Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

4. It is necessary to depress that secret Atheism which is in the heart of every man by nature. Though every visible object which offers it self to our sense, presents a Deity to our minds, and exhorts us to subscribe to the truth of it, yet there is a Root of Atheism springing up sometimes in wavering thoughts, and foolish imaginations, inordinate actions, and secret wishes. Certain it is, that every man that doth not love God, denies God; now can he that disaffects him, and hath a slavish fear of him, wish his Existence, and say to his own heart with any cheerfulness, there is a God, and make it his chief care to persuade himself of it? he would persuade himself there is no God, and stifle the seeds of it in his Reason and Conscience, that he might have the greatest liberty to entertain the allurements of the Flesh.

4. It is necessary to depress that secret Atheism which is in the heart of every man by nature. Though every visible object which offers it self to our sense, presents a Deity to our minds, and exhorts us to subscribe to the truth of it, yet there is a Root of Atheism springing up sometimes in wavering thoughts, and foolish imaginations, inordinate actions, and secret wishes. Certain it is, that every man that doth not love God, denyes God; now can he that disaffects him, and hath a slavish fear of him, wish his Existence, and say to his own heart with any chearfulness, there is a God, and make it his cheif care to perswade himself of it? he would perswade himself there is no God, and stifle the seeds of it in his Reason and Conscience, that he might have the greatest liberty to intertain the allurements of the Flesh.

'Tis necessary to Excite men to daily and actual considerations of God and his nature, which would be a bar to much of that wickedness which overflows in the lives of men.