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33 so it may be justly, and by parity of reason, said in general, that if any man "seem to be religious," and bridleth' not his resentments, his malice, his rancour, his ambition, his pride, and in short his selfishness, that man's religion is vain. St. John is very express to this purpose, where he teaches thus: "If any man say, I love God, and hateth "his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his bro-: "ther whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom "he hath not seenk?" As much as to say, If men do not their kind offices to God's appointed receivers, who are visibly present with them; how can they be presumed to have any true love or good-will towards God, who is absent and invisible, and can receive no kindness from us but in and by his receivers so present with us? So our blessed Lord, elsewhere, interprets this matter, showing by what marks and tokens, chiefly, he judges of our love towards him. "Inasmuch as ye have done a kind office unto "one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it "unto me:" and again; "Inasmuch as ye did it not "to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me!." So then, for the enforcing the love of our neighbours, let it be duly considered, that it is the proof and the perfection of our love to God. He that really has the first, has the second also: and he that has not the second, has neither. His disaffection towards his neighbour shows, that he has no true affection towards God: for " this commandment "have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his "brother also m." What God hath so joined and made inseparable, let not man put asunder.

2. It may further be considered, (which indeed is but the consequence of the former,) that by this very rule will the righteous Judge of all men proceed at the last day; as our Lord himself has sufficiently intimated in the twenty-fifth of St. Matthew. It will be in vain to plead at that day, how holy, how religious, how devout we have been; how frequent or constant in our attendance upon

k 1 John iv. 20. VOL. IX.

Matt. xxv. 40, 45.
D

m 1 John iv. 21.

God in his house or in our closets; how zealous for the honour of his name, or how unwearied in contending for the faith once delivered unto the saints: all these things are good and commendable, if accompanied with true brotherly love and Christian charity: but without it, they are nothing in God's sight, not so much as deserving the names of devotion, or piety, or godly zeal; because godliness without charity is not really godliness, but a semblance only, or a shadow of it. The duties of the first table must take in with them the duties of the second also otherwise, they will be construed, by an all-seeing God, as compliments only, or empty ceremonies, rather than as acts of love towards him. Therefore, if ever we hope to steer our Christian course aright here, and to be accepted at the mercy-seat hereafter, let us "give all dili66 gence to add to our faith virtue; and to virtue know"ledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temper

ance patience; and to patience godliness; and to god"liness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness "charity "."

n 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7.

SERMON III.

The Nature and Kinds of Self-love explained and distinguished; and the Boundaries of an innocent and culpable Self-love limited and ascertained.

2 TIM. iii. 1, 2.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come: for men shall be lovers of their own selves.

THE great Apostle, in these words, reminds his disciple Timothy of the danger and difficulty of the times into which he was fallen. "In the last days," saith he, that is, at the conclusion of the Jewish state, and upon the commencing of the last and best dispensation, the age of the Messias," perilous times shall come," perilous especially to good men; "for men shall be lovers of their "own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers," &c. "From such" he advises Timothy "to turn away a;" which makes it evident that the persons there characterised by St. Paul were the men of the then present age.

It is observable, that the phrase of "lovers of their "own selves," which may sometimes bear a good sense, is here plainly intended in a bad one. It stands first among the many black characters recited by the Apostle: probably because it is the root and principle of other vices,

a 2 Tim. iii. 5.

the source and fountain of all the evils and disorders of the moral world.

It is not every self-love, but self-love ill conducted and misapplied, self-love emphatically so called, centering in self only, and standing in opposition to the love of God and the love of our neighbour. There is a just and rational self-love, which is found in the very wisest and best of men: there is also a natural and necessary self-love, common both to good and bad: and there is an irregular, inordinate self-love, peculiar to wicked men, the same that is condemned in the text. These three kinds of self-love ought to be carefully distinguished from each other, for the information of our judgment, and direction of our practice. I know not any subject that is of nearer concern to us, or that better deserves to be set in a true light: none more apt to be confounded and misunderstood than this is: and no greater mischiefs can there be than those which commonly arise from any mistakes or confusion about it.

My design then is to state and clear the notion of selflove, that we may perceive distinctly how far and in what instances it is innocent or commendable, and likewise in what cases and instances it becomes culpable and vicious, and how it does so. In the prosecution of this subject I shall choose the method following.

I. I shall consider what self-love in the general is, the nature, design, and purport of it; and how far we innocently may, or reasonably ought to pursue the dictates of it.

II. I shall proceed, secondly, to consider the nature and tendency of a vicious self-love, and illustrate it by proper instances.

III. I shall offer a few brief considerations, proper to prevent or cure it.

I.

I shall consider what self-love, in the general, is, the nature, design, and purport of it; and how far we may innocently pursue the dictates of it.

Self-love, considered in the general, abstracting from particular circumstances, is neither a vice nor a virtue. It is nothing but the inclination or propension of every man to his own happiness. A passionate desire to be always pleased and well satisfied; neither to feel nor fear any pain or trouble, either of body or mind. It is an instinct of nature common to all men, and not admitting of any excess or abatement. Every man loves himself infinitely, or in the highest degree possible. There is no difference, in this respect, between the rich and the poor, the wise and the unwise, or the saint and the sinner. The same principle glows incessantly in every breast, and with equal fervency and intenseness. All our pursuits, practices, and endeavours flow from this fountain. It is this which actuates all our powers and faculties, keeps the world awake, and prevents a general lifelessness and inactivity.

As God has implanted in us this principle of self-love, the spring of all our movements, so has he also endowed us with reason and thought for the direction of it. Reason and thought hold out the light, and show us the way to happiness, while the instinct of self-love drives us on in the pursuit of it. The latter without the former would be no better than blind instinct: and the former without the latter would be but useless speculation, and dull lifeless theory.

Now self-love, while it is under the guidance of reason directing it to true and solid happiness, is rightly employed, and may be called a rational and commendable selflove. One general rule may serve to distinguish the true and rational self-love, from that which is culpable and vicious. Self-love directed to and pursuing what is, upon the whole, and in the last result of things, absolutely best for us, is innocent and good: and every deviation from this is culpable and vicious; more or less so, according to the degree and the circumstances of it. I choose thus to state the matter with reference to ourselves and our own good, because this rule is the clearest from all ambiguity, as well as most certain in itself: besides that it is best

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