3599. In short, to be compassionate toward such is to be unmerciful, for it is mercy toward the unmerciful. Therefore, if they do not allow themselves to be instructed, they are by their mercy being unmerciful. This also shows that they entice wives and virgins to adultery and prostitution by arousing their pity, namely, causing them to feel sorry for them - which mercy, however, is wicked - and to imagine that by taking pity on them they can lose nothing, when yet their marriage love is thereby destroyed, and so all other loves and consequently the happy states of eternal life.
3599. In a word, to be compassionate towards such is the opposite of compassion, for it is a pity towards the pitiless; wherefore if they do not suffer themselves to be instructed, their tender mercies are cruel. It hence also appears that they entice wives and virgins to adultery and lewdness, by exciting compassion, namely, that they may be led to pity them; whereas such compassion is an outrage, supposing that they may pity because they themselves lose nothing, when yet conjugial love is thereby destroyed, and thus all other loves, and thus the blessedness of eternal life.
3599. Verbo, erga tales misericordes esse, est immisericordia; nam est misericordia erga immisericordes; quare si non patiuntur se instrui, sunt eorum misericordia immisericordes. Constat etiam exinde, quod uxores et virgines pelliciant ad adulterium et scortationem, per excitationem misericordiae, ut nempe eorum misererentur, quae tamen misericordia est nefanda, [eae] putantes quod misereri queant, quia nihil perdunt, cum tamen destruitur sic amor conjugialis, ita amores reliqui, inde quae vitae aeternae felicia.