Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

3. When men cannot shake off the Notices of the Will and Mind of God, they have no pleasure in the consideration of them. Which could not possibly be, if there were a real and fixed design to own the Mind and Law of God as our Rule: Subjects or Servants that love to obey their Prince and Master, will delight to read and execute their Orders. The Devils understand the Law of God in their minds, but they loath the impressions of it upon their Wills: Those miserable Spirits are bound in Chains of Darkness, evil Habits in their Wills, that they have not a thought of obeying that Law they know. It was an unclean Beast under the Law, that did not chew the Cud: 'Tis a corrupt Heart, that doth not chew Truth by Meditation. A natural man is said not to know God, or the things of God; he may know them notionally, but he knows them not affectionately. A sensual Soul can have no delight in a spiritual Law. To be sensual and not to have the Spirit are inseparable. Jude 19.

Natural Men may indeed meditate upon the Law and Truth of God, but without delight in it; if they take any pleasure in it, 'tis only as 'tis knowledge, not as it is a Rule; for we delight in nothing that we desire, but upon the same account that we desire it. Natural Men desire to know God and some part of his Will and Law, not out of a sense of their practical excellency, but a natural thirst after knowledge: and if they have a delight, 'tis in the act of knowing, not in the Object known, not in the Duties that stream from that Knowledge; they design the furnishing their Understandings, not the quickening their Affections; like idle Boys that strike Fire, not to warm themselves by the heat, but sport themselves with the Sparks; Whereas a gracious Soul accounts not only his Meditation, or the Operations of his Soul about God and his Will to be sweet, but he hath a joy in the object of that Meditation.^* Many have the knowledge of God, who have no delight in Him or his Will. Owls have Eyes to perceive that there is a Sun, but by reason of the weakness of their sight have no pleasure to look upon a Beam of it: So neither can a man by Nature love, or delight in the Will of God, because of his natural corruption: That Law that riseth up in men for Conviction and Instruction,