For it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.
Read Chapter 31
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Spring; the children, Ecclesiasticus xxiii. 35., and Wisdom iv. 3. (Calmet)
Protestants, "all mine increase. "(Haydock)
Adulteresses were formerly consigned to the flames. The injured husband would resent the offence, and even dislike her former children. Love is also like a fire, and those who entertain it, may soon consume all their substance (Menochius) in feasting and presents. Above all, the fire of God's indignation in hell will still pursue the libidinous.
“For this is a heinous crime and the greatest iniquity. For it is a fire that consumes to destruction and that roots out all increase.” There is this difference between “sin” and “crime.” All crime is sin, but not all sin is crime. And in this life there are numbers without crime, but no one can be without sins. And hence the holy preacher, when he was describing a person worthy of the grace of priesthood, never said, “If any is without sin,” but “if any is without crime.” Who can be without sin, when John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us?” In this same distinction of sins and crimes, it deserves to be considered that occasional sins pollute the soul, while crimes slay it. Hence, blessed Job in characterizing the crime of lust says, “It is a fire that consumes to destruction.” In this way, the heinousness of this atrocity not only stains to the length of defilement but also devours to the extent of destruction. And howsoever many oth...
