ChapterXVII:ThatInTimesMarkedByEqualityOfConditionsAndScepticalOpinions，ItIsImportantToRemoveToADistanceTheObjectsOfHumanActionsIntheagesoffaiththefinalendoflifeisplacedbeyondlife。Themenofthoseagesthereforenaturally，andinamannerinvoluntarily，accustomthemselvestofixtheirgazeforalongcourseofyearsonsomeimmovableobject，towardswhichtheyareconstantlytending;andtheylearnbyinsensibledegreestorepressamultitudeofpettypassingdesires，inordertobethebetterabletocontentthatgreatandlastingdesirewhichpossessesthem。Whenthesesamemenengageintheaffairsofthisworld，thesamehabitsmaybetracedintheirconduct。Theyareapttosetupsomegeneralandcertainaimandendtotheiractionsherebelow，towardswhichalltheireffortsaredirected:
theydonotturnfromdaytodaytochasesomenovelobjectofdesire，buttheyhavesettleddesignswhichtheyareneverwearyofpursuing。Thisexplainswhyreligiousnationshavesooftenachievedsuchlastingresults:forwhilsttheywerethinkingonlyoftheotherworld，theyhadfoundoutthegreatsecretofsuccessinthis。Religionsgivemenageneralhabitofconductingthemselveswithaviewtofuturity:inthisrespecttheyarenotlessusefultohappinessinthislifethantofelicityhereafter;
andthisisoneoftheirchiefpoliticalcharacteristics。
Butinproportionasthelightoffaithgrowsdim，therangeofman’ssightiscircumscribed，asiftheendandaimofhumanactionsappearedeverydaytobemorewithinhisreach。Whenmenhaveonceallowedthemselvestothinknomoreofwhatistobefallthemafterlife，theyreadilylapseintothatcompleteandbrutalindifferencetofuturity，whichisbuttooconformabletosomepropensitiesofmankind。Assoonastheyhavelostthehabitofplacingtheirchiefhopesuponremoteevents，theynaturallyseektogratifywithoutdelaytheirsmallestdesires;
andnosoonerdotheydespairoflivingforever，thantheyaredisposedtoactasiftheyweretoexistbutforasingleday。