PART III. of gracious Apaions. r37 of divine Good, where it touches them, and reaches their Inte- refi ; and have no Refpeet to that infinite Glory of God's Na- ture, which is the original Good, and the true Fountain of all Good, the fit-it Fountain of all Lovelinefs of every Kind, and fo the firft Foundation of all true Love. A natural Principle of Self-love may be the Foundation of great Affections towards God and Chrifi, without feeing any Thing of the Beauty &Glory of the divineNature. There is a certain Gratitude that is a meer natural Thing. Gratitude is one of the natural Afeecions of the Soul of Man, as well as Anger ; and there is a Gratitude that arifes from Self-love, very much in the fame Manner that Anger does. Anger in Men is an Afedion excited agair another, or in Oppofition to another, for fomething in him that croffes Self-love : Gratitude is an Affection one has towards another, for loving him, or gratifying him, or for fome- thing in him that fuits Self-love. And there may be a Kind of Gratitude, without any true or proper Love ; as there may be Anger without any proper Hatred, as in Parents towards their Children, that they may be angry with, and yet at the fame Time have a ftrong habitual Love to them. This Gratitude is the Principle which is in exercife in wicked Men, in that which Chriff declares concerning them, in the 6th- of Luke, where he fays, Sinners love thole that love them ; and which he declares con- cerning even the Publicans, who were fome of the molt carnal and profligate Sort of Men, Mlatth. 5. 46. This is the very Principle that is wrought upon by Bribery, in unjufi Judges ; and it is a Principle that even the brute Beafts do exercife : A Dog will love his Mafter that is kind to him. And we fee in innumerable In- fiances, that meer Nature is fufficient to excite Gratitude in Men, or to affect their Hearts with Thankfulness to others for Kindneffes received ; and fometimes towards them, whom at the fame Time they have an habitual Enmity againft. Thus Saul was once and a- gain greatly affected, and even diflblved with Gratitude towards David, for fearing his Life ; and yet remained an habitual Enemy to him. And as Men, from meer Nature, may be thus affedled towards Men ; fo they may towards God. There is nothing hin- ders, but that the fame Self-love may work after the fame Manner towards God, as towards Men. And we have manifeft Inftances of it in Scripture ; as indeed the Children of Ifrael, who fang God's Praifes at the Red Sea, but loonforgat God's Works ; and in Na- aman the Syrian, who was greatly affected with the miraculous Cure of his Leprofy, fo as to have his Heart engaged thencefor- ward to worship the God that had heal'd him, and him only, ex- cepting when it would expofe him to be ruin'd in his temporal In- tereft. So was Nebuchadnexzer greatly affected with God's Good- nee
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