Same verse. — And his own counsel shall cast him down headlong. 12. Every wicked man is cast headlong by his own counsel. — Every unrighteous man has now his own counsel: to crave things present, to forsake things eternal, to do unjust things, to deride just things; but when the Judge of the righteous and the unrighteous shall come, every wicked man is cast headlong by his own counsel, because through the fact that he here chose to crave with depraved thoughts, he is plunged into the darkness of eternal punishment. For him whom temporal glory here exalts, there punishment presses down without end. He who here rejoiced in pleasure, there is tormented with perpetual vengeance.
And it very often comes to pass that the very prosperity of this world, which is greedily craved by the wicked, so binds their steps that even when they wish to return to good works, they scarcely can, because they cannot act rightly while they fear to displease the lovers of this world. Whence it comes about that through the glory which the ungodly man attains from sin, his sins are still further multiplied — which Baldad well expresses when he subjoins: