There is an excellent Smartness of Wit in this 439th Page of yours. But you may difcern, by what I have taken the Boldnefs to hint to you, that the Paffages may prove more or lefs Sound, according to the Senfe that is put upon the Words; Which I being lefs Certain of, has made me adventure to give you this Trouble of reading this Letter. But confidering how full of Business you are, I would by no means oblige you to give Yourself the Trouble of an Answer, till you can do it with the best Leifure and Eafe. In the mean time, Committing You and your Studies to the Bleffing of God Almighty, I abruptly take leave, and rest,

Dear Sir,

Your Affectionate Friend

To ferve you,

HEN: MORE.

LET

I

SIR,

LETTER IV.

The First Let- Did not think I fhould have had Occater concerning fion to renew my Thanks to you, for Self-Love: your Book you ordered Mr. Kettilby to fend; Written to a whom I then defired to return my Thanks. late Learned But a Friend of ours advertising me from Author. you, that you defired to hear from me, touching my Dislike of a Paffage in your Book, which refolves all Love into Self-love, that to God not excepted; I take this Oc cafion to repeat my Thanks to you for it, as it deferves: For I have not met with many Books fo acutely, handsomely, and pertinently writ for the Main, as this.

That which most startled me, was concerning Self love, pag. 420. where you exprefly declare, That Self-love (or Love of our felves) is the very Prinoiple of all Love, whether to God, or any Others: Which I confefs (as I told a Friend, who was Curious to have my Judgment of your Book) is moft Diametrically Oppofite to my Senfe and Reafon And I have fo good an Opinion of your felf, that I think you did not confult over-heedfully the Sentiments of your own Mind, when you wrote this Page, if I have a right Notion of Love in this Cafe I mean, when we apply it to God. For Î make account we do not love God (if we love Him as we ought) as we love our Horfe or House, for the Utility of them;

they both being fo Profitable to us': But we love God as an Amiable and Lovely Object, by reason of the Pulchritude of his Perfections, and tranfcendent Benignity of his Nature; Who himself is that Free, Ef fential,Un-felf-interested Love, which we may be fure He is, all the Bounty he bestows on the Creature contributing nothing to his Happiness; and whom, I conceive, we may report, not to love himself as himself, but as he is that Abfolute, Perfect, Free Benignity and Goodness. This is the Life of God, which we are most concerned to have reprefented to us: By breathing after which, we become at laft Partakers of the Divine Nature. But whatfover is refolvible into Self-love, is of the Animal Nature, and not of God. These two Principles are, I conceive, in the Regenerate as Diftinguishable as Light and Darkness, Sweet and Soure, Strait and Crooked to the Natural Senfe: And the Root of the one, is in the Spirit of God; and the Root of the other,in the Spirit of this World that rules in the Unregenerate.

But to confider your Affertion more prefly and closely; That Self-love is the very Principle of all Love, even of that to God himfelf: This makes our Love to God lefs Noble than that Love in the Friendship of Virtuous Men; who love one another without any respect to Utility, but only upon the Account of the Loveliness of their Virtues; which even the very Heathen have profeffed. And for out Love to God, give me leave to put a Cafe to your own Senfe, or Confcience: Suppofe God fhould damn $ all

all the World refolvedly, bút as refolvedly fave you; How would you find your felf affected towards Him? (Where SelfLove is gratify'd to the purpose.) How Lovely, Amiable, and Benign would God appear to you then? Would your Love and Devotion be the fame to Him, as if he had done like an Infinite good God, and extended his Goodness to all that made not themfelves unfit Objects of it by their obftinate Perversenefs? Whatever more Love then and Devotion, would appear in this latter Cafe than in the former, cannot be attributed to Self-love; but to a better and nobler Principle. So that all Love is not refolvible into Self-love: But there is a Love of God for his Loveliness in himself, and univerfal Beneficence to the whole Creation; of which every particular Soul is fo fmall a Part, that it is not only lefs Pious, but feems even Ridiculous, that the Respect to it felf fhould be the fole Bottom of that Love and Devotion it is to exert towards God. It feems as unnatural and forced a Conceit, to found all that Love we owe to God and the whole Creation upon Self-love, or to resolve it thereinto, as to attempt to cram the whole Bulk of the Univerfe into the Eye of a Needle.

Moreover; As the Object of the Intellect is that which is fimply true; and is affented to as fuch, and not as true to this particular Intellect that contemplates it (For this is not the Senfe of fuch an Affent; but that it is fimply and abfolutely true, and cannot

but

but appear fo to all Intellects that are fitted to contemplate it) So there is an Object that is fimply good and lovely, and to be loved as fuch, without Regard to the Party that thus loves it; but ought to be loved of all, without Regard to themfelves, but upon the Account that it is fo univerfally Good. Infomuch that if God fhould love all Intellectual Beings, except one that were at the fame time to be Damned, for his excessive and unparallell'd Wickedness, and Contumacy against God; it were yet an Immenfe Specimen of his Goodness: And he were Infinitely Good; and were fo to be acknowledged, even by that Intellectual Creature that was to be Damned; and ought to be loved by it (though this wicked funk Condition makes it uncapable of fo fit a Duty) as well as a true Propofition is to be affented to by him, whofe Dif-intereft it were that it fhould be found true. And a Man may as well fay, that there is no Reason but what arifes from felf-interested UnderStanding, as no Love but what arifes from Self-love. There is that which is abfolutely lovely, and to which Love, without any Selfregard, is due ; as well as there is that which is abfolutely true, and which every UnderStanding ought to fubfcribe to, if not fome Default in it felf hinder.

And that Things and Perfons are lovely without Confideration to our own Utility, methinks is further Evident, from that Pleasure and Content we take in the HiLory of Worthy Perfons, and their excellent

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