REASON IV from inconveniences of the contrary; Wisdom 2; VI use of these reasons
IV. From the chief inconveniences of the contrary opinion. For if the sentence on the immortality of souls is taken away from human minds, and the contrary persuasion of their destruction is put in its place, there is also taken away and overturned not only all worship of deity and religion, but whatever there is among men of integrity, virtue, justice, and honesty; and from the opposite side is introduced and confirmed the pursuit of the body's delights and pleasures, and a life wholly given to filling carnal desires, and placing the highest good in such enjoyments and delights. For if the soul is of the same nature and condition with flesh or body, why should it pursue anything other than what is pleasing to flesh and body? And if nothing of man remains after the destruction of the flesh, and he lasts only so long as his flesh, why should he not have care of his flesh alone, that by its benefit he may survive as long as possible? Why should he ever discomfort or oppose his flesh? Why look to anything but what is present, and by which the body may be well and kept stuffed and covered?
That these inconveniences necessarily follow the denied immortality of souls has been observed in Wisdom 2, where at verse 1 the wicked first deny and mock it; then, this hypothesis made, they plunge themselves wholly into pleasures (verses 6 and following); third the wise man adds how, that they may have whence to care for their skin and live genially, they spoil and afflict others, and serving their affections define by their power what is lawful and honest (verses 10, 11 and following); fourth the wise man concludes at verse 21 that these have erred in judgment.
VI. THE USE of these reasons is: 1. that we presuppose them in our theology; 2. that we have them ready, so that when need arises we may turn them against those who do not receive the Scriptures.
Latin
IV. A contrariae opinionis praecipuis incommodis. Si enim tollatur e mentibus humanis sententia de animarum immortalitate, & ponatur contraria de interitu earum persuasio, tollitur quoque & evertitur non tantum omnis numinis cultus & religio, sed quicquid est inter homines probitatis, virtutis, justitiae & honestatis; introducitur ex adverso & confirmatur studium deliciarum & voluptatum corporis, vitaque, quae tota explendis carnalibus desideriis dedita sit, & in ejusmodi jucunditatibus & delectationibus summum bonum collocet. Si enim anima ejusdem est naturae & conditionis cum carne seu corpore, cur alia, quam quae carni & corpori grata fuerint, sectetur? Et si nihil hominis post interitum carnis superest, & tanto duntaxat tempore durat, quanto sua caro, cur non carnis suae curam unice habeat, ut ejus beneficio, quam fieri potest diutissime supersit? Cur unquam carni suae aegre faciat aut adversaretur? Cur alia spectet, quam quae praesentia, & per quae corpus bene habeat & fartum tectumque praestetur? Haec incommoda negatam animarum immortalitatem necessario consequi animadversum est Sapient. 2, ubi v.1. improbi eam primo negant ac rident, deinde hac hypothesi facta, voluptatibus se totos immergunt, v.6. seqq. tertio addit sapiens, quomodo ut habeant, unde cuticulam curent & genialiter vivant, alios spolient & affligant, suisque affectibus inservientes potentia sua licitium & honestum definiant, v.10.11. seqq. quarto concludit sapiens v.21. hos judicio erravisse. VI. USUS harum rationum est, 1. ut eas in Theologia nostra praesupponamus. 2. ut in promptu habeamus, ut, cum opus fuerit, in eos, qui scripturas non recipiunt, torquere possimus.