It is mercenary, they say, to give God thanks for His gifts. We should not think upon the gifts, but only upon the pure, holy greatness of His nature. This kind of thinking may sound spiritual, but it is perverse. It reflects the Greek philosophical spirit that attempts to penetrate the very mind of God. Ages to be the hight of Christian spirituality.
Modern pagans reflect the same attitude.
The outrageous pride expressed here is not peculiar to Hegel, it is, rather, typical of non-Christians philosophy. This does not mean, by the way, that we ought to imitate a different kind of paganism and only thank God when He does what we wish. But we must also praise Him for His attributes and character. For us, His nature and His works can never be separated because His works are revelation. David, for example, frequently praises God for His nature, but it is always His nature as revealed in His works.