Some people will only behave under the threat of violence. They cannot be trusted to do the right thing unless someone is there to whip them if they step out of line. This is in keeping with the second use of the Law of God.
"By means of its fearful denunciations and the consequent dread of punishment, to curb those who, unless forced, have no regard for rectitude and justice." — John Calvin, Institutes, 2.7.10
There are some people who would gladly rape, steal, kidnap, loot, and murder if it were not for the threat of negative consequences. They do not shoplift because they do not want to get in trouble. They steal have a thief's heart, however.
Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,
But happy is he who keeps the law.
Immorality is unrestrained where people perceive they can get away with whatever they want. But the profligate is not happy. He may enjoy getting to do whatever he wants, but he will get results he does not want. The hangover is undesirable. The addiction is less than ideal. The diseases are disable. A life without restraint cannot escape the wages of death.
Ecclesiastes 7:2
It is better to go to the house of mourning,
than to go to the house of feasting:
for that is the end of all men;
and the living will lay it to his heart
Most people would do well to contemplate their mortality more often. In those sobering moments, they often aspire to greater heights and produce greater repentances.
Ecclesiastes 11:3
If the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north,
in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
Some people refuse to lay the lessons of life to heart until it is too late. If they are given the grace of a deathbed repentance, they take advantage of it and enter eternity with a lifetime of regrets. But if they die suddenly, they lie where they fall, like a dead tree.
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