The dejection of the proud, while he is exalted. Understand: as I. For the proud are confounded from the regard of the Lord, either knowing here through his loving-kindness and condemning their crimes, or feeling there the torments of his justice. But the place of the impious is pride itself, because, since it is written, 'The beginning of all sin is pride' (Sir. 10:15), where impiety arises, there it is contained; although impiety differs in nothing from pride. For to feel impiously concerning the Author is greatly to be proud. The impious therefore is crushed in his own place, because he is oppressed by that very pride whereby he is exalted; and when, by lifting himself up, he raises himself in his thoughts, he hides from himself the light of justice which he ought to have found.
But often, while outwardly he brings forth false glory against God, inwardly his true misery grows empty. Whence the prophet says: 'Thou hast cast them down while they were lifted up' (Ps. 72:18). For he does not say: Thou hast cast them down after they were exalted, but 'while they were lifted up,' because this very thing is for the proud to be inwardly cast down, that false glory befalls them to be outwardly exalted. For, the divine judgment so ordaining, their fault is not here one thing and their punishment another, but their fault is turned into their punishment, so that for those puffed up with the pride of arrogance this very thing is truly to fall inwardly, which outwardly is shown to have advanced. There follows: