Building a Godly Home, Volume 1: A Holy Vision for Family Life by William Gouge

Author:William Gouge [Gouge, William]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Published: 2013-02-19T05:00:00+00:00

Natural Self-Love

Objection: Lovers of themselves are condemned in God’s Word as 2 Timothy 3:2, Philippians 2:21, 1 Corinthians 10:24, and Romans 15:1 show.

Answer: There is a double loving of a man’s self, one good and commendable, the other evil and damnable. Good and commendable loving of a man’s self is both natural and spiritual. That which is natural is in all by the very instinct of nature, and it was at first created, and still is by God’s providence preserved in our nature for the purpose of the preservation of nature. Were there not such a natural love of himself in every one, man would be as careless of himself as of others, and as slow to care for himself as for others. In order that every one might care about at least one, even himself, and so better preserve the world, God has reserved in man this natural affection, despite his corruption by sin.

Furthermore, because everyone is not able to look to himself, at least when he is young, sick, old, or any other way incapable, God by His wise providence has extended this natural affection towards others also as they are nearly linked to us by the bonds of nature. The closest to a man’s self are children (by blood and bond of nature). Parents do an admirable amount of work for their children, which they would never do if there were not a natural affection in them to their children. From children again this affection arises towards their parents, that when parents grow old, weak, or any way unable to help themselves, they might have assistance from their children.

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