Quer. 16. And I would know, Whether you pretend to any honesty and Conscience, or not? If not, you will give us leave to judge of you, and trust you accordingly. If you do, then upon what ground is it possible for you to be honest? If you believe no life to come, you must take your pleasure here on earth for your chiefest happiness: and you cannot believe any proper Government of the world by the Laws, Rewards, and punishment, sufficient to restrain men from their sin. Virtue can be ⟨p. 149⟩no Virtue, if God no more regard it; and sin is no sin, if against no Law. Indeed while you live among Believers, where vice is in disgrace, you may for your credit seem to be virtuous: But your Profession alloweth us to judge that you avoid no evil that you dare commit, if it do but suit with your fleshly interest. He that believeth no Life to come, and tells me so, doth bid me, in effect, to suppose him resolved for all the wickedness imaginable, so far as he dare, and hath temptations and opportunity. Are you of this Brutish judgement! I shall expect from you then no better then a brutish life: and trust you less then I would do a brute, because you have more interest and temptation to do evil, and more cunning to perform it. Are you Brutists in opinion? Then you are already habitually perfidious, cruel, covetous, malicious, murderers, whoremongers, thieves, liars, and worse, if any thing be worse! For honest you cannot for shame expect that any should esteem you. I will not believe a word you say, further then some interest of your own is concerned in the truth of it.
Quer. 16. And I would know, Whether you pretend to any honesty and Conscience, or not? If not, you will give us leave to judge of you, and trust you accordingly. If you do, then upon what ground is it possible for you to be honest? If you believe no life to come, you must take your pleasure here on earth for your chiefest happiness: and you cannot believe any proper Government of the world by the Laws, Rewards, and punishment, sufficient to restrain men from their sin. Vertue can be ⟨p. 149⟩no Vertue, if God no more regard it; and sin is no sin, if against no Law. Indeed while you live among Believers, where vice is in disgrace, you may for your credit seem to be vertuous: But your Profession alloweth us to judge that you avoid no evil that you dare commit, if it do but suit with your fleshly interest. He that believeth no Life to come, and tells me so, doth bid me, in effect, to suppose him resolved for all the wickedness imaginable, so far as he dare, and hath temptations and opportunity. Are you of this Brutish judgement! I shall expect from you then no better then a brutish life: and trust you less then I would do a brute, because you have more interest and temptation to do evil, and more cunning to perform it. Are you Brutists in opinion? Then you are already habitually perfidious, cruel, covetous, malicious, murderers, whoremongers, thieves, lyars, and worse, if any thing be worse! For honest you cannot for shame expect that any should esteem you. I will not believe a word you say, further then some interest of your own is concerned in the truth of it.