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Now, since there are three theologies, which the Greeks call
respectively mythical, physical, and political, and which may be
called in Latin fabulous, natural, and civil; and since neither from
the fabulous, which even the worshippers of many and false gods have
themselves most freely censured, nor from the civil, of which that is
convicted of being a part, or even worse than it, can eternal life be
hoped for from any of these theologies, if any one thinks that what has
been said in this book is not enough for him, let him also add to it
the many and various dissertations concerning God as the giver of
felicity, contained in the former books, especially the fourth one.
For to what but to felicity should men consecrate themselves, were
felicity a goddess? However, as it is not a goddess, but a gift of
God, to what God but the giver of happiness ought we to consecrate
ourselves, who piously love eternal life, in which there is true and
full felicity? But I think, from what has been said, no one ought
to doubt that none of those gods is the giver of happiness, who are
worshipped with such shame, and who, if they are not so worshipped,
are more shamefully enraged, and thus confess that they are most foul
spirits. Moreover, how can he give eternal life who cannot give
happiness? For we mean by eternal life that life where there is
endless happiness. For if the soul live in eternal punishments, by
which also those unclean spirits shall be tormented, that is rather
eternal death than eternal life. For there is no greater or worse
death than when death never dies. But because the soul from its very
nature, being created immortal, cannot be without some kind of life,
its utmost death is alienation from the life of God in an eternity of
punishment. So, then, He only who gives true happiness gives
eternal life, that is, an endlessly happy life. And since those gods
whom this civil theology worships have been proved to be unable to give
this happiness, they ought not to be worshipped on account of those
temporal and terrestrial things, as we showed in the five former
books, much less on account of eternal life, which is to be after
death, as we have sought to show in this one book especially, whilst
the other books also lend it their co-operation. But since the
strength of inveterate habit has its roots very deep, if any one thinks
that I have not disputed sufficiently to show that this civil theology
ought to be rejected and shunned, let him attend to another book
which, with God's help, is to be joined to this one.
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