The Reward of the Impious

'Non sic impii.' Illa universa genera praemiorum quae de justo diximus, impius non accipiet. 'Non sic impii.' Non dixit, non sic peccatores; si enim de peccatoribus dixisset, omnes alieni eramus. 'Non sic impii.' Inter impium et peccatorem hoc interest: qui impius est, negat Deum: qui peccator est, confitetur et peccat. 'Non sic impii. In quibusdam legitur, 'non sic' hoc secundo. 'Non sic impii, non sic.' Sed sciamus quia in Hebraico semel positum est. Diximus de sancto viro, et comparationem ejus. 'Et erit tamquam lignum, quod pantatum est secus decursus aquarum.' Nunc contrario de impio dicitur. Sicut justus vir comparatur ligno: sic impius comparatur pulveri, quam projicit ventus a facie terrae. Pulvis licet de terra sit, tamen desinit esse terra. 'sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terrae.' Videte quid dicitur, tam infelix erit impius, ut nec terrens quidem sit pulvis. Videtur quidem non habere substantiam, sed habet terrae suam substantiam. Nihil habet substantiam, sed habet suam substantiam. Nihil habet solidum; sed quod habet, ad poenam habet. Huc illucque dispergitur. Numquam in uno loco est. Quocumque ventus traxerit, illuc impetus ejus dirigitur. Sic et impius qui semel negaverit Deum, quecumque illum aura diaboli traxerit, illuc errore perducitur. Quoniam diximus quid sit justus, et cui comparetur: quid sit impius, et cui comparetur: et de praesenti caecute diximus; nunc debemus de futuro et aeterno cognoscere. Sanctus Hieronymous, Liber De Expositione Psalmorum, Psalmus Primus

'Not so the impious.'1 All the rewards the righteous man will receive which we have spoken of, the impious shall not have: 'Not so the impious' It does not say, 'not so the sinners,' for if it did speak about sinners we would all have been denied. 'Not so the impious'  Between the impious and the sinner this is the difference: he who is impious denies God, he who is a sinner confesses God and sins. 'Not so the impious.' In this reading 'not so' is repeated but we know that in the Hebrew it is written just once. We have spoken concerning the holy man and his comparison, ' And he shall be like a tree which is planted near flowing waters.' Now of the impious let it be said that as the righteous man is compared to a tree so the impious man is compared to dust which is blown forth by the wind from the face of the earth. Dust does come from the earth, however it is not the earth. 'But as dust which the wind blows forth from the face of the earth.' See what is said, how unhappy the impious shall be, that not earth is what is dust. He seems not to have any substance, but he has the substance of the earth. He has no substance but he has his own substance. There is nothing solid but what he has for punishment. Hither and thither he is blown. He is in no one place. Wherever the wind has dragged him, by that force he is drawn. So even the impious who once has denied God, the breath of the devil buffets him and leads him into error. And because we have spoken of the righteous man and to what he is comparable, so it may be with the impious man and to what is comparable, and having spoken of his present blindness, now we may know his future and eternity. Saint Jerome, Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 1 1 Ps 1.4