Verse 23: 'When he moves himself to seek bread, he knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.' 46. Though he fears to be struck, he ever increases that whereby he is struck. — For bread is taken as the wages of the present life; but the day of darkness as the time of vengeance. In his heat therefore this perverse man sometimes weighs the present wrath of the supernal Judge; but he is not turned away from evil, so that he too might be able to be turned away from his own destruction. But his conscience accusing him, he fears to be struck, yet nevertheless he ever increases that whereby he is struck. He despises his own return, he despairs of pardon, he is proud in his fault; yet nevertheless he has within himself, as a witness of his wickedness, fear.
And although he seems outwardly to act boldly in depraved ways, yet concerning these things within himself he is compelled to tremble. Whence it is written: 'For since wickedness is timid, it gives testimony to its own condemnation' (Wis. 17:11), because when anyone commits unlawful things, he dreads what he does; and the very fear of iniquity is an open witness of condemnation, because both what is done is feared, and yet the evil which is feared is not overcome. Concerning which it is further subjoined: