Verse 8.—'The just shall be astonished at this, and the innocent shall be raised up against the hypocrite.' 42. It belongs to the imperfect to envy the glory of the perverse.—In this place, by 'the innocent' is understood one not yet a perfect just man, who, still beginning what is good, though he knows not how to harm others, yet is himself in no way able to perform what is perfect. And because the hearts of the little ones, when they behold the perverse flourish in the present life, are inflamed with the torches of envy—for each man envies present goods to others all the more, the less he has himself despised them. For since one cannot possess the whole at once, whatever another has is lacking to him. And the innocent is inflamed against the hypocrite, when he who is wont to harm no one envies the glory of the dissembler.
But if in this place by 'the innocent' is understood anyone perfect in good, then the innocent is raised up against the hypocrite when he beholds him flourish, and yet, with his flourishing, despises him; and by preaching what is right, he declares him the more to be despised by the rest, the more he sees him anxiously seeking those things which cannot long endure together with him. In which sense there is still added: