Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

But man is much displeased with the directions of Conscience, as he is out of love with the accusations and condemning sentence of this officer of God: We cannot naturally endure any quick and lively practical thoughts of God and his Will, and distaste our own Consciences for putting us in mind of it: They therefore like not to retain God in their knowledge, ^*that is, God in their own Consciences; they would blow it out as it is the Candle of the Lord in them to direct them, and their acknowledgements of God, to secure themselves against the practice of its principles: They would stop all the avenues to any beam of light, and would not suffer a sparkle of Divine knowledge to flutter in their minds, in order to set up another directing rule suited to the fleshly appetite: And when they cannot stop the light of it from glaring in their faces, they rebel against it, and cannot endure to abide in its paths:^* He speaks not of those which had the written word, or special Revelations; but only a natural light or traditional, handed from Adam: Hence are all the endeavours to still it when it begins to speak, by some carnal pleasures; as Sauls evil Spirit with a fit of Music; or bribe it with some fits of a glavering devotion, when it holds the Law of God in its commanding Authority before the mind: They would wipe out all the impressions of it when it presses the advancement of God above self, and entertain ⟨p. 72⟩it with no better Complement, than Ahab did Elijah, hast thou found me O my Enemy?

But man is much displeased with the directions of Conscience, as he is out of love with the accusations and condemning sentence of this officer of God: We cannot naturally endure any quick and lively practical thoughts of God and his Will, and distast our own Consciences for putting us in mind of it: They therefore like not to retain God in their knowledge, ^*that is, God in their own Consciences; they would blow it out as it is the Candle of the Lord in them to direct them, and their acknowledgments of God, to secure themselves against the practice of its principles: They would stop all the avenues to any beam of light, and would not suffer a sparkle of Divine knowledge to flutter in their minds, in order to set up another directing rule suited to the fleshly appetite: And when they cannot stop the light of it from glaring in their faces, they rebel against it, and cannot endure to abide in its paths: