out of Conceit with Pleasure than Greatness and Ambition calls 'em back to their former State as appears in the Case of Tiberius who after having given up the Empire to his Favorite that he might with more Quiet and Tranquillity tast the Excess of Sensuality is at length tempted to quit his Pleasures for the sake of the Empire the Cares of which he again finds fault with after the Death of Sejaâ—s being as much discontented at Rome as he was at Capreae always having an insatiable and restless Heart This Picture represents the Heart not only of Tiberius but of all Mankind who are in a perpetual and as it were necessary Tossing and Agitation whilst they fix themselves upon Worldly Objects God has endu'd Man with a Capacity proportionable to his Immortality Namely an infinite Capacity 'T is therefore impossible he should be satisfy'd with corruptible and transitory Goods what is finite can by no means fill him But perswade him once of his Immortality and give him Goods Eternal like himself and you 'll presently see him contented and satisfy'd Having endeavour'd to know the Nature Duties and the most powerful Motives or moral Force which naturally determine the Heart of Man 't will not be amiss in the next place to pass to the Consideration of his Irregularities the Spring of which we shall consider first in order to know the Rivulets that flow from it The End of the First Part. The SECOND PART Where we Enquire after the Source of our Corruption and Treat of Self-love of the Force of its Applications the Extent of its Affections and Irregularities in General and in Particular CHAP. I. Where we Enquire after the Source of our Corruption by handling the First of our Faculties which is the Understanding I Don't take the common School-Distinction oâ— Understanding and Will Mind and Heart Reason and Appetite to be proper for disentangling and clearing our Ideas but we must be forc'd to follow this too much receiv'd Custome We call Understanding Mind or Reason the Soul as it knows that is as it conceives judges reasons remembers reflects and methodizes its Knowledge We term Heart Will or Appetite the Soul as it has the Affections of Love Hatred Desire Fear Joy Hope Despair or any other of the Passions I think we shall not be much out of the Way if we define the Mind the Soul as it knows and the Heart the Soul as it loves For as Conceptions Judgments and Discourses are but different Modes of Knowledge so 't is certain that Desire Fear Hope and in general all other Affections are only Modes or different Manners of Love but this is not to be insisted upon at present Our Business here is to know Whether the Original Source of our Corruption be in the Mind or in the Heart Whether the first Spring of our Evil be in the Knowledge of our Soul or in its Affections We answer That 't is not in the Mind because then the Mind would have been order'd to conduct and regulate it self by the Dictates of the Heart whereas we see the Heart has been order'd to regulate it self by the Mind For 't would be unreasonable that what is less Corrupted should be guided by that which is more irregular and disorderly and that the Source of our Corruption should be the Rule of our Conduct and indeed were it so A Man would not be oblig'd to steer and guide himself by his Reason 'till he should have been assur'd that God had extraordinarily enlightned him and he must wait for an Enthusiasm and immediate Inspiration before he could have Right to act in the Quality of a Rational Creature Also the Holy Scripture always attributes the Offuscation and Darkness of the Mind to the evil Affections of the Heart If our Gospel be hidden says St. Paul 't is hidden to them that perish whose Understandings the God of this Age has blinded 'T is easy to conceive That by the God of this Age he means the Demon of Concupiscence And upon almost the like Account our Saviour said to the Jews How can ye believe seeing that ye seek for Glory one of another Certainly were the Mind the Original of our Depravation 't would always and in all Circumstances have its natural Obscuration and Darkness 't would be as blind in the Study of the Sciences as of Religion and 't would succeed no better in knowing such Objects as are indifferent to it than those which interess and concern it When an Eye is cover'd with a Web or clos'd up by an Obstruction 't is not in a Condition to see one Object more than another but when its Darkness proceeds from the Obstacle of Clouds Fog or any exterior Veil 't is easier for it to perceive distant Objects and 't will see very clearly when the extraneous Impediment is remov'd without receiving any Change or Alteration in it self So say we if the Understanding were in it self naturally darken'd 't would be as liable to Error in its curious and needless Enquiries as 't is in those which import and concern it for its Darkness would be Uniform and always the same But because 't is cover'd only with Fogs and Mists which rise from the Seat of the Affections no Wonder if its Obscuration ends so soon as the Heat of Passion ceases This is a common Matter of Fact One that has a Rectitude of Mind and Exactness of admirable Reason for apprehending what is most abstruse and intricate in the Sciences who knows when to doubt and suspend his Assent to things that are Dubious to affirm true Things and deny False to have a simple Opinion of probable Things to demonstrate those that are Certain who will not mistake True for False nor one Degree of Truth for another will no sooner have a Point of Interest to manage but his former Rectitude of Mind forsakes him his Reason bends to the Humour of his Desires and Evidence is confounded with Utility and Profit Whence proceeds this Darkness From the Objects No For these Objects are easier and clearer than those of the sublime and lofty Sciences which he so well-penetrated and understood Is it from any natural Defect of the Mind No From this much less than the other That has reason'd perfectly well touching Matters of Speculation and put it to Discourse of secular Concerns provided they be not its own but another Man's 't will reason about 'em with the same Exactness But if after you have carried the Mind of this Man from the Objects of the Sciences to the Affairs of Life you call it again from thence to the Consideration of the Truths of Religion you 'll perhaps find his Mind yet more obnoxious to Falshood and Illusions Because a greater Interest does also produce a greater Errour Such a Passion as Interest is of very great Prevalence and Force in obscuring the Light of Reason but yet those Passions which directly oppose Reason are more capable of producing this ill Effect For 't
a Veneration and Esteem for a Person whom you are assur'd you shall never be the better for meerly by considering in him the bare Power of doing you a good Turn is it at all to be wonder'd at that this same Principle causes you to love One who by his Vertue is dispos'd to be Beneficent to you tho' you very well know that he cannot actually exert this Inclination Say we then that the Heart has its Abstractions as well as the Mind and as this knows how to define Good in general tho' â—t can draw more to the Life in our Imagination any particular Good So the Heart loves these general Conformities and Agreements of Objects to it self tho' particular ones do infinitely more affect and touch it and it cannot but think well of a Vertuous Man by reason of these delicate Relations Vertue has to Self-love This is beyond all doubt because your Love of the Vertues increases proportionably to their Relation and Agreement to you We have naturally a better Opinion of Clemency than Severity of Liberality than Oeconomy and Thriftyness tho' they all equally partake of the Nature of Vertue which can be for no other reason but because our Affection is not altogether Dis-interested and we love in it the secret Relations it has to our selves But the Vicious and Exorbitant are not to be exempted from the Number of those who are thus enamour'd with the Beauty of Vertue On the contrary 't is certain that â—pâ—n the very Account of their being Vicious they are oblig'd to have a greater Affection and Opinion of Vertue Humility levels and smooths the Way for Pride and therefore 't is lov'd by an haughty Spirit Liberality is diffusive and free in Giving and therefore can't displease an Interested Person Temperance does not rob you of your Pleasures and therefore must needs be agreeable to a Voluptuary who would not willingly have either Rival or Combatant Could one think that the Affection which Worldlings testify themselves to have for Vertuous Persons should spring from so â—thy a Source and shall I make bold to advance this Paradox That our own Vices are often the Causes of our loving other Men's Vertues Nay more than that I dare say That Self-love bears no small Part in the most pure Sentiments which Religion and Morality give us of God Divine Love is commonly distinguish'd into three Species A Love of Interest a Love of Gratitude and a Love of pure Friendship Love of Interest according to the Vulgar Acceptation falls in with Self-love Love of Gratitude as we before observ'd is deriv'd from the same Source with that of Interest Love of pure Friendship seems to rise independently from all Interest and Self-love yet if you look narrowly into the Matter you 'll find that it has in the Bottom the very same Principle For first 't is observable that Love of pure Friendship rises not all at once in the Heart of a Man whom we instruct in points of Religion The first â—tep to Sanctification is a Detachment and â—nhampering from the World the Second is to love God with a Love of Interest by giving up our selves wholly to Him because we consider him as the Soveraign Good the Third is to have a due Acknowledgment and Gratitude for his Benefits the Last is â—o love his intrinsick Perfections 'T is certain that the first of these Sentiments disposes and makes way for the Second the Second for the Third and the Third for Fourth We can't throughly consider what a great Unhappiness and Misery it is to abandon and forsake God without desiring his Communion by Motives taken from our Interest We can't love God as the Principle of our Joy and Felicity without a grateful Acknowledgment of Benefits receiv'd at his Hands 'T is natural and even necessary that he who loves God as the Supream Good and as his great and eternal Benefactour should attend with Complacency and Delight to the Consideration of his adorable Perfections that this Meditation should excite in him Joy and Satisfaction and so bring him to love God in the View of his Excellencies and Vertues Now all the previous Dispositions to this last Affection which is the Noblest of all being taken from Self-love it follows that neither the pure Friendship which is conversant about God does â—se independently from it Also Experience teaches us that among the Vertues of God we particularly love those which have the nearest Agreement and Affinity to us We love his Clemency more than his Justice his Goodness than his Jealousy his Beneficence than his â—mensity c. Of which there can â—o other reason be given but that even this pure Friendship which seems to have for â—ts proper Object the Divine Perfections derives its principal Force from the Relation of these Perfections to Our Selâ—es Were there any entirely pure Friendship towards God in our Heart wholly â—empt from the Commerce of Self-love it would necessarily spring from Known Perfection and Excellency and not from our own Affections As Self-love would not produce so neither could it destroy this Friendship Yet the Devils know the Perfections of God without loving Him and Men before their Conversion know the Vertues of God tho' it can't be said that they have for him in that reprobate State the Affection which we term pure Friendship and consequently there must be some other Motives of this Love besides Known Perfection if Light be not sufficient to kindle it it must rise from the Flame of some Affection of our Heart since Affections and Knowledge are the whole Contents of our Soul Perhaps you 'll say that in order to capacitate a Soul for conceiving this Love of pure Friendship 't is not requisite that Self-love should directly produce it but only that it may not oppose and hinder it But I say if Pure Friendship arises from Known Perfection and nothing else be required to produce it the Opposition of Self-love is insignificant and as the Love of our selves can't derobe God of these Perfections nor hinder our Soul from knowing 'em so neither can it obstruct the Birth of this pure Affection Whilst we consider God as a Judge as a terrible Executioner of Vengeance and as standing ready with a Thunderbolt in his Hand we may indeed admire his infinite and adorable Excellencies but can't conceive an Affection for Him And 't is very certain that could we but any ways Evade even this Admiration of God we should be very cautious in applauding him with it for in this State we regard him as our Enemy render to him no more but what we needs must And whence can this Necessity of admiring God proceed unless it spontaneously arise from Known Perfection If then we conceive pure Friendship to have precisely the same Source with Admiration that is to say if we conceive it to have no other Origine but Known Perfection we may safely conclude that pure Friendship will arise in our Soul beyond all Possibility of any
â—mpediment from Self-love as well as Admiration T will be to no purpose to make a wild and indefinite Answer that 't is the Corruption of our Heart which renders us uncapable of loving God purely for his own sake and his intrinsick Perfections whilst we suppose him not to love us This is to run into a Labyrinth of Generalities for avoiding the distinct Ideas of Things For our Corruption does not hinder the Admiration of our Soul it being certain that the Devils who far exceed us in Wickedness admire God tho' they are at the same time conscious of his being the Object of their Hatred and Aversion so neither can this Corruption hinder pure Friendship if that as well as Admiration derives its Birth from Known Perfection Nothing will better confirm this Truth than by seeing what 's the Use of Faith in Religion So long as Men live in a State of Ignorance which makes 'em imagine that God looks upon 'em with Indifferency and Disregard they in like manner seem to have but indifferent Sentiments of the Deity such were the Pagan Philosophers Whilst Men think they are the Object of God's Hatred they detest and abhor the Divinity The Romans who had already kindled the Fire of their Sacrifices to give Thanks to the Gods at the false Report of the Recovery of Germanicus run into their Temples with Fury and Rage when they hear the too true News of his Death they drag their Images in the Dirt throw 'em into Tiber and signalize their Grief by a Specimen of Impiety All Men seem to have the same inward Disposition which the Romans outwardly shew'd and the Violence which they â—s'd to the Images is an Expression of what Man would be willing to execute upon God when he thinks him his Antagonist and Enemy No sooner does the Gospel resound in the World for the Consolation of Men but as the Testimoines of the Divine Love to Mankind are every where manifested so likewise Men's ardent Love of God becomes universally Conspicuous Faith which assures us of this immense Charity of God is there look'd upon as the Key of our Heart and the first Degree of our Sanctification to this the Scripture attributes our Salvation When Faith has throughly perswaded us that we are the Objects of God's Love we are sufficiently dispos'd to affect and love Him But as our Affections essentially spring from Self-love our Hatred and Aversions proceed from the same Original We hate Men by Interest when they are our Competitors in the Pursuit of Temporal Goods We hate one that is Intemperate because he 'd rob us of our Pleasures we can't endure an Ambitious Man because he takes the upper-hand of us in Preferment and Honour nor can we love a Proud Man because 〈◊〉 contemns and tramples us under Feet nor a Miser because he hoards up the Riches that might possibly come to us nor an Unjust Man because he oppresses us We don't only hate those who actually prejudice and injure us but even those that have an Inclination to hurt us tho' they want fit Occasions or some Impediment hinder 'em from exerting their Malice Our Hatred reacheth as far as a Man's Power of doing us an Injury For which reason Power and Authority are many times the Incentives of Aversation and Ill-will and as there are few Persons in the World but meet with some who either actually do 'em a Mischief or would at least if it laid in their Power or were it for their Interest it must be own'd that secret Motives of Hatred do perpetually enter in our Heart and that nothing is more dangerous than the Temptations to which we are expos'd on this Account Indeed we are oftentimes Enemies to one another when we are ignorant of it We many times both love and hate the same Person because Self-love considers him under different Respects And it happens that we really hate those whom we think to be the Objects of our best Affection and sometimes those whom we have all the reason imaginable to love and esteem which appears from this That in all their Disgraces and Misfortunes there 's something that does not wholly displease us This unjust and unnatural Sentiment which the Vail of Pride hides from our Eyes proceeds from these two Principles Namely That we Our selves are not the Objects of this Disgrace which is a Reflection that Self-love instantly makes and that we see a Man degraded and pull'd down who in regard of his being a Man can't fail to rival us upon some Account or other a Sentiment which is chang'd into Compassion when either Death or some irrecoverable Adversity finally exempts him from the Number of those who pretend and aim at the Goods which are the Objects of our own Desire But Hatred is a turbulent Passion which puts the whole Body into a violent Commotion and all whose Effects are so sensible and obvious that 't is the most faithful Mirrour for discerning the Degree of Vehemence which attends all our other Affections If you would know how much you love Vain-Glâ—ry it may be your Heart gives you a false Intimation do but only consider the Violence of the Hatred which you conceive at One that has offended you in point of Honour this is the just Degree and Measure of it this Mirrour is your safest Guide for discovering and fathoming the Bottome of your Heart We hate by Interest Persons Things and Words If seeing an Abyss under our Feet we are put into Horrour and Consternation 't is the Image of our Destruction appearing before us that causes this trembling Motion and Reason is not so strong and prevalent as to correct and allay that Fear which a too lively Idea of our own Destruction exhibits to our Conceit Many People can't forbear swooning when they see the shedding of Man's Blood this proceeds not so much from a weakness of Temperament as an infirmity of the Heart Whatsoever represents to 'em the Ruines of Humane Nature threatens their Self-love and that which imbues the Fancy with Blood draws a livelâ— Picture of Death in the Soul and conducts it to that inward Recess by meer â—nt of Conceit where Reflection shuts the Doors against it CHAP. IX Where we consider the most general Inclinations of Self-love and in the first place the Desire of Happiness THe first Inclination of Self-love is a Desire to be Happy and I believe that in the Main these two Expressions do but signify the same Thing under different Ideas For what else is it to love One-self but to desire Happiness and to desire Happiness but to love One-self Truly he must be a very nice Subtiliser and Mincer of Things that can find any Difference As therefore the Desire of Happiness can't be too Great and it has always been reckon'd a Crime tâ— pursue a false and not ardently to affect a real Felicity it follows that we are not to be blam'd for loving our selves to Excess but for taking a wrong Method
consider'd the first of our Faculties and seen that the original Source of our Corruption is not in the Mind we must in the next place consider the Heart which is the Soul as it loves or the Seat of the Affections CHAP. V. Where we continue to search for the Sources of our Corruption by considering the Motions and Inclinations of the Heart AS there are first Principles or Notions in our Mind which are of an infallible Truth and Certainty and the Foundation of natural Light which is so far from deceiving that it puts us in a Way to return from our Errours so in our Heart there are certain primary and radical Affections which are necessarily Lawful Sentiments without which the Nature of Man cannot subsist and which are not only exempt from all Corruption in themselves but also serve when rightly directed to reclaim us from our Vices Such is the natural Love of Esteem and of Our-selves the Care of our Preservation the Desire of Happiness These Passions are good in themselves â—eeing they naturally relate to the Good of Man There are Two sorts of 'em the One are term'd by the School-men Prosequutivae because they incline us to Good the Other Adversativae because they remove and avert us from Evil. But yet as they tend to our Advantage by the Design and Intention of Nature thro' an Effect of our Corruption they are perverted to be instruments of our Damage and Prejudice which happens when false Goods excite in our Heart reall Affections When we are but coldly bent towards that which deserves the whole Application and Study of our Souls and on the contrary we desire with all the Ardour imaginable such Goods as deserve but a moderate and indifferent Affection For then we reverse the Order of Nature change the End into the Means and the Means into the End are rash and precipitate in our Actions err in our Conduct and a meer shadow of Good makes us lose the original Source of it and running after Appearances we miss the Truth Hence proceed all our Vices and Disorders in enquiring after which we must spend some time since 't is they that make the Corruption of the Heart Now as we search for the Source of our Irregularities we must not insist upon any particular One unless it has an Influence upon all the others 'T is evident that the Root of our Natural Evil consists not in a peculiar Disposition of the Temperament seeing that those who are of quite contrary Temperaments are corrupted for all that Nor is Interest the Principle of our Evil since that has commonly something in it incompatible with Pride neither is Pride seeing that is in some sort repugnant to Interest Yet 't is certain that there is something wherein the Vices are opposite and something wherein they agree They are in some respect opposite seeing that one serves as a kind of Remedy for the other and they agree in some respect since the Soul after it has fall'n into one has a further Inclination after another which seem'd of a quite contrary Nature This Truth will appear more plainly if we as it were Anatomize and Dissect the Heart by entering upon the Consideration of all its particular Passions Robbery springs from Injustice Injustice from Interest Interest from an Excess of Self-love Obstinacy is nothing but a strict Adherence which Self-love make us have to our own Fancies and Opinions Pride is a meer Drunkenness and Intoxication of Self-love which represents us to our own Imagination greater and perfecter than really we are Revenge is but a desire to defend our selves against those that hate us or to reap a kind of Self-satisfaction by punishing those who have offended us In a word Take a through Survey and Consideration of all the Vices and Passions of Man and you 'll find they terminate in Self-love 'T is this that gives 'em Birth forasmuch as all the Motives of Vice have this Foundation That we seek for every thing which flatters and relates to this Me which is the first Object of our Knowledge and Affections Upon this depends either their Life or Death for when two Passions violently Combat Fear for instance and Revenge the Soul retires into its own Tent and makes use of no other Counsel but that of Self-love to know which side it ought to take and according as Self-love judges or not judges Revenge to be necessary it pronounces in Favour either of Resentment or Moderation So that as Self-love first produc'd these two Passions so likewise it foments and causes the One to live and continue to the Prejudice of the Other Now what else can we say of that Passion to which all our irregular Inclinations tend in which all the Vices terminate by whose means they both Live and Die which stops and suspends their Career but that this general Disorder is undoubtedly the original Fountain of all the others and what we call'd the primitive Root of our Evil and Corruption And which may serve to confirm us in this Opinion at the same time we perceive all the Vices flattering and caressing Self-love we find all the Vertues unanimously opposing it Humility debases and pulls it down Temperance mortifies it Liberality as it were robs it Moderation discontents it Fortitude exposes it Magnanimity Piety and Zeal sacrifice it And indeed Self-love is so essential an Ingredient of the Definitions of the Vices and Vertues that without it we can't have a â—ight Conception either of the one or the other In general Vice is a Preference of One-self before other Men and Vertue seems to be a Preference of others before One-self I say it seems to be so Because in Effect 't is certain that Vertue is only a more noble and rational Mode of Loving One-self Now here there is a seeming Contradiction in our System For on One hand Self-love appears to be the Principle of our Irregularities and Disorders on the Other 't is certain that the Love of Our-selves is a Qualification for the Discharge of our Duties Corruption draws its whole Force from Self-love and GOD on the other side derives from it all the Motives He makes use of to incline us to the Study of our Sanctification For to what purpose would he have made Promises and Threatnings were it not with a Design to interest Self-love This Difficulty presently vanishes after we suppose the same thing touching Self-love which we have already said of the Affections of the Heart in general Namely That they have something of innocent and lawful which belongs to Nature and something of vicious and irregular which is attributed to their Corruption 'T is an Advantage of the French Tongue that it can distinguish betwixt L'amour propre and L'amour de nons mêmes the former signifies Self-love as 't is vicious and corrupted the latter denotes this Love as 't is lawful and natural Now our present Enquiry being after the Sources of Man's Corruption our Design here engages us
demonstrate beyond all Dispute what our Enquiries have taught us in this Matter I demand for instance Whether the Blessed Above who undoubtedly love themselves neither too much nor too little seeing that they are in a State of Perfection can love God with an infinite Affection and yet not perceive the Joy arising from the Possession of him I would know in the next place Whether we can feel Joy and Delight without loving One-self proportionably to this Perception Why then should we trouble our selves with such vain and contradictory Queries As whether the Saints love God better than themselves I had as live they 'd ask me Whether they love Themselves better than Themselves For these two Expressions have in reallity the same signification and not to love God is in some measure to hate One-self To let you see that this is but meer Punning and Quibling in words we must divide the Love of God into two Sorts a Love of Interest and a Love of pure Friendship as Divines call it I understand this latter to have no Intercourse at all with Self-love according to the common Notion of it but I would know which of these two Kinds of Love you mean when you ask me Whether the Love we ought to have of God be not greater than that of our selves If you understand by the Love of God Love of pure Friendship whose only Object is Known-Perfection I answer that this Love cannot be compar'd with the Love of our selves which is of quite another Nature since as I have already said we love not our selves by Reason but Sense and Corporeal or Spiritual Pleasure naturally engages us to love our selves even before we are capable of making Reflection But if by the Love we ought to have for God you mean Love of Interest which is ty'd to him as our Supream Good you don't apprehend that you oppose the same thing to it self seeing that to love One-self and the Soveraign Good is all one and does not make two distinct species of Love but are one and the same consider'd under different Respects namely in reference to its Principles and its Objects It therefore appears That the Irregularity consists not in this that we love our selves too much seeing we are allow'd to love our selves as much as we please with Relation to the Supream Good But herein lies the Evil that we take a wrong Method in exerting this Love that is we love our selves with relation to false Objects Self love simply taken is innocent and harmless It becomes corrupted when 't is diverted towards the Creatures and Holy when converted and steer'd towards God Pursuant to the fore-going Doctrine we may distinguish Three Hearts in Man the Heart of the Man the Heart of the Sinner and the Heart of the Faithful The Heart of the Man is the Soul as it naturally loves it self the Heart of the Sinner is the Soul as it loves the World and the Heart of the Faithful is the Soul as it loves God The Natural Heart is essentially included in the other Two and the natural Love of our selves which is the Principle of all our Affections the Mobile that actuates either Grace or Corruption and receives either the Love of God or the World The Heart of Man loves The Heart of the Worldling loves Vanity The Heart of the Faithful loves the infinite and eternal Good The first is the Heart of Man the second the Heart of the mortal Man the third is the Heart of the immortal Man CHAP. VII Where we shew that Self-love kindles all our Affections and is the general Principle of our Motions I Said before that Self-love is the Principle of all our natural Affections For all our Desires Fears and Hopes are the devoted Servants and Off-spring of Self-love I confess the Affection we have for other Men sometimes causes us to Desire Fear and Hope But what is the Principle of this Affection but the Love of our selves Do but throughly consider and weigh all the Sources of our Friendship and you 'll find they are reduc'd to Interest Gratitude Relation Sympathy and a delicate Agreement of that Vertue with Self-love which makes us think that we love it for its own sake whereas indeed we love it meerly for the sake of our selves and it wholly terminates in Self-love 'T is from hence that Relation borrows all its Rapture and Strength for kindling our Affections We love our Children because they are our Children Were they another Man's Children they would be indifferent to us Therefore we don 't properly love them but the Relation which links us to ' em 'T is true Children don't love their Parents with the same Degree of Affection as Parents do their Children tho' these two Affections seem to be founded upon the same reason of Relation but this Difference proceeds from another Cause Children see themselves Die in the Person of their Parents and Parents on the contrary see themselves Revive in the Person of their Children Now nature inspires us with the Love of Life and Hatred of Death Also Parents behold in their Children as it were other selves but other selves subject and dependant upon 'em They think it an Happiness to have brought 'em into the World they consider 'em with Delight because they consider 'em as their own Workmanship They are exceedingly pleas'd at having sacred and inviolable Rights over ' em This is their Magistracy Royalty and Empire But the same Pride which causes the Parents to love Superiority makes the Children hate Dependance Nothing lays so heavy a weight upon us as a Benefit when 't is too great because it depresses us to too great Submission We look upon it as a delicate but very strong Chain which links our Heart and constrains our Liberty This is the Mystery of that common Maxim Blood never rises But as there is a Relation of Blood Profession Religion Country c. the Affections are infinitely diversify'd according to these various Respects But woe be to Relation if it be combated by Interest For Interest will infallibly get the better That tends to us directly Relation only by Reflection Hence Interest is always more strong and prevalent than Relation but in this as in every thing else particular Circumstances very much alter the general Proposition What we commonly experience That no Hatred is more violent than that which happens between those who were formerly very great Friends is to be imputed to almost the same reason 'T is because these Persons found either Profit or Pleasure in loving one another This interested their Self-love but when they come to change their Sentiment the Motives of Love joyn themselves with the Motives of Hatred they revolt and rise up in Arms both by reason of the Idea of the Wrong that 's done 'em and of the Pleasures of that Friendship which they renounce and they suffer not only by the Hatred which is kindled but also by the Affection which is extinguish'd which
Captivity whence the Legislator covers and shrouds himself as it were with this Benefit in order to draw them to the Obedience they owe to him I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of Bondage thou shalt have none other Gods c. 'T is plain that this Motive has not the same Force upon the Heart of those Men who did not partake of this Deliverance 't will be to no purpose to say that tho' they did not all partake of the Temporal Deliverance of the Israelites yet have they been Spiritually deliver'd from the Egypt of Sin Mystical Senses are good in a simple Doctrine design'd to instruct but are of no use in a Precept which requiring an exact Obedience cannot be conceived in Terms too precise or too proper And again what a number of People are there in the World to whom God hath certainly given the Natural Law as well as to other Men who yet have never heard of the Deliverance of the Israelites by the Ministry of Moses and who consequently cannot find an Emblem of their Spiritual Deliverance 2. The Israelites being in a Desart where they could have no other Drink but Water nor other Meat but Manna had no need of any Instruction or Precept to incline them to Sobriety by making them to avoid Drunkenness and Gluttony No other reason can be given of this why the Lawgiver has not forbidden this kind of Intemperance in the Decalogue which hath always pass'd for a Capital Vice 3. The Canaanites who had incurr'd the Displeasure of God and born the Punishment of their own Sins did nevertheless seem accursed outwardly and interpretatively as the Schools speak by occasion of the Crime of Cham who discover'd his Father's Shame and was punished by this Prophetick Malediction which presag'd the Ruine of Canaan's Posterity The Son of the Impious One It cannot be deny'd but that the Decalogue manifestly alludes to this in the Fifth Commandment conceiv'd in these Words Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy Days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee 'T is certain that by the Land must be understood not the Land of the Living in general but this Land which had been allotted to the Israelites which evidently appears from this Expression which the Lord thy God giveth thee And doubtless the sense of the Law is That they ought to avoid the Crime of Cham who became fatal to his Posterity and endeavour to obtain by an opposite Conduct and Behaviour the Benediction of God who is able to confirm them in their Possessions 4. 'T is certain that Nature teaches us to Consecrate a part of our Life to the Service of God For since we receive from him every moment of our Duration Gratitude and Justice require us to Dedicate some of them to Him and particularly to set apart some certain Seasons for Piety and Devotion But to observe the Seventh Day and to extend the Observation of it even to Beasts is an Injunction that bears no relation to Nature but to the Condition of this People at that time God was not willing the memory of the Benefit of the Creation should be forgotten thro' neglect of observing a Feast that had been instituted with a design to perpetuate the Remembrance of this great Event It appears by all these Characters That the Law of the Decalogue doth not differ from the Law of Nature as to its Essence and first Principles but only as to its manner and the Extension which were requisite to be given it to adapt it to the Condition and Exigencies of the People of Israel This is evident from a general Observation which may be made upon this Subject namely That the grand Motives which support the Precepts of this Law in general are Temporal Benedictions and Maledictions Motives which the Soveraign Law-giver imploy'd to make himself obey'd he who could menace Men with eternal Punishments design'd for the Wicked and promise to those who observ'd his Law an eternal and most happy Life how does he come to suppress these powerful Motives these dreadful Objects or at least to declare them but darkly and confusedly whilst he takes all the Force of his Promises and Threats from the greatness of Bodily Goods and Evils 'T is because he proportions his Law to that present State of the Israelites the Time being not yet come for clearly revealing Life and most Blessed Immortality in Jesus Christ who among other Characters of his Divine Vocation was to have this of a clear and abundant Revelation CHAP. III. Where we continue to make certain Reflections upon the Decalogue considering it as the Expression of the Law of Nature accommodated to the State of the Israelites THe first Precept which it contains is of so great Importance that it seems of it self to be a Compendium of Morality and Religion It includes a Command and a Prohibition the Command is to love God with all our Heart with all our Strength and with all our Mind the prohibition is not to have any other God before the Lord. For the better understanding of this precept 't is to be observ'd in general that a Man may love Three ways by Sense or by Reason or by Sense and Reason both together To love by Sense is to love One for the Good he doth us or for the Pleasures he creates to us To love by Reason is to love Perfection for Perfection's sake To love by Sense and Reason too is to love One both upon the account of the Merit and Perfection wherewith he is endued and of the Good which he does or is capable of doing us Love of Reason seems not essentially to differ from Esteem and it imports no more than an Esteem interess'd in the behalf of the Object esteem'd which searches for Occasions of doing it Good or wishes it Well Thus we love extraneous and remote Desert such as no way relates to us but as we shall see hereafter Love of this Character is rarely to be found We love our selves on the contrary by Sense and not by Reason The Love of our selves precedes the Judgment which we make that we ought to love our selves and tho' we should propose a thousand Arguments against this Inclination yet for all that we should not cease to love our selves Lastly God loves Himself both by Reason and Sense by Reason because He knows His proper Perfections by Sense because He tasts His infinite Beatitude And in like manner we are obliged to love Him both by Reason and Sense by Reason because he is endued with all Perfections by Sense because He communicates to us all the Goods we can enjoy and possess God seems here to demand the Love of Sense He doth not say I am the God of all Perfections c. But I am the Eternal thy God who brought thee out of the Land of Egypt c. And 't is remarkable that this Character is
common to all His Revelations which he addresses to Men upon Earth this is to manifest Himself unto them cloathed with some of His Benefits that He may win their Heart by an Acknowledgment and Gratitude He was serv'd in the Old World under the Name of God who is and who is the Rewarder of them that call upon Him He was afterwards known under the Name of the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob. After that He gave His Law by declaring Himself the Lord who had brought this People out of the land of Egypt Afterwards a Prophet declares that the Time is come in the which Men will no longer say the Eternal is He who brought His People out of the Land of Egypt but the Eternal is He that hath brought up His People out of the Country of Babylon Lastly so soon as the time for Man's Redemption is accomplish'd God is no longer call'd by any other Name than the God of Mercy and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. They therefore are very much mistaken who fancy 't is an Offence against God to love Him any otherwise than for the Love of Himself and His intrinsick Perfections and that there is no interested Motion in our Heart but what is Criminal In order to refute these Speculations we need but make reflection upon the Conduct of God who not only consents that we should love Him by the Motives of the Good which we find in the Possession of Him but also wills and proportions His Revelations to this Design and it may likewise be said that we glorify the Supream Good when we desire it ardently and feel no Repose or Joy but in Communion with it This grand Precept may be proposed to the Mortal Man to confound and baffle him by shewing him the Impossibility he lies under of fulfilling the Divine Law but 't is the Immortal Man alone that is capable of fulfilling this Duty 'T is not the dying Man that perceives himself under great Obligations to God but the Man that subsists to Eternity And 't is not in a heap of perishing Favours but in the Assemblage of incorruptible Goods that we find the Motives of such a Love and Gratitude as are worthy of God So also the Man of Nature consider'd as a Man that hath short and transitory Relations to other Men neither can nor ought to love others so much as himself Were we obliged to love an indifferent and unknown Person with the same degree of Affection that Children love their Parents certainly the whole World would be a Scene of Disorder and Confusion We ought to love our Children more than Persons that are indifferent to us now as it is the Love of our selves that makes this Inequality and this Variety of our Affections it follows that there is an Original Law of Nature which dictates that we should love our selves more than other Men. But the immortal Man hath other Views and Obligations all the divers kinds of Proximity and Relation which respect this Life disappear and vanish at the prospect of the Relations of that Eternal Society which we are to enjoy A Temporal Neighbour whom Nature points out to us is not so considerable as the Eternal Neighbour which Faith discovers in him But some persons love themselves to such an exorbitant Degree that 't is in no wise convenient they should be affected with the same Love if others as of themselves For pray tell me of One should say to a Man I wish you were Ungrateful Blind Passionate Revengeful Proud Voluptuous Covetous that you might take more Pleasure and Enjoyment in the World would he not have Reason to think that either we dote or have a Mind to make him a very course Compliment and yet this would be to love our Neighbour as we love our selves If we would love our Neighbour as our selves we ought to love him with Relation to Eternity None but the immortal Man is in a Capacity of observing this Precept strictly and well Perhaps the Question may be ask'd whether when the Law enjoyns us to love our Neighbour as our selves it means that we should love by the Motives of that Love we bear to God or of that which we have for our selves I answer by distinguishing still betwixt Rational and Sensual Love when we love our Neighbour with a rational Love 't is certain that the Motives of this Love ought to proceed from the Love we have for God When we love our Neighbour with a Love of Sense or sensual Love the Motives of Love should proceed purely from the Affection we have for our selves Thus it may be reply'd that we ought to love him by both these Motives and the Law of the Decalogue seems to confirm us in this Opinion for it puts the Precept which refers to our Neighbour immediately after that which refers to God to teach us that the One depends upon the Other and that we are obliged to love our Neighbour with the same kind of Affection that we bear to God And on the other side it calls him whom it recommends to our Love by the Name of Neighbour to intimate to us that we are concern'd to love him because he is a Person that belongs to us Reason tells us That God being the supream and infinite Beauty is Amiable for his own Sake and that all things become so for the Love of him It therefore requires us to love Objects according as they stand related to God The Experience we have of our own Being accompany'd with Joy and Delight obliging us to love our selves in the first place Nature teaches us to love Persons according to the degree of Proximity and Relation which they have to Us. These two Laws are not opposite to each other the One as I may say is the Law of Reason the Other is the Law of Sense the one is the Instinct of the mortal and perishing Nature the other of the immortal and incorruptible Nature the one relates to the short and transient Society which we ought to have one among another the other to the Eternal Commerce and Friendship we ought to have in God CHAP. IV. Where we shew the Extent of the Natural Law by considering it in the Gospel and with Relation to the Immortal Man IF the Law of Moses were the Law of Nature accomodated to the Condition of the mortal Man and to the State of the Israelites in particular the Gospel is the Law of Nature accommodated to the State and Relations of the immortal Man This sufficiently appears from the different Genius and Conduct of the two Oeconomies Under the Oeconomy of the Law God seems to make no farther Manifestation of Himself than to break thro' Walls open the Abysses of the Earth inflame Mountains send down Fire from Heaven menace the Body with his Judgments or to execute the Arrests of his Justice upon the perishing Nature but under the new Dispensation of Grace we see Persons animated with the Spirit of
God contemn the Injury of the Elements and the persecution of Men suffer with so great Constancy as if they suffer'd in a Body which was not their own transported with Joy in the midst of consuming Flames and triumphing to see the Dissolution of that Compound which is so preciously and carefully preserved by other Men because they are supported and encouraged by the Idea of Eternity whereof the Divine Mercy has given them a distinct Knowledge Not but the Law of Moses includes some Relation to Eternity for this Law had at least the Shadow of good things to come also it cannot be deny'd but that the Gospel supposes the Idea's of Man's Vileness and Mortality for it includes all our Remedies and Consolations against it but thus much is true that the Law of Moses regards the present Life directly and Eternity indirectly whereas the Gospel regards Eternity as its principal Object and the present Life indirectly As for Nature that is equally discover'd under both Oeconomies The Gospel if I may so speak is hidden in in Nature Nature in the Gospel but we must here understand the immortal Nature and that will put us in a way to unravel some Difficulties which might possibly intangle and perplex us Indeed it seems contrary to Nature to love our Enemies to look upon Adversity as a Blessing and Afflictions as a subject of Joy and so far to yield up the Cudgels to Justice as to render not only as much but even more than it demands which are Maxims of the Gospel I confess all this goes against the Grain of the Corruptible Nature which measures every Thing according as it stands related to this present Life but 't is far from being opposite to the Interests of the immortal Nature which values not Time and exerts all its Actions in a prospect of Eternity Our Enemies are an Obstacle to the establishment of our Fortune in the World but nothing except the Hatred we may possibly bear them is an hindrance to our Salvation and this is the Thing which the immortal Man considers he despises those little Reasons of Hating which Concupiscence suggests to our Heart and regards those eternal Relations we have to Others in God who is our common Father as the most powerful Motives of the Love we have for our Neighbour Plenty and Prosperity charm such a Heart as hath limited the utmost of its Hopes and Pretensions to the transitory World but the immortal Man finds in that State so much more subject of Fear as there is more of Sense he dreads these imaginary Goods which buisy us and never satisfy these lively Sensations which hinder the Knowledge of his real Interests He looks upon Prosperity as the Reign of the Passions which seduce and misguide us He 's perswaded that Afflictions by depriving us of these agreeable Sensations do but only chase an infinite Troop of Impostors from the Territories of our Soul And he does not think that Worldly Goods deserve our Envy and to make us rival each other in pursuing them especially when Religion assures him that these Hatreds and Contestations which are occasion'd by the corruptible World are capable of doing him an Eternal prejudice For which Reason tho' Man has a Right of demanding what belongs to him God having for this End establish'd Tribunals in Society which would be but an union of Robbers and a succession of Murthers and Villanies without the Exercise of Justice yet the prudence of the immortal Man permits him not to exact his Rights with rigour and severity when he sees but the least probability of injuring by that means the Interests of his Soul Whence we may conclude That the Morality of the Gospel is but purely the Expression of the immortal Man's Heart but we shall have an Opportunity to speak more of this elsewhere We have seen that the Perfections of Man roll upon his Immortality which alone can render him capable of Happiness and we have just now seen that this Immortality founds the Extent of our Duties and Obligations We proceed to shew that 't is this also that makes the Strength of our Soul or the Weight that can determine us to well-doing CHAP. V. â—f the moral Strength of Man or the Motives which he finds in himself for determining him in his Actions HAd God been an Enemy to Man He would have fix'd Pain to all those Obâ—ects whereunto it pleas'd Him to fix Delight â—nd Pleasure he could have done One as easiâ—y as the Other and then Man would have â—een his own Enemy whereas now he is naturally a Lover of himself For it needs must follow by an essential Consequence that he who feels Pain hates â—t and if this Pain be constant and inseparaâ—le he hates his own Being as knowing veâ—y well that unless he existed he should not â—ndure this Pain 'T is very easy to conceive That the damn'd Spirits hate themselves for â—heir Punishment and that tho' Self-love has been in this World the Source of their Corruption Hatred of themselves becomes hereafter Instrumental to their Punishment Moreover we conceive that 't is impossible to have a Sense of Pleasure without loving it and wishing the preservation of this Self which is the Subject of it Pleasure makes 〈◊〉 love our Existence because without our Existence this pleasure cannot subsist Thence it follows that 't was in the power of God when He form'd Man either to make him love or not love Himself since it depended upon His Will to affix or not affix Pleasure to certain Objects Thus the Love of our selves is in it self a natural Inclination 't is Nature that causes us to love Pleasure and hate Pain and 't is Nature that makes us love our selves This Inclination does not wait for intellectual Reflections to give it Birth in our Soul it precedes all our Reasonings The Stoicks have justly deserv'd to be scorn'd and ridicul'd by all posterity if they really held those Opinions which are usually attributed to them They pretended that the way for a Man to be Wise was to put off Humanity this at the first dash was a very great piece of Extravagance but they fail'd no less in conceiving a kind of Infirmity and Baseness in the most natural Spring of our Heart Secondly Self-love is an Inclination most Divine in its Original We love our selves for this very Reason because God has loved us Had God hated us we should likewise hate our selves therefore 't is unreasonable and groundless to cry down all those Actions which Self-love excites us to as if they were so many Crimes and Infirmities according to the dangerous Morality of some who have pretended to annihilate the Excellency of all the Vertues upon this principle That they all proceeded from the Womb of Self-love and were grounded meerly in Interest a very bad Consequence since Self-love is an Inclination of a most Divine and Heavenly Extraction Lastly the Love of our selves is a necessary Inclination it must not be imagin'd
never yet saw in the World A Man valiant by Reason and stout without external Cultivation and Discipline His Fortitude will not owe its Force to Stupidity which hinders him from reflecting on what he does nor to Example which obliges him to follow in Danger the Steps of other Men nor to Worldly Concerns which bid him not flinch and give Ground where Honour calls nor lastly to an heap of Considerations wheh may serve as a Veil to hinder him from seeing the impendent Danger The immortal Man exposes himself to Death because he very well knows that he cannot Dye The World cannot produce One Heroeâ— since all its brave Men are either fearful of Death or owe their Intrepidness to their own Infirmity Thinking to be Valiant they cease to be Men and going to look Death in the Face they lose the Sight of themselves but the immortal Man exposes himself because he understands and knows himself Tho' we cannot find a true Heroe in the World yet we cannot but love those who appear to be such Heroism in that Man's Principles who includes all his Hopes in the World is a meer Extravagance yet we cannot choose but admire those Persons who bear this Character This undoubtedly proceeds from a Sense of our Grandeur and Dignity which teaches us confusedly and without the admission of Reason to these Mysteries of the Heart that Man is above all We are inwardly pleas'd and delighted to see a Fellow quarrelling with Fate and Fortune we love to see him rais'd above Dangers by his Valour and above all Applause by his Modesty we would have nothing shake his Stoutness and Courage and tho' we cannot bear that his Pride should despise us yet we love he should despise all the Injuries of the Elements the Persecution of Men and shew himself greater than all those Things which seem'd capable of pulling down his Crest Constancy suits not with a perishing Man but agrees with I know not what confus'd Sense of our Grandeur which finds nothing too Great for its vast Capacity Hence undoubtedly sprung that Idea of a Wise Man which the Stoicks vainly endeavour'd to answer For truly their Paradoxes in the Principles of One who believes not an Eternity are highly Extravagant yet however Extravagant they may be they excite a kind of Admiration in our Heart which we use not to have at Things purely impossible We should laugh at that Man's Folly who should fancy he had Wings to fly with and indeed the Notion of a Sage who pretends he is rais'd above all adverse Events and yet casts not his Eye beyond the Limits of Mortality is no less unreasonable and senseless yet we find in this Sentiment something not altogether displeasing which our Soul insensibly admires This undoubtedly proceeds purely from this Cause That these Paradoxes agree and suit with a confus'd Sense of our natural Dignity which forsakes us not tho' it be usually unknown This Sense is disguis'd and hidden in the midst of the apparent Infirmities and Baseness of our Nature as Diamonds are in the Entrails of the Earth mingled with Dirt or Dross and as these must be purify'd and cleansed to give 'em their native Lustre and Brightness and to know their Value or Worth so is it necessary to purify this Sense of our natural Excellency by the Ideas of Religion that we may see its Beauty and Perfection The Christian mantains these Paradoxes and fills the prodigious Vacuity of these Maximes All of 'em become reasonable upon the Principle of Immortality provided they be rightly understood If they tell us the Wise Man is without Passion we shall find that this Character suits with the Immortal Man provided that by Passion you mean the Alteration which usually attends the Passions as these Philosophers seem to have done For how can a Man that is made for Eternity if he act conformably to the exact and true Knowledge he ought to have of himself be very much embarass'd and perplex'd with Cares and Passions which wholly relate to Time Plac'd as it were upon a lofty Mountain he hears with a serene and undisturb'd Mind the Wind blow the Thunder roar and the Lightning Clouds burst under his Feet If few Men enjoy this Tranquillity and Regard with a generous Indifferency the Goods and Evils of this Life 't is because they are too ignorant of their immortal Condition whereof even Nature gives 'em an obscure Glimpse and a confus'd Information Or because they can't keep up in that lofty Situation to which Religion advanc'd ' em All this shews that there is no compleat Wise Man yet this does not hinder us from concluding that 't is the Character of a Wise Man to live without Alteration that we find this Character more or less perfect according as a Man remembers what himself is If the Wise Man ought to be sufficient to himself may we not very well apply this Idea to the Immortal Man who cannot percieve his true Condition of coming from and returning to God without being assur'd That Worldly Objects which hinder him from knowing his true Original and End are far from satisfying his Wants For this Maxim must not be understood in a Sense exclusive of God without whom we are Nothing at all But in a Sense exclusive of the World without which 't is true we both are and are Happy I confess that he who has fix'd all his Desires upon Earthly Objects can't live without Company and Conversation without that he is plung'd in the Ideas of the Misery and Vanity of all temporal Things He cannot Live unless he be diverted from the Thoughts of Death he cannot Dye unless he see those Persons who still buisy him with the Thoughts of Life His Prosperity and Fortune become insupportable unless those Persons have a share with him who divert his Mind hinder it from thinking of the fatal Necessity that 's impos'd upon him of seeing it speedily come to a Period A weak and silly Creature that stumbles into a Precipice and to retard its Fall for a Moment lays hold of any thing it can catch by but he 's surpriz'd with falling down maugre these vain Supports into the inevitable Abyss which he sees before him The Immortal Man has no need of making these Disguisements in order to obtain Consolation and Comfort and keep the Possession of himself He affixes even to Death an Idea of Glory and Excellency which makes him look upon all that with Anger and Vexation which diverts his Thoughts from this Object He 's never better pleas'd than when he considers the glorious Condition of his Soul The Farrago of temporal Goods seems to him like an Heap of Dust thrown into his Eyes to hinder him from the Enjoyment of his own Perfections whatsoever diverts and pleases the Heart and Mind of other Men is a Burthen to him because it keeps him from meditating and thinking of his real Happiness This Paradox therefore is not at all Extravagant in the Mind
of that Man who knows and loves himself as he ought if it fail of Truth this is to be imputed to our Weakness and Infirmity and nothing but our Error and Folly do render it Unreasonable and Senseless Let the Wise Man command and govern the Stars be rais'd above Fate and more happy and perfect than Jupiter himself these Expressions are so much the more Excessive as they seem Impious and Wicked but we may put a favourable Construction upon them And certainly if the immortal Man be said to be rais'd above the Stars above the Concatenation of natural Things and those Heroes who after their Death were set up for Gods or even those Gods so much like weak and sinful Men which Paganism invented 't is no more than what is true We know the Stars tho' they know not us we owe them Nothing but they are beholding to us for the glittering Lustre of their Perfections And I dare say 't is more Natural that they should be in a State of Dependance upon us than we upon them and tho' it pleas'd the Author of Nature that they should make a necessary Impression upon us yet 't is not for their Glory but our Advantage that he establish'd this Order in the Universe The Sun rules over the Day and the Moon the Night but God alone rules over Man And his Prerogatives are excellently confirm'd by Religion when it teaches us That God made him Master over the Works of his Hands and King of the visible World If Fate be a Connection of external Objects and second Causes it can have no power over Man because these Objects perish and come to an End but Man does not If Jupiter be a God guilty of Ambition Injustice and Intemperance the Idea of this pretended Divinity is much more ignoble and inferior than that of a Man whom the sense of his Immortality and the Grace of God elevate and raise far above Pride Interest and the Pleasures of this Life The immortal Man is as invincible as the Stoicks Sage was represented to be How should his Courage be pull'd down to whom the Dangers oâ— this Life seem no Dangers at all nor the Miseries of this World real Miseries But the Worldling cannot choose but be weak and cowardly his Infirmity appears even thro' those outward shews of Magnanimity and Strength which he affects meerly to dazzle the Eyes of his Spectators and Admirers and that he may reap this miserable Satisfaction of making it be said That he acted his Part very well upon the Theatre of Humane Life which is the whole Reward of this Master of the World who took so much Pains to raise himself above the common Level of Mankind The World can't give us an Instance of a stedfast Constancy The Courage and Resolution of Heroes is but a machinal Vertue which is defeated and vanquish'd by the Disorder of the least Spring He that so proudly defy'd the Gods and Fortune in the midst of Dangers at the Head of Armies trembles at the Thoughts of Dying in his Bed He dar'd a Death accompany'd with Noise and Tumult but cannot away with the Prospect of a quiet and peaceable Departure The Philosopher that hugg'd himself and rejoyc'd at suffering a Thousand illustrious Misfortunes and famous Disasters cheer'd up and solac'd by their Approbation who admir'd his Constancy yet conceives a kind of Despair when reduc'd to Adversity in a private Corner But tho' the Worldling be necessarily weak and cow-hearted the immortal Man can hardly avoid the Character of Constancy and Valour all the Infirmity he has proceeds meerly from the Regards and Opinions of Men and temporal Society which make the whole Strength and Courage of the Heroes of the Age. He 's troubled to see People crying about him the sympathising of Others with his pretended Misery casts him down and calls him back as it were from Heaven to these gloomy Regions In Solitude and Retirement he finds himself advanc'd above outward Accidents and the Opinions of Men he can freely say what a confus'd Notion of Man's Excellency caus'd a Heathen Poet to utter Si fractus illabatur Orbis Impavidum ferient Ruinae And may cry out with Him whom Religion had much better instructed Who shall separate me from the Love of Christ Shall Oppression or Anguish O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory He that thinks to get above Disgraces and Adversity by standing upon other Men's Heads is mistaken He must return back again by the way that he came to find what he hitherto in vain search'd after 'T is not Pride that with its forc'd Distinctions and eternal Constraints can render him stedfast and constant but Humility must do this by reducing him to that natural Equality of Perfection and Excellency which is common to all Mankind who have the same Original and End of coming from God and returning to God But if our Comfort and Elevation be grounded in the Sense of our Immortality 't is from thence likewise that our real Satisfaction and Contentment proceeds Our Heart is a kind of devouring Fire which mounts up higher and higher and never says 't is Enough Give it all it can reasonably ask 't will but still form new Desires if it be Master of the Universe 't will either like Alexander Wish for new Worlds to Conquer or will grow out of Conceit with its proper Grandeur like those Roman Emperours who when come to be Lords and Masters of Mankind dis-relish and nauseate their Puissance and Greatness find an extream Disproportion betwixt the Good they have obtain'd and the Ardour wherewith they desir'd it Tho' Masters of other Men's Fortune they are not content with their Own they miss of the Fullness of their expected Satisfaction Tiberius had need be an Emperour to go and Cloister up himself in the Isle of Capreae and take full Draughts of those infamous Pleasures whose Ragoo consists in singularity and excess of Crime His being simply a Man without the Character of Emperour was sufficient for this Nay he need not be a Man to entitle him to this he must put off Humanity and by a monstrous Debauchery descend even below the Condition of Beasts But the Reason of it is Because those Excesses of Pleasure were the Despair of Ambition He was forc'd to descend so low because he saw no possibility of rising higher than he was For the Heart of Man can never rest These famous Deboches had always a Fancy That Happiness consisted in outward Grandeur when they are mounted to the height of that they presently disabuse themselves and see their Errour Then like the Conqueror of the Persians They believe that another kind of Greatness is requir'd to make a Man Happy or weary'd with the Fatigues of Grandeur and State they betake themselves to the Fruition of Pleasure They endeavour to repair the Time they have lost and to regain by Singularity what they lose in Duration but in a while they become more
is not as Men commonly imagine the Degree of Darkness which is originally in the Understanding that causes the Number of our Passions but 't is the Number and Vehemency of the Passions that cause this Degree of Darkness in our Understanding But were the Understanding originally Darken'd it would not be remedied unless by a new and extraordinary Infusion of Light which is contrary to Experience For the Understanding of a Sinner that betakes himself to a strict Repentance for his Transgressions is not fill'd with other Ideas and Knowledge than he had before I mean according to the ordinary Course of Things A Man indeed after his Conversion has the Ideas of God Salvation and Eternity he 's convinc'd of his own Mortality and the Frailty of Humane Things He looks upon Piety as a most proper Means for procuring Repose and Tranquillity in Life Consolation and Comfort in Death and a Glorious Resurrection from the Grave But yet he was fully perswaded of all these Truths before his Repentance For I suppose he Sinn'd not in Incredulity Wherefore he cannot be said to have acquir'd any new Knowledge but to have transcrib'd that Knowledge into Practice which before was meerly Speculative And our Saviour does partly testify this in declaring to his Enemies That the Degree of their Knowledge aggravated their Blame Indeed the want of Light excuses a Man from the Faults he commits when this Privation is necessary and voluntary For is any One to be blam'd for not seeing that which 't was impossible for him to see Nor can we excuse him whose Blindness we suppose to be voluntary and willful He that is deceiv'd and mistaken by reason of the Heart and not thro' any natural want of Light sees and not sees He has Knowledge enough to perceive that he follows not his own Light and this seems the only Means of reconciling two Expressions of the Holy Scripture which appear very Contradictory For one while it accuses the Sinner of Ignorance Folly Stupidity Blindness of walking in Darkness of not knowing what he does another while it blames him for Sinning against his own Light for resisting the Truth which enlightens him for being condemn'd by his own Thoughts and reprehended by his Conscience All these Expressions are true and only seem to be opposite The Sinner does both see and not see He sees by the Understanding which God hath given him capable of knowing and making use of the Truth he is Blind and does not see by his Heart which evaporates and sends up to the Seat of the Superior Faculties of the Soul continual Fumes and Clouds which obnubilate and darken the Understanding I am not ignorant that the Schools use to make a Distinction betwixt two sorts of Knowledge or Light that they may solve this Difficulty viz. Speculative and Practical they draw this Definition from their Effects Speculative Light which goes no farther than simple Contemplation does but â—loat as it were in the Understanding whereas what they call Practical Knowledge does not stop at the Mind but takes a farther Descent down into the Heart gains the Will makes it self Mistress of the Affectiâ—ns and inclines us to Practice whatsoever it orders and appoints But it must needs be own'd that this Distinction leads us not far in the Discovery of Things seeing it imports no more than this That we have some Knowledge that is operative and useful and other that is dead and inefficacious If we look narrowly into this Point we shall find That Knowledge is ordinarily either Speculative or Practical according as it concerns or not concerns our Heart When we consider Truth in the Sciences we have usually no more than a Speculative Knowledge of it but considering it in the Objects which interest and concern us as in the Affairs of civil Life or Points of Religion we hate it or love it according as 't is agreeable or disagreeable and it determines us to Action or Aversation according as it bears one or t'other of these Characters Hence you see that the Practical Truth of the School-men is that which has some Force and Efficacy but Truth draws its whole Force from the Heart The Case is much the same with the Light of the Understanding as with that we behold in Nature It enlightens all things but of it self moves not any thing It has Lustre and Brightness but no Strength It can conduct and guide but not support and hold us up When none but Reason speaks we shall look upon its Decisions as meer Dreams as dry and barren Truths which are good for nothing but to be plung'd into Oblivion we shall look upon 'em as the importunate Councels of a Pedant that wearies and vexes â—s with unseasonable Advices Were Men determin'd in their Actions by Reason Philosophers would be more prevalent in Perswaing than Orators For the former have a just and exact Reason a severe Judgment which weighs and examines and makes just Comparisons of all Things whereas the latter do often abound in Fictions Lies Figures which would be but pompous and splendid Impostures did not Necessity it self justify these Excesses of Speech and were not Men agree'd in mitigating and allaying their signification But because they are determin'd by their Affections it falls out quite contrary to Reason that Oratours are commonly much more successful in Perswading than Philosophers 'T is because the Soul does not balance and weigh the Reasons but it s own Interests and considers not the Light but it s own Utility and Advantage Good attracts our Love Evil our Aversion pure Reason does neither of these but only as it represents the Objects to us And here by the By we may see the Errour of those who place Man's Free-will in the indifferency of his Soul to pursue or not pursue the Good which is presented to it Certainly this Indifferency is no where else but in the Imagination 't is not in the Objects Good is not indifferent to its being Good nor is Evil indifferent to its being Evil nor is it in the Reason for this is not free to assent to that which seems False nor to reject what is True 'T is not indifferent to judge that what it apprehends to be Evil is Good nor that what seems Good is Evil. The Soul is not indifferent to love or hate what it apprehends as good and agreeable for if so 't would be indifferent to love or hate it self which is against Nature CHAP. II. Where we continue to shew that the Source of our Corruption is not in the Understanding IN saying That the Corruption of the Understanding proceeds from the Will we don't mean that all our Ignorances and Errours without exception are deriv'd from our Affections For as to the former of these certainly all Kinds of Ignorance are not to be look'd upon as Defects 'T is not the Property of Men or Angels or in General any Creature how Perfect soever to be Omniscient This is the Character of the Supream
Being and infinite Understanding which governs and rules the Universe In General we should not make any matter of that Ignorance which proceeds from either of these Reasons That our Nature is too finite and limited and the Object too sublime or from the shortness of our Life which will not permit us to attain the Knowledge of all Things c. For Mortality is not a Crime to our Body nor is our Soul to be blam'd for not being Infinite Neither the Ignorance of the Mysteries of Nature nor of the Secrets of Providence can be look'd upon as the Corruption of the Understanding Jesus Christ was the Modâ—l and Pattern of Perfection and yet as Man He had not the Knowledge of all Things for He was ignorant of the Day of Juâ—â—ment The Ignorance of our Duties of our Sins and of the Benefits we have receiv'd is that which makes the Corruption of our Understanding this Ignorance proceeds not from want of Light and can bear no Apology or Justification nor are speculative Errours to be thought Vices of the Understanding So far are they from it that they have often remain'd in Souls which GOD had enlighten'd by His Revelation after an immediate and extraordinary manner For it does not appear that either Moses or any of the Prophets had other Ideas of the Sun Stars Earth c. than what were obvious to the Vulgar sort and indeed 't was not requisite that GOD should make those Men Philosophers by his Revelation whom He design'd for the Instruction of the most simple and illiterate Persons It s no matter tho' the Vulgars are mistaken in apprehending the Stars like Flamboys But 't is a great exorbitance and excessive Fault for those Sages who have such exact Ideas of the Magnitude of the Heavenly Bodies yet to look upon Eternity GOD and Religion as but so many Points or rather so many Shadows and remote Appearances Our Reason may be enlighten'd tho' it has the former Prejudice but if it has the latter it must needs be blind But 't is very easy to justify the Mind and to make it appear that 't is not the original Fountain of our Corruption by examining its different ways and manners of Knowing For to begin with the simple Conceptions of our Understanding no Idea in our Soul is Evil as such or as it represents an Object to us The Objects of Pleasure Glory nay and of Sin it self have nothing Criminal in themselves seeing we are permitted to know these Objects the same may be said of the Judgments and Discourses of the Soul Nor are the first Notions Criminal seeing that they are of so clear and so easy Evidence that the Mind no sooner begins to exercise and use its Reason but it presently apprehends ' em Discourse is a kind of acquir'd Knowledge which will never deceive us unless the Heart interpose and mingle it self with it For 't is an usual saying that Common Sense never deceives to denote that Man Reason's well Naturally Yet by the way 't is to be observ'd that among our different kinds of Knowledge Ideas have more Force to determine our Will than the Judgments or Discourses of the Mind this is true Generally speaking The reason of it is because our Notices as we have already remark'd have no Force of themselves but borrow it all from the Affections of the Heart And hence it comes to pass that Men are never very successful in Perswading unless they interpose as it were a mixture of Sense among their Reason or Knowledge Now none but a remote Good can be mingled with Reasons for seeing you are oblig'd to use Reasonings and Discourses in order to make it known it appears that 't is at some Distance off Whereas an Idea or simple Perception partaking of the Quality and being either pleasant or unpleasant according to the Disposition of its Object makes you of it self actually feel and perceive that which Discourse makes you only expect and wait for But yet this is not the Source of the Evil. The Irregularity proceeds from this That spiritual Ideas don't make near so great Impressions upon our Soul as Corporeal Ideas which enter'd in by the Channel of Sense whereas by right they should make a much greater since the Perception of our own Soul ought to be more vivid and lively than that of external Objects and the experience of spiritual Things should more nearly touch and affect us than the Knowledge of the Senses which concern us only in outward Objects Corporeal Ideas seem to be design'd for no other Purpose but for the good of the Body which they conduct and guide whereas Spiritual Ideas ought to direct our Soul and lead it to the Sources and Fountains of its Happiness so that as much as the Value of our Soul exceeds that of the Body so much are Spiritual Ideas Naturally more important than Corporeal and as they are more necessary so ought they Naturally to make a greater and more lively Impression As Ideas are a kind of internal Sense being pleasant or unpleasant according to the Character of the Things they represent because they partake of the Quality of their Objects 't is no mistake to say that they belong in some sort to the Affections or Sentiments of the Soul which are either Corporeal as Sensations or Spiritual as the Affections of the Heart so tho' we say the Corruption of Man arises from hence That Corporeal Ideas make too lively and strong Impressions upon the Soul yet this does not contradict our Principle that the Corruption of Reason proceeds from that of the Heart CHAP. III. Where we Enquire after the Manner how the Heart deceives the Mind THis Imposture of the Heart which deceives the Mind proceeds from voluntary Inapplications affected Distractions beloved Ignorances from Errours occasion'd by the ardent Desire we have to Cheat our selves and from this Inclination which removes and alienates our Mind from all that is Afflictive and firmly binds it to all that is pleasing and delightful The first Thing then which the Heart does is to fill us with unprofitable Objects that it may distract and divert us from those the Consideration whereof would be more important and useful to us tho' the sight of 'em seem afflictive and unpleasant We find among Others two Ideas in our Soul which we fear and dread above all the rest which are the Ideas of our Misery and our Duty The Idea of our Misery comprehends that of the Frailty of the World of our own Mortality our Sins the Justice of GOD our Vices Infirmities and of the Shame which naturally follows ' em The Idea of Duty includes a Thousand Obligations which are painful to such a voluptuous Soul as ours troublesome and disagreeable to an Heart affected with nothing but Pleasure mortifying to Pride and intolerable to Self-love Hence the most trivial Occupations the most insipid Diversions the most infructuous Knowledge the most unacceptable Employments become the Object of our
the Effort of their Passions it cannot be imagin'd that those at the lower End of the World are exempted from this Voluntary Darkness of the Heart Every Passion has a particular Imposture The Passions heretofore form'd a Religion exactly suited to their own Humour namely the Pagan Indeed they could not prevail quite so much in the Sun-shine of Christianity Yet they endeavour it the utmost they can and though they have not been compleatly Successful they have very near the matter shot the Mark they aim'd at So prodigiously do they disguise the Religion which our Saviour Christ brought into the World and which declares open War against the whole Circle of the Passions 'T is certain that every Vice has its Morality There 's a Morality of Interest Pride Pleasure Revenge c. According as these Views imprint their Maxims in the Understanding No wonder at this seeing that when Truth appears to enlighten us the Heart rejects and sends it away with such a kind of Speech as Felix did Paul Go thy way now and when I have a convenient season I 'll send for thee But the Heart takes a course to darken the Lustre and Clearness of this Truth for that it may not hear its Voice it fills it self with the Noise and Clamour of the World and to wave and divert the Consideration of what 't is most highly concern'd to know it employs it self wholly about a multitude of Objects that are utterly unprofitable and not worth knowing Sometimes 't is forc'd to make a Comparison of two Objects One whereof is the Object of a lawful and reasonable Desire the Other of a Temptation and Irregularity It must needs side with one or t'other Reason is call'd to judge and pass Sentence but with how great Partiality does it execute this Office Where the Object of Duty has Ten Degrees of Evidence the Soul will perceive scarce Two it discerns not the rest because a clear Manifestation often requires a particular Search which it dreads and never makes but with regret and unwillingness On the contrary the Object of the Temptation appears in its full Lustre this it turns every way takes a distinct View of all its Faces and Appearances because such a Consideration as this fixes its Application with Delight and Pleasure the Soul is Inventive in discovering such Reasons as favour and countenance its Desire because each of these Reasons excites in it a sensible Agreement and Delight but on the contrary 't is very slow and dull in apprehending those which oppose its Inclination tho' never so obvious and plain because 't is troubled and mortify'd at finding that which it does not seek and can never have a very good Opinion of that which it does not receive but with Regret and Uneasiness Thus the Heart breaking off and disappointing the Reflections of the Mind as often as it pleases and carrying away its Thoughts to the Interest of its Passion respecting meerly its own Pleasure and Advantage in its Comparison of Things voluntarily omitting what opposes its Desires having but languid and frozen Perceptions of Duty conceiving on the contrary with all possible Attention Delight and Ardour whatsoever favours its Inclination no wonder if it make sport and put tricks upon the Light of the Mind and if we judge of Things not according to Truth but the Biass of our own Propensities CHAP. IV. Where we Consider the mutual Illusions between the Heart and the Mind and how GOD alone destroys 'em by his Grace IF the Heart corrupt the Mind the Mind in like manner fill'd with false Prejudices may be thought to corrupt the Heart by communicating its Darkness and nourishing it with its own Errours 'T is easy to conceive that in this State the Corruption of Man can't be Cur'd by natural Remedies For in this continual Circle of Illusions and Deviations which make the Mind deceive and impose upon the Heart whence can there be any Light and Rectitude If you would enlighten the Reason of Man the Affections presently reject the Evidence you bring if you go to correct the Exorbitance of the Affections you find you can't do it but by shewing the Soul in what Errours and Precipices 't is perplexed and engag'd which is impossible to be done unless it be enlighten'd Thus nothing but Reason can correct and reform the Heart but Commerce with the Heart can't enlighten the Reason what Remedy can there be found for this Disorder Rack your Invention set your Wit and Fancy to work you 'll find no other Cause capable of producing this Effect but GOD Himself acting by his Grace If the Case be so 't is reasonable to suppose that GOD who so perfectly knows the Origine of our Malady begins the Cure by correctâ—ng that Faculty which is productive of all the rest We have already said That the first Root of this Disorder is grounded in this That our Imagination acts in a more vigorous and lively manner than our Reason that is Corporeal Ideas make a vivid and strong Impression upon our Soul whilst Spiritual Ideas seem weak and languid 'T is easy to conceive that in order to re-establish our Soul in its due State of Rectitude and Uprightness 't is requisite that God should so bring it about by his Grace that the Spiritual Ideas of Duty Vertue Eternity c. may make a stronger and more lively Impression than they us'd to do and that on the contrary the Images of the World of Pleasure Delight and in General of sensible Goods may seem but dull and almost imperceptible God does the first by fixing in the Mind Spiritual Ideas afterwards by rendering 'em pleasant and agreeable and Lastly by extending and enlarging 'em Grace fixes in our Mind good Ideas just as Melancholly fixes sad and dismal Notions in the Soul Let a melancholy Person use his utmost endeavour to chase from his Mind horrid and afflictive Ideas they 'll still return and haunt him wherever he goes So those salutary and good Ideas we speak of being fix'd by Grace in vain will our Corruption strive to remove 'em they still return present themselves again repress and bridle Concupiscence stop its Exorbitances nay and sometimes prevent even the Reflections of our Mind For we see an Honest Man exerts good Actions as it were by Instinct and without Premeditation Because tho' not perceiving it he follows the Ideas which Grace has fix'd in his Understanding God enlarges Spiritual Ideas by fixing 'em in our Mind thro' His Grace that is He makes us consider Spiritual Objects in their just Proportion and natural Form Whence 't is to be observ'd that the Ideas of Piety having a kind of Opposition to the Ideas of the World the one cannot be enlarg'd without the others be contracted and limited The Idea of Time hides that of Eternity the Idea of Eternity extreamly abbreviates and contracts that of Time As 't is the Pleasure which Self-love causes us to take in considering the Ideas of the
to examine wherein the Disorder of Self-love consists This Query is no less considerable for its being singular And I dare say that few Questions in Morality and Religion are more important as I hope will appear by the following Discussion CHAP. VI. Where we Examine the Faults of Self-love SElf-love can sin but only Two ways either in Excess or Direction its Irregularity must consist either in this That we love our selves too much or that we take not a right Method in shewing this Love to our selves or in both these Faults together Self-love does not sin in Excess as appears from this That we are permitted to love our selves as much as we please so it be with good and reall Love Indeed to love One-self is to desire One's Good to fear One's Hurt and to search for One's Happiness Now I confess that many times our Desire and Fear are too great or we are too eagerly addicted to our Pleasure or that which we look upon as our Happiness But you may observe that the Excess proceeds from the Fault that refers to the Object of your Passions and not from the too great Measure of the Love of our selves which appears from hence That you both can and ought to have an unlimited Desire of the Supream Good and a boundless Fear of Extream Misery And 't would be a Vice for us to desire an infinite Good but with a finite and limited Appetite Truly were Man oblig'd to love himself but to a certain Measure the Vacuity of his Heart ought not to be infinite and were not the Vacuity of the Heart infinite it would follow that he was not made for the Possession and Enjoyment of God but only for the Fruition of finite and limited Objects Yet we are taught the contrary both by Experience and Religion Nothing is more lawful and reasonable than this insatiable Desire which even after the Possession of worldly Advantages makes us still reach after the Supream Good which no Man ever found in the Objects of this Life Brutus who made a particular Profession of Wisdom believ'd he should not be mistaken if he search'd for it in Vertue but as he loved Vertue for its own sake whereas indeed it has nothing amiable and laudable but in Relation to GOD guilty of a Genteel and Spiritual Idolatry was no less mistaken then those who sought for Happiness in Temporal things and at his Death was oblig'd to acknowledge his Errour when he Cry'd out O Vertue I own that thou art nothing but a miserable Phantom c. Wherefore this insatiable Desire of Man's Heart is not Evil in it self 'T was necessary Men should be endu'd with this Inclination to qualify and dispose 'em for seeking after GOD. Now what in a Figurative and Metaphorical Idea we term an Heart that has an infinite Capacity a Vacuity which cannot be fill'd by the Creatures signifies in the proper and literal Notion a Soul that naturally desires an Infinite Good that desires it without Limits and cannot be satisfy'd till it has obtain'd it If then it be necessary that the Vacuity of our Heart should not be fill'd with created Goods 't is necessary that our Desires should also be infinite which is as much as to say that we ought to love our selves without Measure For to love One-self is to love One's Happiness And as we may be truly said not properly to love the Creature when we love it infinitely because then we place the Creature upon the Throne of the Creatour which is an Idolatry of the Mind and most dangerous of all so also may we be said not to love God as our Supream Good when we love him but finitely and conceive but moderate Desires after him for then we debase God to the Condition of the Creatures thro' an Impiety of the Heart no less Criminal than Idolatry Whether we look upon God as our Soveraign Good or represent him as a Being infinitely Perfect t is certain that our Application and Adherence to him ought to be unlimited and to this End the Creatour â—lac'd a kind of Infinity in Man's Knowledge and Affections to capacitate him in some measure for the Enjoyment of this Infinite Good I know very well that our Nature being finite is not capable exactly speaking of forming Desires intensively infinite But tho' these Desires be not infinite in this Sense yet they are so in another for 't is certain that our Soul desires according to the whole Extent of its Powers that if the Number of Spirits necessary to the Organ could be multiply'd in Infinitum the Vehemence of its Desires would encrease proportionably and that tho' the Act it self have not an Infinity yet the Disposition of the Heart has which is naturally insatiable I own if we lov'd our selves by Reason we might conceive that Self-love would be in a limited Measure in the Heart for we don't find in our Mind an Infinity of Reasons for loving our selves But the Author of Nature whose Wisdom judg'd it not requisite that Men should be Philosophers in order to take care of their Preservation thought fit that we should love our selves by Sense which is so true that 't is not even conceivable how we can feel Delight and Joy without loving this Self which is the subject of it so that as there is an unlimited Variety and an Infinity of Degrees in the Joy we are capable of tasting so in like manner there is not any measure or bounds in the Desire of that Happiness in the which this Joy essentialâ—â—â—â—ters nor consequently in the Love of our selves which is the Principle of this Desire I also grant That had Man been made to be a Rival of the Deity he would not be oblig'd to love himself without Measure because then Self-love would stand in Competition and interfere with the Love of God But Man naturally loves himself with so great Vehemency meerly that he may be capable of loving God The unmeasurable Measure of Self-love and these kind of infinite Desires are the only Links that tye and unite him to God since as I have already said finite and moderate Desires are capable of binding Man's Heart to none but the Creatures and we don 't properly love God but only a Chimaera which we form to our selves instead of God when our Love of him exceeds not a Mediocrity And indeed 't is a great Errour to oppose Self-love to Divine when 't is well regulated For pray what else is it duly to love our selves but to love God and to love God but duly to love our selves The Love of God is the right sense of the Love of our selves and that gives it Life and Perfection When Self love is diverted and carried to other Objects it no longer deserves the Name of Love 't is of more dangerous Consequence than the most cruel and savage Hatred but when 't is converted towards God it falls in and mingles with Divine Love And certainly Nothing is so easy as to
excellently confirms our System and shews that there 's no Affection kindled in our Heart independently from Self-love We shall be further convinc'd of the Truth of this Opinion by considering not only that Relation is a Source of Friendship but also that our Affections vary and differ according to the Degree of Relation that we have to those Persons who are the Object of ' em The Quality of Man which we all bear makes this general Benevolence which we term Humanity Homo sum humani nihilà me alienum puto 'T is certain that if there were but only Two Men in the World they would have a tender Affection for each other but this general Relation being mingled and confounded with the infinite number of those different Relations we have one among another it happens that this natural Affection which it first produc'd is lost in the rabble and throng of the Passions which so great a Variety of other Objects produce in our Heart We don't see in our Neighbour the Quality of Man whereby he resembles us whilst we see in him a Rival an Emulator and Enemy of our Welfare and Prosperity as we are of his A proud Man who esteems nothing but himself who by the Lustre of his Qualities and Accomplishments attracts the Esteem and Attention of the World and puts us in Obscurity and Dis-repute and who by his Passions is continually buisy'd in circumventing us and encroaching upon our Properties But no sooner has Death uncloath'd his Person of these odious Relations but we find in him that general Relation which made us love him never thinking him a Man till he ceas'd to be a Mortal and then at last willing to enroll him in the Number of our Friends when Death has retrench'd him from the Society of the Living The Relation of Country usually inspires Men with a kind of Benevolence whereof they are insensible whilst they dwell in their own Nation because this Relation is weakned and too much divided by the Number of those that have a Title to it but becomes very sensible when two or three Natives of the same Country happen to meet in a strange Climate Then Self-love standing in need of some Supports and Consolations and finding 'em in the Person of those whom a parallel Interest and like Relation ought to inspire with the same Disposition never fails to make a perpetual Attention to this Relation unless it be prevented by a more powerful Motive of its own Interest Relation of Profession commonly produces more Aversion than Friendship by the jealousy it causes Men to have one of another But that of Conditions is generally accompany'd with Benevolence and Love 'T is no wonder that Grandees have no great Affection for ordinary People the reason is because looking with the Eyes of Self-love they see them at a great distance off they look not upon 'em as Neighbours they are very far from perceiving this Proximity and Nearness whose Mind and Heart are wholly concern'd about the Distance that separates and removes 'em from other Men and who make of this Object the Delights of their Vanity Yet must it be granted That Relation of Blood is usually more prevailing than any other tho' it be a common Saying That a Good Friend is better than many Parents and this be true in it self yet 't is certain that Men naturally prefer their Parents before their Friends and especially upon any great and important Occasion The Reason of it is because they consider their Parents as necessary Friends that can by no means be dis-united from 'em and their Friends as voluntary Parents whose Affection reaches no farther than their Pleasure Now tho' free and unconfin'd Friendship be of greater Obligation than necessary yet 't is not regarded as such by the Eyes of Self-love It may indeed inspire us with a greater degree of Gratitude but can't so much touch our Interest The Barbarous Constancy that appear'd in Brutus when he caus'd his Children to be Kill'd before his Eyes is not so Dis-interested as it seems to be The best of Latin Poets discloses the Motive of it in these Words Vincet amor Patriae laudumque immensa Cupido But he has not dis-entangled and laid open all the Reasons of Interest which caus'd the apparent Inhumanity of this Roman Brutus was like other Men He lov'd himself above all Things in the World His Children were guilty of a Crime that tended indeed to Rome's Destruction and Ruine but much more to Brutus's If Paternal Affection excuses Faults Self-love aggravates 'em whenever 't is directly wounded Rome undoubtedly owes the Honour of Brutus's Exploits to the Love of himself and his Countrey accepted the Sacrifice which he Offer'd to the Idol of his own Affection and rather Infirmity than true Fortitude was the Motive of his Cruelty Interest is the Sovereign Empress of Souls we seek it in the Object of all our Applications and as there be various Kinds of Interest so may we distinguish a Variety of Affections which Interest causes in Society An Interest of Pleasure causes Gallant Friendship an Interest of Ambition causes Politick Friendship an Interest of Pride causes Noble Friendship an Interest of Avarice causes Profitable Friendship Generally speaking our only Motives of Loving Men are either Pleasure or Profit but if these different Interests happen to be all united together to kindle our Affection for a Person then we are presently his very humble Servants and stick to him as close as a Burr The Vulgars who declaim against interested Friendship understand not what they say Their Mistake lies in this because generally speaking they know but one sort of Interested Friendship which is that of Avarice whereas there are as many Kinds of Interested Affections as there are Objects of Desire Moreover they find fault with Men for Loving by Interest and that this is the main Principle and Bâ—ass of their Affection and Kindness not apprehending that to love by Interest is to love One-self directly whereas to love by any other Principle is to love One-self only reflexively They don't perceive that Men find fault with interested Friendship in the Heart of another but never in their own Lastly They think it criminal and blamable for a Man to be Interestâ—d not considering that 't is Disinterestedness not Interest that ruines and destroys us If Men would offer us Goods that are great enough to satisfy the Desires of our Soul we should do well to love them with a Love of Interest and no One ought to blame us for preferring the Motives of this Interest before those of Relation and every Thing else Even Gratitude it self so highly valu'd in the World and so much commended in Morality and Religion cannot claim an Exemption from this Traffick of Self-love For in the main what difference is there betwixt Interest and Gratitude No more but this That the latter is conversant about a past Good the former about a Future Graâ—ituâ—e is nothing but a delicate
Return oâ— Sâ—lf-love when it finds it self oblig'd 'T is in some sort an Elevation and Advancement of Interest We don't love our Benefactor becâ—â—se he 's amiable Gratitude at least of it â—elâ— goes not so far as that We love him because he lov'd us But to explain more particularly this Comparison between Gratitude and Interest we 'll 〈◊〉 that the Affection produc'd by Gratitude is more Noble and that which is caus'd by Interest is more strong and prevalent The former respects the Time past which is no more whereas Interest hath the Future for its Object of which it would make its best Advantage Gratitude loves even without Hope but Interest hopes and expects Gratitude loves the Benefit for sake of the Intention but Interest loves the Intention for sake of the Benefit Lastly the Idea's of Gratitude having Reference to the Time past are commonly rang'd among antiquated abstract Ideas and such as have no very prevailing Influence upon our Soul whereas the Ideas of Interest respecting the present Time are sensible and lively and such as more particularly import and concern us 'T is also certain that for this very reason there is some kind of Opposition betwixt the one and the other because all Men are as naturally Ungrateful as they are naturally Interested Ingratitude is always proportion'd to Interest because the more the Soul attends to the Idea's of the present so much the more it loses of that Application and Attention which it ought to have for what is past And in this respect the same is to be said of Dis-interestednesâ— as of Gratitude Namely that it consists very often in an outward Appearance and seldom rises in the Heart of Man unless Interest it self give it Birth or causes him as sometimes it falls out to endeavour to make a Shâ—w of it CHAP. VIII Where we continue to shew that Self-love is the Principle of all our Affections THe lively and real Perception we have of a Benefit at that very Instant when 't is bestow'd upon us never fails to produce a kind of Gratitude in our Heart which Mark wears out by little and little with the Memory of the Kindness receiv'd because 't is repugnant and goes against the Grain of the Heart to think often of those Things which put us in a State of Dependance and Submission the Case is not the same in respect of those Favours we have bestow'd upâ—n others as they give us a Title to the◠〈◊〉 Friendship and Gratitude And in a 〈◊〉 pull 'em down to â— kind of Subjection 〈◊〉 we revolve and think of 'em with Pleasure and Delight Whence it comes to pass that we are much more inclinable to love thâ—se that are beholding to us than those to whom we our selves are beholding They who think to insinuate and creep into great Men's Favour by laying Obligations upon 'em are often frustrated in their Design For certainly the only way to obtain their Love is for them to oblige others and not for others to oblige them Their Pride which is encreas'd by the Complaisance that Men use to 'em upon the account of their Greatness applauds it self at the Thoughts of having done you a Benefaction It considers with delight the Obligations you owe it and by that means inclines the Heart to have a Kindness for you But 't is dangerous to do very great Services when our whole Design is to insinuate into the Favour of those whom we oblige I tremble to think of this great Service said a Courtier to a Noble Man who told him he should never forget the Obligations he ow'd him and he was in the right of it Great Obligations do oftentimes prove great Offences and at least it always happens so then when either we cannot or will not acknowledge ' em Shall I tell thee Araspe He serv'd me too well Increasing my Power he has robb'd me of all But tho' the Heart has its reasons to forget Benefits yet has it others for making as if it remember'd ' em Gratitude is a Vertue very highly esteem'd the Appearances of it are fine and attract Respect and a Heart accustom'd to traffick in outward shews of Vertue to make a Commerce of vain Glory at the cost of Sincerity by seeking not what is in it self Estimable but what is valu'd by Men's Opinions is diligent in affecting an Appearance of Gratitude when it can by this means lay hold of the Estimation of Men. Also Gratitude is very subservient to the Designs of Interest because 't is a Means of drawing new Benefits· 'T is a Pleasure say they to oblige such a Man he has a sense of the Kindness one do him Gratitude mounts us as it were above the Benefit receiv'd when 't is prompt active and desirous to shew it self this is a fine and delicate Policy of an enlighten'd Self-love for avoiding the suspicion of Ingratitude because this Vice is a Mark of a sordid Baseness and as it were a forc'd Homage which we do to a Benefactor Ingratitude tho' it think of him with great Uneasiness being oblig'd to confess whether we will or no that we are under his Dependance and owe him more than we wish we did Moreover 't is very natural to a Man to let People see by his Carriage towards a Benefactor that he deserves the Benefit Lastly we are very glad to be deliver'd from the Remorse which attends Ingratitude which Remorse is more biteing and more natural than that which is consequent upon the Violation of Justice for tho' Injustice be repugnant to Reason as well as Ingratitude yet certainly 't is more opposite to the Dictates of Self-love to be Ungrateful than Unjust and doubtless that Remorse is greatest which arises not only from Reason but also the Love of our selves when its Laws have been transgressed Sympathy which we observ'd to be the â—ourth Source of our Affections is Twofold A Bodily Sympathy and a Sympathy of the Soul The Cause of the former is to be search'd for in the Temperament that of the latter is to be sought among the secret Spring that actuate and move our Heart And indeed 't is certain that what we believe to be a Sympathy of Temperament proceeds sometimes from the hidden Principles of the Heart For what reason pray do I hate such or such a Man at first sight tho' I have no Knowledge of him 'T is because he resembles some Person that has offended me this Resemblance affects and strikes upon my Soul and excites an Idea of Hatred tho' I reflect not upon it How come I on the contrary to love an unknown Person as soon as I see him without informing my self either of his Merit or unworthiness 'T is because he has some Conformity or Likeness either to my self my Children Friends or in a word to some One that I have an Affection for and without my making any distinct Reflection awakens an Amour which laid dormant in my Heart You see then how much Self-love is
concern'd in these mysterious and hidden Inclinations which one of our Poets describes in this manner Some seâ—ret Knots some Sympathies we find By whose agreeing Tyes Souls are Conjoyn'd But if after having spoken of Bodily Smypathies we would make an Induction of Spiritual Sympathies we should find that to love Men by Sympathy implies no more but to 〈◊〉 their Conformity and Likeness to 〈◊〉 this is to enjoy the Pleasure of loving 〈◊〉 selves in their Person this charms the Heart that it can safely commend it self without offending against Modesty this Adâ—â—â—â—age Men obtain when they seem to have 〈◊〉 great Affection for certain Persons the Principle of which Love is because they resâ—mble ' em We don't only love those that are naturally like us but also those that have an artificial Resemblance of us and make it their Endeavour to be our Imitators Cato as Proud and Austere as he was took it not amiss that Favonius imitated him and perhaps the most stiff and uncomplaisant Man in the World is so weak and flexible as not to be quite out of Conceit with this indirect Method of flattering and caressing his Self-love Not but a Man may indeed hate those who don 't imitate him well No person cares to be ridiculous 't is more Eligible to be oâ—â—â—s Thus we never like those Copies â—hose Ridiculousness reflects upon the Original But if you 'd know why one Gallant does â—oâ— love another or why one Learned Man 〈◊〉 not always just to another 't is easy to give you an Answer The reason is Because a Motive of Conformity does not countervail a Motive of Interest and the mutual Hatred of Rivalâ— is proportionable to the Accomplishments which they discover in each other The Heart as I said before considers the Profit and not the Light and 't is not Reason but the Love of our selves that determines us in placing our Affections Even our Love â—f a Vertuous Man is not to be excepted from this Rule who notwithstanding fails not to be belov'd even by those who are not like him for Vice is forc'd to pay Homage to â—his Vertue they esteem and respect him Qui pectore magno Spemq metumque domas vitio sublimior omni Exemptus Fatis indignantemque refellis Fortunam dubio quem non in turbine Rerum Deprehendet suprema Dies sed abire paratum At plenum Vita c. Tu cujus placido posuere in pectore sedem Blandus Honos hilarisque tamen cum pondere Virtaâ— Cui nec pigra Quies nec iniqua Potentia nec spes â—mproba sed medius per honesta dulcia limes Incorrupte fidem nullosque experte Tumultus Et secrete palam qui Digeris Ordine Vitam Idem Auri facilis Contemptor optimus Idem Condere Divitias opibusque immittere Lucem Hâ—c longum florens Animi morumque juventa â—acos aequare Senes vincere praesta Stat. Lib. 3. Sylvar Let Men examine themselves by this Portraiture and I 'm sure they cannot choose but love the Original and upon what Principles can this Affection be founded which Men have naturally even for those Persons whom they are not careful to resemble I answer that there be very few who have bid a final Renunciation and Adieu to Vertue and who don 't think but that they shall be Vertuous one time or other tho' they are not so at present I add that as Vice is essentially Odious so Vertue is essentially Amiable to Self-love The reason is because Vice is a Sacrifice of other Men which we Offer upon our own Altars and Vertue is a Sacrifice of some Pleasure or â—â—attering Profit which we Oâ—fer to the Good of other Men. Moreover 't is observable that the Objects which act upon our Soul have a twofold Relation to Self-love certain particular Correspondences which vigorously move and bâ—ass it such is the Correspondence of Interest or reciprocal Friendship For as this reason of â—oving regards us and none but us 't is I that â—â—d an Advantage in loving this Man and 〈◊〉 Me he loves and not another No wonder then if this particular Agreement obliges me to have a particular Adherence and Application to him But besides this there are certâ—in general Relations which an Object may have to our Heart which happen either when any One does us a Kindness for the Good of the whole Society whereof we are Members or when we find our selves oblig'd by the general Inclination which a Man appears to have towards doing Good because 't is possible we may some time or other be the Object of it or when being accustom'd to love one certain Beneficence which is profitable to us in particular we also come to love Beneficence in general and all those Persons to whom we apply its Idea Only 't is to be observ'd that as particular Agreements and Relations produce lively and vigorous Affections general Agreements as not concerning or interesting our Soul but at a Distance and a great way off excite only a frozen and languishing Friendship which partakes much more of the purity of Esteem than the Ardour of Affection All the Vertues at least in this general manner favour and countenance Self-love Your finest Descriptions of Vertue are grounded upon the secret Agreements and Correspondences they have to us as may be seen from the Example of these fine Expressions in that Portraiture of Vertue which we just now observ'd Cui nec pigra Quies nec iniqua Potentia Nec spes improba These Lineaments of Vertue are Amiable because they flatter and caress Self-love There be others which are rather productive of our Esteem than our Love because they are more Dis-interested Qui pectore magno Spemque metumque domas vitio sublimior omni Vertue when it has not these delicate Agreements with Self-love is only Esâ—imable But we render it more Amiable when we represent it as interesting our Heart How should we choose but be in Love with Clemency 't is very ready to pardon our Offences Liberality to do us good Beggar 's it self Humility never controuls but submissively yields to our pretensions Temperance respects our Honour and not our Pleasure Justice defends our Rights and renders us our Due Fortitude protects Prudence conducts Moderation spares us Charity does good to us c. You 'll say perhaps what do these Vertues signify to me they do me no Good It may be they don't Benefit you at present but were you under other Circumstances they might do you a Kindness Thâ— suppose a Disposition of doing you Good when an Opportunity is offer'd have you not experienced that tho' you never expect the Succour or Protection of a Rich Man yet you can't avoid having a secret Consideration and Respect for him which proceeds not from your Mind for that often despises the personal Qualities of such a Man but arises from the Love of our selves which respects in him even the simple Power of doing you a Kindness But if Self-love makes you have
that of the Senses they reduce all to Bodily Intemperance and don 't see that in the Heart of Man there are as many different sorts of Voluptuousness as there are varieties of Delight for it to abuse and as great diversity of Delights as there are Passions which move and agitate our Soul Covetousness which seems willing to deprive it self of the most innocent Pleasures and to adopt in their place none but Labour Fatigues Disquietudes and Fears fails not of its Pleasure for all that which retrieves the loss of that Sweetness it renounces Populus me sibilat says the Miser describ'd by Horace at ego mihi plaudo ipse domi dum nummos contemplor in Arcâ The power of enjoying temporal Goods is the same to him that the actual Enjoyment is to other Men. But as some Passions are more Criminal than others there 's a kind of spiritual Pleasure which is particularly dangerous It may be reduc'd to three Species Namely the Pleasure of Hatred and Revenge of Pride and Ambition of Incredulity and Impiety Pride takes a delight in appropriating to us those Goods which are none of our own or such Qualities as are in us but are not properly ours or a Glory which ought to be ascrib'd to God and not our selves As the Soul resents a kind of Grief at being stript of its Honour to cloath and adorn another which causes the secret Repugnancies it has to Humility so it finds a very sensible Pleasure in derobing others of this Glory to cover and set off it self with their Feathers We may very well wonder what Pleasure the Romans could find in the bloody Pastime of the Circus to see the Gladiators kill and mangle one another to make them Sport and Recreation This barbarous Delight may be reckon'd a Pleasure of Ambition and Vain-glory The Thoughts that these Combatants were Slaves made the Romans forget 'em to be Men. This was a Flattery to Ambition letting 'em see that the Men were made for no other purpose but their Recreation and Divertisement There 's a Pleasure of Hatred and Revenge which consists in the Joy we perceive at other Men's Misfortunes This is an hideous Pleasure which is nourish'd by our Neighbours tears Yet if you look closely into the Matter you 'll find 't is most agreeable to the Palate of worldly Men. This Pleasure is proportion'd to the degree of that Hatred which gave it Birth Hence a Poet of our Age who had a competent Knowlede of Man's Heart expresses the Excess of Hatred by the Excess of Pleasure Should Clouds disgorge their Flames upon this Place And Thunder to the ground these Buildings rase Should thy proud Laurels into Ashes wast And all the Roman Stock new breathe their last I cou'd endure these Objects in my fight Cause 'em my self and Dye ev'n with Delight Incredulity fortifies it self with the Pleasure of all the other Passions which attack Religion and are delighted with upholding such Doubts as favour the Interest of their Disorder and Impiety which seems to do Evil for Evil's sake and without any further Advantage yet has its secret Pleasures which are so much the more dangerous the more the Soul hides 'em from it self at that time when it most exquisitely tasts ' em It often happens that an Interest of Vanity makes us irreverent to the Supream Being We wou'd fain seem formidable to Men by seeming to have no fear of God To menace and threaten the Earth we blaspheme Heaven But yet that is not the principal Ingredient of Impiety Man naturally hates God because he hates the Dependance which submits him to his Dominion and the Law which restrains his Desires This Abhorrence of the Deity lies hid in the bottom of Man's Heart or Infirmity and Fear many times conceal it from the Eyes of Reason This inward Aversion perceives a secret Pleasure at any thing that dares and affronts GOD Men love those flights of Wit which scandalize the Divinity Victrix causa Diis placuit sed victa Catoni Il dédaigne de voir le Ciel qui le trahit He scorns to see the Heaven which betrays him This seem'd Brave and Great because it was Impious I am inclinable to their Opinion who hold that Fear is the original Source of Superstition provided we join Hatred and Fear together as they are often found in the Heart of Man it being hard for us not to have some Hatred and Aversion at that which we very much fear and dread 'T is certain that Superstition would not be so common in the World for ordinarily 't is made up of an inhumane Extravagance did not Pleasure inveigle Men to that which Reason forbids and this Pleasure consists in an inward Satisfaction at seeing the Deity abus'd and degraded The Pagans did not only meet with a Pleasure of Pride in raising Men to the Order of Gods but also a Pleasure of Hatred and Impiety in debasing the Gods to the Condition of Men and it may be they were not so much delighted with reading those Fables of their Poets which related the Apotheoses of Men as those which feign'd the Wounds and Defeats of the Gods by Humane Arms. So that whoever sounds the Depth of our Heart will find that Superstition and Profaneness are not so opposite as Men commonly imagine and that they are united in this secret Hatred of God which follows the State of our Corruption and which nothing can cure but Grace As Pride and Hatred are united to form that vast Pleasure which Superstition aims at and the Delight we find in Impiety so also they combine to make the Pleasure of Malignity Slander and Calumny Here we find a Pleasure of Vain-glory For we many times dispraise other Men with a Design indirectly to commend our our selves Any Man in the World would openly praise himself if he dar'd be so bold but fearing least a breach of Modesty might make a Blemish in his Escutcheon he 's obliged to go a By-way to work to use Cunning and Artifice in displaying his Merit to the Eyes of Mankind so as not to attract the Reproach of too great Vanity He dares not commend himself in plain Terms but hopes that by speaking of others he shall give an indirect Description of himself that by making a shew of Horrour and Detestation of an evil Action he shall testify how much his Vertue removes him from the like Fault And that the more he blames the Vices o◠others the greater Evidence will he give of his own Exemption from 'em and make People think him endu'd with the opposite Vertues A dull and unpolitick Self-love draws this Discourse saying As for my part tho' I have very great Defects yet may I boast that I have not This But an ingenious and prudent Self-love knows better how to manage its Modesty and many times hides its Contempt but much more the design it has in Contemning But besides this Interest of Pride which makes us delighted in despising other Men