II.

peculiar Satisfaction of being loved by thofe, whofe SERM. moral Qualities we admire, none of which can be denied to be a felfish Principle, are the true Fountains, from which Friendship springs :) but I fay, not to urge, or infift on this, it appears from the very End and Defign of Self-love, which is a natural Instinct that God has planted in us, to preserve us from Danger, by making every Creature as fafe as poffible in the Custody of himself, that it cannot be rivalled or overcome by Friendship, or by any other Principle whatfoever. If it could, it would not answer the wife End of Providence, which was, to preferve the whole Species from Deftruction, by caufing every Creature to be careful of his own Safety, and to prefer his own Intereft to that of others. When therefore we meet, in History, with Accounts of fuch Perfons as would willingly have died each for other, tho' greater Love than this bath been shown by no Man, yet even from these Instances we must not presently conclude, that Selflove had no influence upon them. For if he who did this, were not moved to do it by the fudden Transports of Romantick Paffion (in which Cafe no Inference can be made from it) but by the cool and fober Dictates of his Reason, who can tell on what Principle he might act? Who knows, but the Prospect of his own defolate Condition, when he should have lost in a Friend the chief Comfort of his Life, the Fear of being destitute, afflicted, and forsaken, might be the chief Inducement to lay down his Life? Who knows how far the Love of Glory might infpire him, or the Profpect of a better Recompenfe, poffibly reserved in fome future State, for such an Inftance of Heroick Love Friendship, it is certain, in Heathen Systems of Morality, was treated among the Moral Virtues. Fortitude,

II.

SERM. Fortitude, or Magnanimity and Contempt of Danger, was esteemed a Moral Virtue too. In confequence of thefe Principles, to a Man who thought himself at Liberty to deprive himself of Life at Pleasure, as in the Heathen World many did, what could seem a more generous or heroick Action, than to lay it down for the Preservation of his Friend? or what could feem to such a Man to give a better Title to a great and ample Recompenfe hereafter?

But whether this, or the Love of Glory, or the Fear of lofing what they held fo dear, and on which much of their present Happiness depended, was the Motive which gave Birth to fuch Acts as these; as long as any poffible Account can be given of them, confiftent with this Principle of Self-Love, nothing can be inferred from these Inftances against it. It is a Principle of fuch a Nature, that if it operates at all, it must needs triumph over all that can oppose it, being planted for this Purpose in us; nor can any Man, unlefs he be difordered in his Understanding, or under the Impulse of ungovernable Paffion, act wilfully and deliberately against it, in Points which concern his moft important Interests.

If in what has been faid, I may be thought by any to have put Moral Virtue on too low a Foot, I can. only say, that I have endeavoured to represent it, as it seems to exist really in Nature; not as it is dreft up by Men of Parts and Genius, who derive human Actions from fine speculative Principles, beautiful in Idea, and very fit to be admired, but much too refined for Practice. The Love of ourselves, by the great Abuse of it, is, it seems, grown so odious to us, that we cannot bear to find the beft Actions we perform should be derived from fo corrupt a Source. Here

upon.

upon we set ourselves to work on the Discovery ofSERM. fome Principle lefs derogating from the Dignity of our II. Nature, that we may seem to have greater and more fublime Conceptions, to be moved by more generous and difinterested Affections, and to act upon better Principles than other Men. But the great Abfurdity in the mean time is this, that while in Speculation we amufe our Fancies with the Notion of being acted by fuch noble Views, we are ftill governed by the fame Motives with other Men. We ftill continue to be fwayed by Self-love, and perhaps by Self-love not fufficiently inftructed what, indeed, is the true Interest it fhould pursue, He that would see this, must look beyond the Grave; and there he will find that, which, if he loves himself, will be a standing Motive in all Circumstances and Conditions, to practise the greatest and most exalted Virtues: And that is much more than can be expected from him, who shuts himself out from this glorious Prospect, who rejects the nobleViews and precious Promises of the Gofpel, relying on Principles, which, in Times of hard Trial, he will find to be but broken Reeds. In fhort, let the Hope of a future Recompenfe be admitted, and immediately Self-love, directing us to pursue That, directs us to all Kinds of Virtue. But take away this, and from. that very Instant Self-love takes a different Turn, teaching us to pursue That, which, in this prefent Life, will afford us the greatest Pleasure and Delight. If Virtue will do this, (as indeed it often will) so far, on this Principle, it may be followed. But when once it comes to thwart and oppose our Paffions, when it robs us of our Pleasure, when it bids us refuse or forfake any thing, that we love, what have we to fupport us then? Self-love, which should help us out, has

taken

SERM taken Arms against us, and, fince we defpair of any II. future Recompenfe, advises us to purfue prefent Pleafure. In vain fhall Reafon, or any other Principle, interpofe in this Cafe to fave us. Nothing can perfuade us to make the leaft Refiftance, till Self-love fhall change Sides again: Till inftead of the low Pleafures and Satisfactions of Sin, we discover something in Virtue more worthy our Purfuit, as abounding with greater and more fublime Enjoyments, and as tending more to the final Happiness of Man.

The Reafon, why this may be received with Prejudice, is, because we are accustomed to confider Selflove, as a thing oppofite to all Religion and Virtue. And fuch, indeed, in fome Inftances it proves, not because the Principle is itself defective, or insufficient to fupport Piety and Virtue, but because the Nature of our Interest is misjudged. When we wilfully violate and tranfgrefs God's Laws, it is not, furely, because we love ourselves better, than we do when we strictly keep them; but because we make a foolish and imprudent Choice, we purfue our Happiness by fuch Ways and Methods, as tend to make us miferable for ever. The Reason why we fin, is, because we love ourselves, and the Reason of our being virtuous, is the fame. In one Cafe only, we are directed by our Reason, in the other by fome headftrong Paffion. In one we pursue a real, a solid, and substantial, in the other, a fhort, fleeting Happiness. But in neither of thefe Cafes do we mean Harm to ourselves: For the Principle of Self-Love is so twisted and interwoven with every other Principle of our Nature, that it cannot fail, either mediately, or immediately, to affect us in every moral Action we perform. And from hence it is plain, that those, who reproach Christians with acting

II.

acting on a mean and unworthy Principle, in bav-SERM ing Refpect to the Recompenfe of the Reward, must either be content to withdraw that Cenfure, or else take the Shame of being influenced to Virtue by a mean and unworthy Principle themselves.

Let therefore the eternal Reasons and Relations of Things, or let the Will of God, be the Rule of Duty; for, as fuch, they differ only in their Name: But as Motives, or Inducements; as Ties, or Obligations; let them take into Partnership this Principle of Self-love, without which they will lofe all their Influence. Let us not be ashamed in the Practice of our Duty, to act on fuch Principles, as God has planted in us, nor with fuch Views, as he proposes to us. Let us raise the Love of God to as great a Height as we can: And who can raise it higher, than he, who stedfastly believes that Mystery of Divine Love, which was unfolded in the Gospel, viz. our Redemption from eternal Death? Let us cherish and indulge the most benevolent Affections towards God's Creature, and our Brother, Man. For who can do it better, than he who fets before him, together with all other Motives and Engagements, the Example as well as Precept of a crucified Redeemer? But let us, in the mean time, think it no Reproach, to keep in view the precious Promises, which the Gospel makes to us, of an Inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, referved in the Heavens for us; nor imagine it a Disparagement to God's Holy Laws, that they need to be enforced by the Argument in my Text, that in keeping of them there is great Reward.

Now to God the Father, &c.

The