. And all those general forces of sin, pride, self-will and idolatry, are in the same proportion as they prevail, general sources of misery. Therefore as long as these reign in any soul, happiness has no place there. But they must reign, 'till the bent of our nature is changed, that is, 'till we are born again. Consequently