one member suffers, all the members suffer with it." And this law will
be more fully recognized, as self-love is educated--as men better
understand their own welfare, and choose with reference to the whole of
their nature, and the duration of their existence.

Self-love is a motive of the indifferent kind--not of itself
essentially good or bad. This appears from its being an essential part
of our nature. Indeed, we can hardly conceive it as within the
province of Omnipotence, to create a rational sentient being, who
should be indifferent to his own happiness.

The advantages accruing from an educated self-love are:

First, additional security, that the good work of charity be done; and
to all but the individual doer, it may matter little what be the
prompting motives.

Secondly, the expansion of yet nobler principles. Each act favors the
growth of the sentiments, of which it is the expression. So he who
does as benevolence bids, though from a motive secondary on the score
of purity, will be likely again to do the same from yet purer motives.
So at least if the essential principle be there, though appearing no
more vividly than as a cold sense of duty.

But, thirdly, self-love is made the rule and standard of charity: "Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." One must then first love himself,
in order to loving his neighbor. Keeping this rule, there is no danger
of loving thyself too well; rather, the more truly thou lovest thyself,
the more truly thou lovest thy neighbor.