PART III. of`gz°acrous i4febiioras. g 3 5 This to be fo agreeable to him, that he efteems it his highefl Hap- pirefs'to_;glorify God, &e. ? Is not this the Fruit of Love ? A Man muff firft love God, or have his Heart united to him, before he will efleem God's Good his own, and before he will defire the glorifying and enjoying of God, as his Happinefs. 'Tis not ftrong arguing, that becaufe after a Man has his Heart united to God in Love, as a Fruit of this, he defires his Glory and Enjoyment as his own Happinefs, that therefore a Refire of this Happinefs of his own, muff needs be the Caufe and Foundationof his Love : Unlefs it be ftrong arguing, that becaufe a Father begat a Son, that therefore his Son certainly begat him. If after a Man loves God, and has his Heart fo united tohim, as to look upon God as his chief Good, and on God's Good as his own, it will be a Confequence and Fruit of this, that even Self-love, or love to his own Happinefs, will caufe him to defire the glorifying and enjoying of God ; it will not thence follow, that this very Exercife of Self-love, went before his Love to God, and that his Love to God was a Confequence and Fruit ofthat. Something elfe, entirely diftindt from Self-love might be the Caufe of this, viz. A Change made in the Views of his Mind, and Relifh of his Heart ; whereby he appre- hends a Beauty, Glory, and fupream Good, in God's Nature, as it is in it Pelf. This may be theThing that firft draws hisHeart to him, and caufes his Heart to be united to him, prior to all Confiderations of his own Intereft or Happinefs, altho' after this, and as a Fruit of this, he neceffarily feeks his Intereft and Happinefs in God. There is fuch a Thing, as a Kind of Love or Affe&lion, that a Man may have towards Perfons or Things, which does properly arife from Self-love ; a preconceived Relation to himfelf, or fome Refpedt already manifefted by another to him, or fome Benefit already recei- ved or depended on, is truly the fill Foundation of his Love, and what his Afl-eftion does wholly arife from ; and is what preceedes any Re- lish of, or Delight in the Nature and Qualities inherent in the Being beloved, as beautiful and amiable. When the firft Thing that draws a Man's Benevolence to another, is the beholding thofe Qualifications and Properties in him, which appear to him lovely in themfelves, and the Subjedt of them, on this Account, worthy of Efteem and Good- will, Love arifes in a very different Manner, than when it first arifes from fome Gift bestowed by another, or depended on from him, as a Judge loves and favours a Man that has bribed him ; or from the Relation he fuppofes another has to him, as a Man who loves another hecaufe he looks upon him as his Child. WhenLove to another a- rifes thus, it does truly and -properly arife from Self-love. That Kind of Affedtion to God or Jefus Chrift, which does thus properly arife from Self-love, cannot be a truly gracious and fpiri- tual Love ; as appears from what has been faid already : For Self- love is a Principle entirely natural, and as much in the Hearts of De- K 4 vils
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