Chap. XII.—Of Religion and the Fear of God.

Now, since we have replied to the impious and detestable wisdom,83    Prudentiæ; reading to “imprudentiæ.”   or rather senselessness of some, let us return to our proposed subject. We have said that, if religion is taken away, neither wisdom nor justice can be retained: wisdom, because the understanding of the divine nature, in which we differ from the brutes, is found in man alone; justice, because unless God, who cannot be deceived, shall restrain our desires, we shall live wickedly and impiously. Therefore, that our actions should be viewed by God, pertains not only to the usefulness of common life, but even to the truth; because, if religion and justice are taken away, having lost our reason, we either descend to the senselessness84    Stultitiam.   of the herds; or to the savageness of the beasts, yea, even more so, since the beasts spare animals of their own kind. What will be more savage, what more unmerciful, than man, if, the fear of a superior being taken away, he shall be able either to escape the notice of or to despise the might of the laws? It is therefore the fear of God alone which guards the mutual society of men, by which life itself is sustained, protected, and governed. But that fear is taken away if man is persuaded that God is without anger; for that He is moved and indignant when unjust actions are done, not only the common advantage, but even reason itself, and truth, persuade us. We must again return to the former subjects, that, as we have taught that the world was made by God, we may teach why it was made.  

0114A CAPUT XII. De religione et Dei timore.

Nunc quoniam respondimus impiae quorumdam detestabilique prudentiae, vel potius amentiae, redeamus ad propositum. Diximus, religione sublata, nec sapientiam teneri posse, nec justitiam; quia sapientia divinitatis intellectus est, quo differimus a belluis: in homine solo reperiri justitiam, qua nisi cupiditates nostras Deus, qui falli non potest, coercuerit, scelerate impieque vivemus. Spectari ergo actus nostros a Deo, non modo ad utilitatem communis vitae attinet, sed etiam ad veritatem; quia religione justitiaque detracta, vel ad stultitiam pecudum amissa ratione devolvimur, vel ad bestiarum immanitatem: imo vero amplius; siquidem bestiae 0114B sui generis animalibus parcunt. Quid erit homine truculentius, quid immitius, si dempto metu superiore, vim legum aut fallere potuerit, aut contemnere? Timor igitur Dei solus est, qui custodit hominum inter se societatem, per quem vita ipsa sustinetur, 0115A munitur, gubernatur. Is autem timor auferetur, si fuerit homini persuasum, quod irae sit expers Deus; quem moveri et indignari, cum injusta fiunt, non modo communis utilitas, sed etiam ratio ipsa nobis et veritas persuadet. Rursus nobis ad superiora redeundum est, ut quia docuimus a Deo factum esse mundum, doceamus quare sit effectus.