The System of Nature, or, the Laws of the Moral and Physical World. Volume 1Holbach, Paul Henri Thiry, baron d'
Religion
The System of Nature, or, the Laws of the Moral and Physical World. Volume 1
Holbach, Paul Henri Thiry, baron d'
Materialism; Philosophy and religion; Psychology
live content, thy serenity shall not be disturbed, the end of thy career
shall not slander thy life; which will be exempted from remorse: death
will be to thee the door to a new existence, a new order, in which
thou wilt be submitted, as thou art at present, to the eternal laws of
nature, which ordains, that to LIVE HAPPY HERE BELOW, THOU MUST MAKE
OTHERS HAPPY. Suffer thyself then, to be drawn gently along thy journey,
until thou shalt sleep peaceable on that bosom which has given thee
birth: if contrary to thine expectation, there should be another life of
eternal felicity, thou canst not fail being a partaker.
For thou, wicked unfortunate! who art found in continual contradiction
with thyself; thou whose disorderly machine can neither accord with
thine own peculiar nature, nor with that of thine associates, whatever
may be thy crimes, whatever may be thy fears of punishment in another
life, thou art at least already cruelly punished in this? Do not thy
follies, thy shameful habits, thy debaucheries, damage thine health?
Dost thou not linger out life in disgust, fatigued with thine own
excesses? Does not listlessness punish thee for thy satiated passions?
Has not thy vigour, thy gaiety, thy content, already yielded to
feebleness, crouched under infirmities, given place to regret? Do not
thy vices every day dig thy grave? Every time thou hast stained thyself
with crime, hast thou dared without horror to return into thyself, to
examine thine own conscience? Hast thou not found remorse, error, shame,
established in thine heart? Hast thou not dreaded the scrutiny of thy
fellow man? Hast thou not trembled when alone; unceasingly feared, that
truth, so terrible for thee, should unveil thy dark transgressions,
throw into light thine enormous iniquities? Do not then any longer
fear to part with thine existence, it will at least put an end to those
richly merited torments thou hast inflicted on thyself; _Death, in
delivering the earth from an incommodious burthen, will also deliver
thee from thy most cruel enemy, thyself_.
END OF PART I.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account