He said that while one would like to say that God will punish those who do such things and that people often speak in just this way it was his experience that God could not be spoken for and that men with wicked histories often enjoyed lives of comfort and that they died in peace and were buried with honor. He said is was a mistake to expect too much of justice in this world. He said that the notion that evil is seldom rewarded was greatly overspoken for if there were no advantage to it then men would shun it and how could virtue then be attached to its repudiation.
The speaker reflects on the nature of justice and divine punishment, expressing skepticism about the idea that God intervenes to punish wrongdoers. He observes that many individuals with troubling pasts often live comfortable lives, die peacefully, and receive honorable burials, suggesting that justice is not always served in this world. This perspective challenges the comforting belief that evil will ultimately face consequences.
He cautions against expecting justice to manifest as one might hope, arguing that the common belief in the rarity of evil's rewards is overstated. If evil did not offer some advantage, people would not engage in it, indicating a complex relationship between virtue and the rejection of wrongdoing. This insight provokes deeper contemplation about morality and the realities of societal dynamics.
