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which are opposed to it. It is the will or heart of man which is depraved. Accordingly Christ does not condemn sinners because they are destitute of natural ability to come to him; but because they refuse: therefore he says, "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life." Sinners are able to do their duty, but not willing. For God requires no natural impossibilities.

Having premised these observations, which, according to the obvious style of scripture, confine all moral exercises to the heart, or make the heart the only source of moral actions, we are prepared to say that, The total depravity of man consists in his heart being wholly selfish, or wholly under the influence of self-love.

To support this definition, it is only necessary to ascertain the nature of self-love, or selfishness; and to shew that self-love is the source, or sum of all wickedness.

As some authors use self-love in a good sense, though the genius of language makes no difference between self-love and selfishness, it must be carefully explained.

1. SELF-LOVE is not a mere love of happiness and aversion from pain and misery. For this, as before observed, is common to mere animals as well as to men; and is not of the moral kind. To support a favourite theory, some writers have pleaded, that because men are made capable of pleasure and pain, that mere desires to enjoy the one and escape the other are morally good. But, with equal pertinency they may plead that feeling warm in summer

and cold in winter is moral goodness. For the principle is the same. But, as a man is neither better nor worse in a moral light, only because he feels warm or cold; so he is neither worthy of praise nor blame, merely because he desires happiness and dreads misery. For, all desires of this nature are natural and not moral. If the conclusion therefore be necessary, self-love is not a man's loving what he loves. For all beings, rational and irrational, good, and bad, love what they love; and not what they hate.

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2. SELF-LOVE does not consist in a man's regarding his present and future happiness according to his value in the scale of Being. For this is the criterion of disinterested love. cordingly Christ says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself." Men are required to love God with all the heart, because he is infinitely great and excellent; they are required to love their own souls because they are precious: and they are required to love their neighbours as themselves, because their souls are equally precious. God requires no man to love himself as himself, with a separate private affection. For all love of this nature is nothing but selfishness. Since therefore, there is no possible medium between private affection and public affection; or between selfish and disinterested exercises, any more than there is between motion and rest, love and hatred, it is obvious that the love which God requires a man to have for himself is of the disinterested kind. Who can describe an

object which is neither small nor great? Or a distance which is neither short nor long? And who can describe the love which a man has for himself, if it is neither selfish nor disinterested? But enough has been said to shew that the love which a man is required to have for himself, is disinterested love. For, how can a man love his neighbour as himself and not love himself as his neighbour? And, how can he possibly treat himself as his neighbour and his neighbour as himself, and not be truly disinterested? For the nature of disinterested love is, to love without partiality. To call that love, therefore, which a man is required to have for himself, self-love, is departing from the propriety of language. It is just as proper to say, that the love which the command requires us to entertain for God, is self-love, as to say that the love which the command requires us to entertain for ourselves, is self-love. For the second command is like the first. Obedience therefore to the second command, is of the same nature with obedience to the first. But who will plead that loving God with all the heart, is self-love? And who may say that the love, which a man is required to entertain for himself, is self-love? For the Apostle not only says, love is the fulfilling of the law; but he says, "She seeketh not her own :" And in addition to this he says, "Let no man seek his own." If then self-love does not consist in merely desiring happiness, nor dreading misery, nor in loving ourselves according to our value in the scale of being, it is evident that self-love is an

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ultimate and chief regard to one's own private personal happiness. That man who loves his own happiness merely, because it is his own, or more than he loves God and his fellow-creatures, is a self-lover; and a self-idolater. For he is required to love God supremely, and his neighbour as himself.*

Having defined self-love or selfishness, nothing farther is necessary to explain the doctrine of total depravity, but to prove that selflove is the sum or essence of all iniquity. And as this is the hinge on which the weight of the controversy turns respecting the nature of duty, I hope to present the arguments with perspicuity and precision.

1. That sin consists in self-love is evident from this consideration, that it is impossible for it to consist in any thing else. Sin, every one grants, whatever be the nature of it, is inseparable from volition. It is a wrong choice or volition. When a man sins, he chooses somewhat that is forbidden by God. But instead

*To the liberal gentlemen who entirely discard the doctrine of disinterested love, we have only to reply as follows. 1. If they mean that there is no disinterested love in their own breasts, we rather believe that they speak the truth. 2. If they mean that the phrase "disinterested love" is improper, we refer them to the most celebrated dictionaries and authors in the English language. 3. If they mean the Bible disapproves the doctrine, we make our appeal to that charity which seeketh not her own, to that wisdom which is without partiality, and to that command which requires a man to deny himself and to love God with all his heart. For, is it possible for a man to love God with all his heart and to love himself and his neighbour impartially, or without seeking his own, and not to be disinterested?

of being forbidden, we are commanded to seek impartially the glory of God and the highest happiness of all men, not excepting ourselves. It is hence evident that sin consists in one's choosing or seeking his own separate or private happiness. For, between a man's choosing to gratify himself privately, and choosing the good of others, there is no moral medium: For, private interest and public interest are the only moral interests in the universe. Accordingly says Christ, "He that is not with me is against me." If then sin be voluntary; and if there be no interest but that which is public and that which is private, the argument is conclusive, that sin is nothing but self-love in some shape or other; for it cannot possibly be any thing else.

2. That all sin consists in self-love, is evident from this consideration, that self-love is the only exercise which is hostile to disinterested love. As disinterested love, therefore, is holiness, self-love is sin. For holiness and sin are opposites, and the only moral opposites in the universe. This argument will bear examination, if holiness and sin are opposite volitions; and if holiness be disinterested love. But, that holiness and sin are opposites, no one disputes: and that holiness is disinterested or impartial love, is easily proved. For,

1. Christ, in teaching men to be holy, taught them to act upon disinterested principles. For, how can a man forsake his honour, pleasures, riches and friends, and all that he hath and carry his cross after Christ, without being disin

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