72 MORAL CONDITION OF THE CHILD 



that is among you, not to think of himself more 

 highly than he ought to think; but so to think as 

 to think soberly, according as God has dealt to 

 each man a measure of faith." (Bom. 12:3.) 

 Here it is clear that Paul allows that one should 

 think "highly" of himself. Up to that point he 

 is virtuous ; but when he passes a certain point he 

 becomes vicious. 



Again, self-love is a fundamental virtue, fur- 

 nishing the fulcrum for all moral appeal, and 

 without it virtue would have no foundation in 

 human motive ; it would become a perfectly capri- 

 cious thing. The Bible from beginning to end is 

 full of appeals to this fundamental and normal 

 human element. It is represented as a motive in 

 the sacrificial career of Jesus Christ, "Who for 

 the joy that was set before Him endured the 

 cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the 

 right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12: 2.) 

 So that we think it is clear that self-love is a 

 fundamental excellence in human or even in di- 

 vine nature. But its exaggerated working is self- 

 ishness, in its manifold forms a sin so compre- 

 hensive that it has been estimated as the one cen- 

 tral principle of all sin. 



Recognizing this distinction between the legiti- 

 mate root-form of a principle, which is a virtue, 

 and the exaggerated form, which is a sin, are we 

 not able to see that here also is ground for a 

 struggle within the activities of the spirit itself, 

 similar to that which we have seen between the 



