their neighbours; and, in these things, they are seeking blessedness. And it is merely from seit-love, and for self-ends, they do any thing in religion; either they mean to be seen of men, or are moved from a slavish fear of hell and mercenary hope of heaven, or from some other selfish consideration.And, UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, we are naturally under the government of these dispositions. In prosperity, then, from an inclinatiou to love ourselves supremely, seek our own happiness ultimately, and delight in that which is not God wholly, it is our nature to rejoice and be glad: and, from the same inclination, we are disposed to mourn, and murmur, and be discontented under adversity. At the Red Sea it was natural for the Israelites to sing praises; at the bitter waters it was as natural to murmur. When we are pleased, then we are glad; when we are crossed, then we are sad; but, naturally: we do not care how it goes with God's interest in the world; what becomes of his great name, or whether his honour sinks or swims: no, there is but here and there a Moses that cares any thing about this; but, if they can have their own wills, and secure their own interests, they are content. While the Spirit of God lets sinners alone, and they live secure and unconcerned, then, from the aforesaid propensities, they are after the world; one after one thing, and another after another; and, although they may keep up a form of religion, for fashion sake, yet, really, they care nothing about God and things eternal. When they come to be awakened to a concern for their souls, though they reform their lives, and takevery different courses from what they used to do, yet still all is from the same principle, and for the same end. They have new lives, but the same nature: They do not really care for God or his glory, any more than they used to do, nor take any content in him; but are only after pardon of sin, and peace of conscience, which, according to their present sensations and apprehensions, they think would make them happy.Sinners do not really seek for blessedness in God himself, but in something they hope to receive from him. And hence, when awakened sinners come to get false comfort; think they are pardoned, and so have peace; or think that Christ loves them, and that they shall go to heaven, and so are filled with joy; as all their joy results from self-love merely, so all they rejoice in is what they think they have received, and what they hope yet to receive; but they do not really care for God himself, (whose glory they never saw,) any more than they used to do; nor rejoice in him: and hence, (ordinarily,) having their consciences quieted, they soon go back to the world again for real comfort and blessedness. Or if, after false comfort, they turn enthusiasts, and get to blazing, and wax hotter and hotter, and seem to be full of nothing but love to God, and zeal for his glory, it is visions and dreams, revelations and impulses, a firm persuasion they are the peculiar favourites of heaven, and the applause of their party, which they live upon and take comfort in, and by which they are animated; and . all from self-love, and for self-ends: but, in deed and in truth, they neither know God, nor regard him nor his glory, nor live upon him, nor delight in him, any more than they used to do: and thus, in all things, and under all circumstances, unregenerate men are governed by a disposition to love themselves supremely, live to themselves ultimately, and delight in that which is not God wholly. And whosoever is well acquainted with mankind may easily see that this is, in fact, the very case, and will naturally be led to make the same observation with the apostle Paul, in Phil. ii. 21. All seek their own, and not the things which are Jesus Christ's. And now this disposition, which is thus evidently natural to all mankind, is directly contrary to God's holy law, is exceeding sinful, and is the root of all wickedness. First, it is diametrically opposite to God's holy law: for this requires us to love God supremely, and seek his glory ultimately; in direct contrariety whereunto, we are naturally inclined to love ourselves supremely, and live to ourselves ultimately. Again, the law requires us to delight in God superlatively, and choose and live upon him as the only portion of our souls; in direct contrariety whereunto, we are naturally inclined to place our whole hearts upon other things, and live upon them, and take content in them. Finally, the law requires us to love our neighbour as ourselves, and do as we would be done by; in direct contrariety whereunto, we are naturally inclined to be inordinately selfish, and so not to do as we would be done by. And thus we are all naturally gone out of the way, and, in the temper of our own minds, become corrupt, filthy, and unprofitable, and there is none righteous; no, not one. Psalm xiv. Rom. iii. 10-19. We have lost the image of God; we have lost a right temper of mind; we have lost a governing sense of the moral fitness of things; have no eyes to see. moral beauty, or hearts to taste and relish the moral excellency of spiritual and divine things. 1 Cor. ii. 14. Hence in God we can see no form nor comeliness, nor in him at all delight; yea, it is natural for it to seem to us as if there was no God. Psalm xiv. 1. And now, as though in very deed there were no God for us to be in subjection unto, we set up for ourselves, to make our own interest our last end, and to seek blessedness, not in God, but in something else; and are naturally inclined, without any regard to God's law, to make our own wills our only rule; and now, having cast off the government of God, and forsaken the fountain of living waters, we go every one his way, one to his farm, another to his merchandize, all serving divers lusts and pleasures. So that it might justly be wondered at, how any among mankind should ever have it enter into their hearts, to imagine that we are not fallen creatures, universally depraved, when it is, so evidently, a plain matter of fact. I think it can be owing to nothing but men's ignorance of the law, in its spiritual nature, purity, strictness, and extent, and their not comparing themselves therewith: and indeed St. Paul tells us that this is the case; Rom. vii. 8. For without the Law sin was dead. For did men but rightly apprehend that God is such an one as the law speaks him to be, and that he requires us to be what really he does, they could not possibly but see their native contrariety to God and his holy law. The Israelites of old felt their contrariety to to their prophets, and they hated them, and put them to death; and the Pharisees felt their contrariety to Christ and his apostles, and hated them, and put them to death; for they perceived what their prophets, and what Christ and his apostles, were driving at: but yet, all the while, they imagined they loved God, and loved his law, because they neither knew God, nor understood his law: and even so it is at this day: If an Arminian, or Pelagian, (for, after all their pretences, they are, by nature, just like the rest of mankind,) did but verily believe God just such an one as the godly man, in fact, sees him to be, he would feel as great a contrariety to him, and enmity against him, as any Calvanist ever supposed there was in natural men. They frame a false image of God in their own fancies, to suit the vitiated taste of their corrupt hearts, and then cry, We are not enemies to God; no, but it is natural for us to love him: when all the while their native aversion to God will not so much as suffer them to believe that there is any such Being as really he is. But, to proceed, The aforesaid disposition, and bent of heart, which is thus directly contrary to the law, is exceedingly sinful. For while we love ourselves supremely, and live to ourselves ultimately, we do really, in our hearts, and by our practice, prefer ourselves above God, as if we were more excellent and worthy: in which we cast infinite contempt on the Lord of glory, inasmuch as all the nations are, in his sight, but as a drop of the bucket, and small dust of the balance, and we compared with him, are less than nothing, and vanity. He is of infinite majesty, greatness, glory, and excellency, and all heaven adore him in the most humble prostrations; and yet we, mean worms of the dust, yea, vile worms of the dust, that deserve every moment to be spurned to hell, even we esteem and love ourselves more than we do him, and are more concerned for our interest than for his honour; yea, care not at all for him, or his honour, nor would ever so much as pretend to it, if not excited thereto from the expectation of self-advantage: and that, even although we receive life and breath, and all things from him, and his right to us is original, underived, perfect, and entire. Surely this is infinite wickedness! and besides in being and doing so, we affront his sacred authority, whereby, as Governor of the world, he commands us to love him with all our hearts. And further, while we are inclined to take our whole delight in that which is not God; to forsake him, the fountain of living waters, the ocean of all good, and seek comfort and content elsewhere; we hereby prefer the world above God, prefer our wives and children; our houses, and lands, and pleasures, above God-or, at best, we prefer (an imaginary) heaven above God: to do either of which, casts infinite contempt upon the Lord of glory; the delight of angels; the joy of the heavenly world. The Psalmist said, Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides thee. Psalm lxxiii. 25. And well might he say so: but to be inclined, when we are secure in sin, and not terrified with hell, to love and desire any thing upon earth more than God; and, when under terrors and fearful expectations of wrath, to desire pardon, peace, and (an imaginary,) heaven, and any thing to make us happy, but God himself, is surely infinitely vile. We do hereby prefer that which is not God, above God himself, as if it was really of more worth; and so cast infinite contempt upon the ocean of blessedness, and fountain of all good. And besides, in this, as well as the former particular, we go directly contrary to the express command of the great governor of the whole world. Finally, to be disposed to an inordinate, (and so to a groundless,) self-love, and to be swallowed up in selfish views and designs, instead of a tender love, and cordial benevolence to all our fellow-men, loving them as ourselves, is evidently contrary to all the reason and nature of things, and to the express command of God, which is infinitely binding; and so this also is infinitely sinful. And thus these, our native propensities, are directly contrary to the holy law of God, and exceedingly sinful. But here it may be inquired: "If a disposition to love ourselves supremely, live to ourselves ultimately, and to delight in that which is not God wholly, be so exceedingly sinful, whence is it that men's consciences do not any more accuse and condemn them therefor?" To which the answer is plain and easy; for this is evidently owing to their intolerably mean thoughts of God. Mal. i. 6, 7, 8. A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master : If, then, I be a father, where is mine hinour? And if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name: and ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; (and so ye despise me :) and (yet) ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? (1 answer,) In that (in doing so) ye (practically) say, the table of the Lord is |