The divine life in three treatises

6. Yea they do let loose the soul to sin, and take off all effectual restraint. If there be no Eternal end, and no Reward or Punishment but here, what can effectually hinder the men of this opinion from stealing, whoredom, or any villainy when it may be done with secrecy? what should hinder the revengeful man from poisoning or secret murdering his enemy, or setting his house on fire in the night? If I know a man or woman that believes no life to come, I take it for granted they are revengeful, thieves, deceivers, fornicators, or any thing that is bad, if they have but temptation and secret opportunity. For what hath he to seek but the pleasing of his flesh, that thinks he hath no God to seek or please, or no future reward or punishment to expect? He that confesseth himself an Infidel, to me, doth confess himself to be in all things else as bad as ever he can or dare. Honesty is renounced by that man or woman that profess themselves to be Atheists or Infidels: Methinks in congruency with their profession they should take it for a wrong to be called or reputed honest! If you tell me that Heathens had a kind of Honesty; I must tell you again that most Heathens believed the Immortality of the soul, and that kind of seeming Honesty which they had was only in those of them that thus expected a life to come. But those that believe not another life where man is to have his punishment and reward, have nothing like to Honesty in them, but live like greedy ravenous beasts, where they are from under the Laws and Government of them that look for another life. The Cannibals that eat mens flesh, and some such savages as they, are the Nations that expect no life but this. It is believed so commonly by all the civil Infidels and Turks, as shows it to be a principle that nature doth reveal.

6. Yea they do let loose the soul to sin, and take off all essectual restraint. If there be no Eternal end, and no Reward or Punishment but here, what can effectually hinder the men of this opinion from stealing, whoredome, or any villany when it may be done with secrecy? what should hinder the revengeful man from poisoning or secret murdering his enemy, or setting his house on fire in the night? If I know a man or woman that believes no life to come, I take it for granted they are revengeful, thieves, deceivers, fornicators, or any thing that is bad, if they have but temptation and secret opportunity. For what hath he to seek but the pleasing of his flesh, that thinks he hath no God to seek or please, or no future reward or punishment to expect? He that confesseth himself an Infidel, to me, doth confess himself to be in all things else as bad as ever he can or dare. Honesty is renounced by that man or woman that profess themselves to be Atheists or Infidels: Methinks in congruency with their profession they should take it for a wrong to be called or reputed honest! If you tell me that Heathens had a kind of Honesty; I must tell you again that most Heathens believed the Immortality of the soul, and that kind of seeming Honesty which they had was only in those of them that thus expected a life to come. But those that believe not another life where man is to have his punishment and reward, have nothing like to Honesty in them, but live like greedy ravenous beasts, where they are from under the Laws and Government of them that look for another life. The Cannibals that eat mens flesh, and some such savages as they, are the Nations that expect no life but this. It is believed so commonly by all the civil Infidels and Turks, as shews it to be a principle that nature doth reveal.