,,the ,,warfare ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,,practical ,,studies ,,in ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,temptation ,,by ,,shirley ,c4 ,,hughson ,,priest ,,of ,,the ,,order ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,cross ,,with ,a ,,preface ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,alfred ,g4 ,,mortimer1 ,d4,d4 ,rector of ,st4 ,mark's1 ,philadelphia ,,longmans1 ,,green1 ,,and ,,co4 ,,fourth ,,avenue #cj,,th ,,street1 ,,new ,,york ,,london1 ,,bombay1 ,,and ,,calcutta #aiaj ,copyright1 #aiaj1 by ,,longmans1 ,,green1 ,,and ,co4 ,the ,plimpton ,press ,norwood ,mass4 ,u4,s4,a4 v ,,preface ,if we desired to describe our life here in one word1 that word might be ,temptation4 ,from one point of view the purpose for which we are put into this world is to be tempted1 that is1 to be tried or tested1 in order that the wheat among us may be separated from the chaff1 and that the children of light may be manifested and divided from the children of darkness4 ,this testing1 however1 is not only that the good may be separated from the bad1 it is the means by which the good becomes good2 for by it latent virtues are developed and a character fitted for heaven is formed4 ,let us regard a little child just baptized--it is an innocent child of ,god1 but what is innocence8 ,in many respects a beautiful attribute1 but a purely negative one2 for it is the attribute of an untried soul4 ,that child must pass through the wilderness of temptation1 and with the result either that the innocence will be transformed into sanctity or will be lost and give place to sin4 ,when our ,lord was baptized1 as ,he came up vi out of the water1 the ,voice from heaven proclaimed1 ,this is my ,beloved ,son in ,whom ,i am well pleased1 and we read ,then was ,jesus led up of the ,spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil1 and the temptation was a testing on the part of the ,evil ,one1 whether ,he were indeed the ,son of ,god4 ,so each child in baptism is made by the operation of the ,holy ,ghost the child of ,god1 and then his whole life is a being led by one of two spirits--the ,spirit of ,god1 leading him through temptation to sanctity1 or the spirit of evil leading him by temptation into sin4 ,for ,st4 ,paul tells us1 doubtless referring to this1 that1 ,as many as are led by the ,spirit of ,god they are the sons of ,god4 ,this however must be proved by temptation4 ,sanctity is the positive virtue of the soul which has been tempted and has stood the test1 has vanquished the tempter and won the victory and the reward--the ,crown of ,life4 ,happy is that soul1 for ,st4 ,james says1 ,blessed is the man that endureth temptation3 for when he is tried1 he shall receive the crown of life1 which the ,lord hath promised to them that love ,him4 ,we must therefore strive to grasp the fact that temptation is not an evil1 on the contrary it is the only way in which the soul can be developed4 ,instead therefore of meeting it with fear and trembling vii and great reluctance1 ,st4 ,james says1 ,count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations2 knowing this1 that the trying of your faith worketh patience4 ,but let patience have her perfect work1 that ye may be perfect and entire1 wanting nothing4 ,a well-known spiritual guide says1 ,but how are we to overcome temptations8 ,cheerfulness is the first thing1 cheerfulness the second1 and cheerfulness the third4 ,this is but a homely way of putting ,st4 ,james' injunction1 ,count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations4 ,in the book of ,ecclesiasticus we read1 ,my son1 if thou come to serve the ,lord1 prepare thy soul for temptation4 ,we must not suppose from this that only those who serve the ,lord are tempted1 though they are doubtless attacked by ,satan in special ways4 ,all men1 however1 whether they serve the ,lord or not1 have to endure temptation1 but those who desire to serve ,him will prepare their soul for temptation by studying its laws1 learning how best to meet its assaults1 and fortifying themselves with divine grace for the struggle4 ,this little book will be found most useful to such2 for it will help them1 not only to prepare for temptation1 but will teach them the true purpose of the life of temptation1 and the best methods viii of utilizing the attacks of the foe2 so that they may leave no stain of sin1 but rather may develop in the soul those ,christian virtues which belong to sanctity4 ,,alfred ,g4 ,,mortimer4 ,,st4 ,,mark',s1 ,,philadelphia1 ,epiphany1 #aiaj4 ix ,,to ,,the ,,reader ,you do not need to be told that the writer offers you here nothing of his own4 ,he has sat at the feet of certain masters whom through the ages the ,holy ,ghost has employed to speak to the souls of men4 ,he seeks only to bear you a message from them4 ,may the same ,blessed ,spirit use these pages to enlighten the souls ,he loves4 ,if the message makes you long to know ,god better1 to love ,him more truly1 to serve ,him more faithfully1 it will not have been borne in vain1 and he who brings it craves as his hire a spiritual alms1--a prayer that he1 along with you and all ,god's people1 may be found faithful at the end4 ,s4 ,c4 ,h4 ,,st4 ,,michael',s ,,monastery1 ,,sewanee4 ,christmas1 #aiji4 xi ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,warfare ,,of ,,the ,,soul #a4 ,a ,personal ,issue #b4 ,not ,peace1 but a ,sword #c4 ,the ,terms of the ,warfare #d4 ,the ,nature of ,temptation #e4 ,precept and ,counsel ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,tempter3 ,,his ,,history ,,and ,,nature #a4 ,satan's ,fall and its ,effects #b4 ,the ,hopelessness of his ,warfare #c4 ,the ,limitations of the ,tempter #d4 ,the ,restraint of the ,divine ,decrees ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,tempter3 ,,his ,,characteristics ,,and ,,methods #a4 ,satan1 ,the ,deceiver #b4 ,the ,fact of his ,personality #c4 ,his ,experience and ,wisdom #d4 ,the ,methods of his ,might #e4 ,the ,soul's ,safety xii ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,universality ,,of ,,temptation #a4 ,the ,common ,lot #b4 ,enduring ,hardship #c4 ,the ,sufferings of the ,saints #d4 ,satan in the ,sanctuary #e4 ,the ,sacrament of ,temptation ,,chapter ,v ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,solicitude #a4 ,true and ,false ,anxiety #b4 ,worry ,versus ,faith #c4 ,the ,cure of a ,doubting ,spirit #d4 ,god's ,sympathy ,,chapter ,,vi ,,our ,,preparation ,,for ,,temptation #a4 ,a ,double ,weapon #b4 ,the ,spirit of ,vigilance #c4 ,prayer and ,temptation ,,chapter ,,vii ,,training ,,the ,,inner ,,life #a4 ,environment and ,character #b4 ,educating the ,memory #c4 ,guiding the ,imagination #d4 ,the ,practice of ,constancy #e4 ,the ,practice of ,calmness #f4 ,the ,practice of ,patience #g4 ,the ,practice of ,diligence xiii ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,stages ,,of ,,the ,,battle #a4 ,the ,satanic ,suggestion #b4 ,the ,response of the ,natural ,heart #c4 ,the ,inferior and ,superior ,wills #d4 ,the ,fatal ,consent ,,chapter ,,ix ,,in ,,the ,,hour ,,of ,,battle #a4 ,realizing ,god's ,friendship #b4 ,the ,divine ,example of ,humility #c4 ,instant in ,prayer #d4 ,a ,holy ,perversity #e4 ,scorning the ,tempter #f4 ,staying not the ,hand #g4 ,the ,final ,phase of ,victory ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,tests ,,of ,,victory ,,and ,,defeat #a4 ,the ,test of ,common ,sense #b4 ,the ,test of ,doubt #c4 ,signs of the ,soul's ,victory #d4 ,spiritual ,safety1 ,spiritual ,victory #e4 ,the ,truest ,test ,,chapter ,,xi ,,the ,,school ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost #a4 ,the ,teaching of ,temptation #b4 ,the ,bulwark of ,love #c4 ,the ,lesson of ,humility #d4 ,the ,lessons of ,consolation #e4 ,how to ,learn our ,lessons xiv ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,return ,,from ,,captivity #a4 ,hastening to ,repent #b4 ,a ,tranquil ,sorrow #c4 ,a ,spirit of ,reparation #d4 ,the ,work of ,amendment #e4 ,the ,gainsaying of ,satan ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,ground ,,for ,,christian ,,courage #a4 ,members ,one of ,another #b4 ,the ,church's ,treasury of ,grace #c4 ,god's ,interest in our ,victory #a ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,warfare ,,of ,,the ,,soul ,i4 ,a ,personal ,issue ,the spiritual warfare is intensely personal4 ,any consideration of it is a consideration of definite personalities1 divine1 angelic1 human1 ,satanic1--,god1 the ,angels1 the ,soul1 and ,satan4 ,we speak commonly of great principles being at stake in this warfare1 often forgetting that it is not possible for a moral or spiritual principle to exist apart from a person4 ,as we shall try to learn in the following pages1 ,god--the three ,persons of the ,ever-,blessed ,trinity--is always to be the first thought of the ,christian warrior1--,god1 ,his ,presence1 ,his power1 and ,his loving interest in our victory4 ,but the well-trained soldier has an eye not to his own resources only2 he seeks to learn something also concerning the ,enemy he is to face4 ,next to the ,presence of ,god1 nothing is so necessary to the ,christian soldier as to remember the presence of the ,tempter2 either in his own person or in that of one of his evil angels4 ,although ,god #b has revealed nothing directly to us on the subject1 yet ,his revelation concerning ,satan's work is such that we can hardly escape from the conclusion that1 as each soul has a guardian angel1 so each soul has assigned to him by ,satan an attendant evil spirit1 whose whole business is to seek to lead the soul into sin4 ,we see how in the conflict we have tremendous personalities to deal with1 the ,personality of the triune ,god1--,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1--and the ,personality of ,satan and his innumerable fallen angels1 who1 though finite and created1 possess a scope and power which are1 perhaps1 so great that our human thought cannot compass them4 ,but immeasurably below any of these as it is1 our own personality must not be forgotten1 for let it ever be kept in mind that the issue of our individual battle depends on ourselves4 ,the laws of this war are such that on the one hand the powerful personal will even of the arch-fiend himself has no power to control us1 except in so far as our personal will1 acting with complete freedom1 permits it2 and on the other hand1 the infinite personal will of ,god never operates so as to compel us1 unless again our will yield freely to ,his call4 ,satan cannot control or influence us against our wills1 and ,god1 reverencing ,his image in man1 refrains ,his power #c and never forces man's love or service4 ,the will of man is free1 and this makes him the central factor in the spiritual warfare4 ,,ii4 ,not ,peace1 but a ,sword ,in sending them forth on their first mission1 the ,prince of ,peace declared to ,his awe-struck disciples1 ,i came not to send peace but a sword4#a ,the world being what it was1 the ,kingdom of ,peace was to be founded only by conflict4 ,those whom ,he sent forth to found ,his ,church understood this principle1 and everywhere in the accounts of their journeys and labours1 as well as in the words of counsel they give their converts1 there is the sound of warfare1 the voice of them that shout for mastery4#b ,everything indicates that the battle is fierce and desperate4 ,our ,lord sends ,his message to the ,seven ,churches1 and to each the reward is only to him that overcometh4#c ,we are warned of foes without and of traitors in the inmost citadel of our souls2 of the lusts which war against the soul2#d the law in our members warring against the law of our mind4#e #d ,st4 ,paul exhorts us repeatedly to put on the whole armour of ,god4#f ,he sends his counsel to his son in the faith in order that he war a good warfare2#g he pleads with him to fight the good fight of faith1#h and to endure hardness as a good soldier of ,jesus ,christ2#i and in his last days he bases his own hope of the crown of life upon the assurance of his conscience that he himself had fought a good fight4#aj ,so everywhere the ,new ,testament rings with the sound of warfare1 the shock and onset of battle4 ,everywhere we hear of foes and fighting1 armour and rewards1 life and death4 ,we are told of the subtilty and ferocity of the ,adversary1 of the ranks and power of his evil angels4#aa ,we are sent into the world just that we might spend our life in a state of warfare1 and in so far as this condition is absent from any life1 just so far is that life a failure4 ,to have a knowledge of the force and resources of the enemy is as necessary to the waging of a successful war as it is to have one's own training and equipment complete2 and he who enters upon the struggle is well armed beforehand if he has realized the #e seriousness of the conflict in which he is about to engage4 ,every baptized soul is a member of the army of the living ,god4 ,have we grasped the truth that this is no light undertaking2 that in this warfare there are no quiet winter quarters into which we may retire1 no light summer campaigns to be gaily prosecuted against a foe who flees at our first approach2 but that the struggle is inevitable1 that it is real1 that our enemy is powerful1 sleepless1 and relentless2 and above all1 that we are in the thick of the conflict as long as life endures8 ,even the tenderest consolations that ,god gives ,his children concerning the warfare never lose sight of the inevitableness of it4 ,we are given no false encouragement that would arouse a hope of escape4 ,the very name by which the ,body of ,christ on earth is called1--the ,church ,militant1--is a standing witness of what the life of her members must be4 ,when ,st4 ,paul comforts the ,corinthians with the assurance that the struggle they are enduring is common to man1 that ,god has not given them more to endure than that which is coming upon all their brethren1 the ,holy ,ghost inspires him to guard this point carefully4#ab ,he assures them #f that ,god ,who is faithful to ,his word1 not slack concerning ,his promise1#ac will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able4 ,the very fact of the approach of a trial or temptation is in itself the irrefutable proof that we are strong enough to conquer it1 if only we use faithfully what we have1 and what will be given4 ,he then goes on to say that ,god will1 with the temptation also make a way to escape2 but the escape is not to be from temptation4 ,he promises indeed to make a way to escape1 but only in order that ye may be able to bear it1--the escape is to be from the failure1 from sin1 never from the conflict so long as life endures4 ,there is no discharge in that war4#ad ,this is the condition under which life in this world exists2 the only escape from it lies in base surrender to the enemy of ,god and man4 ,if we face this condition1 and accept it without flinching1 we are then in the position of a soldier who1 having weighed well the purpose and significance of his enlistment1 is ready with generous spirit to submit to all that it involves4 ,no surprises or disheartening revelations of the nature of the struggle will meet us1 because we shall have understood well in the beginning what we are undertaking and what we must expect4 #g ,,iii4 ,the ,terms of the ,warfare ,let us in the beginning set clearly before ourselves a few simple facts1 facts with which we have been conversant all our lives1 but which our lifelong course shows us to have taken too little into account4 ,these we must regard in a very personal way1 for our study will be worse than futile if it be not intensely personal4 ,let each one of us1 therefore1 set clearly before himself these fundamental propositions3 7#a7 ,our ,leader is our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 fighting now1 as ,he fought when ,he was on earth1 in the perfect powers of ,his ,sacred ,humanity4 ,we must for our own encouragement remember that though ,he is perfect ,god as well as perfect ,man1 yet it was not by means of ,his divine power alone that ,he fought ,his own battle against temptation and conquered4 ,he won the victory by the use of ,his human will1 fortified by ,his divinity4 ,it was as ,man1 not as ,god1 that ,he fought and conquered4 ,had he contended against ,satan in ,his ,god-nature only1 there would have been no real struggle1 for even the slightest exercise of ,his divine power must have crushed the enemy in a single moment of time4 ,it was just because ,he did fight as ,man1 #h in the power of ,his finite and created nature1 that there could be a real conflict4 7#b7 ,as baptized ,christians we are ,his soldiers1 fighting with the powers and faculties of ,his perfect ,humanity1 which were given us when we were baptized4 ,if we are indeed1 as the ,apostle declares1 members of ,his ,body1 of ,his flesh1 and of ,his bones1#ae then we fight with ,his human powers4 ,no longer have we to use our own1 but ,his perfect human faculties4 ,no longer have we to plan with our weak minds2 we have at our command the perfect intelligence of the ,man ,jesus1 for we have the mind of ,christ4#af ,no longer does the battle depend on our vacillating wills1 for ,his perfect human will is so bound up with ours that it is not possible for us to be overcome except in so far as we fall away from this union with ,him4 ,and ,his love is our love1 going out to ,god and to our fellow-man4 7#c7 ,the enemy is ,satan1 the prince of this world and of the hosts of hell2 whose purpose in the warfare is the dishonour of ,god1 and who fights against us just because we are the children of ,god4 7#d7 ,his chief mode of attack is what is commonly called ,temptation1 the alluring of the soul to some thought1 word1 or deed that is contrary to the will of ,god4 #i 7#e7 ,the successful resistance of temptation is a victory for our souls to the honour of our ,king4 ,the battle is ,his2 and the victory is won when we so yield ourselves to ,him that ,he can employ us as instruments of ,his warfare4 7#f7 ,the entrance of any sin is defeat for our souls to our ,king's dishonour1 and no sin can enter save in so far as we become partakers of the ,satanic purpose and will4 7#g7 ,the entrance of serious wilful sin is a yielding of ourselves as ,satan's captives4 7#h7 ,such captivity means not an idle1 passive confinement in some spiritual prison1 but an active enlistment in the armies of hell to fight against our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,let us keep these considerations before us2 let us ask the ,holy ,spirit to give us a right understanding of these truths2 and our study of the ,christian warfare will not be in vain4 ,,iv4 ,the ,nature of ,temptation ,we have said above that ,satan's chief weapon in his war against the soul is what is commonly called ,temptation1 whereby he allures the soul to consent to some thought1 word1 or deed that is contrary to the divine will4 ,temptation is always a testing of the soul4 #aj ,this testing may be applied by ,god ,himself1 by ,satan1 or one of his fallen angels1 or by one of our fellow-men4 ,god may be said to tempt man in the sense of applying tests to prove or instruct him1 as when it is said that ,god did tempt ,abraham#ag in commanding him to offer up ,isaac4 ,in every such case1 however1 ,god beforehand gives the soul ,he is testing sufficient grace to bear the trial4 ,this is taught us by ,st4 ,paul in the text that we shall come back to over and over again3 ,god is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able4#ah ,should failure and sin result1 it would be because there had been wilful neglect to use the strength given4 ,god cannot tempt man in the sense of inducing him to sin4 ,such a suggestion would be blasphemous4 ,let no man say when he is tempted1 ,i am tempted of ,god2 for ,god cannot be tempted with evil1 neither tempteth ,he any man4#ai ,trials may also come through man1 acting consciously or unconsciously1 under the direction of ,god1 who might use such a one to try ,his servant4 ,we do not mean to treat in these pages1 however1 this aspect of temptation4 ,we are to deal with the word in its popular use1 as meaning some inducement to commit sin4 #aa ,before going further1 therefore1 it will be well for us to define temptation in the sense in which we are using it4 ,temptation is any solicitation1 from whatever source1 directed towards an intelligent1 moral creature1 who is in a state of probation1 to violate the known will of ,god4 7#a7 ,all such temptation comes primarily from ,satan as its source4 ,he is originally responsible for every solicitation to sin1 although he does not always act directly and immediately4 ,he does perhaps most of his work through agents1 men or devils4 ,one very active agent of ,satan is ourselves1 though we often fail to realize it4 ,by entering into occasions of sin we assist the tempter1 and by repeated acts we so train our hearts to delight in some particular sin that no outside solicitation is necessary4 ,we sin1 and go on sinning1 not because he is busy persuading us to it1 but because1 like rebellious ,israel of old1 we love to have it so4#bj 7#b7 ,in order to constitute temptation1 the solicitation must be directed to an intelligent1 moral creature4 ,an idiot or an insane person cannot be tempted1 because he has neither the intellect to understand what is going on1 nor any moral responsibility4 #ab 7#c7 ,to be tempted one must be in a state of probation4 ,neither the ,saints nor the angels in heaven1 nor the souls of the faithful departed1 can be tempted2 they are beyond the sphere in which it is possible for temptation to operate4 ,nor yet can the devils1 nor the souls of the lost1 suffer from temptation1 for the nature of temptation indicates a choice1 and they have made their eternal choice1 which at their ,judgment received the divine ratification2 for this1 in its essence1 is what the ,judgment is1--the divine ratification of the choice the soul made when it was free to choose4 7#d7 ,nothing can constitute temptation save what is a solicitation to violate the known will of ,god4 ,he does not hold the soul responsible for so-called sins of ignorance1 for there can be no real1 formal sin save where there is knowledge4 ,it is a legal maxim in the kingdoms of this world that ,ignorance of the law is no excuse2 but1 thank ,god1 it is an excuse in the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,he does not hold us responsible for that which we do not know4 ,let us remember1 however1 that much of ignorance of spiritual things is the result of our own culpable failure to lay hold upon the light and grace which ,he offers4 ,our ignorance is1 perhaps in most cases1 our own fault2 and yet such is the tenderness of #ac our ,god to ,his children1 that ,he is willing to overlook it1 and to count sin as though it were not sin4 ,surely the soul that is not wholly base will long to make a generous response to this so great goodness1 and will rise from its lethargy and seek by every means to lay hold upon the divine light1 and strength1 and knowledge1 not only for its own sake1 but to show a tender ,father that ,his love does awaken in our hearts an answering love which quickens us to a generous service4 ,v4 ,precept and ,counsel ,when we speak of temptation being a solicitation to violate the known will of ,god1 it is necessary for us to understand that conformity to ,god's will is not in every case required of us under penalty of sin4 ,his will is revealed to us in two ways1 in precept and in counsel4 ,to violate a precept is in every case sin2 to reject a counsel is1 in itself1 never a sin4 ,god may set before us two alternatives1 both of them being good1 but one a higher and better thing than the other4 ,in such a case1 we are often--in fact1 generally--tempted to accept the lower4 ,for example1 a young man may have set before him1 at some particular time of his life1 the alternative #ad of serving ,god in work in his home parish1 or of giving himself1 by one great and final act of sacrifice and dedication1 to the service of ,god in the monastic life4 ,the former alternative is thoroughly good and holy1 but none will deny that the latter is better4 ,but the monastic life is a call of such a nature that compliance is never required under pain of sin2 and one may even feel entirely sure that the call is directly from ,god1 and yet be at liberty to refuse it because it is a form of service that belongs to counsel and not to precept4 ,while the soul is weighing the question1 strong temptation invariably comes to choose the lower service4 ,not that the tempter is interested in our serving ,god in any sphere whatever1 but he hopes that if he can induce us to choose the lower now1 he may be able later on still further to lower our ideals1 and so in the end induce us to reject the divine will in some matter that belongs to the precepts of ,god's law4 ,with this hope he even strives earnestly to induce us to do a good thing in order to dissuade us from choosing that which is better4 ,so while it is entirely true1 as we said above1 that the rejection of a counsel is never1 in itself1 sinful1 yet there is great peril always in refusing the known will of ,god1 even when ,he does not #ae bind us to that will under the penalty of sin4 ,the soul that truly loves is ever alert to perform the entire will of the beloved4 ,the noble love of ,jesus forceth man to work great things1 and stirreth him up always to desire the most perfect4 ,love wills to be aloft and will not be kept down by any lesser thing4#ba #a ,st4 ,matt4 x1 #cd4 #b ,exod4 xxxii1 #ah4 #c ,rev4 ii and iii4 #d #a ,pet4 ii1 #aa4 #e ,rom4 vii1 #bc4 #f ,eph4 vi1 #aa4 ,see also ,rom4 xiii1 #ab2 #b ,cor4 vi1 #g1 and #a ,thes4 v1 #h4 #g #a ,tim4 i1 #ah4 #h #a ,tim4 vi1 #ab4 #i #b ,tim4 ii1 #c4 #aj #b ,tim4 iv1 #g4 #aa ,see ,pusey1 ,parochial ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #aac-aad4 #ab #a ,cor4 x1 #ac4 #ac #b ,st4 ,pet4 iii1 #i4 #ad ,eccles4 viii1 #h4 #ae ,eph4 v1 #cj4 #af #a ,cor4 ii1 #af4 #ag ,gen4 xxii1 #a4 #ah #a ,cor4 x1 #ac4 #ai ,st4 ,james i1 #ac4 #bj ,jer4 v1 #ca4 #ba ,imitation1 ,,iii1 v4 7,bigg's ,trans47 #af ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,tempter3 ,,his ,,history ,,and ,,nature ,i4 ,satan's ,fall and its ,effects ,we have already reminded ourselves that it is as important to understand somewhat of the enemy's force and resources as it is to have our own equipment and training complete4 ,let us therefore consider the adversary1 for next to the unceasing recollection of the presence1 power1 and goodness of ,god1 the most necessary thing for the ,christian soldier is the recollection of the presence and character of the enemy4 ,vigilance in maintaining this recollection is what the ,apostle solemnly commands4#a ,we cannot speak with theological exactness of the cause and occasion of the fall of ,satan and his rebel host1 for ,god has revealed but little concerning it2 but when we compare ,scripture with ,scripture1 it seems inevitable that the sin of ,satan was one of pride1 and1 very probably1 #ag its particular form was a desire to make himself equal with ,god4 ,in the account given in ,revelation of the war in heaven1 ,st4 ,michael1 whose name is simply a ,hebrew word meaning ,who is like ,god8 is mentioned as the captain of ,god's host1 who fought against the dragon and his angels1 and overcame and cast them out4#b ,it would seem that the leader of the loyal angels took his name from the battle cry with which the armies of ,god1 as they pressed upon the rebel ranks1 repudiated the blasphemous claim of him who was seeking to be like the ,most ,high4#c ,as we think of ,satan as he is to-day1 and as he meets us in the conflict1 it will be of great value to us to keep definitely in mind the effect that his fall must have had upon his nature and powers4 ,not only is the adversary finite1 with all the limitations common to finite beings1 but he is one who1 by his fall from original righteousness1 has become a blasted creature1 maimed and wounded in all his faculties4 ,man1 too has fallen1 and the blight is also upon #ah all his powers2 but with every return to ,god in penitence man's powers are recuperated2 he regains somewhat of his former strength4 ,nay1 more1 the spiritual strength we lay hold of through penitence is often greater than that which we lost through sin4 ,where sin abounded1 grace did much more abound4#d ,god through the ,precious ,blood of ,his ,son so mightily overrules the evil that1 as we think of our sin1 we can indeed triumphantly cry1 ,o felix culpa6 ,not so with ,satan and his companions4 ,from the day of their fall the poison of the evil that is in them has been working relentlessly1 and with never a moment's cessation1 toward their ultimate destruction4 ,by an humble1 earnest effort for ,god's service in the little opportunities of daily life1 we go on from strength to strength1 while our foe1 however powerful he may be in his warfare against the weakness of man1 is daily drawing nearer to the time when he will lie in hell1 an impotent and inert slave of the evil he has chosen as his portion4 ,even now1 when so much of his ancient might remains1 we can see the signs of his growing weakness4 ,one illustration of the effect of his fall upon him is found in the stupidity which marks his #ai work4 ,it is almost incredible that1 after all the long millenniums of his warfare1 and especially his experience since the ,incarnation1 he should be so incapable of realizing the inevitable consequence of his warfare against ,god4 ,in innumerable cases he has seen the ,saints strengthened by his antagonism2 he has seen the weak becoming strong through the right use of the opportunities his temptations afford them2 he has stood at the ,judgment of souls as their accuser1 and been covered with confusion as he saw his accusations rejected1 and crowns given them1 all the more glorious because of the occasion for battle and victory his hate had afforded them4 ,all this he has seen1 and yet its real significance has never dawned upon him4#e ,more astonishing still1 in spite of his experience1 he has never been able to see that when he joins the struggle with us he is only seeking to renew the old warfare which was brought to a final issue on ,calvary to his eternal discomfiture2 that it is not the weak human soul he is fighting1 #bj but the omnipotent ,god ,who in human flesh1 and by the exercise of human powers and faculties1 bruised him under ,his feet1 invaded his infernal kingdom1 broke the gates of brass1 and smote the bars of iron in sunder4#f ,are we wiser than ,satan8 ,have we caught the true significance of the battle1 the vision of its final issue8 ,do we realize1 when the conflict comes1 that our heart is but the arena of a struggle between the omnipotence of ,god and the weakness of ,satan1 and that we are called to fight along with ,him ,who is the ,author of unconquerable might1 the ,king of the ,empire that cannot be overthrown8 ,if so1 then there can be no fear or repining because of the battle1 but with the glad war-cry1 ,emmanuel1--,god with us6 can we plunge into the glorious strife1 knowing that with ,his own right hand and with ,his holy arm will ,he get ,himself the victory4#g ,,ii4 ,the ,hopelessness of his ,warfare ,the hopelessness of ,satan's warfare is shown in its final issue4 ,sin entered into the world through ,satan1 and by sin came death4#h ,death seems1 when we first consider it1 ,satan's triumph2 but in reality it is his destruction4 ,he pursues a #ba soul through life1 but the hour of death marks the absolute cessation of his power and influence4 ,the faithful departed in the ,church ,expectant are in the hand of ,god1 and nevermore can the torment of temptation touch them4 ,the very act of wreaking the utmost of his power is the act which places them forever beyond even the possibility of communication with him4 ,so both prophet and apostle cry out in an ecstasy of triumph1 as the ,holy ,spirit leads them to this conclusion1--,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8#i ,so also is it with the spirits of just men made perfect1#aj who1 having been purged of all stain of sin1 stand in the glory of the ,beatific ,vision in ,paradise4 ,satan thought by means of death to make eternal life with ,god impossible2 but by the divine overruling death is made the gateway of everlasting life4 ,he watches the progress of the effect of sin2 he sees the bodily weakness which he introduced into the race when he induced our first parents to sin1 increasing1 only to realize that the supreme result of evil in the world is to remove the soul he has been pursuing with malignant hate1 forever from the sphere of his action4 ,even with the lost the same holds good4 ,with #bb infernal glee he watches by the deathbed of a reprobate soul1 of one that has yielded himself to his rule4 ,he sees the last hour approaching2 the dread coma of death settles down on the mind and heart where ,satan's seat is2 and he watches for the rending of soul and body asunder which will seal for eternity his claim to his possession of the sinner4 ,the hour strikes2 the horrible spasm of death seizes the frame and passes2 the ,evil ,one clutches with hellish eagerness the liberated spirit that is now his forever4 ,the lost soul with the swiftness of thought is judged1 ,satan's claim is granted1 and the lost wretch flees into outer darkness1 the eternal slave of hell4 ,but what a difference now transpires6 for such a soul can no longer be used as the active instrument of the divine dishonour1 and ,satan finds satisfaction in possessing a soul only when he can use it as a co-worker with himself in his warfare with ,god4 ,,iii4 ,the ,limitations of the ,tempter ,our consideration of ,satan's strength has shown us something of the awful and malignant character of his office4 ,we see that he is not a foe to be despised1 and the soul that thinks lightly of his antagonism is marked by him as a sure #bc victim4 ,yet despite all this1 to fear ,satan is to dishonour ,god4 ,what would be thought of a soldier in the armies of an earthly kingdom who was afraid of the enemy8 ,he may be far from despising him2 he may recognize his power and skill1 but to be afraid of him would be the mark of the caitiff4 ,how much more dishonourable is it in the soldiers of ,jesus ,christ1 our ,captain1 to stand in fear when ,he is fighting for us1 and has promised us certain victory if only we be faithful4 ,this is the first consideration that should nerve and enhearten us2 but there is a second and most important one to which ,god would direct our attention1 namely1 the natural limitations of the adversary himself4 ,the popular notion of ,satan is an extraordinarily erroneous one1 and the reaction from it has driven many to a complete denial of his existence4 ,many make a god of him1 endow him with attributes of deity1 regarding him as both omnipresent and omniscient4 ,but we are ever to remember that ,satan is a creature1 finite and limited4 7#a7 ,he is in no sense omnipresent4 ,no angel nor devil has any gift of ubiquity4 ,if any created spirit be in one place1 he is not in another4 ,if he is busy protecting1 or endangering1 the soul of #bd one1 he is not with another4#aa ,satan has no more power than we have to be in more than one place at the same time1 although1 through the faithful agency of his many evil angels1 fellow-devils with himself1 he is able to deal with every soul4 ,we speak in popular language of ,satan tempting us1 but it is probable that most of our temptations1 though inspired by him1 are not brought to us by him directly and in his own proper person1 but through spiritual or other agencies under his control4 7#b7 ,again1 ,satan is not omniscient4 ,this attribute1 like that of omnipresence1 belongs to ,god alone4 ,doubtless1 in common with other purely spiritual beings1 and in spite of his fall1 he has1 in virtue of his nature1 vaster knowledge of things than we can now grasp1 but his knowledge is necessarily limited and finite1 and any attainment1 or increase of it1 must be through finite processes4 7#c7 ,another truth that brings us the greatest comfort and courage is that which is revealed in ,holy ,scripture1 namely1 that he has no power of reading our minds and hearts4 ,it must ever be a consolation to us to know that in times of temptation neither he nor the fallen spirits he employs can know what effect their evil suggestions are producing in our hearts1 except in so #be far as we give outward evidence of it4#ab ,could he at times see how troubled and afraid we are1 how near to yielding1 he would redouble his assault with such fury as might sweep us wholly away2 but ,god in ,his merciful kindness withholds this knowledge from him4 ,this should teach us the necessity of a calm and untroubled front in times of temptation2 giving no outward sign of perturbation that might encourage him2 remembering how ,satan's experience has given him skill beyond our thought in reading such signs4 ,to give such outward indications would be to notify him of our fear of him2 and also would advertise him that we were not putting our trust wholly in ,god4 ,let him be given these two assurances1 and our chance of escape would be small4 ,,iv4 ,the ,restraint of the ,divine ,decrees ,as we have seen1 ,satan is limited as are all creatures1 but his limitations are more than those which belong of necessity to a finite and created #bf nature4 ,because of his rebellion and his warfare against the ,saints1 ,god by decree has set him his bounds1 as perhaps ,he has done with none other of ,his creatures4 7#a7 ,he can tempt a soul that is in grace only with explicit permission from ,god4 ,this is taught clearly in the history of the temptations of ,job4#ac ,he defames the character of this servant of ,god1 challenging ,god1 as it were1 to give him permission to test the ,saint4 ,the permission is given1 and then1 and not till then1 is ,satan able to lay siege to the heart of the patriarch4 7#b7 ,after ,god's permission has been given1 the extent of the temptation is also specially marked out by ,god4 ,he sends ,satan forth with permission to try ,his servant1 but decrees what he can1 and what he cannot1 do4 ,behold all that he hath is in thy power2 only upon himself put not forth thy hand4 ,this was the limitation of the first temptation1 and when in it ,job sinned not1 nor charged ,god foolishly1 for the further perfecting of ,his servant and the confusion of the tempter1 ,he gives a second permission1 for each detailed temptation had to be stamped with the divine approval4 ,but here again was the definite bound set4 ,behold he is in thine hand1 but save his life4 #bg ,but in many cases ,god sets for ,satan an even more baffling limitation than was done in the trial of ,job1 not allowing him to know definitely how far he will be allowed to go4 ,he has no rights in his work of temptation4 ,god has made no covenant with him to allow him anything2 he is permitted to operate little by little1 here and there1 and from time to time1 not according to his own will or wish1 but only as ,god wills for ,his own glory4 ,if he knew in the beginning the exact limit1 if nothing more1 he could so much the more intelligently prepare his plans4 ,he is1 however1 in the position of a man who is bidden to prepare for a journey1 but is given no idea of the distance it is to cover1 along what road it will be1 or what space of time it will occupy4 ,the plan laid out in such a case must be1 at best1 a poor kind of thing4 ,god has promised us that we shall not be tempted above that we are able4 ,in other words1 that ,he will preside over this battle1 watching it in its every detail1 and when the limit of our strength is reached1 the tempter will be instantly checked4 ,what must be his rage and chagrin to find so often the spoil of the battle apparently all but within his grasp1 when suddenly his arm is shortened1 his power paralysed4 #a ,be sober1 be vigilant1 because your adversary1 the devil1 as a roaring lion1 walketh about1 seeking whom he may devour4--#a ,peter v1 #h4 #b ,rev4 xii1 #g4 #c ,it seems certain that this sin was pride1 which is the beginning of all sin4444 ,more specifically1 the pride of the fallen angels seems to have been a refusal to accept the position of creature1 subject in all things to their ,creator4--,hunter1 ,outlines of ,dogmatic ,theology1 #ddh4 #d ,rom4 v1 #bj4 #e ,according to the divine economy1 the ,evil ,one is not consigned at once to the place of punishment allotted to him1 but is permitted to be at large for the trial and probation of men2 that he may1 though contrary to his own design1 render the ,saints more righteous through patience1 and become the cause of greater glory to them4--,st4 ,macarius the ,egyptian1 ,institutes of ,christian ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,,iv1 ch4 ii 7,london1 #ahaf74 #f ,ps4 cvii1 #af4 #g ,ps4 xcviii1 #b4 #h ,rom4 v1 #ab4 #i #a ,cor4 xv1 #ee4 ,compare ,hosea xiii1 #ad4 #aj ,heb4 xii1 #bc4 #aa ,moberly1 ,the ,administration of the ,holy ,spirit1 p4 #be4 #ab ,for ,thou1 even ,thou only1 knowest the hearts of all the children of men4--#a ,kings viii1 #ci4 ,after all1 with all his vast knowledge and experience1 he is but a creature4 ,he cannot know you from within2 he is not omniscient1 not omnipresent4 ,he can only guess at your motives1--the secret spring of your actions4--,webb1 ,the ,presence and ,office of the ,holy ,spirit1 pp4 #gh-gi4 #ac ,job i and ii4 #bh ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,tempter3 ,,his ,,characteristics ,,and ,,methods ,i4 ,satan1 the ,deceiver ,the foremost characteristic of ,satan is that which marks him as a ,deceiver4 ,it was by deceit that he brought death into the world and all our woe4 ,our first mother was beguiled through his subtilty1#a and being deceived1 was in the transgression4#b ,our ,lord declares him to be the father of lies1#c and the constant apostolic warning is against his falsehood and deceit4 ,he secures the active allegiance of men by blinding the minds of them which believe not2#d he is able to lead astray ,god's people by being transformed into an angel of light1#e and through his wiles and lying wonders he seeks to seduce1 if it were possible1 even the elect4#f ,so we are taught to watch and pray lest the devil find room to deceive1 who never sleeps1 but goes about seeking whom he may devour4#g #bi ,nevertheless there is great consolation in the fact that his chief weapon is deceit4 ,by using it he bears his testimony that1 though we be far gone from righteousness1 yet1 should we be permitted to see clearly1 truth rather than error would appeal to us4 ,no man chooses evil for evil's sake4#h ,before he makes such a choice he is deceived into thinking either that the thing is good1 or that under the particular circumstances it is right for him to make what1 under other conditions1 would be a sinful choice4 ,thus1 much of the sin we commit comes from making ourselves an exception to rules which we ourselves acknowledge1 and it has been said that such action is of the very essence of immorality4 ,one of ,satan's favourite deceptions is practised upon us in regard to himself4 ,it has been well said that ,satan's master-stroke in these latter times is his policy of persuading men that he himself has no existence4 ,if an army disbelieves in the existence of an enemy1 no guard will be kept1 and it will be easily surprised and overcome4#i #cj ,so we may be sure that those who deny the personality of ,satan will sooner or later be his captives4 ,knowing this he operates as hiddenly as possible4 ,how different is his plan of warfare from what it was two thousand years ago4 ,men believed in him then1 and he fought them in the open4 ,now they question his existence1 and he goes softly lest they should discover their error through his too manifest activity4 ,in our ,lord's time1 for example1 demoniacal manifestation was common2 it is rarely heard of now4 ,satan does not care to be too much in evidence4 ,he encourages us to think lightly of him that we may all the more surely fall into his snares4 ,here we see the evidence of his absolute devotion to his cause4 ,wiser in his generation than the children of light1#aj he is willing to be effaced if thereby the glory of the kingdom of hell can be enhanced4 ,we often mar what we do for ,god by conspicuously claiming the credit2 he asks for no credit if only the result redounds to his power4 #ca ,,ii4 ,the ,fact of his ,personality ,the question of the personality of ,satan is one that we must briefly consider here4 ,do we believe in a personal devil8 ,the answer to this question will show what is our attitude towards the spiritual conflict4 ,we may go further1 and say that it will show whether1 in the last analysis1 we believe there is any spiritual conflict4#aa ,in these days when man is made the measure of all things1 both divine and devilish1 we often hear it said that every soul is its own tempter1 that what revelation calls temptation is but the working out of a so-called evil principle that resides by nature in every human spirit4#ab ,of course1 there is a partial truth in this1 for #cb when we yield ourselves to ,satan's power by consenting to sin1 we then become his servants1 and just as one man often acts as ,satan's agent in tempting another1 so1 too1 we can act as his agent in tempting ourselves4 ,but it is none the less his personal work though carried out through another4 ,to deny the personality of ,satan involves one in all manner of denials of ,scripture and ,church teaching4 ,revelation declares that ,god made our first parents and pronounced them very good4#ac ,whence then arose the inherent principle of evil that wrought their temptation8 ,did ,god create in them and pronounce very good that which asserted itself so desperately against ,his will1 or did it come from a personally directed intelligence outside of them8 ,again1 in the second ,adam1 if ,he is indeed the ,god-man1 the ,incarnate ,jehovah1 whence came ,his temptation8 ,if it came from some principle within ,him1 then just in so far as ,his temptation was greater than ours must the evil principle dwelling in ,him have been greater2 and when we consider the extent of ,his temptation we must then conclude that ,his human nature had more inherent evil in it than that of any other who has ever braved the perils of the spiritual conflict4 #cc ,again1 the verdict of the ,christian experience of all ages has been that the more nearly men attain to the likeness of ,christ1 the more they are tempted4 ,does then the increase of the ,christ-character give added virulence and strength to the evil that is within8 ,these illustrations of temptation show that those who reject the personality of ,satan and of his evil angels1 and substitute for it the idea of temptation arising from an evil principle within1 are involving themselves in conclusions which strike at the very fundamentals of divine revelation concerning ,god and ,his relations to man4 ,,iii4 ,his ,experience and ,wisdom ,one of ,satan's most powerful means of warfare lies in his experience in dealing with the souls of men4 ,we dare not presume to think that we can oppose or overreach him with any gift of discernment that we have of ourselves4 ,his experience in this warfare has been age-long4 ,ours has covered but a few brief years4 ,his devotion to his cause has been unflagging1 and so1 by his strenuous attention to the business in hand1 he has acquired vast stores of knowledge as to methods of temptation4 ,our knowledge of attack and resistance is a poor and beggarly thing1 because when ,god would place us in the school #cd of temptation that we might learn this military science1 we are wanting in devotion to our cause and miss the numberless opportunities that are offered4 ,furthermore1 ,satan has dealt with millions of souls of the same type as ours1 dealt with them and mastered them4 ,it were the height of folly for us to imagine that there might be any thing in our nature1 or in our aim and purpose1 that he has not met and studied in characters far stronger than ours4 ,taken apart from ,god1 there is nothing in us that can for a moment baffle so powerful and experienced a foe4 ,we can present no new front to him4 ,only the infinite strength and variety of ,god's grace can supply that which will surely baffle and defeat him4 ,as we study the history of his dealings with the souls of men we see not only that he is faithful to his own abominable ideals and aims1 and so acquires great knowledge of the methods which avail against us1 but that he is faithful and methodical in using the experience he has gained4 ,he makes the most of what he has4 ,if he discovers that a certain mode of temptation is effective against men1 he wastes neither time nor force in wandering afield after new things4 ,he works one method thoroughly1 getting out of it #ce all possible dishonour to ,god1 before seeking new ways and means4 ,he never scatters his force1 but is ever intensifying and concentrating it1 daily seeking to perfect more and more his method of warfare4 ,let us see how careful he is to utilize his own tremendous experiences4 ,take the first recorded temptation that he brought against man4 ,what was his course of reasoning in devising it8 ,i fell through the desire to be like ,god1 he reflects4 ,this same temptation will ensnare this new handiwork of ,god whom ,he has made in ,his own image and likeness4 ,it was to him unthinkable that any intelligent being should not have that aspiration1 and he approaches our first mother1 promising as the reward of sin1 ,ye shall be as gods4#ad ,his confidence was not disappointed4 ,the lure attracted1 man fell1 and sin and death entered the world4 ,we note that he again falls back upon his experience in tempting the second ,adam4 ,he hears the ,father's voice declare1 ,thou art ,my ,beloved ,son1#ae and immediately he proceeds to test ,him4 ,mark the substance of his insolent assault4 ,if thou art the ,son of ,god1 prove it1 vindicate your claim4 ,i challenge it4 ,turn #cf these stones into bread1 and by this miracle show me that you are like ,god4#af ,this he believed would be the supreme test4 ,his own fall had come through his ambition2 the fall of the human race had its beginning in the same proud aspiration2 and surely1 he argued1 it would prove effective against this new opponent of his power as prince of this world4 ,we know what was the issue of the attempt4 ,no sin could enter the heart of the ,sinless ,one1 and yet ,he allowed ,himself to be thus tempted that we might find in ,his example a means of offsetting the advantage our enemy has in his vast experience with men and their frailties4 ,,iv4 ,the ,methods of his ,might ,not in a single chapter1 nor yet in many chapters1 would it be possible for us to discuss all the forms of the might with which ,satan wars against the servants of ,god4 ,we must hasten on to the consideration of some of those that he most commonly employs4 7#a7 ,his activity4 ,he never sleeps2 he never rests on his arms4 ,what seem to be pauses in the battle are only intervals he is employing to study us more carefully1 and to plot some more #cg subtle and ingenious method of attack4 ,even in moments of defeat he is alert to recover even the smallest advantage4 ,how often when we have just won from him some hard-fought battle1 and are pausing1 as it were1 for breath1 our vigilance relaxed ever so little1 does he discharge a ,parthian shot of pride in our victory1 or of impatience which1 if it does not wound us grievously1 at least mars the perfection of the victory we had secured by ,god's grace4 7#b7 ,his aggression4 ,we are1 perhaps1 in many instances1 ready to use the opportunities that present themselves to labour for ,god's glory1 but how salutary a lesson have we to learn from him who1 in the interests of eternal unrighteousness1 does not wait for opportunity1 but labours unceasingly to create occasions for the dishonour of our ,god4 ,he goes up and down the world seeking whom he may devour1#ag letting nothing slip that can forward his infernal designs4 ,in furthering the glory of ,god and the work of the kingdom we count ourselves to have done well if we have been fairly faithful to the opportunities that come4 ,we hear much1 among even the best of spiritual teachers1 of seizing opportunities of grace1 but little is said of making such opportunities1 of watching and labouring1 keen #ch and alert to turn to good account and to ,god's glory every circumstance1 whether or not it seem in itself to bear the hall-mark of heaven-sent opportunity4 ,how much more zealous is ,satan in the evil cause6 ,he not only uses every opportunity that comes1 but he counts himself to have done little unless he has forced occasions for wounding the divine ,majesty and enslaving souls made in the image of ,god4 7#c7 ,his persistency4 ,though it is within the power of the soul1 by a stout and persistent defence1 to discourage ,satan in regard to certain particular temptations1 yet in regard to temptation in general he is never discouraged4 ,however many times we may inflict defeat upon him1 however mighty in battle the soul of saint or sinner may wax1 he never resigns the hope that he may yet secure dominion in the heart in which ,god now reigns4 ,what a frightening suggestion this offers6 ,he who knows us so well1 better than we know ourselves1 better than anyone knows us save ,god and our ,guardian ,angel1 sees ever in us possibilities of final and eternal failure4 ,there is always some definite thing in us that buoys up his hope that he may yet be able to persuade or deceive us into rejecting the service of ,god and accepting #ci his4 ,every time we yield to the slightest sin or laxity1 we encourage and embolden him still more1 until he feels that he can safely attack the soul that but a little time before he feared4 ,it is thus that we become responsible for our own temptations1 raise up occasions for sin1 and give1 by our often deliberate acts1 vantage ground and footing to him from which he can drive home a deadly stroke4 7#d7 ,a fourth characteristic is the patience with which he works4 ,he bides his time4 ,we should naturally think that when he found a soul in a sinful environment he would immediately use the occasion to lead it into some serious sin1 but by no means does he always take this course4 ,often in the most sinful surroundings he does not1 for a long time1 allow the sight of sin to suggest participation in it4 ,he waits until we are accustomed to its presence2 until the sense of shock wears off4 ,he begins by getting us to tolerate the fact of sin about us1 for he knows that any toleration of sin in the general life with which we are surrounded is a long step towards tolerating it in ourselves4 ,so he waits with a patience born of a deep-laid plot4 ,he notes that after a while we see our ,lord fearfully dishonoured1 and our souls are not thereby grieved and outraged2 that we come #dj and go in a world where ,he is being crucified daily1 but with a smiling countenance that masks no broken heart beneath4 ,then he begins to insinuate his suggestions to evil4 ,perhaps the temptation at first is to some slight sin only1 merely venial4 ,he would not rouse our slumbering conscience by the frightening temptations to that which is serious4 ,but ,satan has no interest in a soul committing venial sins merely for their own sake4 ,venial sin cannot deliver us into his power1 and cannot keep us out of heaven4 ,it is well for us to remember this4 ,satan cares nothing for venial sin per se4 ,he never tempts a soul to it save as a cunningly laid preparation for that deadly sin which follows logically upon a long and reckless course of venial sin2 and the soul that deliberately yields to little temptations is knowingly1 wilfully1 and deliberately aiding and abetting the devil in his plan for the supreme dishonour of our ,god4 ,so through all these steps the ,satanic patience endures4 ,he sees the soul's sensibilities becoming more and more blunted2 the conscience less and less sensitive4 ,he sees the little act of sin lightly consented to1 then the habit formed4 ,he marks the soul's defences crumbling1 and in a well-chosen hour1 subtly and in some familiar #da guise1 he presents the temptation to the great offence1 and his triumph is complete4 7#e7 ,the last characteristic we shall consider is his ready adaptability to every circumstance that transpires in the midst of the battle4 ,he cares not how we are tempted1 if only our fall can be secured4 ,we1 in our self-will1 often desire to serve ,god in some particular way1 and lose interest when we have to change our method4 ,satan gives us an example in this1 for he cares not how he fights1 if only he can1 in some small measure at least1 accomplish ,god's dishonour4 ,he has no pet plans to which he clings in a self-willed way4 ,utterly devoted to his cause1 he feels no reluctance or sense of personal chagrin at having to give up a certain method he has been using to dishonour ,god in us4 ,he gladly and immediately resigns what he finds is not to the purpose4 ,we see this illustrated in the swiftness with which he shifts the point of attack1 often with great readiness and seeming graciousness accepting as his own the point of view from which we reject his first overture4 ,this is vividly illustrated in his temptation of our ,lord in the wilderness4 ,in response to the first temptation1 our ,lord shows that man is not to live by bread alone1 not by merely natural means1 even though in themselves they may be #db good1 but that he is to be sustained by a trust in ,god4 ,instantly ,satan changes his front4 ,he takes ,him up upon a pinnacle of the temple and delivers the second temptation1 which in substance is this3 ,you are entirely right4 ,god must be trusted implicitly and in all things4 ,now give an evidence of your trust in ,him4 ,cast yourself down1 for it is written--7and here we see how the devil so completely shifts to our ,lord's point of view that he begins to quote ,scripture himself71--',he shall give ,his angels charge concerning thee1 and in their hands they shall bear thee up1 lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone4 ,but the ,blessed ,one could not be deceived4 ,again fell the crushing ,scriptum est1 and again the tempter is vanquished4 ,as we have just seen in his quotation from ,scripture1 if it suits his purpose he will make use of the best and holiest things if only he can balk ,god's will1--things which1 in themselves1 he must fear and hate4 ,so he may cozen and deceive thee1 he cares not whether it be by truth or falsehood1 says a ,kempis4#ah ,he will try to induce us to go to church when he knows that in so doing we may be neglecting plain1 ,god-sent duties at home4 ,he could not possibly desire us to meditate on holy things1 and yet a #dc self-willed meditation1 to the neglect of charity or obedience1 is most pleasing to him1 and he will incite us to it1 even smoothing the way for us1 suggesting to us beautiful and holy thoughts1 and glad to help us with our meditation because he knows it is being made selfishly1 and therefore contrary to the divine will4 ,v4 ,the ,soul's ,safety ,our assurance of escaping the power of this malignant and tireless foe lies3 7#a7 ,in never parleying or arguing with him4 ,he is far cleverer than we are1 and if we stop to consider his proposals1 or to reason about them1 our fate will1 sooner or later1 be that of our first mother1 who1 because she was willing to hear what the tempter had to say1 found herself deceived to her utter undoing4 ,our only safe course lies in instant and vigorous rejection of all that he suggests4 7#b7 ,but1 although we shall see later that it is often wise to ignore him wholly1#ai our resistance is not to be merely a passive one4 ,we are to meet point with point1 attack with counter-attack4 ,if he is tirelessly active in his cause1 there must be in us a corresponding activity and zeal for ,god's #dd service and for the safety of our souls2 a like aggressive spirit1 a forcing of circumstances and conditions1 wherever possible1 that glory may be won for our ,king1 and the power of the devil diminished2 a like persistency1 and equal alertness1 a ready trying of one method1 then another2 and no matter what past failures may have been1 a continuing the fight1 that in the end we may be worthy of the victory4 ,if we can learn these lessons1 though the strength and prowess of ,satan be an hundred-fold greater than that which human might can own1 yet we shall have no fear of him4 ,on the contrary he will fear us1 delivering his attacks warily1 lest he find his power shattered by the weapons with which we shall be able to oppose him4 ,we were considering a little while ago how ,satan walketh about1 seeking whom he may devour4#bj ,these words of ,st4 ,peter have another significance4 ,true1 he goes about with strong and ceaseless aggression1 but he goes about seeking only those whom he may devour4 ,he does not fall without discretion upon the throngs of men1 as the lion upon the flock4 ,he seeks only those who will1 he thinks1 in the end yield themselves to him4 ,he skulks about1 hiding himself1 seeking1 as we have seen1 to blind men to the #de very fact of his existence1 until he finds opportunity for attack when he thinks the soul will yield4 ,some strong souls he does not openly seek1 for too often has he been defeated by them1 and he fears to tempt them save in some insidious1 hidden way4 ,in dealing with such souls he loses his lion-like character1 and lies in ambush like the coward who is afraid to strike save from behind4 ,a great comfort1 therefore1 we must draw from the thought that ,satan's career has been one of failure as well as of victory4 ,god's ,saints1 following the lead of the ,king of ,saints1 have on a thousand battle-fields trampled him under their feet2 and with whatever insolent confidence he may approach us1 it is never without a haunting1 unnerving fear lest the issue be what it has been many times before1 a crushing defeat4 ,it is not the weak human soul only that trembles at the impending conflict1 but the soul of ,satan1 so often beaten down and humiliated at the hands of the weakest of the soldiers of ,god4 #a #b ,cor4 xi1 #c4 #b #a ,tim4 ii1 #ad4 #c ,st4 ,john viii1 #dd4 #d #b ,cor4 iv1 #d4 #e #b ,cor4 xi1 #ad4 #f ,st4 ,mark xiii1 #bb4 #g ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #h ,the soul1 from her nature1 always relishes good1 though it is true that the soul1 blinded by self-love1 does not know and discern what is true good4--,st4 ,catherine of ,siena1 ,dialogue1 p4 #abb4 7,thorold ,trans41 ,london1 #aijg47 #i ,there is something satanic in the contempt and the ridicule with which men treat ,satan4 ,i say it is satanic because it is a ,satanic illusion to make men cease to fear him1 or cease even to believe in him4 ,he is never more completely master of a man than when the man ridicules his existence1--when1 as we hear in these days1 men say1 ',there is no devil4'--,h4 ,e4 ,manning1 ,sin and ,its ,consequences1 pp4 #afh-afi4 #aj ,st4 ,luke xvi1 #h4 #aa ,it is perhaps best to avoid such expressions as personality of evil1 lest they be misunderstood4 ,evil cannot be personal in or of itself2 it can only obtain the advantages of personal embodiment and action by being accepted by an already existing creature1 endowed with will1--a creature which freely determines implicitly to accept it by rejecting good4444 ,in ,satan evil has become dominant and fixed as in a previously existing personal being2 there was no such thing in the universe of the ,almighty and ,all-good ,god as a self-existing or originally created devil4--,liddon1 ,passiontide ,sermons1 p4 #ie4 #ab ,what do they exactly mean by this imposing phrase8 ,how can evil itself be1 strictly speaking1 a principle8 ,the essence of evil is absence of principle1 principle being something positive4 ,evil is contradiction to positive principle4--,liddon1 ,passiontide ,sermons1 p4 #hh4 #ac ,gen4 i1 #ca4 #ad ,gen4 iii1 #e1 or rather as ,god4 ,the word in the ,hebrew is simply ,elohim4 #ae ,st4 ,mark i1 #aa4 #af ,see ,pusey1 ,parochial ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #adh4 #ag #a ,st4 ,peter v1 #h4 #ah ,imitation1 ,,iv1 xxx4 #ai ,see page #adb4 #bj #a ,st4 ,peter v1 #h4 #df ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,universality ,,of ,,temptation ,i4 ,the ,common ,lot ,so long as we live in this world we cannot be without tribulation and temptation4 ,whence it is written in ,job1#a ',the life of man upon earth is a temptation4'#b ,man did not have to wait for the full revelation of ,god in ,his ,son before knowing this truth4 ,holy ,job testifies to it out of his own experience1 and the ,son of ,sirach gives the warning1 ,my son1 if thou come to serve the ,lord1 prepare thy soul for temptation4#c ,the constant and definite warning and promise of our ,lord and ,his ,apostles were to the same effect4 ,in the only prayer ,he taught ,his disciples1 a prayer ,he commands us to use daily1 they are taught to say1 ,lead us not into temptation2#d and on the night in which ,he was betrayed1 full of tender solicitude for their souls1 ,he warns them1 ,pray that ye enter not into temptation4#e #dg ,in all ,his teaching ,he takes it easily for granted that temptation is an inevitable factor in the life of those who would follow ,him4 ,in the parable of the ,sower ,he assumes1 without so much as making the statement1 that temptation must come to every heart in which the seed of the ,word is sown4#f ,everywhere ,his ,apostles give us the same teaching4 ,st4 ,paul testifies to the presence of temptation in his own life1 and warns and comforts his converts concerning it1 telling them of the sweetness and loving care of ,god in it all3 ,there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man2 but ,god is faithful1 who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able4#g ,and further1 ,god reveals to us the depth of our ,lord's temptation as a source of comfort and encouragement3 ,in that ,he ,himself hath suffered being tempted1 ,he is able to succour them that are tempted2#h and again1 ,he was in all points tempted like as we are4#i ,so likewise is it through the writings of all the ,apostles4 ,st4 ,james assumes the universal fact1 and points out the way of temptation as the way of joy2#aj ,st4 ,peter shows how temptation #dh leads on to praise and honour and glory at the appearing of ,jesus ,christ2#aa and the ,epistles of the ,beloved ,disciple1 tender and full of all gentleness as they are1 ring with the suggestion of the ,satanic antagonism1 the warfare and the victory4 ,what a trumpet call there is to the elect lady and her children3 ,look to yourselves1 that we lose not those things which we have wrought4#ab ,it is like an echo of the revelation on ,patmos1 the message to the faithful ,philadelphians1 ,hold that fast which thou hast1 that no man take thy crown4#ac ,,ii4 ,enduring ,hardship ,it is a part of the temptation itself that1 as we contemplate the fact of its universality1 the question should arise in the soul1 weary with the battle1 sore with long buffeting1 ,is there no rest1 no cessation from the strain and stress of the warfare8 ,the question comes from ,satan4 ,assuming the role of a comforter1 he whispers to us of the hardness of the ceaseless struggle4 ,it is a temptation to induce us to forget our character as the followers of our ,lord4 ,when we were baptized we were signed with the ,sign of the ,cross in #di token that we should manfully fight under ,christ's banner against sin1 the world1 and the devil1 and continue ,christ's faithful soldier and servant unto our life's end4#ad ,in short1 at our ,baptism we were enlisted and sealed as soldiers1 and a soldier who never fights has no reason for existing4 ,a soldier who turns himself back in the day of battle is not only unworthy of his name and character1 but is by this act reversing the whole principle of his life and vocation4 ,we are members of the ,church ,militant1--the fighting ,church4 ,the ,son of ,god has gone forth to war1 the trumpet-call to ,his soldiers has sounded4 ,it were shame upon the soldier of an earthly army should he1 at such a time1 linger and repine because of the battle1 and surely those who contend for no earthly laurel1 but for the crown of glory that fadeth not away1#ae cannot afford to do less4 ,let us never forget that we are members of an army1 that it is a time of war2 our ,captain has gone forth with ,his host2 ,the ark and ,israel1 and ,judah1 abide in tents2 and my lord ,joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields2 shall ,i then go into mine house to eat and to drink8#af ,we must not1 however1 leave the matter at #ej this point1 lest some be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow1#ag and find only despair where they looked for consolation4 ,in the spiritual combat1 unceasing as it is1 there are many considerations which offer comfort4 ,these we shall not here meditate upon at length4 ,they will find their place before we close our study of this holy warfare4 ,but it will help and encourage us to remind ourselves that in this struggle the exercise of strength does not exhaust the soul4 ,in the moment that we seem weakest1 then are we strong1 because ,christ's strength is made perfect in our weakness4#ah ,then it is that ,god teaches us our own insufficiency that we may look not to anything that we have or do1 but to ,him that ,he may send us help from the sanctuary and strengthen us out of ,sion4#ai ,great strain upon bodily strength depletes it1 but the more unsparing the call upon our spiritual energies1 the more are they confirmed and increased4 ,then again1 the harder the battle1 the more splendid the victory and the reward4 ,every ,satanic device and energy that is directed against us does but swell the opportunity for a more glorious place in the ,kingdom4 ,so a ,kempis #ea says3 ,these help to virtue2 these test the young soldiers of ,christ2 these fashion the heavenly crown4#bj ,thus does evil react upon itself for its own destruction1 and surely none but a pusillanimous soul will desire to flee the honour of being used as the sure occasion and instrument of the glory of our ,god1 and of the overthrow of ,satan4 ,,iii4 ,the ,sufferings of the ,saints ,the holy author of the ,imitation of ,christ tells us1 ,no man is so perfect and holy as not sometimes to have temptations4#ba ,the universality of temptation is found not only in respect to outward condition and circumstance1 but also in respect to the character of those against whom ,satan directs his malice4 ,saintly souls longing for a still greater saintliness1 if they truly discern the things of the ,spirit1 will not fall into the snare of thinking that perhaps some day in this life they will become so like our ,lord that temptation can never more vex and torment them4 ,to become like ,him will be to invite more desperate #eb attacks4 ,the more we are conformed to ,his likeness1 the more must we expect to arouse the hatred and malice of the ,evil ,one4 ,he who is the ,holy of ,holies was1 just because of that fact1 tempted as never other man was tempted4 ,not only is our greater conformity to ,christ the signal for ,satan's attack1 but we must expect the particular occasions of ,god's outpouring of grace upon us to be also the occasions of special and perhaps immediate assault4 ,it was so with our ,lord4 ,there are few words in the narrative of stronger or more valuable significance than the adverb with which ,st4 ,matthew begins the fourth chapter of his ,gospel3 ,then was ,jesus led up of the ,spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil4 ,bishop ,andrewes says3 ,when as ,christ was but newly come out of the water of ,baptism1 and immediately after the heavens had opened unto ,him1 and the ,holy ,ghost descended upon ,him in the likeness of a dove1 and while ,he was yet full of the ,holy ,ghost1 did the devil set upon ,him2#bb and saintly old ,leighton warns us3 ,thou shalt be sure to be assaulted when thou hast received the greatest enlargements from heaven1 either at the ,sacrament or in prayer1 or in any other way2 then look for an onset4 #ec ,this arch-pirate lets the empty ships pass1 but lays wait for them when they return richest laden4#bc ,thus the soul that has received special blessings of ,god must expect special attack1 not only because it is natural for ,satan to seek promptly to offset and quench the divine grace1 but because when ,god gives us special spiritual strength ,he gives it in order that it may be used1 and ,he ,himself will supply the opportunity by permitting ,satan to make his attack4 ,it is ,god's property to look for much at his hands to whom ,he hath given much4 ,when ,he gives a man a large measure of grace1 ,he gives the devil withal a larger patent4#bd ,the like experience has ever been suffered by the ,saints4 ,we read of their struggles with temptation1 and of the methods the adversary employs against them1 and they sound often impossible and grotesque4 ,we are inclined to dismiss them as the product of the childish imagination of some mediaeval chronicler2 but how do we know the method of the devil with the ,saints8 ,he never has occasion to deal with us in any unusual way4 ,he is able to overthrow us daily with the most ordinary and commonplace #ed temptations2 how then dare we say how he might approach those against whom no common temptation can avail8 ,thus are we taught not to look forward to growth in holiness as a means of escape from temptation4 ,such expectation would in itself be sin1 because we should then be seeking ,god's gifts for our own selfish ease and indulgence1 and not for ,his honour4 ,if ,he should vouchsafe us the grace to attain to great achievement in the spiritual life1 it would be a base return for ,his goodness to shut those graces up in our hearts 7were such a thing possible71 instead of using them in more extended endeavour for the glory of ,his ,kingdom2 instead of arming ourselves by their means for more complete and crushing conquests of ,his enemies4 ,the ,saints are led along the path of sanctity that they may be more effective soldiers2 not that they may by such progress escape from the presence of the foe1 and find a pusillanimous peace in this life1 while all the powers of evil are storming at the gates of the ,kingdom1 and making captives of the ,king's children4 ,peace is to be had indeed1 and in this life1 for the ,kingdom of ,god is righteousness and peace and joy in the ,holy ,ghost1#be but1 says a ,kempis1 #ee he that knows how to suffer will possess the greatest peace4 ,endurance of hardness as a good soldier of ,jesus ,christ is the only passport to honourable peace in this life1 the only pledge of the peace of ,god which passeth all understanding#bf in the life to come4 ,,iv4 ,satan in the ,sanctuary ,thomas a ,kempis tells us again1 ,there is no order so holy nor place so secret where there be not temptations4#bg ,it would seem that the energies of ,satan against ,god would1 from the nature of things1 find themselves paralysed under certain conditions4 ,surely1 one should think1 the devil could introduce his temptations more readily in a brothel than in a church1 in ordinary secular employment rather than when we are engaged in the service of the sanctuary4 ,such1 however1 is not the case4 ,amid the common employments of the carpenter shop in ,nazareth we should scarcely have wondered had ,he been tempted2 but that the enemy should have approached the ,incarnate ,son of ,god while in the midst of ,his great retreat in preparation for ,his ministry does fill us with astonishment4 #ef ,or if it seem not unnatural that ,he should have been tempted in the desert solitudes1 yet we do marvel at the audacity that led the tempter to bear ,him to the holy precincts of the temple1 and seize upon the circumstances there to tempt ,him to seek other than ,his ,father's will4 ,but so it was with the ,master1 and so shall it be with the disciple4#bh ,who has not been tempted at the holiest times and in the most sacred places8 ,is it not1 furthermore1 the common experience that ,satan the more eagerly and readily pursues us under such circumstances8 ,there is a principle in it1 and a most natural one4 ,it is a favourite device of the enemy to assault us at such times for two reasons4 ,first1 because he knows that could he induce us to sin under such circumstances1 his victory would be greater1 the dishonour of ,god would be deeper1 the hurt to the soul more serious4 ,many a soul has been startled while kneeling in the very act of receiving the ,blessed ,sacrament by the swift1 sudden onslaught of some strong temptation4 ,to yield at such a time would not only bring upon it the guilt of the sin itself1 but there would be added to it something of the nature of sacrilege4 ,satan knows this1 and is keen to gain every advantage from it4 #eg ,secondly1 he seeks to lead us into sin under these conditions because he fears especially what is going on in our souls4 ,god is drawing near to us1 and we are drawing near to ,him4#bi ,we are hearkening what the ,lord ,god will say concerning us1#cj and ,he is preparing to speak in our souls with the ,voice that is mighty in operation1#ca with the ,voice of which it is said1 ,he spake the word and they were made1 ,he commanded and they were created4#cb ,satan knows how that ,voice in the attentive heart can speak into being new creations of divine grace1 and of strength unto the battle2 and it is to his utmost interest that our hearts be turned aside from hearing the divine ,voice within4 ,it is a great blow to his power for a soul to make a good ,communion1 to pray a holy prayer1 or to be able to listen piously and without distraction to a spiritual instruction or exposition of ,god's holy word4 ,such acts are acts of offensive warfare against him1 and it is no wonder if he then rouses himself and his evil agents to check this inroad into his kingdom4 ,so let us not be surprised if many distractions come in these times of devotion1 and if they endure long4 ,nor must we expect to be freed #eh from them as long as we live1 for they constitute one of ,satan's favourite modes of attack4 ,st4 ,francis de ,sales was once asked by a ,sister of the ,visitation how she could be rid of distractions in prayer4 ,with that wise humour so characteristic of the ,saint1 he replied1 ,die and be saved4#cc ,he knew of nothing short of this1 that could free one from ,satanic interruption4 ,to be clean delivered from it1 says ,walter ,hilton1 so that he shall feel no suggestion1 nor jangling of fleshly affections1 or of vain thoughts at any time1 that can no man come to in this life4#cd ,let us remember1 however1 that involuntary distraction is not sin4 ,if as soon as we are conscious that the mind has wandered we bring it back again1 our souls are clear4 ,we may wander again the next minute1 but as long as we #ei continue by acts of the will to bring the attention back again1 no sin is upon us4 ,the sin1 at such times1 lies in being disheartened1 but a little reflection on the principle involved will keep us safe4 ,satan seeks to interrupt our prayers because he fears them2 and ,god help the poor blinded soul who is happy and satisfied because the ,evil ,one does not think his devotions are worth interrupting4 ,v4 ,the ,sacrament of ,temptation ,if temptation be so universal1 and if1 as is usually the case1 it is a condition which is attached more particularly to the lives of those who are making the greatest effort of conformity to the divine will1 we are irresistibly drawn to the conclusion that there must be some signal blessing to be gained from enduring it4 ,st4 ,james tells us1 ,blessed is the man that endureth temptation2 for when he is tried1 he shall receive the crown of life which the ,lord hath promised to them that love ,him4#ce ,this apostolic beatitude can hardly be said to refer only to the blessedness that comes from so meeting temptation as merely to escape sin4 ,this would make the beatitude a poor thing that might #fj be supposed to belong as truly to the man who is never tempted at all4 ,the ,apostle is1 we can be sure1 speaking of a special blessing that comes from bearing a part in the spiritual warfare2 and he goes on to say that the crown which constitutes the reward is not one that is promised to those who succeed in the negative work of merely avoiding sin1 but to those who excel in the positive service of ,god1 and exercise love1--the crown of life which the ,lord hath promised to them that love ,him4 ,so we see that the crowning blessing derived from being tempted is that it affords us the best possible opportunity of exercising that divine love which must be the motive underlying all our spiritual life and action4 ,so it may be said that the temptation of the present moment is the sacrament of the present moment4 ,a sacrament is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace2 and temptation1 if met with the right disposition1 is a sign of a special grace with which ,god desires to adorn our souls1 a grace which we make our own whenever we fight valiantly1 and by the power of ,god gain the mastery over the temptation4 ,satan seems never to have realized this truth1 or else for the maintenance of his own kingdom he would refrain from his assaults on ,god's #fa people4 ,so has sin blinded the very ,prince of ,sin4 ,he assaults the ,saints of ,god4 ,in a strength not their own they drive him back baffled and defeated1 and the turrets of the infernal citadel topple and crash4 ,in the age-long conflict with ,god1 he has never learned how the divine purpose is using him and his malice1 nay1 giving direct permission for its exercise against ,himself1 in order that the eternal ,kingdom may be the more surely built up among men4 #a ,job vii1 #a4 7,septuagint ,version47 #b ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #c ,ecclus4 ii1 #a4 #d ,st4 ,matt4 vi1 #ac4 #e ,st4 ,matt4 xxvi1 #da4 #f ,st4 ,matt4 xiii4 #g #a ,cor4 x1 #ac4 #h ,heb4 ii1 #ah4 #i ,heb4 iv1 #ae4 #aj ,st4 ,james i1 #b4 #aa #a ,st4 ,peter i1 #g4 #ab #b ,st4 ,john #h4 #ac ,rev4 iii1 #aa4 #ad ,office of ,holy ,baptism4 #ae #a ,pet4 v1 #d4 #af #b ,sam4 xi1 #aa4 #ag #b ,cor4 ii1 #g4 #ah #b ,cor4 xii1 #i4 ,weakness is the guardian of our strength4--,pusey1 ,parochial ,sermons1 ,,ii1 #ccg1 quoting ,st4 ,greg4 ,mag4 #ai ,ps4 xx1 #b4 #bj ,imitation1 ,,iii1 xxxv4 ,it happens sometimes that men's souls are shipwrecked through evil thoughts1 but also it is by the entering in of such thoughts that we become worthy of being crowned4--,verba ,seniarum1 x1 #hf4 ,quoted by ,hannay in ,the ,wisdom of the ,desert1 p4 #bba4 #ba ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #bb ,andrewes1 ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,v1 p4 #eja4 #bc ,archbishop ,leighton1 ,commentary1 in loc4 #bd ,andrewes1 ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,v1 p4 #eja-ejb4 #be ,rom4 xiv1 #ag4 #bf ,phil4 iv1 #g4 #bg ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #bh ,st4 ,matt4 x1 #bd4 #bi ,st4 ,james iv1 #h4 #cj ,ps4 lxxxv1 #h4 #ca ,ps4 xxix1 #d4 #cb ,ps4 cxlviii1 #e4 #cc ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,conferences1 p4 #ach4 #cd ,hilton1 ,the ,scale of ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,,ii1 ,pt4 ,i1 ch4 viii4 ,a certain brother came to the ,abbot ,pastor1 and said1 ',many evil thoughts come into my mind1 and ,i am in danger through them4' ,the old man led him out into the air1 and said to him1 ',stretch yourself out1 and stop the wind from blowing4' ,the brother1 wondering at his words1 replied1 ',i cannot do that4' ,then the old man said to him1 ',if you cannot stop the wind from blowing1 neither can you prevent evil thoughts from entering your mind4 ,that is beyond your power2 but one thing you can do1--conquer them4'--,verba ,seniorum1 xi1 #ej4 ,quoted by ,hannay1 p4 #bag4 #ce ,st4 ,james i1 #ab4 #fb ,,chapter ,v ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,solicitude ,thomas a ,kempis tells us that since the life of man upon earth is a temptation1 ,everyone ought therefore to be anxious about his temptations and to watch in prayer4#a ,i4 ,true and ,false ,anxiety ,the anxiety to which we are exhorted is not1 however1 that attitude of mind and heart which would follow upon any uncertainty1 or want of assurance1 in regard to the result4 ,the word a ,kempis uses gives1 in its original significance1 no such suggestion4 ,it is sollicitus1 which has the force of being wholly aroused4 ,that is to say1 because life on earth is a temptation1 we are warned that our whole being must be stirred in the face of such a condition4 ,there must not be a single faculty that is not keen and alert to enter1 at a moment's notice1 upon the conflict4 ,every part of our nature must be as a soldier fully armed1 standing ready to #fc spring instantly forward to the conflict at the word of command4#b ,the anxiety that engenders doubt and fear is indeed too often found among ,god's people4 ,it is never free from imperfections and always springs from some evil root of self-love1#c and is the result more of a lack of faith than of any true1 supernatural solicitude for the safety of our souls4 ,we can well afford to leave all these cares with ,god4 ,says the saintly writer we have been quoting1 ,greater is ,thy anxiety for me than all the care that ,i can take for myself2 for he stands precariously who casts not all his anxiety upon ,thee4#d ,the true ,christian anxiety is closely akin to the virtue of ,holy ,fear1 which1 as we know1 is one of the special gifts of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,we are anxious about our temptations and the possibilities of sin1 because we have a dread of offending a ,father whose love has ever been poured out upon us in most precious benefactions4 ,the soul recognizing ,god's goodness1 and ,his tender1 #fd fatherly love1 shrinks from the baseness and ingratitude of wounding that love4 ,we are not afraid of ,god2 we are afraid of offending ,god because we love ,him4 ,there are few virtues that are so immediately rooted in love as ,holy ,fear4 ,of course1 we have no reference to that servile fear which ,st4 ,john tells us is cast out by perfect love4#e ,he refers to the fear of the slave who dreads to offend because he is afraid of the lash4 ,holy ,fear is the fear that is aroused in the pure heart of a little child who shrinks from that which would wound the love of a tender father4 ,we find the true expression of our filial anxiety in the familiar words of ,faber's hymn3 ,oh1 how ,i fear ,thee1 living ,god1 ,with deepest1 tenderest fears1 ,and worship ,thee with trembling hope1 ,and penitential tears4 ,,ii4 ,worry ,versus ,faith ,the presence of worry is proof of absence of trust in ,god4 ,the two cannot abide in the same heart2 and there is no more subtle device of the tempter than this of arousing in us the spirit of worry concerning our temptations4 ,it is a temptation within a temptation1 and this very #fe complication has the effect of sadly clouding the real issue4 ,we have the word of the ,holy ,ghost that ,god is faithful1 who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able4#f ,the word faithful as used here by ,st4 ,paul signifies faithfulness in carrying out an agreement4 ,it is implied that ,god has entered into a covenant with the soul that ,he will permit no temptation beyond our strength to assail us4 ,the ,apostle says that ,god is faithful and will fulfil ,his part in this covenant4 ,but the soul that admits worry is1 in substance1 saying that it is not convinced of ,god's faithfulness in the matter1 and considers1 in spite of the promise1 that there is much to fear4 ,worry is the mother of an innumerable brood of sins4 ,well did the ,psalmist say1 ,fret not thyself else shalt thou be moved to do evil4#g ,he knew somewhat of the sources of sin4 ,his own experience1 as well as the inspiration of the ,spirit1 had taught him that the fretted soul was a fair target for a hundred darts of the enemy4 ,the very sound of the word anxiety is painful1 says a modern writer2 next to sin there is #ff nothing that so much troubles the mind1 strains the heart1 distresses the soul1 and confuses the judgment4#h ,imagine an army troubled1 strained1 distressed1 confused2 what possible chance would it have of victory against a powerful and confident foe8 ,it would be the plaything of the enemy1 as indeed the human soul often is when it allows itself to be unnerved by a false anxiety4 ,thus we see that the anxious soul is the doubting soul1 and the soul that doubts ,god's goodness and loving care in the midst of the trial and conflict has already flung away its weapons and prepared the terms of its surrender to ,satan4 ,even if our own experience did not teach us better1 ,his word1 so often repeated1 should reassure us4 ,what can be more comforting than the many passages concerning the divine care and compassion with which the ,scriptures teem8 ,we recall the final summing up of the last great blessing which ,moses gave his people from ,god before he went up into the mount to be seen of them no more4 ,the eternal ,god is thy refuge1 and underneath are the everlasting arms4#i ,do these words leave room for anxious doubt that in every assault of the enemy ,he will be with us8 ,or those other words that have brought strong #fg consolation to so many souls in the midst of the conflict3 ,i will never leave thee1 nor forsake thee8#aj ,would that we could learn the lesson as the ,psalmist learned it1 that we might rest upon the divine compassion1 not enervated as we too often are by human sympathy1 but with our hearts thrilling with courage1 fearing naught1 knowing that ,he is faithful that hath promised1#aa and should the battle prove too strong ,he will save and deliver4 ,he shall send down from on high to fetch me2 and shall take me out of many waters4#ab ,,iii4 ,the ,cure of a ,doubting ,spirit ,there are many practical means we can employ to allay that kind of solicitude which is both the cause and effect of a doubting spirit4 7#a7 ,think not overmuch of the dangers of the warfare4 ,the imagination brooding over them will be apt to paint them in lurid colours that will terrify and weaken4 ,if the thought of the peril presses upon us1 supplant it by recalling the oft repeated pledges of divine help4 ,think rather of the glory of a conflict in which ,god is our ,leader1 and in which victory is absolutely assured if only we do not lose heart but fight on to the end4 #fh ,recall the precious promises ,he has given us1 and how that often in the very language of these promises we gain a glimpse of conditions of the war that ought mightily to encourage us4 ,resist the devil and he will flee from you1#ac says the ,spirit1 comforting us concerning the peril of the conflict4 ,glance for a moment at the particular words the ,holy ,ghost here chooses4 ,resist the devil2 or1 to go back to the etymology of the word1 ,stand against him2 yield not one step to him however he may fling the full weight of his power against you4 ,but what will be the result8 ,not only that your soul will be safe from stain or guilt1 but that you will carry consternation into the ranks of hell4 ,he will flee from you1 and the word used by the inspired writer means not merely that he will withdraw and leave you1 but that he will make a precipitate flight1 as one in a panic flees from impending danger4#ad ,let us remember when suggestion of fear comes that this is in itself a special temptation from ,satan1 and nowhere in his temptations is he guilty of more deliberate lying4 ,as a matter of fact there is no danger1 even in the fiercest of his assaults1 to the soul that cherishes the #fi presence of ,christ within4 ,for if ,he be in my heart1 then the conflict is between ,him and the tempter1 and so long as my heart is ,his1 and ,i do not1 by wilful sin1 drive ,him forth1 it is as impossible for ,satan to conquer as it was for him to have triumphed over our ,lord in the great conflict in the wilderness4 ,in short1 at such times all our ,lord asks is that we maintain our hearts for ,him that ,he may use them as battle-fields upon which to join issue once more with the adversary that ,he may administer to him another crushing defeat4 ,true1 ,he uses our faculties with which to fight1 but the battle is ,his1 and if we stand not in the way ,his will be the victory4 ,there can be no real danger to the faithful soul when the struggle is conducted under these conditions4 7#b7 ,speak not of your anxieties to everyone4 ,we may rightly take counsel with some wise spiritual guide who may be able to interpret them for us2 but experience shows us that many times much speaking of these matters gives body and reality to troubles which have no adequate ground1 and which might easily have been driven away1 had we only sought to divert the mind from them1 and so to forget them1 instead of impressing them still more on the consciousness by dwelling upon them in thought and conversation4 #gj ,above all things let not our conversation concerning our anxieties take the form of complaint1 for in every case the complaint is against ,god4 ,he is directing the detail of the warfare1 and each complaint is an open questioning of ,his justice and wisdom and love4 ,when ,satan sees that our spirits are thus inclined1 how quick he is to take advantage of it4 ,how thick and fast do suggestions come that lead us swiftly on to that state of self-pity at the supposed hardness of our lot1 that means a speedy extinction of divine grace within4 ,remember that complaint means disloyalty1 and disloyalty is a long step toward open rebellion4 ,even if our querulous spirit does not lead directly to such serious sin1 it involves us in great peril4 ,we have already seen that ,satan has no means of knowing the effect of his assaults except by the outward indications we give4 ,when we openly complain of the force of his attacks1 are we not advertising him of our weak points8 ,the garrison that is maintaining a siege not only seeks to keep its fortifications intact1 but1 should weakness transpire at any point1 is most careful not to give the enemy knowledge of it4 ,keep a brave front always4 ,this not only encourages our own heart1 but discourages the adversary4 #ga 7#c7 ,we must also draw upon our past experience to convince ourselves that most of our anxieties have no real basis in fact4 ,how many hours and days of troubled care can we recall which were proved by the issue of the event to have had reality only in our anxious imagination4 ,my sons1 said an old man on his deathbed1 in giving his last counsel to his children1 ,i have had much trouble in this life1 but most of it never happened4 ,this is the universal experience1 and it holds good with the solicitude that we feel over our temptations and other spiritual trials as in the less important matters of our temporal life4 7#d7 ,it will be a help to remind ourselves very frequently that in indulging a false anxiety concerning our spiritual difficulties1 we are seeking to-day to bear the morrow's burden1 something ,god means no soul to undertake4 ,there are surely temptations enough to-day to require all of to-day's grace and strength2 and1 conversely1 we know that no grace will be wanting for the trials of the present hour4 ,the promise is given to us as to ,god's people of old1 ,as thy days so shall thy strength be2#ae that is1 according to the need of each particular occasion so will strength be given4 ,there is no #gb promise that strength will be given to-day to bear the anticipated1 and often imaginary1 ills of the future2 and when we allow ourselves thus to anticipate them1 we are courting sure defeat4 ,satan delights to lead us into this false anxiety1 for he knows we have at the present moment no grace to grapple with temptations and trials which do not belong to this time2 and further1 he knows that a faithful confidence in ,god now is the sine qua non to securing and storing up strength against the future trial4 ,if he can disturb that confidence to-day1 when the real temptation comes to-morrow we shall not have laid hold of the grace that was offered1 and so cannot but fail1 unless some extraordinary mercy of ,god saves us then in spite of our faithlessness4 ,nor should we ever permit ourselves to forget that there may be no to-morrow4 ,remember that it is ,god's1 not thine4#af ,how sad a case would it be 7and doubtless there have been many such71 if we should weaken our souls and ,god's power within them1 by fretting over what might happen to-morrow2 then1 the call suddenly coming1 find ourselves saved indeed perhaps1 but occupying a lower place in heaven forever1 because in troubling our hearts over the burdens of a to-morrow that never came we lost the #gc grace of to-day4 ,every grace given us here is transmuted into glory there4 ,let us not lose one of them1 for the graces proffered and accepted here are pledges of the measure of the heavenly glory that will be ours4#ag ,,iv4 ,god's ,sympathy ,but1 do what we will1 after all1 the best and only unfailing refuge from the snare of a false solicitude is to turn in these anxious moments to ,him with ,whom alone true sympathy is found4 ,with profit may we hearken to the warning of the blessed a ,kempis3 ,by mutual speech we seek mutual comfort1 and desire to ease the heart overwearied with manifold anxieties44444 ,but1 alas1 often in vain and to no end2 for this outward comfort is no small loss of inward and divine consolation4#ah ,in our solicitude we desire1 and rightly desire1 human sympathy1 and ,god means us to have it4 ,it was for this very thing that ,he sent ,his ,son to take our nature and a human heart1 full of warm love and sympathy1 that we might find in perfection that for which we yearn1--the tender sympathy of our own kind4 ,what sweet and #gd strong consideration for our weakness is shown in this4 ,mere human sympathy only enervates1 and in the end the soul is left weaker than before4 ,every man's experience has told him this1 and yet deep in the human heart there is that uncontrollable longing for the loving touch of another heart1 human like our own4 ,god sees this1 and condescends to it4 ,he takes humanity1 full and complete1 up into the ,godhead1 that in ,him we may find that human ,heart that will give us perfectly the comfort and sympathy for which we yearn4 ,so in our solicitude let us turn to ,him1 our ,elder ,brother1 and the disciple who lay on ,his breast at ,supper will have no more loving a welcome1 no sweeter a sympathy1 than that which ,he will give to us who are wearied with the burden of life's warfare1 and perplexed with the problems of the battle4 #a ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #b ,when the mind ceases to entertain religious anxiety1 it becomes at the same time forgetful of the commandments1 and while it thinks itself advancing1 it wanders from the smooth road1 and idles on its way4--,st4 ,macarius1 ,institutes of ,christian ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,i1 chap4 v4 #c ,scupoli1 ,the ,spiritual ,combat1 chap4 xxv4 #d ,imitation1 ,,iv1 xvii4 #e #a ,st4 ,john iv1 #ah4 #f #a ,cor4 x1 #ac4 #g ,ps4 xxxvii1 #h4 ,the ,r4 ,v4 reads1 ,fret not thyself2 it tendeth only to evil-doing4 #h ,archbp4 ,ullathorne1 ,christian ,patience1 p4 #abh4 #i ,deut4 xxxiii1 #bg4 #aj ,heb4 xiii1 #e4 #aa ,heb4 xi1 #aa4 #ab ,ps4 xviii1 #af4 #ac ,st4 ,james iv1 #g4 #ad ,greek3 pheugo1 from which our ,english word fugitive is derived4 #ae ,deut4 xxxiii1 #be4 #af ,pusey1 ,parochial ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #aeh4 #ag ,see a remarkable discourse in ,dr4 ,pusey's ,lenten ,sermons on ,the ,losses of the ,saved4 #ah ,imitation1 ,i1 x4 #ge ,,chapter ,,vi ,,our ,,preparation ,,for ,,temptation ,i4 ,a ,double ,weapon ,if we have the right spirit of solicitude about our temptations1 it will arm us with a double weapon against ,satan which he will have no power to break4 ,we are told that we are to watch in prayer1--vigilare in orationibus4#a ,it is the command given by our ,lord to his disciples in the ,garden in the hour of the power of darkness3 ,watch ye and pray lest ye enter into temptation4#b ,st4 ,paul1 also1 in his exhortation to the ,ephesian ,christians to put on the whole armour of ,god1#c does not regard it as enough to give the great list of virtues with which they are to be panoplied4 ,the loins must indeed be girt with truth2 the breastplate of righteousness must be buckled on and the sandals of the preparation of the gospel of peace2 while above all else there must be the shield of faith2 and the great catalogue of #gf the ,christian soldier's equipment ends with the helmet of salvation and the sword of the ,spirit4 ,but this armour is not sufficient for the warfare4 ,complete as it seems1 something else is necessary to insure the victory2 and so the great ,christian warrior1 who himself had fought a good fight1#d adds something more1 namely1 watchfulness and prayer1--,praying always1 with all prayer and supplication in the ,spirit1 and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints4 ,how strong are his words1 poured forth with such impetuosity of expression as to seem to a superficial reader to be almost tautological1--praying with all prayer and supplication4 ,how careful1 too1 is he to remind us that this prayer and supplication must be in the ,spirit1 in response to the ,spirit's impulse1 and with the right judgment that ,he alone can give1 and which ,he will give only to those who ask ,him nothing wavering4#e ,nor will prayer alone suffice4 ,there must be a watching thereunto with all perseverance2 not relaxing our vigilance1 but maintaining it to the end4 ,neither is the soul to grow faint in its watch1 nor imagine1 in regard to any point1 that careful guard is no longer necessary4 #gg ,the word thereunto calls for comment4 ,does the vigilance enjoined apply only to the work of prayer which has just been mentioned1 or does it reach back to the whole category of duties included in putting on the armour of ,god8 ,at first glance it might seem inadequate to make it refer only to the all-embracing duty of prayer1 but if we comprehend fully all that prayer means1 we shall see that it is not necessary that we should directly connect the injunction to vigilance with anything else4#f ,if we are keenly vigilant to pray as we ought in the power of the ,spirit concerning truth and righteousness1 faith and salvation1 and all else that the ,apostle has been describing1 nothing will be wanting to us as good soldiers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,how truly did a ,kempis catch the thought which the ,holy ,spirit had given the great ,apostle when he paraphrased our ,lord's command in the words1 ,be watchful in prayer4 ,let us consider1 then1 this twofold weapon with which ,god will arm us1 for we note that they are not two separate weapons4 ,our ,lord said1 ,watch ye and pray1 and the blessed a ,kempis gives us1 as we have just seen1 the true commentary on the command in the paraphrase1 ,watch in prayer4 #gh ,vigilance without prayer would be to learn of the danger1 and yet fail to guard against it4 ,to pray without vigilance would be to expect ,god to work some miracle for us1 to protect us when we ourselves had done nothing to employ the means ,he places in our hands for forestalling and defeating ,satan4 ,in short1 it would be a sin of presumption4 ,so one cannot avail without the other4 ,with this understanding clear in our minds1 let us proceed to examine the relation of vigilance and prayer to temptation4 ,,ii4 ,the ,spirit of ,vigilance ,watch4 ,this implies much more than a mere guarding ourselves in a general way4 ,it means that a systematic and regular guard is to be kept over our whole life1 over all our senses and faculties1 over all circumstances and conditions so far as we can by any means direct them4 ,here again we may find our illustration in the world about us4 ,approach the camp of a well disciplined army4 ,how quickly you are challenged4 ,seek to enter it on any side1 and a sentinel1 alert and suspicious1 keeps you at a distance4 ,the foe may be hovering in the darkness of the neighbouring forest1 or he may be a hundred miles away1 but this makes no difference in the vigilance of the guard4 ,they take #gi no chances4 ,the enemy is abroad1 and no man sleeps on his post4 ,nor is it the known weak points only1 or only the side from which the attack is expected1 that receives attention4 ,everywhere strict watchfulness is maintained1 while the threatened points are doubly sentinelled4 ,we have in this the picture of what the watch about the beleaguered soul should be4 ,the soul that means to give a good and generous service to ,god must guard itself at every point4 ,how frequently1 when attention is called to some sin1 do we think1 ,oh1 that is not my weakness1 or1 ,that would constitute no temptation to me whatever4 ,vain1 boasting spirit6--trusting to escape from evil by merely natural means6 ,how ,satan gloats as he marks one point that is being left unguarded1 and waits1 alert and observant1 for a favourable opportunity for attack4 ,through long time1 months and years it may be1 he maintains a steady1 subtle work of suggestion1 leading the mind little by little1 unconsciously because no guard is kept1 into an attitude where the temptation we boastingly defied will prove a terrible foe before whose sudden onslaught we shall go down in grievous and ignominious fall4 ,if in truth ,god has spared us the fall into some sin that happens in the lives of those about us1 our safety will lie not in self-congratulation1 #hj but in humble thanksgiving that only through the mercy of ,god have we been spared this stain4 ,but for the mercy of ,god1 there goes ,john ,bradford1 exclaimed a rugged old ,christian as a condemned murderer passed by on his way to death4 ,again1 our vigilance must be especially directed against the temptations to which we have already yielded4 ,when a sin has once found entrance1 it is easy for it to enter again1 not only because experience of the sin itself makes it attractive1 but because psychologically it is easy to do the thing we have done before4 ,in my self-examination to-night ,i find that a certain sin has been committed4 ,let me mark it over against the morrow that the temptation1 if it recur1 may be stamped out quickly1 lest the fault entering often become habitual1 and a binding chain of besetting sin be forged about my soul4 ,similarly must we guard the particular faculty that we find has led us into sin4 ,is it pride of intellect1 the desire to show what little we know1 the instinctive tendency to monopolize conversation1 or to instruct and correct others8 ,or is it a weakness that has its seat in our affections1 a tendency to condone sin in those we love1 or a critical spirit against those for whom we have no natural affinity8 ,or perhaps it is a sin of speech2 #ha the unkind word we so easily speak1 the idle boast of our own achievements2 or the sin of idle conversation1 the objectless talk that occupies so much of our conversation with others1 and which our ,lord so terribly condemned4#g ,although no sin may have been committed1 yet an oft-recurring temptation is always to be diligently watched4 ,it indicates that ,satan1 who generally knows us better than we know ourselves1 has reason to believe that here is a weak point in our armour2 or that he thinks that ,god might1 for some reason1 be particularly dishonoured by our commission of the sin suggested at some special time or place4 ,vigilance1 too1 must be kept regarding occasions of sin4 ,for this reason we should practise not only daily examination of conscience that we may learn wherein we have failed1 but we should begin each day with an anticipation of possible happenings4 ,where do ,i expect to go8 ,whom shall ,i see8 ,what duties are to be performed which may occasion temptation8 ,perhaps ,i know that1 if the expected routine of the day be not disturbed1 ,i shall go to a certain place and shall meet certain people4 ,the last time ,i was in that place something occurred which caused me to sin4 ,is the occasion of that sin still there8 #hb ,if so1 ,i must note it1 and be most guarded concerning it4 ,perhaps ,i shall meet a certain person who irritates and annoys me4 ,this1 too1 ,i must note1 and forestall by some prompt word or act of charity1 before the temptation has time to present itself4 ,,iii4 ,prayer and ,temptation ,all this vigilance will1 however1 avail nothing unless it be combined with prayer4 ,the good soldier in the field does not depend upon himself1 but is constantly referring to headquarters for instructions1 and this reference on the part of the soldier in the armies of the ,kingdom is what we call prayer4 ,we must1 however1 get beyond the narrow and inadequate notion that prayer is confined to formal acts of praise1 thanksgiving1 confession1 and petition4 ,these are real and essential parts of prayer1 and we have need of them as we shall see2 but they are not all4 ,every act of directing the human will towards the will of ,god is prayer in its truest and most comprehensive sense4 ,every longing of the heart for ,god1 every effort to identify ourselves with ,him1 our wills with ,his will1 though there be neither word1 nor even thought1 definitely framed1 is prayer4 ,our spoken prayers may have prayed #hc themselves away2 the mind and body may be so wearied that formal acts of prayer are a burden to the flesh1 and well-nigh impossible4 ,but these are not necessary if we are keeping our hearts turned towards ,him1 and are striving1 even though at times we may not appear to succeed1 to maintain1 around and within1 that atmosphere of loving devotion which is the ,christian's way of keeping open the lines of communication with his base of supplies4 ,our first duty in prayer1 as a preparation over against temptation1 is to address ourselves directly to the case in hand1 and1 pleading our own nothingness1 to ask ,god to go with us through the day to defend and succour us4 ,pray about the particular occasion of sin that may seem imminent2 pray with especial earnestness as we approach it more nearly4 ,but the prayer must not be for ourselves alone4 ,if there are others involved we must pray for them1 that they too may be controlled by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,if the occasion we are approaching is one that is dangerous because we have before yielded to ,satan1 no prayer can be of greater effect than an act of contrition for the past sins1 the commission of which is now involving us in renewed peril4 ,every act of contrition purifies the soul more and more1 and adds to the strength with which #hd we are to meet the confident enemy on the scene of his former victory1 but this time to put him to flight4 ,amplius lava me1--,wash me more and more1--was the cry of the ,psalmist in his great prayer of penitence4#h ,here we cannot fail to consider the particular strength which comes from the greatest prayer of contrition1--sacramental confession and the absolution which follows4 ,if the anticipated occasion be one of possible mortal sin1 and if the sin of the past has been grievous1 the best preparation will be the seeking of absolution in the tribunal of penance4 ,every sacrament brings its own particular grace1 and the special grace of absolution is a power infused into us which will apply to the especial need of our souls4 ,satan has at some time been able to effect an entrance at some point2 again he draws near to assault the absolved soul1 confident that he will find the same avenue open4 ,to his chagrin1 however1 he finds it not only closed1 but fortified with a special gift of strength from ,god2 and1 fearing the shame of a defeat1 he will often withdraw without attacking4 ,this is a common experience with those who habitually frequent the tribunal of penance4 ,how many times have we had many and grievous #he falls into some particular sin2 we make a good confession and go away not only cleansed1 but strengthened by the grace of absolution2 and after some days or weeks we begin to realize with a sense of joyful surprise that the temptation which a little while ago was constantly appearing seems to be entirely withdrawn4 ,the occasion may arise1 but the soul feels no drawing to that in which it had before sinned4 ,it is the operation of the special grace of absolution1 a grace which cannot be had other than through the ,sacrament of ,penance1 whatever other great graces ,god may give us in reward for true contrition of spirit4 ,it is important that the work of prayer in preparation for temptation should cover every point4 ,as we have already thought in connection with watchfulness1 nothing must be done in the natural spirit2 no temptation can be overcome by means of dependence on anything else but the gifts of divine grace4 ,not by might1 nor by power1 but by ,my ,spirit1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts4#i ,it is a part of the ,faith that we can do nothing pleasing to ,god in the natural spirit4 ,nothing can be acceptable with ,him1 nothing can draw from ,him the graces we need1 save what is done #hf through the power and influence of the ,third ,person of the ,ever-,blessed ,trinity4 ,the ,apostle says that no man can do so simple a thing as to say that ,jesus is the ,lord but by the ,holy ,ghost4#aj ,so it is the ,holy ,ghost ,who is to be our guide and protector4 ,do we pray to the ,holy ,ghost8 ,we pray often to the ,father2 frequently1 perhaps1 to ,god the ,son1 but how much is prayer to ,god the ,holy ,ghost neglected amongst ,christians6 ,and yet ,he alone is the agent of the ,godhead in the ,church4 ,his is the work of sanctification1 as the ,father's is the work of creation1 and the ,son's that of redemption4 ,no grace comes to us save through the ,spirit4 ,everything that comes into our lives from ,god1 whether by means of prayer or sacrament1 faith or good works1 comes through the personal action of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,therefore in preparing for temptation let us look to ,him and pray to ,him in all things2 and thus strengthened by ,his ,spirit in the inner man1#aa we can go forth to the day's conflict1 knowing that the assaults of ,satan and the occasions of sin can only bring us new opportunities of victory that will merit us the crown of life which is promised to them that overcome4 ,in the midst of this prayer in preparation for #hg temptation we must expect to find ourselves the objects of ,satan's peculiar malice4 ,all prayer is a challenge to him1 but none so much as the prayer by which we are gaining new force and resource to employ against him4#ab ,in this1 as in all else1 we see how carefully ,satan conducts his warfare4 ,if it were possible to do so1 what leader would fail to attack his enemy when he was in the very act of laying in new supplies of food and ammunition upon which to subsist1 and with which to fight8 ,lastly1 in the very moment of temptation our prayers must be strong and unceasing4 ,the more the temptation increases1 the more fervently--yea1 desperately--must we pray1 crying out as a drowning man might call to the only one from whom he could expect help4 ,but1 says one1 there's the rub4 ,how can ,i pray when a thousand distractions are thrust in so powerfully from every side8 ,we are to find the answer to such questions in our ,lord's #hh hour of deepest temptation in ,gethsemane where we are told that being in an agony1 he prayed more earnestly#ac--literally1 more intensely4 ,let the intensity of our prayer keep pace with the intensity of assault4 ,we can more than defeat ,satan if at such times we compel ourselves to pray with greater care and exactness1 framing with extraordinary care the very words we are speaking to ,god1 and if our perturbation be such that we can find no words to utter1 let us not grow faint1 but remember that this was precisely the case with our ,lord in ,his ,agony1 when ,he prayed over and over again1 saying the same words4#ad ,by his constant effort to interfere with our prayers1 especially in seasons of trial and temptation1 ,satan gives his testimony to the efficiency which we shall acquire if we are earnest in our work of preparation for the battle4 ,he fears it with a fear born of long experience4 ,grievous indeed to us1 says ,st4 ,bernard1 is the temptation of the enemy1 but far more grievous to him is our prayer4#ae ,he has through all the ages contended against the grace and strength of ,god as he found it in its manifold forms in the ,saints4 ,he sees the history of the spiritual #hi warfare repeating itself in us1 and surely it should be a source of rejoicing to us that he should count us as foes to be feared1 as he feared in other days1 or in our own time1 the great ,saints and warriors of the ,kingdom of ,god4 #a ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #b ,st4 ,mark xiv1 #ch4 #c ,eph4 vi1 #aa-ah4 #d #b ,tim4 iv1 #g4 #e ,st4 ,james i1 #f4 #f ,see ,the ,speaker's ,commentary1 in loc4 #g ,st4 ,matt4 xii1 #cf4 #h ,ps4 li1 #b4 #i ,zech4 iv1 #f4 #aj ,cor4 xii1 #c4 #aa ,eph4 iii1 #af4 #ab ,st4 ,thomas and many other grave doctors say that it is by reason of the war that the devil is accustomed to make against those that are in prayer1 that the ,church1 directed by the ,holy ,ghost1 ordains that we should begin all the canonical ,hours with this verse1 ',o ,god1 make speed to save me3 ,o ,lord1 make haste to help me4' ,whereby we implore ,god's assistance in prayer against the snares and temptations of the enemy4--,quoted by ,rodriguez1 ,christian ,perfection4 #ac ,st4 ,luke xxii1 #dd4 #ad ,st4 ,matt4 xxvi1 #dd4 #ae ,st4 ,bernard1 ,serm4 in ,dedicat4 ,eccles41 ,,iii4 #ij ,,chapter ,,vii ,,training ,,the ,,inner ,,life ,i4 ,environment and ,character ,a psychological principle we should never lose sight of is that the attitude of mind and heart towards all moral questions is just what we choose to make it4 ,surround a man with debasing associations1 and let him yield to the resulting influences1 and he becomes debased4 ,on the other hand1 the influence of a pure and noble environment makes for purity and nobility of character4 ,every man in his inner character1 and in that outward expression of character that we call life1 is the product of the influences to which he yields himself4 ,one of our chief dangers1 however1 is that many influences flow out from our daily environment of which we are quite unconscious4 ,we are not always in a position to realize our surroundings and their effect1 and even when we can realize them1 it is often beyond our power to control them4 ,but before an external influence can work any hurt to us1 there must be something #ia within that answers to it4 ,a child may pass unscathed through an environment of vice1 because there is nothing in the child-heart that responds to the call of sin4 ,our ,lord had this in mind1 perhaps1 when ,he laid it down as a condition necessary to entrance into the ,kingdom of ,god that we should become as little children1#a and ,he was able to make this condition quite absolute1 because while no man can control his external environment and the consequent influences1 he can1 by the deliberate use of his will1 acting in the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 create1 in very large measure1 whatever interior condition he wishes4 ,by his daily course he can develop a moral and spiritual interior that will habitually respond with alacrity to the evil and be deaf to the good2 or1 on the other hand1 one that will not only rise up quickly to entertain every good influence and suggestion1 but will in a large measure 7though never wholly in this life7 be even unconscious like little children of the presence of evil influences4#b #ib ,so let us learn how to create an interior environment in which the ,holy ,ghost will be the dominant force4 ,otherwise ,satan will surely surround us with so much of sin1 that becoming accustomed to it1 and to the thought of it1 we shall be unable to resist the effort he will make to use our faculties as instruments for his work4 ,nor must we wait until conscious of his approach before seeking to create the proper interior environment4 ,in most cases it will then be too late4 ,it is not easy to surround ourselves with an atmosphere of good and pious thought in the moment of assault4 ,we must be beforehand with him4 ,in times of peace we must prepare for war4 ,we may be quite sure that it is with the intention of affording us the opportunity to do this that ,god often gives us rest from the attacks of the enemy4 ,he does not mean us to lie idle at such times1 but to seize the opportunity to train for future battles1 just as soldiers in barracks engage in daily drill that they may be more efficient fighters when again called to take the field4 ,after thou hast escaped these #ic temptations1 or else if our ,lord hath so kept thee 7as ,he doth many by ,his mercy71 that thou hast not been troubled much by any such1 then it is good for thee that thou beware of turning thy rest into idleness4#c ,let us consider how ,satan uses certain of our faculties as instruments of sin1 and see how by a definite system of spiritual exercises we can so forestall him that he will find nothing in us ready for his use4 ,,ii4 ,educating the ,memory ,how much sin1 for example1 is due to the action of memory6 ,it is indeed strange that this wonderful faculty1 which more than any other operates to give unity1 consistency1 and proportion to our life1 should be so often used to call up past sins that we may sin them over again in will if not in deed4 ,we linger with pleasure1 by the exercise of this faculty1 over past sins1 making them our own again1 staining our souls once more with that which we thought had been buried forever in the far-off years4 ,we bring to renewed life old revenges1 ancient hates1 and revel again amid scenes of impurity which can never be re-enacted in real life4 ,such #id acts1 frequently indulged1 grow into a habit1 and the habit becomes necessity when the memory not only easily and naturally reverts to those events and conditions of the past that were bound up with sin1 but becomes so trained that it must recall the evil1 and can only with great stress1 difficulty1 and distaste be made to recall that which is good4 ,if1 on the other hand1 by persistent acts of will we force the memory to recall the righteous passages from our past1 far-off happenings sweet and holy1 we1 little by little1 train it to retain these righteous things1 while all other impressions grow more and more dim as the years go by4 ,those who have practised such methods find that after a time the memory1 even when left alone1 will engage itself with that which is good1 just because it has become accustomed to it1 and will reject the evil 7in many cases1 of itself1 without the direct interposition of the will71 because long exercise has so trained it that in its ordinary operation evil memories are repugnant to it4 ,therefore keep the memory definitely busy4 ,too often when we think it is browsing1 as it were1 carelessly among the fields of the past1 it is1 as a matter of fact1 being subtly directed by ,satan1 until1 ere we know it1 it has fallen upon some evil thing whose touch is poison4 #ie ,,iii4 ,guiding the ,imagination ,so likewise with the imagination4 ,perhaps no human faculty is responsible for so much sin1 and there is a peculiar heinousness in sins of the imagination4 ,in ,his mercy ,god has limited our sphere of sin4 ,there are certain evils impossible for us because ,he has withheld us from the condition necessary for their commission4 ,instead1 therefore1 of being grateful for such a blessed limitation1 we use the imagination to conjure up impossible situations4 ,we create new worlds for ourselves1 new theatres for our exploits of pride and wickedness1 and in them1 through will and imagination1 we enact the sin that it would be impossible to commit in our actual external lives4 ,this strong activity of the imagination can and must be directed4 ,if this mysterious faculty be so prone to produce its own creations1 if we indeed will dream of things that do not belong to the present moment1 let them be holy things4 ,yes1 let the imagination run as fast as it will1 check it in nothing save in the subjects of its activity4 ,let it transport us to heavenly places4 ,let it picture to our astonished vision the things that will be hereafter1 the company of heaven1 #if the companionship of the ,saints1 the glory of the ,lamb4 ,or1 if these ranges be too lofty1 let the fancy create new earthly theatres for our activity4 ,let us picture ourselves following ,jesus as ,he went about doing good2#d let us see ,him healing the lepers1 opening the eyes of the blind1 raising the dead1 blessing the little children2 let us bring vividly before us the great example of ,his life2 and let the picture so burn itself1 through the power of the imagination1 into the very fabric of the brain1 that we cannot choose but make it the model for our own lives4 ,so1 after a time1 the imagination will become so trained that it will ever be creating holy things1 and presenting them for our consideration1 and will become incapable1 in the end1 of producing any picture that could not find ready reflection in the stainless mirror of the human mind of our ,blessed ,lord4 ,when we consider the method of thus training the inner man1 we find that our course must be shaped by means of certain practices1 which should be strenuously pursued if real progress is to be made4 ,these practices will be1 as a ,kempis says particularly of one of them1 as a rudder guiding the ship1 keeping it on its proper course4 #ig ,those we shall consider especially are3 7#a7 ,constancy of mind and will2 7#b7 ,patience2 7#c7 ,calmness2 7#d7 ,diligence4 ,,iv4 ,the ,practice of ,constancy ,thomas a ,kempis says1 ,the beginning of all evil temptations is inconstancy of mind1 and small confidence in ,god1 for as a ship without a rudder is tossed to and fro by the waves1 so the man who is slack and quits his purpose is many ways tempted4#e ,god1 knowing human weakness and incapacity1 requires but little of man1 but ,he does emphatically require that this little be resolutely purposed1 and definitely executed4 ,the soldier who threshes wildly about the field1 however fiercely and courageously1 is not the one to contribute to the victory4 ,he who sets a definite purpose before him2 who knows just what he wants to do1 and allows nothing to shake his purpose1 is the one on whom the commander can depend to accomplish something in the battle4 ,so in our spiritual warfare the most important factor is definiteness of purpose1 and constancy in executing it4 ,the ,christian warfare must be conducted by rule4 ,when ,i arise each morning #ih to the work of another day1 ,i must know1 as far as possible1 what that work is2 ,i must know the particular method by which it is to be performed2 ,i must have submitted it all to ,god so that1 feeling assured of a right judgment in all things1 ,i shall be able to go forward to my duty without doubt or hesitation4 ,the army that knows not when to fight1 whose officers are in confusion and uncertainty regarding the next move1 falls an easy prey to the enemy4 ,but let the same army be provided with a definite plan of campaign2 let every officer and man1 each in his place1 know just what he is to do under every condition that may arise2 and the enemy will have no easy task to defeat it4 ,this all points to the necessity of the ,christian having a ,rule of ,life1 and holding fast to it2 allowing himself to be drawn off to nothing else until that be fulfilled4 ,satan has a subtle way at times of seeking to disturb our spirit of constancy by suggesting something that1 in itself1 is better and higher than that we have resolved upon4 ,but let us not be deceived by this clever move on his part4 ,if we have undertaken a definite thing for ,god1 that is the highest and best for us until it be accomplished2 and the thought that any thing can be more pleasing to ,him is but a wile of the devil2 and to entertain the #ii suggestion is to be guilty of pride4 ,better a small and humble service well performed1 than great things poorly done4 ,our advancement and perfection consist not in the performance of very extraordinary things1 or in the being employed in the highest and most labourious offices of religion1 but only in doing our ordinary actions well1 and in acquitting ourselves well of whatsoever obedience employs us in1 be it ever so mean or easy4#f ,so ,christian perfection1 against which all temptation is directed1 consists in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well4 ,the conclusion of the matter is that we cannot be safe unless our whole life is lived by definite1 practical rule2 a rule for rising in the morning1 for prayers1 for our ,bible reading1 our ,communions1 our ,confessions1 for the commonest details of our daily routine1 leaving nothing to be decided by chance or whim4 ,a life thus ordered and carried out with constancy of purpose and will1 for the glory of ,god1 is a standing #ajj menace to ,satan's power4 ,he fears it1 because he knows that it possesses a power against which his long experience and consummate skill are as nothing4 ,v4 ,the ,practice of ,calmness ,a life lived as has been described above is one that will be dominated by a spirit of calmness1 a calmness born of strength4 ,the strong man is always the calm man4 ,an agitated spirit is the evidence of a conscious weakness4 ,the soldier who has faith in his commander1 who knows he can rely on the weapons furnished him1 and who is certain that his strength is greater than that of his enemy1 is not excited in the face of attack4 ,he receives it with serenity because he feels assured of what the result will be4 ,it is uncertainty that brings agitation2 it is the uncertainties of life that produce the worry that kills--and worry means want of faith4 ,but the ,christian soldier is beset by no uncertainties4 ,if1 in unswerving trust1 he keeps his will firm for ,god1 knit up with the perfect human will of our ,lord1 he knows there are no contingencies in the warfare he is waging4 ,there can be but one issue1--that of complete and glorious victory4 ,if this assurance concerning the issue produces calmness1 the spirit of calm will in its turn react #aja upon us for the greater certainty of the victory4#g ,the heart that is calm is the one that is capable of seeing all things in their true nature and relation4 ,such a heart is not easily deceived by the tempter1 nor can it be frightened by the clamour of his onslaught4 ,with steady hand it parries his deadliest thrusts1 and assuming the offensive is able in its turn to inflict mortal wounds upon the power of ,satan wherever it may be manifested4 ,,vi4 ,the ,practice of ,patience ,patience is also a necessary virtue that has constantly and assiduously to be cultivated if we would be ready always for the battle4 7#a7 ,we are to be patient with ,god1 biding ,his time1 tarrying ,his leisure1#h awaiting whatever ,he may send in the conflict1 assuring one's heart always that ,he rules and overrules1 and that all things work together for good to those who love ,him4#i 7#b7 ,we know the necessity of patience with our fellow-men4 ,our daily experience show us how large a proportion of temptation arises from failure to bear with those among whom we live1 #ajb not infrequently those who hold the first place in our hearts4 ,a wholesome remedy for impatience with those about us is to remember ourselves4 ,endeavour to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others of what sort soever they be3 for thou also hast many which must be borne with by others4 ,if thou canst not make thyself what thou wouldest1 how canst thou expect to have another to thy liking8 ,we are glad to see others perfect2 and yet we mend not our own faults4 ,we will have others severely corrected3 and will not be corrected ourselves4 ,the large liberty of others displeases us3 and yet we will not have our own desires denied us4 ,we will have others restrained by laws3 but will not in any way be checked ourselves4 ,and thus it appears3 how seldom we weigh our neighbour in the same balance with ourselves4#aj 7#c7 ,all these things we have just been considering are doubtless familiar to us1 but perhaps the thought of patience with ourselves is not so common a one1 although there is no more important a factor in all the ,christian warfare4 ,patience must be exercised towards oneself as towards a weak and wayward child4 ,we are not to expect too much of ourselves4 ,to turn upon oneself angrily or bitterly because we cannot #ajc immediately drive away some persistent temptation1 or because we have yielded1#aa is an act of spiritual pride4 ,it shows that we thought ourselves quite able to cope with the tempter2 prided ourselves indeed upon our spiritual powers2 and are now in a state of surprise and indignation that we should have failed2 when all the while1 had we known ourselves1 we should have seen that the real wonder is that we are ever able at all to resist him successfully4 ,nor must we be surprised if there seem to rise up out of our own hearts foul and humiliating temptations4 ,we are not to forget that we are made from the dust of the earth that can1 of itself1 bring forth naught but thorns and thistles4 ,the material of temptation is everywhere1 within and without1 the soul having the worst temptation within itself in its own temptibility4#ab ,nor will he who understands himself and his own weakness grow impatient with the long #ajd continuance of the battle4 ,he will recognize that if he had his just deserts he would long since have been cast out from ,god rather than permitted to wear the ,king's uniform1 and fight battles for the honour of ,his ,name4 ,he who knows himself will go softly all the days of his life1 knowing that only by so great a salvation as that wrought on ,calvary has he been preserved from the power of the enemy4 ,so by little and little1 and by patience with long suffering through ,god's help thou shalt better overcome1 than by hardness and thine own pertinacity4#ac ,,vii4 ,the ,practice of ,diligence ,there remains to be considered the spirit of diligence that must characterize the soldier of ,christ4 ,keep yourself always busy with the things of ,god4 ,keep the whole mental faculty engaged2 keep it under the command of the ,holy ,ghost1 for just as in all else that belongs to man1 if ,god does not direct it1 ,satan will4 ,there is a deep spiritual truth in the old proverb1 ,an idle brain is the devil's workshop4 ,not only will this course superinduce such habits of thought and character as will strengthen us mightily1 but1 the human mind being what it #aje is1 will render it often impossible for ,satan to find lodgment in it for his temptation4 ,the mind can only be engaged with a limited number of things at any one time4 ,this varies with various persons1 according to their mental training and development1 but even the most highly developed mind can compass but few things at the same moment4 ,our common mental processes consist of one thought1 or group of thoughts1 thrusting out others1 and taking their place until in their turn they are displaced4 ,since this is the case1 one's safety from evil thoughts lies in diligently keeping the mind filled with good and holy thoughts4 ,keep the will at work calling up a continuous procession of suggestions and pictures of things righteous and ,god-like1 and when ,satan approaches to insinuate into the heart his temptations1 he will find it so full that there will be no room in it for him or his works4 ,this must be done in an organized and methodical way4 ,let us not trust to chance opportunity4 ,at every moment the will is1 consciously or subconsciously1 making a choice either for good or evil4 ,our part is to seize upon these moments and force that inevitable choosing to be not only righteous1 but definitely and explicitly a choice of righteousness4 ,practise over and over again the work of #ajf choosing ,god4 ,arraign before the mind things good and evil1 the higher and the lower1 that the will may be drilled in the repeated preference of what belongs to ,him4 ,this will be a much simpler method than may seem at first4 ,how many moments are there in each day when we are1 of necessity1 unoccupied4 ,we have to wait five minutes for an appointment2 we spend a quarter of an hour on a crowded car2 we have a little distance to walk to reach some destination2 or occasionally there is a wakeful hour at night4 ,what are we doing all this time8 ,we can be sure the will is operating4 ,it stands sentinel to admit or repulse every thought that comes2 and what is the nature of the thoughts admitted8 ,idle thoughts1 critical thoughts of those about us1 silly vain thoughts of self1--how covered with confusion and shame we should be if some by-stander were able to look within and see the busy1 thronging procession that streams through our mind unchallenged1 nay more1 welcomed and indulged4 ,yet this is the very opportunity ,god gives us to busy ourselves for ,him3 and instead of using it1 we let it run to sinful waste1 marring our whole character1 for as a man thinks1 so he is4 ,how much better would it have been had we said1 when we realized the unoccupied minute3 #ajg ,i will use this little time to make an act of love1 of hope1 of faith4 ,i will speak to ,him familiarly in some ejaculation of prayer4 ,i will1 for ,his praise1 repeat some psalm ,i may know by heart4 ,i will pray for some of these people1 strangers though they be to me4#ad ,then immediately perform this resolution in a most definite way1 framing with care even the very words with the lips1 that the body as well as the mind may have its part in the work4 ,try this for a month1 earnestly and persistently1 and at the end of that time see if the whole inner being does not spontaneously turn to such holy exercises4 ,so far as the human aspect of it is concerned1 it is a mere matter of psychology4 ,the mind acts thus1 because it has been trained to it4 ,the repeated act has formed the habit1 and the habit in its turn repeats the act2 but through and in it all is divine grace1 the very life of ,god1 operating in the infinite activity of ,his love4 ,especially must we exercise this diligence when we perceive the tempter's approach4 ,when we become conscious of the slightest suggestion that seems to point to sin1 let the will rally all our #ajh faculties to expel it1 and to fill the mind so full that it can have no chance of returning4 ,but here as everywhere else must we be on our guard against ,satan's subtilty and power4 ,often in response to such an attitude on our part1 he presents some attractive thought1 pure and good1 perhaps2 then another and another1 leading the soul that is not watchful by a long train of associated ideas up to the goal he has prepared1 to some one thought that is either itself sin if consented to1 or the ready vehicle of sin4 ,accustom the mind with unwearied diligence to such thoughts as we can readily1 conceive finding place in the mind of ,christ1 rejecting all others4 ,whatsoever things are true1 whatsoever things are honest1 whatsoever things are just1 whatsoever things are pure1 whatsoever things are lovely1 whatsoever things are of good report2 if there be any virtue1 and if there be any praise1 think on these things4#ae ,let the mind be thus employed1 and ,satan may indeed be able to lead us along some line of thought up to the place of temptation1 but it will be only to find1 as with our ,lord1 when he bore ,him up to the pinnacle of the temple1 that this place of his own choosing will prove the scene of his own utter defeat4 #a ,st4 ,matt4 xviii1 #c4 #b ,a temptation can never be divorced from a course of life4 ,it is woven into the very texture of life's continuity4 ,it is a temptation because of what we are at the time4 ,it is the conditions of the crisis which make a moment1 a decision1 critical4444 ,it is thus the whole setting of a life which brings temptation4 ,so temptation is never clean detached from the past1 or the future1 of the tempted2 for there is no such thing as a human experience which has not its roots in the past1 and its fruit in the sequel4--,h4 ,j4 ,c4 ,knight1 ,the ,temptation of our ,lord1 p4 #ee4 #c ,walter ,hilton1 ,the ,scale of ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,i1 ,pt4 ,,ii1 chap4 i4 #d ,acts x1 #ch4 #e ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #f ,rodriguez1 ,the ,practice of ,religious and ,christian ,perfection1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #hf4 ,pere ,grou teaches that nothing is small or great in ,god's sight2 whatever ,he wills becomes great to us1 however seemingly trifling1 and if once the voice of conscience tells us that ,he requires anything of us1 we have no right to measure its importance4444 ,there is no standard of things great and small to a ,christian1 save ,god's will4--,the ,hidden ,life of the ,soul1 p4 #bjf4 7,half-a-,crown ,ed47 #g ,be still1 then1 and know that ,i am ,god4--,ps4 xlvi1 #aj4 ,in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength4--,isa4 xxx1 #ae4 #h ,ps4 xxvii1 #af4 #i ,rom4 viii1 #bh4 #aj ,imitation1 ,i1 xvi4 #aa ,you are vexed at the vexation1 and then you are vexed at having been vexed4 ,i have seen people in the same way get into a passion1 and then be angry because they had lost their temper6--,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 xxvii4 #ab ,s4 ,t4 ,coleridge1 ,aids to ,reflection1 p4 #ahf4 7,bohn ,ed47 ,bishop ,andrewes in his second sermon on the ,temptation of ,christ1 speaking of it being impossible for ,him to have sinned since there was no fire of concupiscence in ,him1 quaintly says3 ,to us the devil needs bring but a pair of bellows1 for he shall find fire within us4--,andrewes1 ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,v1 p4 #ejh4 #ac ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #ad ,a busy ,wall ,street financier not long since told the writer that for several years1 whenever stepping from an omnibus or car1 in the thronged street or crowded railway station1 he had made a practice of offering an ejaculation of prayer for his fellow-passengers4 #ae ,phil4 iv1 #h4 #aji ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,stages ,,of ,,the ,,battle ,the spiritual masters in every age are at agreement concerning the process by which the soul passes from a state of grace into a state of sin4 ,they express it in various ways1 and in varying degrees of elaboration1 but when analysed it can be brought down to three steps given us by ,st4 ,gregory1 ,suggestion1 ,pleasure1 ,consent4#a ,thomas a ,kempis presents it somewhat more fully1 and it is with his statement of the process that we purpose engaging ourselves4 ,first1 he says1 a bare thought comes to the mind2 then a strong imagination2 afterwards pleasure1 and evil motion1 and consent4#b ,i4 ,the ,satanic ,suggestion ,first of all1 then1 the bare thought1--simplex cogitatio1--comes to the mind2 or more literally runs upon 7occurit71 the mind4 ,the word #aaj is full of action4 ,the suggestion of evil does not drift into the mind in any merely accidental way4 ,it is propelled from without by a strong1 alert intelligence1--none other than the ,tempter1--and under just the conditions and circumstances that his experience shows him are the most advantageous for his uses4 ,a ,kempis doubtless had here in mind ,st4 ,paul's thought1 expressed to the ,corinthians1 ,there hath no temptation taken you1 but such as is common to man2#c the idea being that of the temptation laying hold of the soul as a warrior might take hold upon his adversary in battle4 ,he proposes the evil thing1 not perhaps as a thing sinful in itself1 for1 as we have already seen1 his experience has taught him that few souls1 even of the most depraved1 can be induced to accept evil for evil's sake4 ,he presents it sometimes under the guise of that which is positively good2 or perhaps1 with an assumption of great virtue1 he acknowledges it to be wrong in itself1 but seeks to persuade us that it would be right for us to make an exception of ourselves under the peculiar circumstances that are present4 ,it is necessary for us to study with care the subject of suggestion of sin1 lest either through ,satan's wiles1 or our own ignorance1 we be deceived1 to our soul's hurt4 ,it is at this point #aaa that we must understand the difference between temptation and sin4 ,the failure to grasp this difference has been the cause of great distress to many faithful souls2 it has been the root of fatal discouragement in numberless cases1 and1 in not a few1 of downfall and final wreck4 ,the suggestion may often be the result of our past unfaithfulness4 ,it is not always easy to trace the pedigree of a temptation1 but in most cases it is highly likely that it is to be traced back to some failure of our own in the past4 ,men indulge themselves2 they whet the imagination with evil thought and conversation and reading4 ,they develop their passions by giving rein to them4 ,by continued failure to resist1 they go on in the same sin under many varying conditions1 until a hundred commonplace1 every-day happenings1 entirely innocent in themselves1 become charged with sinful suggestions1 recalling the old sin whenever they occur4 ,it is as though a commander should plant powerful batteries about his own fortress1 preparing them to be used by the enemy4 ,thus learning from our past1 we know how to guard ourselves for the future4 ,present faithfulness is the pledge1 and the only pledge1 of future security4#d #aab ,or it may be that ,satan1 accustomed to success in leading us astray in certain things1 is encouraged to suggest like evil to our minds again4 ,however this may be1 whether the suggestion arises from the evil bent that our minds have received through former yielding1 or whether it be ,satan's device and unprovoked solicitation1 there is no sin in the mere fact that evil is suggested to our minds1 however persistently or strongly4#e ,in any case it had its origin outside of us1 and unless we have deliberately run into the occasion of sin1 or in some culpable way invited it1 we are in the immediate case not responsible for the suggestion4 ,therefore1 the suggestion can in no way be regarded as sin1 for unless our wills have brought it about1 or consciously encouraged it1 our souls are unstained4 ,without the action of the will1 no sin can enter the heart4 ,what is done without1 or against1 our will1 rather takes place in us1 than is done by us4#f #aac ,no risings1 then1 of any passion1 yea1 though it should rise again and again1 against thee1 and by rising weary thee1 and almost wear thee out3 no thought by night when thou hast not power over thy soul1 and thy will is not conscious3 no thoughts by day1 which come to thee again and again1 and besiege thee and torment thee1 and would claim thee for their own3 no distractions in prayer1 even if they carry thee away1 and thou lose thyself and awake1 as it were1 out of a dream1 and thy prayer be gone1--none of these things are thine4 ,nothing without thy will is thine1 or will be imputed to thee4 ,it is not the mere presence with thee of what thou hatest3 it is not the recurrence1 again and again1 of what thou loathest1 which will hurt thee3 not even if it seems to come from thy inmost self1 unless thy will consent to it4#g ,,ii4 ,the ,response of the ,natural ,heart ,following upon the suggestion1 a ,kempis tells us there comes a strong imagination4 ,the undisciplined soul does not instantly turn from the suggestion4 ,it allows a vivid picture of it to attract and hold the attention4 ,this may be quite involuntary1 and1 if so1 is not in itself sin1 but unless the attention be speedily withdrawn #aad there follows the second stage of temptation1 namely1 ,pleasure4 ,deletatio is the word a ,kempis uses1 which has the sense of a pleasure which entices one from the right way4 ,here again1 however1 we must make the careful distinction between temptation and sin1 if we would not be entangled in a fatal network of scruples4 ,though there may spring up in our hearts a distinct sense of delight at the thought of committing the sin suggested1 yet in this delight itself there is no sin1 unless the will enters in to confirm it4 ,this is not the kind of delight that ,st4 ,paul speaks of in his terrible condemnation of those who believed not the truth1 but had pleasure in unrighteousness2#h for if the will comes in promptly to resist the sense of delight1 we are free from blame4 ,the pleasure which often follows the suggestion of sin to a faithful soul1 while definite1 and perhaps even long continued1 has its seat in our lower nature1 in what spiritual writers call the inferior will of which we shall speak presently4 ,so long as it does not capture the higher will1 no sin has been committed4 ,a simple illustration will suffice to show what is here meant4 ,one is walking with a companion on the street4 ,some one appears in sight who #aae has recently wronged him4 ,all the memory of the wrong surges up in the heart instantly1 and there comes a sharp suggestion to say some unkind1 revengeful thing4 ,the heart responds to the suggestion1 and it would be a real pleasure to speak this unloving thought4 ,but1 realizing the sin of it1 we refrain2 we even say to ourselves1 ,it would be an intense satisfaction to speak1 nothing would give me so much pleasure2 but ,i know it is not the will of ,god1 and therefore nothing will induce me to do it4 ,here is the ,satanic suggestion1 followed by a definite sense of pleasure therein1 and yet so met and disposed of that no sin1 but rather the blessing of a victory1 results4 ,and this victory is more to ,god's honour than it would have been had we rejected the temptation with disgust1 having found no sort of pleasure in it4 ,when we found pleasure in it1 but refused it1 there was a greater victory over self and ,satan4 ,,iii4 ,the ,inferior and ,superior ,wills ,the existence of the two operations of will in man is proved from ,holy ,scripture4 ,st4 ,paul1 writing to the ,roman ,christians1 lifts the veil from his own spiritual experience and shows us how they operated in him4 ,his experience we all recognize as our own4 #aaf ,i find then a law1 he says1 that when ,i would do good--that is when ,i will to do good1--evil is present with me4 ,for ,i delight in the law of ,god after the inner man1 but ,i see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members4#i ,it is well before going further to inquire what is this inferior will that manifests itself in the great ,saints1 as well as in us sinners1 and in which this delight at the thought of sin is said to have its place4 ,how is it to be distinguished from the higher will1 which1 while acknowledging the sense of pleasure1 yet refuses to yield to it8 ,and what relation have these two wills to the act of consent1 which constitutes the sin8 ,let us find the answer to our question in one of the best of spiritual masters1 the author of ,the ,spiritual ,combat3 ,although we may be said in this combat to have within us two wills1 the one of the reason1 which is thence called reasonable and higher1 the other of the senses1 thence called sensual and lower1 and commonly described by the words 'appetite1' 'flesh1' 'sense1' and 'passion'2 yet as it is through the reason that we are men1 we cannot truly be said to will anything which is willed #aag by the senses1 unless we are inclined thereto by the higher will4 ,and herein does our spiritual conflict principally consist4 ,the reasonable will being placed1 as it were1 midway between the ,divine ,will which is above it1 and the inferior will or the will of the senses1 which is beneath it1 is continually warring against both1 each seeking in turn to draw it1 and bring it under obedience4#aj #aah ,it is the inferior will that runs forward with delight to act upon ,satan's suggestion2 it is the higher will that checks this precipitation and says1 ,i know it is not the will of ,god1 and therefore nothing will induce me to do it4 ,this higher will is what is commonly meant when we speak of the human will being conformed to1 or arrayed against1 the ,divine ,will4 ,it has to act before man becomes responsible4#aa ,it is this higher will that enjoys its freedom1 and therefore constitutes in us a part of the #aai divine image4 ,there is no power that can compel it until1 by its own free action1 it yields itself to that power4 ,god1 reverencing ,his image1 as ,he sees it in us1 will not force a reluctant will to serve ,him2 and ,satan cannot4#ab ,scupoli says again3 ,god has1 in truth1 endowed our will with such freedom and such strength1 that were all the senses1 all the evil spirits1 nay1 the whole world itself1 to arm and conspire against her1 assaulting and oppressing her with all their might1 she could still1 in spite of them1 will or not will1 most freely all that she wills or wills not1 and that how often soever1 whensoever1 howsoever1 and to what end soever1 best pleases her4#ac #abj ,it is on these grounds that the superior will has been called the ,royal ,faculty1 because like a king it sits enthroned over all other faculties1 guiding and ruling them4 ,no matter what dispositions we may have1 they are inoperative until the will commands2 and according as the will dictates1 so is our whole life4 ,we1 and all that pertains to us1 are good or bad according as the will operates for good or evil4 ,let us understand clearly1 however1 what is meant by the freedom of the human will1 lest we fall into error4 ,as we have seen1 the will is indeed free4 ,satan cannot force it2 ,god will not4 ,but this does not mean that the will is free to stand alone4 ,it means simply that the will is free to choose4 ,man was made for service4 ,it has been said that the dream of mankind has ever been of liberty1 but the one practical question that faces us every moment from the cradle to the grave is1 ,whom shall ,i serve8 ,furthermore1 there are but two alternatives of service1--,god or ,satan4 ,man1 from his very nature1 cannot choose to serve himself4 ,brought down to its final analysis1 all service is that of ,god or ,satan1 heaven or hell4 ,nor is man and his life1 so organized that the will can choose once for all1 and have done with it4 ,we may choose once for all1 but that same #aba choice must every day and hour be repeated and ratified1 else it will not stand4#ad ,it is a thought that must give us pause1 that in every waking moment of our lives1 consciously or unconsciously1 explicitly or implicitly1 the will is choosing1 and that each several choice is making for our eternal weal or our eternal woe2 is gathering material for an immortal crown1 or for our accusation and possible condemnation at the end4 ,nor is it possible1 as we have just seen1 for the will to refrain from choosing4 ,it is free to choose what it will1 but choose it must4 ,some have thought it possible to stand neutral1 but not so4 ,not to choose is to choose amiss4 ,not to choose the service of ,god is to choose the service of ,satan4 ,the will1 like our other faculties1 does most readily that which it is accustomed to do4 ,the law of habit holds good here as elsewhere1 and habit is mostly acquired by the repeated performance of little acts4 ,we do not ordinarily perform great deeds of love as a means of training2 #abb rather do we perform them because we are already trained4 ,some great act of love may confirm the will in its tendency ,godward1 but it is not in high and lofty things that we are to seek our training4 ,therefore in training the will so that it may acquire the habit of spontaneously choosing ,god in all things1 it must be taught to acquiesce constantly in the little hourly leadings towards ,him4 ,if we make a habit of consenting to another person1 after a time it is difficult to refuse consent4 ,this holds equally good with the sweet and happy rule of the ,holy ,spirit when we have aligned our wills with ,his1 and with the horrid slavery of hell when we have committed our wills to ,satan4 ,in fitting the will for the great warfare1 it must be taught little by little1 in numberless minor things1 to consent to ,god's ,will4 ,so after a time the habit will be formed2 ,god's ,voice will become the signal for prompt action1 and the voice of ,satan will be as the voice of a stranger whom the will1 like the sheep in the parable1 will not follow4 ,surely then it will be worthy to be called the ,royal ,faculty1 for as a king indeed will it reign1 one with the ,will of ,him ,who is the ,king of kings4 #abc ,,iv4 ,the ,fatal ,consent ,we see that there is no power that can compel the will1 unless it be that the will has1 by its own act1 delivered itself to be bound by ,satan4 ,this brings us to the third stage--,consent4 ,the suggestion to evil may be strong1 the pleasure that follows may be keen2 and yet there is no sin until the will has yielded consent2 until its denial1 its hesitation1 have been beaten down1 and it has cried1 ,i yield4 ,it is around this point that the conflict centres4 ,the suggestion may count for nothing2 it is often but a random shot that the enemy fires on the chance of striking a vital point1 just as a besieging army sends rockets here and there into a city to try for the powder magazines4#ae ,the pleasure that follows1 great as it may be1 is not in itself sinful1 and may be the occasion of greater merit and grace to the soul that feels it and1 instead of yielding1 beats it down ruthlessly4 ,but if ,satan can induce the will to give consent1 the deed is done1 the evil has entered1 and1 in proportion to the seriousness of the matter1 the divine love is quenched1 and the power of the devil quickened and strengthened4 ,a distinction1 too1 must be made between #abd deliberate and indeliberate consent4 ,st4 ,francis de ,sales refers to what he calls inclinations to sin1#af when the mind1 not being thoroughly aroused1 may amuse itself for some time with a thought or imagination1 without reflecting that it is a temptation to sin4 ,father ,augustine ,baker says likewise1 ,the simple passing of such thoughts or imaginations in the mind is no sin at all1 though they should rest there never so long without advertence1 but only the giving of deliberate consent to them2 and to constitute this deliberate consent he requires that the mind must be fully awake1--that is1 to the fact that these were of the nature of sin1--and had reflected on them4#ag ,our only hope lies in a stubborn refusal of consent4 ,our safety lies in fixing the will on this one thing4 ,never mind how fiercely the enemy may assault4 ,he may deliver charge after charge with a rapidity that bewilders the soul1 and makes it grow sick and dizzy4 ,we may seem to be beaten down under his feet1 and all the storms and billows of a fierce and terrible temptation may sweep over us1 and yet so long as from the #abe midst of the confusion we cry1 ,i will it not1 the soul is safe4#ah ,the refusal of consent should be instant upon the first consciousness of temptation4 ,it is of great peril to dally even for a moment with the sinful suggestion4 ,not only does it encourage the tempter on the one hand1 and weaken our powers of resistance on the other1 but deliberate dallying with evil is a sin in itself4 ,it means that an outpost has been surrendered1 and even though in the end we reject the main suggestion1 yet we have by no means come off unscathed4 ,we are less capable of resisting the next attack than we were before2 for the imagination of sin1 the #abf dallying with it1 the indulgence of the senses1 short of what the soul must own to itself to be a grave fall1 steeps and drags the soul more thoroughly in sin1 immerses it in a thicker and more blinding mist1 interpenetrates more the whole moral texture of the soul with evil1 than1 at an earlier stage1 does the actual sin itself4#ai ,it is not always1 however1 with confusion and noise of battle that ,satan seeks to force our consent4 ,often the hardest temptations to endure are those in which he comes very gently1 and with long continued pressure seeks to weary1 and discourage1 and break down the will4 ,it is a fatal error into which scrupulous souls are not infrequently led1 to think that the long continuance of the suggestion1 or even of the delight with which our lower nature responds1 constitutes consent4 ,the devils have a mysterious power1 allowed them by ,god1 of holding a temptation before the soul continuously or repeatedly1 and we are often as powerless to put it away as we are to refuse to see an object which is actually reflected on the retina of the eye4 ,how many times have loving hearts that would choose death a thousand times rather than dishonour our ,lord become sick with terror when in the midst of such prolonged temptation there #abg comes a dread whisper within1 ,you have consented1 though you knew it not4 ,it is the voice of the tempter1 and the ruse is a favourite one in his warfare against the soul1 for he knows that for us to think we have sinned is almost as fatal in its effects on the morale of the soul as to have actually yielded consent4 ,so when the lying whisper comes1 let us cry out against him1 charge him with his lie2 and then turning swiftly to our ,lord1 renew our allegiance to ,him with such strong1 passionate acts of love1 that the evil spirit1 filled with despair1 will take his flight1 departing from us for a season4 #a ,s4 ,greg4 ,mag41 ,regulae ,pastoralis1 ,,iii1 xxx4 ,see also the opening paragraph of ,dr4 ,pusey's sermon on ,victory over ,besetting ,sin1 ,parochial ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 #b ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #c #a ,cor4 x1 #ac4 #d ,our trial1 by ,god's appointment and mercy1 lies mostly in some few things4 ,we bring trials upon ourselves which ,god did not intend for us4 ,we increase manifoldly our own trials by every consent to sin4--,pusey1 ,parochial ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #aba4 #e ,past sin involves present trial1 not present sin4 ,when a man has once turned to ,god his past sin will not be imputed to him either in itself1 or in its effects4 ,one who has given way would by ,god's just appointment1 visiting for sin1 have trials4 ,he need not1 if he wills not by ,god's grace1 have sin4 ,ibid41 p4 #cce4 #f ,ibid41 p4 #ccd4 #g ,ibid41 p4 #cch4 #h #b ,thess4 ii1 #ab4 #i ,rom4 vii1 #ba-bc4 #aj ,scupoli1 ,the ,spiritual ,combat 7,pusey's ,trans471 chap4 xii4 ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 in a letter to the ,mere de ,chastel1 has a delightfully characteristic passage1 full of paternal tenderness combined with playful and reverent humour1 in which he sets forth the mode of action of the two wills4 ,indeed1 my dear daughter ,marie1 he writes1 you say truly that there are two beings in you4 ,the one is a ,marie who1 like ,st4 ,peter1 is tender1 sensitive1 ready to be irritated by a touch4 ,this ,marie is a daughter of ,eve1 and so her temper is frail4 ,the other ,marie wills to be wholly ,god's2 and in order so to be1 she wills in all simplicity to be humble and gentle towards everyone1 and she would fain imitate ,st4 ,peter after he was converted4 ,this ,marie is the child of the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,these two diverse ,maries come into collision1 and the bad one is so bad that often the other scarce knows how to defend herself1 and then perforce she fancies herself beaten1 and believes the bad ,marie to be stronger4 ,but not so1 my poor1 dear child2 the bad one is not stronger than you4 ,she is more perverse1 more enterprising1 more obstinate1 and when you lose heart and sit down to cry1 she is pleased because it is so much time lost for you2 and if she cannot make you lose eternity1 at all events she will try to make you lose time4 ,my dear daughter1 rouse your courage 444 be watchful of your enemy2 tread cautiously for fear of the foe2 if you are not on your guard against her she will be too much for you4 ,even if she should take you by surprise1 and make you totter1 or give you a slight wound1 do not be put out4444 ,now do not be ashamed of all this1 my daughter1 any more than ,st4 ,paul was when he confessed that there were two beings in him1 one rebellious against ,god1 the other obedient to ,him4--,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 lvii4 #aa ,it is impossible1 says the ,abbot ,moses1 for the mind not to be approached by thoughts1 but it is in the power of every earnest man either to admit them or reject them4 ,their rising does not depend upon ourselves1 but their admission or rejection is in our own power4444 ,the movement of the mind may well be illustrated by the comparison of a mill-wheel4 ,the headlong rush of water whirls it round1 and it can never stop its work so long as it is driven by the water4 ,yet it is in the power of the man who directs it to decide whether he will have wheat1 or barley1 or darnel ground by it4 ,for it must certainly crush that which the man in charge of it puts in4 ,so the mind is driven by the torrents of temptation which pour in on it from every side and cannot be free from the flow of thoughts1 but we control the character of the thoughts by the efforts of our own earnestness4--,cassian1 ,conferences1 ,i1 #ag1 #ah4 #ab ,the power of divine grace1 like that of the ,adversary1 is impulsive1 not compulsive1 that the free power of our will may be entirely preserved4 ,wherefore1 for the evil things which a man does by the influence of ,satan1 it is not ,satan that receives the punishment1 but the man himself2 forasmuch as he was not involuntarily forced into those things1 but was consenting in his own will4 ,in the same manner also with respect to what is good1 ,grace does not ascribe it to itself1 but to the man1 and it therefore assigns to him glory1 as the cause of good to himself4 ,for grace does not so constrain by compulsive force as to render a man's will incapable of altering2 but though it be present to him1 it gives way to his free and arbitrary power1 that his will may be manifested how it is disposed to good or to evil4 ,for the law is not applied to our nature1 but to our free-will1 which is able to convert itself either to good or to evil4--,macarius1 ,institutes of ,christian ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,,vii1 chap4 iii4 7,penn's ,trans41 ,london1 #ahaf47 #ac ,scupoli1 ,the ,spiritual ,combat1 chap4 xiv4 #ad ,i shall fulfil ,thy ,will if1 for ,thy ,love1 ,i contradict my own1 which ,thou wilt not in any way constrain1 but dost leave it perfectly free that ,i1 by voluntarily and constantly subjecting it to ,thine1 may become dearer and more full in ,thy sight4--,st4 ,catherine of ,siena1 ,dialogue on ,consummated ,perfection1 in ,drane's ,history of ,st4 ,catherine1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #cdh4 #ae ,faber1 ,growth in ,holiness1 chap4 xvi4 #af ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 cxiv4 #ag ,baker1 ,sancta ,sophia1 pp4 #bhd-bhf4 ,see also ,hilton1 ,the ,scale of ,perfection1 ,bk4 #b1 ,sec4 #a1 chap4 viii4 #ah ,using anger as an illustration1 ,father ,baker enters into a detailed description of what may happen1 and yet the soul be free from sin4 ,perhaps there is not one of us who can read the following words without a sense of deep gratitude and relief concerning not infrequent experiences of our own4 ,he says3 ,a person being moved to anger1 though he find an unquiet representation in the imagination1 and a violent heat and motions about the heart1 as likewise an aversion in sensitive nature against the person that hath given the provocation2 yet if1 notwithstanding1 he refrains himself from breaking forth into words of impatience to which his passion would urge him1 and withal contradicts designs of revenge suggested by passion1 such an one1 practicing internal prayer and mortification1 is to esteem himself not to have consented to the motions of corrupt nature1 although besides the inward motion of the appetite i4e41 the inferior will1 he could not hinder marks of his passion from appearing in his eyes and the colour of his countenance4--,sancta ,sophia1 pp4 #bcg-bch4 #ai ,pusey1 ,lenten ,sermons1 p4 #bfd4 #abh ,,chapter ,,ix ,,in ,,the ,,hour ,,of ,,battle ,like as the children of ,ephraim1 who being harnessed and bearing bows1 turned themselves back in the day of battle4#a ,thus does the ,psalmist recall a day of shame and humiliation in the history of ,god's people4 ,well prepared for the battle1 with every hope of victory before them1 the children of ,ephraim failed in the hour when they faced the enemy4 ,thus has it been with many souls in the spiritual warfare4 ,we may be forewarned1 we may be armed with the manifold gifts of the ,spirit1 and yet fail1 for the preparation is not everything4 ,when in the actual presence of the foe1 the soul must smite boldly and well4 ,the weapons ,god supplies must be used4 ,not to use a grace is to lose a grace4 ,i4 ,realizing ,god's ,friendship ,it is easy to find theories of opposing temptation2 but often hard to apply them in the actual #abi moment of the assault4 ,the cause lies in the fact that we do not realize our relation to ,god4 ,god is our friend2 and we must think of ,him in the ordinary terms of earthly friendship4 ,the ,eternal ,son came to earth and was ,incarnate1 just in order that we might find in ,him an earthly relation1 by means of and through which we might be able to rise up to the heavenly friendship4 ,so far as mere intellectual knowledge is concerned1 we know quite well what we are to ,him1 and yet so dull is our appreciation of it that it is only with painful care that we are able to keep from mortally offending this good ,god4 ,we should have slight regard for an earthly friendship that rested on so precarious a foundation4 ,when shall we come to that blessed time when our friendship with ,god will be as spontaneous in its action1 and as free from peril of violation at our hands1 as the friendships we enjoy with those fellow-mortals whose hearts are knit up with ours in loving earthly friendship6 ,before we go on to consider definitely the methods we may profitably employ when the battle is actually upon us1 let us use an illustration that may help us to grasp very practically just what our relationship is to ,god4 ,you know a man whom you look up to with profound regard and reverence4 ,not only this1 #acj but his unfailing goodness to you under many and various conditions has claimed and won your deepest love and gratitude4 ,this man has an enemy1 a despicable character1 universally known to be devoid of every sentiment of common decency and honour1 who has for years scrupled at no means1 even the foulest and most contemptible1 to injure the object of his hate4 ,you know these facts to be true1 and have yourself had the misfortune to have many dealings with him1 and have always found that his actions justify the low opinion that all right-thinking men have of him4 ,one day this creature has the audacity to approach you1 and try deliberately to turn you against your benefactor1 and to induce you to consent to something that would be to the dishonour and contempt of the one to whom you owe so much4 ,how long would you listen to him8 ,do you think you would stop to weigh calmly the arguments for and against his proposition8 ,or would you not1 without a moment's hesitation1 turn upon him with indignation1 and drive the contemptible creature from your presence1 with a sense of loathing1 almost of contamination1 that you had been made to listen to such a suggestion8 ,we do not have to go far to find a key to the parable4 ,the benefactor whom we regard with #aca so deep a reverence is our loving heavenly ,father1 who has claimed and won our love through the goodness and mercy with which ,he has followed us all the days of our life4 ,the enemy whose age-long efforts have ever been for ,his dishonour is the devil1 who seeks to make us the instrument by which he would dishonour ,god4 ,when illustrated thus1 the audacity of the tempter1 and the insulting character of every temptation1 are made plain4 ,this simple parable will surely enable us to grasp the relations between ,god and ourselves and ,satan1 and with this realization fresh upon us1 we can go on to consider some of the special methods we may use to overcome ,god's enemy and ours4 ,,ii4 ,the ,divine ,example of ,humility ,it is interesting to note that when our ,lord was assailed in the wilderness by the ,tempter1 ,his method of resistance was to turn immediately to the consideration of ,his ,father's word4 ,he did not address ,himself to the pros and cons of the ,satanic suggestion4 ,he inflicts instant and crushing defeat upon ,his adversary by turning ,his attention1 not to the character of the temptation1 but straight to the will of the ,father4 #acb ,in this our ,lord showed by ,his action what ,he afterward taught concerning ,himself when ,he said1 ,i can of ,mine own self do nothing4#b ,his first act in ,his temptation was to declare ,his entire dependence on ,his ,father4 ,so1 if in our temptations1 we would share ,his victory1 our method of battle must follow ,his4 ,the tempted soul must fling itself instantly upon ,god in the humblest acknowledgment of dependence4 ,much of our failure in the conflict arises from a forgetfulness of this4 ,how often does the very dread of the sin so agitate the soul that instead of turning to ,god1 we stand1 as it were1 fascinated by the horror of the suggestion1 losing precious moments that should be devoted to flinging open all the channels of communication with ,god1 that ,his own strength may flow into us for the battle4 ,this course of defence is effective in two ways4 7#a7 ,first1 as regards ,god4 ,nothing can so completely open the channels of communication with ,him as an utter abandon of humility in ,his presence4 ,scripture is full of the divine teaching on this point4 ,the ,holy ,spirit declares by the great ,prophet of the ,incarnation1 ,thus saith the high and lofty ,one that inhabiteth eternity1 whose name is ,holy1 ,i dwell in the high #acc and lofty place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble4#c ,st4 ,james declares1 ,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble2#d and ,st4 ,peter1 repeating the same teaching1 adds this exhortation1 ,humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of ,god that ,he may exalt you in due time4#e 7#b7 ,but not only does this self-abasement in the first moment of temptation bring down new power from ,god for the struggle1 but it has a direct and disastrous effect on ,satan4 ,nothing so completely bewilders him as self-humiliation4 ,he1 the very personification of pride1 cannot understand how a soul can for a moment so humble itself4 ,he is puzzled1 nonplussed4 ,he knows not how to proceed4 ,he thought he understood us2 he had studied our lines of defence1 and thought he knew just how to approach and break through them2 but this unexpected manoeuvre shatters his plan of battle4 ,many a soul that1 in the approach of temptation1 has thus flung itself at the feet of ,god has1 while lying there awaiting the divine word1 felt the awful sense of the ,satanic presence pass1 and the sickening tug of temptation cease4 ,the enemy in the face of a situation so far beyond his power of #acd understanding had made haste to withdraw his attack1 lest while thus fighting in the dark he should meet still more humiliating defeat4 ,,iii4 ,instant in ,prayer ,the humble soul is always the praying soul4 ,the soul that realizes its dependence will lose no time in calling upon ,him on ,whom it leans1 and this earnest prayer is the weapon in the warfare1 without which certain overthrow must ensue4 ,as in the case of humbling ourselves1 the use of this weapon is to be considered in its relation both to ,god and to ,satan4 7#a7 ,its relation to ,god4 ,we know that prayer for help must of necessity bring help1 because the divine promise is given and repeated a hundred times in ,holy ,scripture1 that the ,lord will hear us in the day of trouble4#f ,it is needless to multiply texts4 ,one word of ,god the ,eternal ,son suffices1 ,and shall not ,god avenge ,his own elect which cry day and night unto ,him1 though ,he bear long with them8 ,i tell you ,he will avenge them speedily4#g ,impossible as it may seem1 the prayer of the humble heart can command the very ,godhead4 #ace ,ascending to the throne of grace in union with the intercession of ,christ1 the cry of the hard-pressed child of ,god has power to liberate the divine ,omnipotence1 and set in motion all the infinite energies of the kingdom which come forth in their unconquerable might to wage war on our behalf4 ,this power that the praying soul has over ,god 7we dare use such an expression with entire freedom7 is one of the mysteries of our union with ,him1 and since ,he has given us so repeated a revelation of it1 we can expect nothing of ,him if we neglect it4 ,one or two ,scripture passages will make this clear to us4 ,when ,israel rebelled and ,moses prayed for them1 ,god's answer was1 ,now therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them4#h ,why should the ,omnipotent ,one have spoken thus since none is able to hinder ,him or bind ,his hands8 ,the ,holy ,ghost1 speaking by the ,psalmist ages after1 gives us the meaning when ,he says3 ,he said ,he would have destroyed them had not ,moses1 ,his chosen1 stood before ,him in the gap4#i ,the wrath of ,god was paralysed in the face of the prayer of the ,saint4 ,isaiah1 sounding his lament over the lost condition of ,israel1 says1 ,there is none that calleth #acf upon ,thy name1 that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee4#aj ,the ,hebrew tongue affords us no stronger expression than that which the ,spirit here inspired the prophet to use4 ,the meaning is1 to lay1 as it were1 violent hands upon ,god1 by means of prayer1 and with a holy audacity to hold ,him back from launching the thunderbolt of ,his wrath against the apostate nation4 ,the expression stirreth up himself indicates by a bold rhetorical stroke the power which the prophet knew such a one would have if he could be found among the sons of ,israel4 ,when used in the ,old ,testament it invariably implies the arousing of some mighty force1 which when once awakened would sweep all before it1 as when ,balaam prophesied concerning ,israel1 ,he couched1 he lay down as a lion1 as a great lion2 who shall stir him up8#aa ,thus in the power of prayer shall we be able to sweep all before us1 if in the hour of temptation we pray with a like holy audacity4 7#b7 ,but not only does prayer in the hour of temptation call the power of ,god to our succour1 but the bare fact that we pray at such a time completely overreaches ,satan4 ,the primary reason #acg of his temptation is to draw us away from ,god4 ,if the invariable result of temptation is thus to draw us the more surely and closely to ,his feet in prayer1 the tempter will not be slow to realize that he is being used as the instrument1 and his assault as the occasion1 of accomplishing this very thing that his labour is directed against4 ,when he realizes this1 baffled and discouraged1 he will have no alternative but to withdraw4 ,we must say a word about ejaculatory prayer1 for in the hour of temptation this method of prayer is to be our chief source of strength4 ,most frequently1 perhaps1 in temptation there is no time or occasion for formal prayer4 ,our appeal to ,god in such times must be instant4 ,these prayers of ejaculation have been described as short1 sharp1 and swift darts ,latin1 jaculum1 a dart1 and desires1 shot by our burning hearts1 and reaching heaven in an instant4 ,our forefathers1 the ,saints1 frequently used them1 for being short1 they trouble not the memory2 being fervent1 they rouse our dulness and dryness to affection and devotion2 being frequent1 they still renew our attention to ,god's presence1 and put us perpetually in mind of our duties4#ab ,to this1 it may be added that ejaculatory #ach prayer is apt to be a measurably perfect prayer1 because1 being so quickly finished1 the devil has not time to chill its fervour by distractions1 such as we invariably suffer from in longer forms of prayer4 ,even were it so disposed1 the average mind cannot act with sufficient quickness to perceive the distraction ere the prayer be finished4 ,those who study ,god's word piously will find numberless prayers in the very language of the ,holy ,ghost1 which will be most effective in the moment of danger4 ,the briefer these are1 the better4 ,the ,psalter is full of them1 and there is no better military exercise for the ,christian soldier than to spend his time when not actually in battle1 in learning as many of them as possible by heart1 so that they may be ready at hand when the battle begins4 ,short1 quick prayers like the following will be found of great profit3 ,o ,lord1 my ,god1 in ,thee have ,i put my trust2 save me from all them that persecute me1 and deliver me4#ac ,save1 ,lord1 and hear us1 ,o ,king of ,heaven4#ad ,save me1 ,o ,god1 for ,thy ,name's sake1 and avenge me in ,thy strength4#ae ,have mercy upon me1 ,o ,god1 after ,thy great goodness4#af #aci ,lord1 he whom ,thou lovest is sick4#ag ,like as the hart desireth the water-brooks1 so longeth my soul after ,thee1 ,o ,lord4#ah ,why art thou so heavy1 ,o my soul1 and why art thou so disquieted within me8 ,o put thy trust in ,god1 for ,i will yet give ,him thanks which is the help of my countenance and my ,god4#ai ,o ,god1 ,thou art my ,god1 early will ,i seek ,thee4#bj ,thou1 ,lord1 art my hope4#ba ,o help us against the enemy1 for vain is the help of man4#bb ,out of the deep have ,i called unto ,thee1 ,o ,lord2 ,lord1 hear my voice4#bc ,we need not multiply instances of these prayers4 ,let each one take the ,psalter1 the ,gospels1 and other parts of ,scripture1 and go over them for himself1 copying them out1 committing them to memory in quiet times1 thus filling his quiver full of heaven-tempered darts1 the use of which in time of stress will surely put to flight the audacious enemy4 ,it is well to remember in the use of prayer in the moment of temptation1 that the mind must be wholly set upon ,god4 ,there is real danger #adj in trying to pray while at the same time our thoughts are upon the special form of temptation that is being presented4 ,turn your back upon it1 and cry to ,god4 ,think only of ,him1 ,his goodness1 ,his loving protection4 ,the diversion of the mind alone is a victory over the tempter2 and where it is turned from him1 and set upon strong and holy appeals and aspirations1 it is not possible but that the enemy will be driven utterly from our path4 ,,iv4 ,a ,holy ,perversity ,another effective method of resistance is to make a rule of doing1 in a definite and precise way1 and instantly if possible1 just the contrary of what ,satan is seeking to induce us to do4 ,for instance1 he insinuates into our minds some bitter1 resentful1 and uncharitable thought4 ,we know the thought is evil1 and we abhor it accordingly1 nor do we give any sort of consent to its presence2 but still it is not easy to crush4 ,perhaps it is a revival of some old bitterness in regard to a real wrong done us long ago4 ,we fight hard against it1 and thus save ourselves from sin2 but how much shall we add to ,satan's discomfiture1 how shall we indeed crown our victory1 if1 instead of expending our energy in the merely negative #ada work of refusing admittance to our hearts of an unloving thought1 we proceed to do or say some loving thing2 or at any rate offer a resolution instantly to ,god to watch for an opportunity1 and1 if need be1 to go out of our way1 to perform some act of kindness before the day is over4 ,or in case of temptation to pride1 personal vanity or self-assertion1 to perform some little act of meekness2 or when the temptation is to some form of self-indulgence or selfishness1 deliberately to do some unselfish thing1 preferring for our greater self-denial something that naturally we should not care to do4 ,a simple illustration will show how discouraging such a course will be to the tempter4 ,suppose whenever you had occasion to ask a certain acquaintance to do something for you1 instead of complying with your request1 he did just the contrary thing1 and that with a precision and regularity that gave evidence of a deliberate plan and policy4 ,suppose again that this contrary thing was the very act that he knew was most displeasing to you4 ,how long would you persist in your applications to him8 ,surely1 not for long4 ,so will it be with ,satan4 ,he is far too intelligent a creature1 and knows and serves his own interests all too faithfully1 to continue his efforts long under such conditions4 #adb ,v4 ,scorning the ,tempter ,a most excellent method1 which can often1 though not always1 be applied1 is that of ignoring the tempter4 ,it is a helpful thing in the ,christian warfare to remember always that ,satan is the embodiment of pride4 ,nothing cuts the proud soul so deeply as being ignored4 ,it can endure opposition1 even defeat1 but the thing that is intolerable is to be taken no account of4 ,so when ,satan attacks1 in not a few instances1 the resistance that to him will be the most cruel will be to go calmly on one's way1 ignoring him4 ,as ,st4 ,francis de ,sales says3 ,you should not answer1 or seem even to hear1 what the enemy says4 ,let him hammer as he will at the door2 do not you even say so much as1 ,who is there8444 ,beware that you never open the door1 either to peep out and see what it is1 or to drive away the clamour4#bd ,an illustration similar to the one employed in our discussion of resisting by doing the thing contrary to the temptation will help us here4 ,imagine yourself having occasion frequently to apply to a certain person for a service4 ,imagine such a person deliberately ignoring you whenever you spoke1 pretending not to hear you1 #adc gazing with feigned absent-mindedness out of the window4 ,do you think you would long continue your application to such an one8 ,indeed you would not4 ,pride1 even right-minded self-respect1 would forbid it2 and you can be sure ,satan1 acting on the same principle1 will soon cease to annoy you when he finds himself the object of so studied a contempt4 ,since the human mind1 however1 always demands something upon which to be engaged1 we can much more successfully ignore ,satan's addresses if we divert the mind by an act of the will into some totally different channel4 ,temptations1 says ,walter ,hilton1 vex the soul indeed1 but do not harm it1 if so be a man despise them and set them at naught2 for it is not good to strive with them1 as if thou wouldst cast them out by mastery and violence1 for the more they strive with them1 the more they cleave to them4 ,and therefore they shall do well to divert their thoughts from them as much as they can1 and set them upon some business4#be ,this diversion of the mind will be all the more effective if it is in the direction of those holy things which ,satan abhors4 ,therefore let us turn our hearts to converse with ,god1 which is better than to reflect upon our temptations and #add troubles4 ,let us be so attentive to ,him1 that we have neither leave nor leisure to give ear to ,satanic suggestions4#bf ,,vi4 ,staying not the ,hand ,we are told in the ,second ,book of the ,kings#bg that when the prophet ,elisha was fallen sick of the sickness whereof he died1 ,joash1 the ,king of ,israel1 came unto him4 ,the man of ,god commanded him to take the arrows and smite upon the ground1 whereupon the ,king1 weak in ambition1 and with no vision of ,god's destiny for him as a national deliverer1 smote thrice upon the ground and stayed4 ,and the man of ,god was wroth with him and said1 ,thou shouldest have smitten five or six times2 then hadst thou smitten ,syria till thou hadst consumed it4 ,if he who goes forth to fight for ,god would utterly consume the enemy1 he must seek the vision of ,his purpose for him1 and if he is truly ambitious of heavenly honours it is not far to seek4 ,we can quite safely say that ,god never predestined any soul barely to win the victory4 ,he plans high things for all his children1 but how many are there who never attain them because1 like the king of ,israel1 they are giving ,him a #ade spiritless service4 ,they smite thrice with the arrows of deliverance and stay their hand4 ,they are content to remain on a low spiritual plane1 within the pale of divine grace indeed1 but satisfied with this1 and using their further energies for passing earthly things instead of devoting them with a burning splendour of enthusiasm to an ever higher service in the kingdom that shall have no end4 ,how disappointing are such lives to ,god6 ,he had meant to promote them to great honour1 and they have no aspiration above the lowest place4 ,nor can they plead that they know not ,his purpose for them4 ,the ,scriptural revelation is full of the highest assurances4 ,god lays wide open before us the plan ,he has prepared for our glory4 ,he tells us in a hundred passages1 every utterance eloquent with love1 what it all is1 and ,he stays in ,his description only when the finite mind of man cannot follow ,him2 and then ,he cries3 ,eye hath not seen nor ear heard1 neither have entered into the heart of man1 the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love ,him4#bh ,if we are to rise up to satisfy the divine measure of our predestined glory1 we must smite not thrice1 but five or six times4 ,we must smite not only #adf until we feel the assault stayed1 but until we are sure that the tempter has acknowledged himself defeated4 ,some spiritual guides advise the soul pursuing the tempter1 not allowing him to depart from us without further chastisement and humiliation4 ,do not leave off the conflict until the enemy is1 as it were1 wearied out1 dead1 and yields himself up discomfited4#bi ,when the assaults have ceased1 says ,scupoli1 excite them again1 so as to have an opportunity of overcoming them with greater force and energy4 ,then challenge them again a third time so as to accustom yourself to repulse them with scorn and horror4#cj ,remember1 however1 as a point of the most extreme importance1 that this course should never be adopted in temptations against faith or against purity4 ,in these cases there should be an immediate avoidance of the thought and occasion of the temptation1 and the mind should be instantly diverted utterly from it by definite occupation of a contrary nature4 ,,vii4 ,the ,final ,phase of ,victory ,the counsel of the author of ,the ,spiritual ,combat1 appeals to us not only as coming from #adg a great guide of souls1 but because 7as is always the case with the wisdom of the ,saints71 it answers our sense of the fitness of things4 ,a poor soldier he would be who never planned to fight on the offensive1 who never sought to carry the war into the enemy's country4 ,the ,blessed ,christ has organized the armies of the ,kingdom not merely for the protection of a weak and incapable people1 but for the positive conquest of ,satan through the strength and aggressiveness of ,his soldiers4 ,in the account of the armour of ,god as given us by ,st4 ,paul1#ca we are1 it is true1 told of the breast plate1 the shield1 and the helmet1 all armour of defence2 but we are also told of the feet shod that the soldier might march straight forward2 and of the sword of the ,spirit with which we are to slay the adversary4 ,under the old dispensation1 too1 the ,spirit taught the like truth4 ,in one of the chiefest of the ,psalms of consolation1--the #iast1--the soul is spoken of as finding its refuge in the very secret place of the ,most ,high2 as being covered with ,his wings1--shielded from the mysterious terror that walks by night1 from the arrow that flies by day2 and there is mention of shield and buckler1 weapons of defence4 ,but also there is mention of the splendid feats of aggressive conquest that #adh ,god expects from those to whom ,he accords ,his almighty protection4 ,thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder2 the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet4 ,the contrast between the earlier part of the ,psalm and this sudden promise is startling4 ,heretofore ,god and the angels have been the actors prosecuting their work of protection and defence4 ,now it is as though ,he said1 ,i have hid thee in ,my tabernacle1 and now it is ,thou1 the defenced one1 who shall tread upon the lion and adder2 ,thou1 and ,i only as acting in and through thee6#cb ,the ,hebrew form of expression the ,holy ,spirit employs presents two powerful word-paintings4 ,when it is said1 ,thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder1 there is the suggestion of stamping in pieces1 of treading one's enemies as grapes are trodden in the wine-press2 and where the promise is made1 ,the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet1 the ,holy ,ghost is lifting up before ancient ,israel1 in their own language1 the picture of the terrible onset of #adi armed horsemen beating down the enemy with ruthless trampling beneath the iron-shod feet of the horses4 ,thus are the soldiers of ,god called upon not only to vanquish1 but to tread the hosts of hell as grapes are trodden in the vintage2 not only to cause them to flee1 but to pursue and trample them with terrible strength as victorious horsemen trample down the flying foe4 #a ,ps4 lxxviii1 #aj4 #b ,st4 ,john v1 #cj4 #c ,isa4 lvii1 #ae4 #d ,st4 ,james iv1 #f4 #e #a ,pet4 v1 #f4 #f ,ps4 xx1 #a4 #g ,st4 ,luke xviii1 #g-h4 #h ,exod4 xxxii1 #aj4 #i ,ps4 cvi1 #bc4 #aj ,isa4 lxiv1 #g4 #aa ,numbers xxiv1 #i4 ,see also ,job xli1 #aj1 and ,ps4 xxxv1 #bc1 and lxxx1 #b4 #ab ,castaniza1 ,the ,spiritual ,conquest1 pp4 #dje1 #djf4 7,vaughan1 #c;d ,ed47 #ac ,ps4 vii1 #a4 #ad ,ps4 xx1 #i4 #ae ,ps4 liv1 #a4 #af ,ps4 li1 #a4 #ag ,st4 ,john xi1 #c4 #ah ,ps4 xlii1 #a4 #ai ,ps4 xliii1 #e-f4 #bj ,ps4 lxiii1 #a4 #ba ,ps4 xci1 #i4 #bb ,ps4 cviii1 #ab4 #bc ,ps4 cxxx1 #a4 #bd ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 xi4 #be ,hilton1 ,the ,scale of ,perfection1 ,i1 ,pt4 ,,ii1 ,sec4 #b1 chap4 i4 #bf ,castaniza1 ,the ,spiritual ,conquest1 p4 #dei4 #bg #b ,kings xiii4 #bh ,cor4 ii1 #i4 #bi ,scupoli1 ,the ,spiritual ,combat1 chap4 xiii4 #cj ,ibid4 #ca ,eph4 vi4 #cb ,compare ,romans xvi1 #bj3 ,the ,god of peace shall bruise ,satan under your feet shortly4 ,the ,god of peace goes forth to war1 fighting in order to secure that peace whereby ,his title of ,prince of ,peace is justified2 and it is ,his power that will bruise ,satan1 but the bruising is to be under our feet4 ,we give ourselves to ,him that ,he may conquer in and through us4 #aej ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,tests ,,of ,,victory ,,and ,,defeat ,it is all very well to sit down calmly1 and consider1 as we have done1 the stages of temptation1 and to draw definite conclusions as to the point at which the temptation passes over into sin4 ,such principles as these are not hard to discover4 ,in fact1 as a general rule it is comparatively easy in any matter to arrive at moral principles4 ,if we cannot think them out for ourselves1 any handbook of ,christian ethics will give them to us1 cut and dried4 ,the real stress and strain in life arises from the difficulty of applying principles to special cases in hand1 and it is just this difficulty that is experienced amid the shock of the conflict by many souls1 even those who are illuminated by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i4 ,the ,test of ,common ,sense ,what practical tests1 therefore1 can we bring to bear in order to know whether the will has consented8 ,before entering upon a discussion of them1 we can sum up the whole matter by saying that to everything must be applied the test of common sense4 ,at no time are scruples #aea so apt to intrude themselves as when we seek to apply tests to discover whether or not we have sinned2 and no spiritual scruple was ever based on common sense4 ,on the contrary1 the cherishing of scruples always points to some positive lack of mental balance4 ,above all things1 we are to be reasonable with ourselves4 ,we shall find with ever so little consideration that the laws which apply to the conditions of our ordinary daily life are the laws that must apply to our spiritual life4 ,there will be no danger of perplexing scruples if we apply the same rules to the inquiry concerning sin as we should apply to a question of ordinary human relations1 and as dutiful children we must give our heavenly ,father credit for as much loving generosity in ,his dealings with us as we know would be employed by an earthly parent who had ever showed us a tender and loving consideration4 ,so bearing these things ever in mind1 we can proceed to think of the further tests we may apply1 to show whether or not we have consented to the devil's temptations4 ,,ii4 ,the ,test of ,doubt ,if you doubt whether you have consented to evil1 always take the doubt as a negative4#a #aeb ,this is the rule laid down for us by ,st4 ,francis de ,sales4 ,in it he follows the great spiritual teachers in holding that if sin1 especially mortal sin1 is not more than certain1 you should decide that it does not exist1 especially if the conscience is prone to be tender4#b ,it is a principle of divine1 as well as human law1 that a man is to be counted innocent until he is proved guilty4#c ,we must give ourselves the benefit of the doubt4 ,this we can do safely1 and without scruple1 provided we have been ordinarily faithful in the use of the means of spiritual knowledge that ,god supplies1 such as ,prayer1 ,sacraments1 etc4 ,we must insist upon this2 in the first place1 because the nature of the human mind demands it4 ,a thing that the soul really abhors could not possibly find entrance without its certain knowledge4 ,in the second place1 because justice requires it4 ,we are bound to exercise justice towards ourselves as well as towards others1 and it would be manifestly unjust to regard a man as guilty of a crime so long as the case is involved in reasonable doubt4 ,the third reason why we must acquit ourselves when doubt exists1 is that it is a grave danger to the soul to become accustomed to the idea of #aec committing sin4 ,it is a principle of psychology that it is much easier to perform an action when we have grown used to the thought of it4 ,a fourth reason is thus expressed by ,st4 ,francis in a letter to the famous ,angelique ,arnauld1 ,abbess of ,port ,royal3 ,if you accuse your soul without just cause1 you spoil its courage1 and turn it into a mere coward4#d ,it is the ,christian's duty by every means to encourage his soul and to do nothing to discourage it4 ,the ,psalmist gives us repeated examples of this1 as for instance1 when he cries1 ,why art thou so heavy1 ,o my soul1 and why art thou so disquieted within me4 ,put thy trust in ,god1 for ,i will yet give him thanks which is the help of my countenance and my ,god4#e ,discouragement has been called the temptation of temptations4#f #aed ,the soldier would not be tolerated in an army who made it his business to go up and down the lines in the course of the battle discouraging his fellows4 ,we always feel that there is a peculiar meanness about the man who tries to take the heart out of those about him4 ,we must in these spiritual matters1 under pain of sin1 be as fair to1 and as considerate of1 our own souls as of the souls of others1 for we have no special rights over ourselves in such matters4 ,our souls are not our own4 ,all souls are mine1#g says ,god1 and we wrong ,him when we injure any soul4 ,it does not acquit us to plead1 as silly souls are sometimes heard to do1 that we are injuring no one but ourselves4 ,in the first place1 this is not true4 ,every hurt we inflict on our souls1 every discouragement into which we lead ourselves1 is not only a wrong to ,god1 but inflicts a hurt on every soul that is bound up with us in the ,communion of ,saints4 ,this is just what the ,apostle meant when he said1 ,whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it4#h ,the care and constant strengthening of our own souls is a part of the obligation laid upon #aee us as our brother's keeper2#i and we know the curse that fell upon ,cain not only for his crime of blood1 but in punishment for the far greater crime of refusing to recognize the solidarity of humanity1 and the duties that arise therefrom4 ,he murdered one man's body1 but who can tell how many souls we have been slaying though weakening our own power to help and rescue them in their hour of conflict4 ,even were it true that we injure none but ourselves by injustice to our souls1 we are in this case injuring that which belongs1 not to ourselves1 but to another1 namely to ,god1 and ,he will let no such wrong go unavenged4 ,although we are not to accuse ourselves in such cases of doubt1 it is well to speak of them to a wise spiritual guide4#aj ,this will afford us the opportunity of receiving such counsel as will aid us should the particular form of assault be repeated4 ,it is also a discouragement to the enemy to see that his schemes are thus understood and exposed4 ,he loves ever to work in the dark1 and it is a matter of common experience that he often abandons a plan of temptation when he finds it #aef has been detected and discussed by those against whom he has been plotting4 ,,iii4 ,signs of the ,soul's ,victory ,in the course of the struggle there are many circumstances and conditions by which we can test how the battle is going4 ,we shall consider some of these1 choosing certain ones which ,satan often uses for our discouragement by presenting them to us in a wrong light4 ,it is a favourite device of his to snatch at the very circumstance which a good ,god1 ever tenderly solicitous of our safety1 allows for the consolation of ,his faithful soldiers1 and by presenting it from a false point of view1 turn it into an occasion of scruple and unnerving anxiety4 7#a7 ,continuance and increased severity of attack is proof that the will has not yielded to the temptation4 ,an army does not direct its assaults against an enemy who has already surrendered4 ,so rather than be frightened1 we should draw comfort from the fact of continued temptation4 ,it is a good sign1 wrote ,st4 ,francis de ,sales to ,madame de ,chantal1 when the enemy storms so lustily at the door2 it proves that he is not attaining his end4 ,if he had attained it1 he would #aeg not clamour any more2 he would go in and be satisfied4 ,keep this in mind so as to avoid scruples4#aa ,but although ,satan's fiercer malignance of attack be a sign that the soul has not yielded1 it is far from being the kind of sign that justifies our pausing in the struggle4 ,if the tempter uses renewed energy and fierceness in his assaults1 the soul1 in order that it may continue in safety1 must also employ a corresponding increase of energy in bringing into action the increased grace that the ,holy ,spirit stands always ready to give to those who ask ,him4 ,it is just for this that the ,blessed ,spirit waits upon and presides over the conflict4 ,hence gather we this comfort1 writes the saintly ,andrewes for our consolation1 that the ,holy ,ghost is not a stander-by as a stranger when we are tempted1 tanquam otiosus spectator1 but ,he leads us by the hand1 and stands by as a faithful assistant4#ab 7#b7 ,a sense of fear that we have consented1 or at the thought of the possibility of consenting1 is an excellent indication that we are1 as yet1 free from the sin to which we are being tempted4 ,he who has actually entered into the sin and made it his own by a deliberate operation of his will1 #aeh has not ordinarily the attitude of fear towards his sin4 ,the act of consent brings a certain complacency with respect to the sin1 and a blindness of spiritual vision1 which leaves no room for fear1 and which is only disturbed by penitence4 ,you will not yield to the temptations which you know and fear2 for the fear of falling is one of the best gifts of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,through that holy fear ,he arms ,his servants against danger1 and teaches them how to conquer themselves4444 ,if you had no fear ,i should fear for you4444 ,fear then1 and let your holy fear be lifelong4 ',blessed is the man that feareth always4' ,but keep that fear within due limits1 so that you do not become discouraged and forsake your work2 let it rather move you to renewed hope1 and more earnest watchfulness1 self-mistrust1 and confidence in ,god4#ac 7#c7 ,grief at the temptation implies1 of necessity1 that the will is still in a state of opposition to the suggestion4 ,so long as you are grieved at the temptation1 there is nothing to fear1 for why does it grieve you save because your will does not consent to it8#ad ,a glance at the nature of grief shows this to be true4 ,grief is #aei the emotion that arises when we are forced to suffer that which is contrary to the will4#ae ,on the other hand1 the absence of grief should rouse us to inquire if our souls be not in a dangerous state of tepidity4 ,if one were seriously to suggest our doing something that would be a marked dishonour to an earthly friend and benefactor1 there would be an almost immediate sense of shock and grief that we should be thought capable of such baseness4 ,there would1 in all likelihood1 be a sense of disappointment with ourselves that we had given so poor a testimony of our love and loyalty that anyone could think it possible for us to be thus untrue to our friend4 ,so1 along with the grief at the presence of the temptation let us make sure that there be a very deep searching of heart to find what there is in our life to encourage the tempter to think we would be untrue to a ,father who has loved us with an everlasting love1#af and whose tender compassions are renewed to us every morning4#ag 7#d7 ,a consciousness of the existence of temptation is generally a sign that the will has not wholly1 at any rate1 yielded consent4 #afj ,the entrance of sin into the soul by consent marks the cessation of struggle1 and therefore1 when there is still a clear sense of struggle1 we are to conclude that as the temptation is still going on we have not yet given full consent4 ,dom ,baker assures us that ,a well-minded soul may conclude that there is in the will a refusal to consent to the suggestion1 even in the midst of the greatest disorder thereof1 whilst the combat does not cease4#ah ,those who are wholly unconscious of temptation are too often those who have yielded to the tempter1 and he troubles them no more4 ,those who still feel the pressure of his enmity can thank ,god and take courage that the devil still counts them worthy of his antagonism4 ,says ,walter ,hilton3 ,the soul needeth to be ever striving and fighting against the wicked striving of this image of sin1 and that he make no accord with them1 nor have friendship with them to be pliable to their unlawful biddings1 for in so doing he beguileth himself4 ,but verily if he strive with them1 he need not be much afraid of consenting1 for striving breaketh peace and false accord4#ai #afa ,,iv4 ,spiritual ,safety1 ,spiritual ,victory ,the reader will observe that although we are speaking of the soul being kept from the power of ,satan1 yet the heading of the foregoing section speaks of the signs1 not of the soul's safety1 but of the soul's victory4 ,there is a significance in this choice of words1 for in the spiritual combat the soul that is safe is indeed victorious4 ,herein lies one of the radical differences between the spiritual warfare and any other4 ,in the world's wars an army may be safe from defeat and capture1 and yet be far from victorious4 ,but in the spiritual life1 to be safe is to be the victor4 ,there are no drawn battles in this warfare4 ,once the soul has been enlisted in ,god's army1 once it has been signed1 and sealed1 and has put on the whole armour of ,god1 thenceforth to be safe is to be victorious1 not to be conquered is to conquer ,satan4 ,so we may seem to be making but little progress1 but if we hold fast that which we have no man can take our crown4 ,this is made quite clear to us in the message of the ,spirit to the ,seven ,churches of ,asia4#bj ,the ,church at that time was hard-pressed4 ,the fires of persecution were burning out the dross1 and purifying her over against the coming #afb of the ,lord4 ,it was a time for longsuffering1 for patient waiting until the arm of the ,lord should be bared to avenge her of her adversaries4 ,so the ,spirit speaks not of ,pentecostal achievements2 there is no mention of mighty triumphs that the world could see and applaud4 ,it was a patient waiting1 finding her strength in sitting still4#ba ,what is it under these conditions that ,god requires8 ,no aggressive plan of advance is outlined2 only a patient faithfulness wherein would lie victory and reward4 ,examine them one by one4 ,ephesus receives praise of ,god because ,thou hast borne and hast had patience4 ,smyrna is only to ,fear none of those things that thou shalt suffer4 ,pergamos is praised1 because ,thou boldest fast ,my name1 and has not denied ,my faith4 ,to ,thyatira it is said1 ,that which ye have already1 hold fast till ,i come4 ,sardis has lost somewhat of the heavenly gift1 but she will yet be safe if she will but ,strengthen the things that remain4 ,philadelphia is accounted worthy of great promises because ,thou hast a little strength1 and hast kept ,my word and hast not denied ,my name4 ,nor has ,laodicea1 neither hot nor cold1 over whom the curse is suspended1 great things demanded of her4 ,it is only1 ,be zealous therefore #afc and repent4 ,let her only undo her evil and she1 too1 will have the blessing4 ,from none of these are great things asked4 ,if they will but hold fast1 and in the power of the ,spirit let not ,satan have the advantage1 the grace of ,god within them will so operate of its own inherent force and activity that each will be counted among those that overcome1 and will receive the gracious reward promised to those who are worthy to be ranked among the victors in the ,kingdom4 ,what strong consolation is here6 ,what proof of the love and compassion of our ,god6 ,only yield not to ,satan1 hold fast that which thou hast1 and thine shall be a share in the glory of the victorious ,son of ,god4 ,v4 ,the ,truest ,test ,we have considered briefly some of the tests by which we may try ourselves in the battle1 but1 after all1 is it best to engage ourselves in the application of any tests8 ,there are indeed certain strong1 ,god-reliant souls who are not content unless they can thus test themselves4 ,if they believe the ,holy ,spirit is leading them to this1 well and good4 ,let them follow such a divine call wherever it may take them1 for the leading of the ,spirit can never be other than a #afd leading of perfect wisdom and perfect love4 ,but doubtless for most of us who desire to serve ,god in true simplicity1 it is far better to place our whole trust in ,him1 do what we can1 lean in childlike faith upon ,his great love1 and not seek to measure our progress on the way4 ,such tests may help many1 but they should be strictly avoided if they lead to introspection and self-analysis1 those deadly foes of true devotion2 above all1 if they lead to self-satisfaction and pride4 ,if the application of these tests produces mental doubt1 distress1 and scruple1 or vain complacency1 take it as a distinct warning from ,god to let them alone1 for in souls of this temperament any such testing of self will cause them to fall by the wayside1 or else to fix their eyes so earnestly on the road they are treading that they will lose sight of ,him ,who is at once their ,guide and their ,goal4 ,let us love ,him1 says one who knew the love of ,god very deeply1 without striving to inquire too inquisitively what we are doing for love's sake1 so long as we know that our aim is to do all things in and through that love4#bb ,yes1 our safety is to keep the love of ,god warm in our hearts4 ,if this be done1 nothing else matters4 ,if we can say1 or even have an earnest1 #afe honest desire to say1 with the pilgrim in ,hilton's parable1 ,i am naught1 ,i can do naught1 ,i have naught1 and naught do ,i desire to have1 but only ,jesus and ,his love1#bc this will be the highest test of our spiritual progress2 and this love of ,god increases most when not held down by formal tests and methods4 ,says ,st4 ,bernard1 ,modus diligendi ,deum1 est diligere sine modo2 which saying ,augustine ,baker beautifully paraphrases3 ,the measure and manner of loving ,god is to love ,him immeasurably and freely1 without a prescribed manner4#bd #a ,spirit of ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 chap4 xii4 #b ,gaume1 ,manual for ,confessors 7,pusey ,translation71 p4 #agi4 #c ,gury1 ,compend4 ,theol4 ,moral41 ,,ii1 pp4 #bgh-bgi4 #d ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 cxiv4 #e ,ps4 xliii1 #e-f4 #f ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,letters to ,persons in ,religion1 p4 #ada 7,mackey ,trans474 ,this same ,saint warns us against discouragement that enters under the guise of humility4 ,speaking of the virtue of self-mistrust he says3 ,your mistrust of self is good1 so long as it is the groundwork of confidence in ,god2 but if it ever should lead you to being discouraged1 disturbed1 vexed1 or melancholy1 then ,i entreat you1 reject it as the greatest possible temptation1 and do not allow your mind to argue or dally with the anxiety or depression to which you are disposed4 ,it is a simple and certain truth that ,god permits those who seek to serve ,him to encounter many difficulties1 but also that ,he never leaves them to sink under the burthen so long as they trust in ,him4 ,the great thing you must heed is never to let your mind argue in favour of the temptation to be discouraged1 under any pretext whatever1 not even under the plausible pretext of humility4--,spiritual ,letters1 cii 7,lear ,edition74 #g ,ezek4 xviii1 #d4 #h #a ,cor4 xii1 #bf4 #i ,gen4 iv1 #i4 #aj ,for conditions under which doubtful sins should be mentioned in confession1 see ,lehmkuhl1 ,,ii1 #cag4 #aa ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 xi4 #ab ,andrewes1 ,sermons1 ,vol4 ,v1 p4 #dii4 #ac ,gaume1 ,manual for ,confessors 7,pusey ,trans471 p4 #ij4 #ad ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 xiii4 #ae ,speaking of certain temptations which result from past faults of our own1 ,dr4 ,pusey says1 ,they are suffering1 not sin2 nay1 so long as they are suffering they are not sin4--,parochial ,sermons1 ,,ii1 #ccd4 #af ,jer4 xxxi1 #c4 #ag ,lam4 iii1 #bb1 #bc4 #ah ,baker1 ,sancta ,sophia1 p4 #bcg4 #ai ,hilton1 ,the ,scale of ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,,ii1 ,pt4 #b1 chap4 iv4 #bj ,rev4 ii and iii4 #ba ,isa4 xxx1 #g4 #bb ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,spiritual ,letters1 xxxvii4 #bc ,hilton1 ,the ,scale of ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,,ii1 ,sec4 #a1 chap4 viii4 #bd ,baker1 ,sancta ,sophia1 p4 #dac4 #aff ,,chapter ,,xi ,,the ,,school ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,one of the most precious promises in ,holy ,scripture which is repeatedly made to the faithful is that they shall be taught of ,god4 ,them that are meek shall ,he guide in judgment1 and such as are gentle them shall ,he learn ,his way4#a ,i will inform thee1 and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go2 and ,i will guide thee with ,mine eye4#b ,all thy children shall be taught of the ,lord2#c ,the ,comforter1 which is the ,holy ,ghost1 whom the ,father will send in my name1 ,he shall teach you all things2#d ,he will guide you into all truth4#e ,i4 ,the ,teaching of ,temptation ,one of the chief courses of instruction in the ,school of the ,holy ,spirit is that of temptation4 ,victory over ,satan is a very glorious achievement1 but it is only half1 and so far as our earthly life is affected1 the smaller half1 of ,god's purpose in sending and permitting temptation4 ,he means #afg us in every battle to gain a knowledge of self1 a knowledge of our weak points1 that realizing them our wills may be incited to co-operate with ,his to re-enforce them4#f 7#a7 ,one of the first lessons it is needful for us to learn is that when great difficulty is experienced in resisting a temptation we are to regard the point of this particular assault as one that requires strengthening4 ,how wonderfully does the divine wisdom force ,satan himself to be our instructor and1 in permitting him to buffet us1 compel him to proceed according to a principle which teaches the soul its own needs1 and so turns to his own undoing1 and to the profit of the one who is tempted4 ,even when1 for the time being1 he gains a victory1 the same principle holds good4 ,after true penitence has come to make good the breach1 how much has the soul learned1 how sensitive it is at that particular point1 how alert to perceive any renewed attack1 how full of a holy desperation that the same disaster come not again4 ,satan's desire is to keep us in ignorance of our #afh weakness1 and he would persuade the sinner that his relation with ,god is at all points what it ought to be4 ,then1 having soothed the soul with the opiate of deception1 he would bind us hand and foot4 ,but whatever he may be able to do with those who have submitted themselves to his unholy will1 ,god will not have it so with those who are seeking to be faithful1 but forces ,satan to act as ,his messenger to warn us4 ,temptations1 it has been said1 are often very profitable to us though they be troublesome and grievous4#g ,we have much to learn in the consideration of this saying4 ,why should a child of ,god who is daily and consciously receiving and enjoying the gifts of a loving ,father find the direct solicitation to offend ,him so difficult to overcome8 ,if one whom we knew to be our enemy should try to persuade us to commit some act that would be a deep dishonour to a loving earthly parent1 we should not find it hard to repel the suggestion4 ,more than this1 the fact that such a thing had been proposed would instinctively impel us to some immediate word or act of devotion1 that would leave no shadow of doubt upon our love and loyalty4 ,an answer to this question comes from the ,holy ,ghost in the very temptation that is vexing us1 for in it ,he would teach us two truths3 #afi 7#a7 ,the first is a very humiliating one1 namely1 that although our reason recognizes our relation and duty to ,god1 yet somewhere in our nature there is a powerful tendency to choose evil rather than good1 the service of ,satan rather than the love of ,god4 ,the ,apostle describes his own experience in his letter to his ,roman converts4 ,that which ,i do1 ,i allow not1 he says1 for what ,i would1 that ,i do not1 but what ,i hate1 that ,i do4444 ,the good that ,i would1 that ,i do not1 but the evil which ,i would not1 that ,i do4#h ,nor need we be in the dark concerning its extent1 for the struggle for the right is always grievous in proportion to the strength of the tendency to choose what ,satan offers4 7#b7 ,again1 when ,god permits a temptation that is hard to overcome1 ,he is giving us a sign that should teach us that our love for ,him is wanting1 and that ,he means us to try by every means to increase it4 ,we ought to be able to act towards ,god as we do when one whom we love with an earthly love is involved4 ,we read the lives of the ,saints1 and we see with what ready indignation they rejected ,satan's suggestions4 ,it was because their hearts were full of love for ,god2 and when they were asked to #agj dishonour ,him1 they felt that an indignity had been put upon them1 and they rose up against it with all the force of a nature made strong and pure by divine grace4 ,,ii4 ,the ,bulwark of ,love ,at the risk of a digression1 we must here consider how we can increase our love and acquire that quality in our souls which will enable us to meet with a sense of outrage any persuasion to violate ,god's will4 ,the difficulty we experience in repelling ,satan points directly to the duty of practising those things which will give us an increase of love and loyalty to ,god4 ,this is to be accomplished by the execution of some practical resolution which might be framed in this fashion3 ,i found it hard to refrain from wounding ,him2 ,i know1 therefore1 that my love for ,god is weaker than ,i thought4 ,i will therefore this day seek to increase my love in two ways3 7#a71 ,i will watch for the evidence of ,his love for me1 and will meditate upon it1 and upon my unworthiness of it2 7#b71 ,i will1 by ,his help1 force opportunity of doing a definite number of loving acts toward ,him and others1 that by the practice of love ,i may increase my love4 ,then if we would secure a sure increase of love1 #aga we must permit no sort of indefiniteness to enter into the fulfilment of our resolution4 ,it must be carried out with precision4 ,for our meditation1 nothing could be more profitable than to write out with fulness and care the account of some blessing that has come to us through ,god's love2 and by the side of it write a like definite account of some infidelity of ours toward ,him4 ,the shame of the contrast1 if our hearts be not wholly bad1 cannot but drive us to ,him with a fuller desire1 which will win from ,him the gift of a renewed and strengthened love4 ,the acts1 too1 must be of the most definite kind4 ,go out of your way to speak or do some loving thing1 offering it1 at the time1 to ,god as your work of love to ,him4 ,or it may be some simple act of prayer1 such as kneeling with great recollection and deliberation1 folding the hands1 and lifting the heart in silence for a moment to ,god1 then repeating1 very reverently and devoutly1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 or some other short devotion4 ,then1 after a pause1 add1 ,dear ,lord1 ,i offer ,thee this1 to show ,thee that ,i love ,thee1 and that ,i want to love ,thee more2 or some such little prayer as that of ,fenelon's3 ,lord1 take my heart1 for ,i cannot give it ,thee2 and when ,thou hast it1 keep it1 for ,i cannot keep it for ,thee2 and save me in spite of my sins4 #agb ,many a sinner has followed some such simple1 child-like method1 and ,god's response has come into his heart with a thrill of awakening love that has startled it with its sweetness and power1 and filled him with a keen sense of personal dishonour at ever again wounding the heart of ,jesus by parleying even for a moment with the tempter4 ,,iii4 ,the ,lesson of ,humility ,the greatest of all lessons the ,holy ,ghost teaches us is that of humility4 ,thomas a ,kempis shows that one of the special points of profit in temptation lies in the fact that in it a man is humbled4#i ,the most necessary virtue the ,christian soul must learn is that of humility4 ,when our ,lord would give ,his disciples the chief reason why they should learn of ,him1 ,he said it was because1 ,i am meek and lowly in heart4#aj ,it was a common expression of the ,fathers of the ,church that humility is the mother and mistress of all virtues1 and they loved to see in the etymology of the word 7humus1 earth71 the suggestion of the soil under our feet1 in which1 though often unpleasant and repulsive1 all fair flowers and fruits have their root and draw their sustenance4 #agc ,we have only to consider pride1 the vice which is the contrary of humility1 to understand what is meant by the statement that without humility no other virtue can exist4 ,the first of the great virtues1 ,faith1 can certainly not exist along with pride1 for it is of the essence of pride to make for self-confidence1 as opposed to trust in ,god or in anyone else besides one's self4 ,hope cannot exist1 for the true ,god-ward ,hope which constitutes this virtue has in it an element of meekness and patient waiting on ,god that is incompatible with the presence of pride4 ,nor can ,love and pride exist in the same heart1 for love is necessarily unselfish1 and the proud soul is essentially bound up in self4 ,how then are we to obtain this so necessary virtue of humility8 ,st4 ,bernard gives us the answer1 an answer by no means original with him1 however1 but which has been the burden of the spiritual masters of every age of the ,church4 ,humility is nurtured only by humiliations4 ,the soul that constantly rejects that which humiliates can never acquire the virtue of humility1 for it is deliberately refusing to learn the lesson set for it by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,let us not be surprised if ,god then sets very definite lessons for us in the school of humility4 #agd ,we should not be so foolish as to think we could acquire the knowledge of an earthly trade or profession1 without applying ourselves to the lessons set for us4 ,if a young man applied to a lawyer to be allowed to study the law under his direction1 he would feel that it was hopeless if the lawyer said3 ,you need not trouble to work at this thing very much4 ,just stay around my chambers for a year or so1 and you will find yourself a pretty good lawyer4 ,this would not satisfy him4 ,he wants to be told that the law is a jealous mistress1 that he must labour long and hard if he would win her honours4 ,his common sense tells him that this is necessary4 ,but1 alas1 in learning the highest of all knowledge1 that of humility1 we refuse to use common sense4 ,we think we can acquire it without the lesson of humiliation4 7#a7 ,temptation humbles the soul by showing it the possibilities of its degradation4 ,satan knows us much better than we know ourselves1 and it is not likely that he would solicit us to commit a certain sin unless he saw something in us that encouraged him to think we would1 with some persuasion1 be willing to do it4 ,let us be sure that the presence of a special temptation1 however it may at the time repel us1 is the proof that there is something definite in our #age nature that would be attracted by this solicitation1 if the grace of ,god were not holding us back4 ,so temptation brings self-knowledge1 and self-knowledge is the first degree of humility4 7#b7 ,temptation1 by showing us the possibilities of degradation which1 but for the grace of ,god1 would become actualities1 enables us to exercise the virtue of humility towards others4 ,if we really understand the natural tendency towards what is evil1 and that only through the divine mercy are we saved from the worst forms of sin and corruption1 it will be impossible to maintain an ,holier than thou attitude towards others4 ,if thou shouldst see another openly sin1 or commit some heinous offence1 yet oughtest thou not to think the better of thyself1 for thou knowest not how long thou shalt be able to stand fast in good4 ,we are all frail1 but thou shalt esteem none frailer than thyself4#aa ,this humbling self-knowledge will also produce a train of virtues which will grow out of and at the same time1 by their operation1 further and deepen1 a spirit of humility4 ,let us consider three of them4 7#a7 ,how quick we are to criticise the sin we see in others1 but there could be no such #agf arrogance if through ,satan's temptations we were daily made to realize what is possible in ourselves4 ,on the contrary1 we should be filled with the gentle sympathy that a man feels for one who is in the grip of some dread disease from which he himself has just recovered2 and sympathy is always humble4 7#b7 ,the sight of the degradation of the world in its sin will fill us with a true gratitude to ,god that we have so far escaped the peril into which ,satan had succeeded in leading others1 and true gratitude is necessarily humble because even the smallest exercise of it is1 as far as it goes1 a recognition of our dependence on another1 and pride would be unwilling to admit any such dependence4 7#c7 ,there will1 in view of sin as it appears in life about us1 be awakened a wholesome fear1 such as that which seizes upon a man whose companion has been struck down at his side by the sting of a deadly serpent1--a fear that will drive him back in humble dependence on ,god1 and make him realize how utterly powerless he is1 of himself1 to avoid a like fate4 ,,iv4 ,the ,lessons of ,consolation ,the teaching of the ,holy ,ghost is not confined to warning us of danger4 ,he has also many lessons of encouragement and consolation for us #agg in the hour of temptation4 ,certain of these have already been considered1 and those that we shall consider now1 must be disposed of briefly4 ,perhaps some of us may take them up at another time as themes for further thought and meditation4 ,such an exercise would be of great profit1 for ,satan so constantly seeks to discourage us in the field1 that we may be sure that it is the loving will of ,god to offset this by holding before us always that which will enhearten us1 and fill us with somewhat of that stern joy of the battle which must ever thrill the true soldier in the discharge of his trust4 7#a7 ,temptation is an advertisement to the soul that it is1 at least in some degree1 in the grace of ,god4 ,to forget this is always a cause of weakness4 ,it is a common thing to hear the complaint1 ,something must be wrong with me1 or temptation would not come so persistently and in such manifold forms4 ,to see the fallacy that underlies this complaint1 one has only to think of our ,lord in all points tempted like as we are4#ab ,no one was ever so beset with temptation as ,he was1 and if constant temptation be a sign of something wrong within1 then no one was ever quite so far #agh gone from righteousness as was our ,lord ,christ ,himself4#ac ,something is indeed wrong1 from ,satan's point of view1 with the soul whom he besets with many snares4 ,he is not satisfied with us4 ,there is altogether too much divine love and power in our hearts to please him1 and so he sets the battle in array against us4 ,surely it is a thankworthy thing1 one that must bring great joy1 to have the evidence that ,satan regards us as his enemy4 ,suppose no temptation assailed us1--what a terrible significance this would have6 ,when we went to prayer1 or to ,communion1 or about the commonplace1 ,god-sent duties of the day1 what a fearful thing it would be if ,satan1 observing us1 were to reflect that he had no reason to attack us because1 do what we might1 he was sure that no harm could come to his kingdom through us6 ,there are men in the world1 many of them1 indeed1 who have no temptations1 and who cite the absence of such experience as proof that the ,christian teaching concerning the devil and his work is false4 #agi ,alas1 they know not their own misery1 for never art thou more strongly set upon than when thou believest thou art not at all assaulted4#ad ,satan does not assail them1 and in thus refraining he acts on the same principle as does a warring king who lays no siege to a fortress that is already in his possession1 whose sometime defenders lie in his dungeons1 chained hand and foot4 ,but as we saw in our first chapter when considering the terms of this warfare1 the captivity that such untempted souls are enduring is no idle1 passive confinement in some spiritual prison4 ,these worldly souls are the most effective soldiers of him whose very existence and power they deny4 ,he has no reason to unmask himself to them4 ,he leaves them alone1 they are doing his work4 ,the blasphemer is not tempted to blaspheme4 ,why should he be8 ,he blasphemes already4 ,the unbeliever is not tempted to unbelief1--he has lost his faith4 ,the scoffer is no longer tempted to scoffing1--he scoffs enough already to satisfy even the 'god of this world4'#ae 7#b7 ,temptation is also an advertisement to the soul that ,god has some special mark of ,his love to bestow at the particular time4 #ahj ,every occasion of temptation is pregnant with graces and heavenly favours which ,god has in store for the victor4 ,calling us forth to the battle is just ,his way of calling us to lay hold of some increase of strength ,he has prepared for us4 7#c7 ,great comfort is laid hold of by the soul in contemplating that in temptation ,god is but furnishing us the opportunity to carry out ,his commands1--,lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven2#af and1 ,work out your own salvation with fear and trembling4#ag ,unless such commands are fulfilled there can be no redemption for us4 ,god has done ,his part and done it perfectly4 ,so far as ,his work is concerned1 ,he could1 when yielding up ,his soul on the ,cross1 most truly cry1 ,it is finished1#ah for everything necessary for ,god to do in order that man might lay hold on salvation was accomplished4 ,but man must have his part4 ,salvation can come to no soul that does not labour for it1 and temptation is the opportunity definitely prepared and presented to us by a loving ,god that the work of the ,cross may not for us have been wrought in vain4 ,therefore great consolation must come with every assault1 and as we feel the weight and thrust of the awful conflict1 let us joyfully cry1 ,now is the accepted time2 now is the day #aha of salvation6 ,why art thou so heavy1 ,o my soul1 and why art thou so disquieted within me6 ,look up and lift up your head1 for your redemption draweth nigh6#ai 7#d7 ,the greater and more prolonged the temptation1 the greater should be our consolation4 ,the fact that the assault is fierce and persistent gives the blessed assurance that the soul has been faithful in the little temptations4 ,the tempter realizes that if he is to have us at all1 it must be at great cost and labour2 that we are not going to sell ourselves cheap4 7#e7 ,we sometimes hear men complain against ,god's justice because ,he permits souls to be so beset by the ,evil ,one2 but as a matter of fact his antagonism reassures us on this very point4 ,temptation is ,satan's tribute to the divine justice4 ,he is the ,accuser of the brethren1 and in tempting us he is acknowledging that he must have something real wherewith to accuse us at the ,judgment4 7#f7 ,when strange1 terrible1 and unaccustomed flashes of temptation come1 we learn with great joy that the tempter is puzzled concerning us4 ,our steadfast service of ,god has baffled him1 and he can only experiment with us1 as it were1 hoping a weak point may by some means be #ahb discovered4 ,such temptations1 in many cases1 mean that the tempter is working in the dark4 7#g7 ,great comfort must be found in the thought of the victory that awaits us if we are faithful4 ,this should not arise merely from the sense of relief at escaping a fall1 but from the happy thought that in every such victory1 great or small1 ,satan is weaker in my life than he was before1 and ,god and ,his love are stronger4 ,true1 great conflicts may be still in store for me1 but ,i have greater strength than ever before for meeting them and overcoming4 ,so while the warfare continues1 the soul grows keener for the struggle1 and finds greater joy in it1 because it realizes its strength1 and rejoices1 as does every strong man1 to use it4 ,many other points of consolation may be found in the spiritual combat1 but these will suffice to show us how much of joy there is in the active1 militant life of the ,christian1 if we only try to find it4 ,let us1 then1 thank ,god for temptation1 and if it presses us hard1 let us rejoice the more1 for it is ,his way of sending us the pledge of our peace with ,him1 the guerdon of ,his love4 #ahc ,v4 ,how to ,learn our ,lessons ,how are we going to recognize all these lessons as they are presented by the ,spirit8 ,there is hardly time in the thick of the battle to pause to think these things out1 as we have done in the quiet hour we have given to the reading of this chapter4 ,the soldier cannot stop to draw calm conclusions1 and to study the purpose and effect of tactical movements1 when the enemy is thundering at the gate1 and all but making his way in4 ,one simple suggestion may help us4 ,let us make a practice of studying our past temptations1 as soldiers are wont to study the great military campaigns of history in order to learn methods of warfare4 ,go to some ,war ,college and see the eager young officers as they follow a skilled instructor1 all poring intently over a diagram of some battle fought and won a century ago4 ,here ,napoleon made his mistake2 there was the movement by which the field was won2 that splendid manoeuvre turned the enemy's flank4 ,they study every move1 the effect it wrought1 whether it failed or succeeded1 and why4 ,and thus1 combined with their own practice1 men learn the art of war4 ,in some such way let it be with us in the spiritual conflict4 ,the ,school of the ,holy ,ghost is a #ahd ,war ,college in which the campaigns of the armies of ,god and ,satan are to be studied under the guidance of our divine ,instructor4 ,how constantly has the ,church studied the great campaign prosecuted against ,satan by our own great ,captain in the wilderness6 ,how much has been learned by the study of ,his methods of resistance and attack6 ,the lives of the ,saints1 too1 are but studies of military campaigns waged for ,god4 ,but perhaps most profitable of all will be the study of our own battles4 ,under the guidance of the ,spirit1 go back to some recent temptation1 7always excepting scrupulously temptations against faith and purity72 study its circumstance1 how it arose1 if it came through any fault of ours4 ,did we presumptuously run into occasion of perilous temptation8 ,if not1 what occasion did the enemy seize upon for his attack8 ,was there parleying with him8 ,did we meet it in the first moment with prayer and acts of faith1 hope1 love1 contrition1 and humility1 or were these powerful weapons not brought to bear8 ,through it all1 did we strive to keep our lines of communication with our headquarters and our base of supplies open by prayer8 ,or did we forget who our ,leader was and grow panic-stricken8 ,can we recall the particular point at which downfall #ahe began8 ,or1 if there was victory1 what prayer1 what thought1 was it that imparted a sudden strength to the heart1 and drove home the thrust that put the enemy to flight8 ,or what painful pressing on1 inch by inch1 forced him at last to fly the field8 ,and when we beheld him fleeing1 did we secure ourselves1 and spike his guns1 as it were1 by fervent acts of gratitude to ,god who had given us the victory8 ,we may not be able to find answers to all these questions1 but if in the beginning of such a study1 we find only a few1 well and good4 ,we shall profit by them1 and in the next temptation use the knowledge gained2 and so shall we go on1 gaining more and more knowledge out of the study of our own experience1 and more and more faithfully putting that knowledge to use1 until we become skilled and practised campaigners in the wars of the ,lord2 until1 indeed1 we become worthy to be enrolled among those of whom the ,apostle speaks1 ,who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil4#bj #ahf ,all this while1 however1 we are not to neglect our study of the spiritual campaigns of others4 ,in the pages of the ,bible1 in the lives of the ,saints and holy men1 in their own experiences that they have recorded for us in their spiritual writings1 we can find innumerable things with which we can compare1 and by which correct1 the conclusions of our study of the principles of the warfare4 ,these are especially valuable when found in the biographies of the great servants of ,god1 for in such records we find the theory actually worked out in the lives of men of like passions with ourselves4 ,a beautiful illustration of this is recalled from the life of that great champion of the ,faith1 ,bishop ,gray of ,capetown4 ,when in the midst of his contest with the heretic ,colenso1 when the ,church and the world seemed combined against him1 from one of his long wagon-journeys across the lonely ,african veldt1 he writes1 ,i find great comfort in repeating the first three petitions of the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,what a mighty weapon was that6 ,have we used it as did this servant of ,god8 #a ,ps4 xxv1 #h4 #b ,ps4 xxxii1 #i4 #c ,isa4 liv1 #ac4 #d ,st4 ,john xiv1 #bf4 #e ,st4 ,john xvi1 #ac4 #f ,one does not arrive at virtue except through knowledge of self and knowledge of ,me1 which knowledge is more perfectly acquired in time of temptation1 because then man knows himself to be nothing1 being unable to lift off himself the pains and vexations which he would flee4--,st4 ,catherine of ,siena1 ,dialogue1 p4 #aai4 7,thorold ,trans41 ,london1 #aijg47 #g ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #h ,rom4 vii1 #ae and #ai4 #i ,imitation1 ,i1 xiii4 #aj ,st4 ,matt4 xi1 #bi4 #aa ,imitation1 ,i1 ii4 #ab ,heb4 iv1 #ae4 #ac ,st4 ,luke says1 ,when the devil had ended every kind of temptation1 he departed from ,him until a convenient season4--,chap1 iv1 #ac4 ,he was tempted throughout the forty days1 and that what is recorded is merely an illustration of what took place4 ,the enemy tried all his weapons1 and was at all points defeated4--,plummer1 ,internal4 ,crit4 ,comment1 in loc4 #ad ,st4 ,jerome1 ,epistle to ,heliodorus4 #ae ,h4 ,e4 ,manning1 ,sin and its ,consequences1 p4 #agc4 #af ,st4 ,matt4 vi1 #bj4 #ag ,phil4 ii1 #ab4 #ah ,st4 ,john xix1 #cj4 #ai #b ,cor4 vi1 #b2 ,ps4 xliii1 #e2 ,st4 ,luke xxi1 #bh4 #bj ,heb4 v1 #ad4 ,the words of the author of the ,epistle may be paraphrased somewhat as follows3 ,who by reason of the possession of perfected habit have the mental faculties exercised 7by a course of spiritual gymnastics71 for discriminating between good and evil4 ,see ,westcott and ,alford in loc4 ,st4 ,macarius1 speaking of these spiritual gymnastics1 says1 ,we have need of many and great efforts1 of much secret and unseen toil1 to be able thoroughly to sift and scrutinize our thoughts1 and to exercise the languid senses of the soul to discern both good and evil4 ,we must continually arouse and excite the debilitated members of the soul by a close application of our minds to ,god4--,institutes of ,christian ,perfection1 ,bk4 ,i1 ch4 vii4 #ahg ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,return ,,from ,,captivity ,we may set before ourselves the methods of warfare that lead to spiritual victory2 we may study them with all care and prayer2 but the weakness of our nature being what it is1 we must not expect to go through life without meeting defeat at the hands of the enemy4 ,even the ,saints have not been immune from sin4 ,when ,st4 ,paul spoke of sinners1 he added1 ,of whom ,i am chief4#a ,st4 ,john not only said1 ,if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 but he added those terrible words1 ,if we say that we have not sinned1 we make ,him a liar4#b ,a most necessary part1 therefore1 of our instruction in the school of the soldier is concerning the course we are to follow when we find we have fallen2 how we are to find our way back from the captivity2 by what means we are to renew our allegiance to our divine ,leader4 ,we all know that the necessary thing is ,repentance1 but it is not everyone who understands what repentance is4 ,in its essence repentance is #ahh not an emotion2 it is not a mere attitude of mind2 it is a work1 a serious work1 and in many instances a hard work4 ,in this chapter we do not purpose using any special method1 scholastic or otherwise1 of showing what this work is1 or how it should be accomplished4 ,in a simple1 perhaps informal way1 we shall1 as the ,holy ,ghost may guide us1 consider some of the aspects of the interior spirit we must cultivate if1 after a fall1 we would by true repentance come back to our loving ,father4 ,i4 ,hastening to ,repent ,it will help us if we recall one of the principles we thought of in the beginning of our study1 when we were considering the terms and conditions of the warfare4 ,we learned then that any fall into sin1 in the measure of its seriousness1 means1 not an idle1 passive confinement in some spiritual prison1 but an active enlistment in the armies of hell to fight against our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,when we think of this1 we shall understand that the first consideration must be the speed with which we must hasten to release ourselves from the horrid bondage into which we have fallen4 ,two reasons for this haste suggest themselves4 7#a7 ,first of all1 the soul that desires to love will make all speed in order that ,god's ,name may #ahi be relieved of the dishonour that befalls it when one of ,his family1 one called by ,his name1 signed and sealed as ,his soldier1 renounces ,him and gives in his allegiance to the ,devil4 ,we can brook no delay in such a matter4 ,how keenly sensitive is human honour in like affairs6 ,let us not think that the divine honour is a duller thing than that indefinable possession men guard as the most sacred of all their moral treasures4 7#b7 ,again1 for our own sakes1 no time is to be lost in returning to ,god4 ,sin is a poison4 ,every moment the poison remains in the system makes it more difficult to expel4 ,it is absorbed and carried to every part of the body1 working wherever it touches with deadly effect4 ,if we should take a poisonous draught by mistake1 how instant we should be that we might be rid of it4 ,how much more insistent should we be that the poison whose effects are eternal should not be given time for its deadly work4 ,it is at this point that ,satan's temptation comes in4 ,what is the use8 he whispers1 you will sin again4 ,so does he try to discourage us1 and the soul who thinks only of self is apt to stop and listen4 ,not so with him whose penitence has its root in love2 not so with him who feels keenly that his act has dishonoured a loving1 tender ,father and ,friend4 ,he will not brood over his #aij fall1 for he knows that every hour of such weak repining is an hour of added sin4 ,he will sweep the temptation aside1 and cry with strong resolution1 ,i will arise and go to my ,father6 ,for he knows that if he waits1 the numbing influence of the poison will creep into heart and will1 and that after a time he may have neither desire nor power to repent4 ,we must not leave this subject1 however1 without finding a reply to ,satan's suggestion1--,it is of no use2 you will sin again4 ,many a soul has been entrapped by it4 ,many a one1 through fear of future failure1 has been held back from righting the present wrong4 ,but to yield to such a fear is to commit a special offence against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,no promise is more constant in ,holy ,scripture than that if we rise in the strength ,he will give us1 go forward again1 and set no special task for ourselves beyond just doing the best we can1 ,he will keep and sustain us4 ,he shall give ,his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways2#c ,fear not1 little flock1 for it is your ,father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom4#d ,let not your heart be troubled1 neither let it be afraid2#e ,i will never leave thee nor forsake thee4#f #aia ,what completer assurance can we ask of the ,holy ,spirit than these repeated promises that ,god will fight for us1 defend us on every side1 and give us the victory8 and he who fears to rise and go forward in the face of such assurances1 is assuming that the ,spirit has spoken falsely1 or that ,god will not keep ,his word4 ,,ii4 ,a ,tranquil ,sorrow ,our penitence1 though prompt and swift1 must withal be tranquil4 ,true penitence allows no place for excitability4 7#a7 ,because it grasps the truth that our fall was not a matter for surprise4 ,it was only what we are to expect when1 failing to use the grace ,god constantly offers1 we venture upon our own strength4 ,the only wonder and surprise should be that we do not fail a hundred times more frequently4 7#b7 ,because surprise at falling indicates pride4 ,we imagined we were strong4 ,in self-righteousness we prided ourselves on our security1 and we found that security is the suburbs of hell4 ,but true penitence knows no such pride1 and therefore feels no surprise4 ,the broken and contrite heart is1 of necessity1 the humble heart2 it is the heart that thanks ,god with wondering gratitude for every hour of faithfulness to ,him4 7#c7 ,again1 true penitence is tranquil because #aib it is sure of acceptance at the ,father's hands4 ,perturbation in its approach to ,god would indicate uncertainty of mind as to its reception2 and this would mean a lack of trust in ,his promises4 ,consider again what the promises are3 ,turn unto the ,lord your ,god1 for ,he is gracious and merciful1 slow to anger1 and of great kindness2#g ,to the ,lord our ,god belong mercies and forgivenesses1 though we have rebelled against ,him2 neither have we obeyed the voice of the ,lord our ,god2#h ,him that cometh to ,me ,i will in no wise cast out2#i ,the ,blood of ,jesus ,christ ,his ,son cleanseth us from all sin4#aj ,can the heart desiring to return to the allegiance of our ,god have any qualm of doubt in the face of such promises8 ,if there is true penitence1 rather will it return in a confident peace1 knowing with a most assured certainty that the mercy of the ,lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear ,him4#aa 7#d7 ,the penitent soul turns to the ,father in tranquillity because it knows that1 though there has been grievous fall1 yet all is not lost4 ,he will give it another chance4 ,in the ,father's house are many mansions1 and ,he is still preparing a place for us4 ,all the treasures of ,his #aic ,kingdom may yet be ours if we come back in true sorrow4 ,we broke our resolution1 we wounded ,him again in the same old sin1 but ,he has not given us up4 ,even while we are wondering how we can ever face ,him again1 ,he is starting out on ,his way to the wilderness to seek the sheep that is lost4 ,the stones of the way cut ,his ,sacred ,feet2 the thorns and briars of sin tear ,his ,hands as ,he bends down to extricate the entangled soul2 but ,he cares naught for these if only ,he can fetch home again ,his banished one4 ,we are told that ,the ,saints are the sinners who kept on trying4 ,they reign in glory to-day not because they were pure from sin1 but because when sin entered in they did not forget the ,father's tender love1 but came back1 calm and sure1 to the peace of ,his pardoning embrace4 ,,iii4 ,a ,spirit of ,reparation ,a heart that loves1 and that has offended the object of its love1 naturally longs for opportunity to make reparation4 ,if our return to the divine allegiance after a fall is in the smallest measure sincere1 we shall not have to spur ourselves on to a desire for reparation4 ,it will spring up unbidden1 strong and dominant4 ,the heart will be restless and disquieted until opportunity be found4 ,this desire is not a supernatural gift only4 ,it #aid belongs even to the natural heart of man4 ,we see it showing itself in little children4 ,mark the child who has offended a loving mother1 who has wept out its heart-broken confession on her bosom1 and been forgiven and soothed1 and sent away restored to the mother's favour4 ,how quick is that little one all day long to watch for and grasp opportunities of responding to her slightest wish4 ,the little heart instinctively longs to make good the wrong of its disobedience4 ,so with the heart that1 having sinned against ,god1 has repented4 ,this is one of the best tests of true and godly repentance4 ,if we long to repair the wrong1 if we are quick to seize opportunities to honour ,him whom our sin had dishonoured1 there can be no question that we have sorrowed after a godly sort4 ,how does ,god meet this spirit on the part of the penitent8 ,here enters the divine ,love and says1 ,my child1 you have indeed dishonoured ,me in your sin1 and wounded and crucified ,me afresh4 ,your love demands an opportunity for reparation and my answering love will give it you4 ,go forth to this renewed battle2 show that you can be a good soldier of the ,cross4 ,fight valiantly that you may win even greater glory for ,my ,name than that which was lost by your failure4 #aie ,what more can the generous heart ask of ,god8 ,suppose when we came to ,him in deep sorrow for our fault1 ,he should say to us1 ,i will pardon you1 but never will ,i give you the opportunity of serving me again4 ,i trusted you once and you failed me4 ,i will not trust you again4 ,would our hearts desire heaven on such a condition8 ,i think there is not one of us who would not feel that to stand in ,his presence among the redeemed on such terms would be the veriest hell4 ,but the love of ,god deals not thus with sinners4 ,though you have failed ,me1 ,he says1 ,i will trust you again4 ,go forth once more4 ,my grace will make you strong2 ,my love will hedge you round about4 ,,iv4 ,the ,work of ,amendment ,the true test of penitence is amendment of life1 but ,god does not require actual amendment before receiving us back into ,his service4 ,what ,he demands is that we have a firm purpose of amendment4 ,no man can say what he will do in the future4 ,the future belongs to ,god4 ,it may never be ours at all4 ,it is ours at the present moment to make a resolution of amendment1 and then to trust in ,god to fulfil in us this resolve4 ,from the nature of things we can never arrive #aif at any mathematical demonstration of having amended4 ,on the contrary1 it is the invariable experience of those who are striving most earnestly in ,god's service1 that the more they strive the less they think they are accomplishing4 ,st4 ,paul did not think when he was persecuting the ,church that he was the chief of sinners4 ,but when he had seen the ,lord in the way1 after he had been rapt to the third heaven1 after he had suffered hunger and thirst1 cold and nakedness1 stripes and imprisonment1 for ,his ,name's sake1 after he had given up everything that the world counted dear1 after men saw he had attained to such sanctity that his name was one of power in all the ,churches1 then came to him the deep sense that he had accomplished nothing4 ,he thought of himself as the chief of sinners1 and counted that he had laid hold of nothing for ,god2 that he must forget the things that were behind and reach forth unto the things that were before if he was to attain the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4#ab ,men trembled at his words of burning rebuke1 while he trembled lest having preached to others he himself should be a castaway4#ac ,the experience of the great ,apostle is shared by every soul who loves ,god1 and the reason is plain4 #aig ,the nearer we approach to our ,lord1 the more vivid is the contrast between our sin-stained souls and ,his perfect life4 ,in the illumination of ,his near presence every fault stands out in awful prominence1 and though there may not be a tenth of the sin that once filled our lives1 our consciousness of it is a hundred-fold increased4 ,this must be the case if we are vigilant2 and ,satan finds in this condition much occasion for temptation4 ,let us illustrate4 ,a certain man has all his life been a slave to the sin of anger4 ,every day he has been guilty of it4 ,it becomes so common a thing in his life that he sins habitually1 forgetting it five minutes afterward4 ,he kept no account with himself4 ,had he been questioned about it1 he could have given no idea of the frequency of the sin4 ,this man is converted4 ,he now fights hard1 and maintains a careful watch over himself4 ,where sin formerly came and went without attracting notice1 now every approach of it is keenly felt4 ,at the end of the day he can recall distinctly a half-dozen falls1 and he is tempted to think the case is hopeless4 ,but last week there was a score of falls1 though he scarcely remembered two of them at the end of the day4 ,now he remembers thrice that number with terrible vividness4 ,but the increase of consciousness of sin is not the increase of sin4 #aih ,he is amending his life1 though quite the contrary seems the case4 ,these considerations show us how untrue1 of necessity1 must be all our estimates of our progress in amendment4 ,we have no outside point of view from the vantage-ground of which we can form a right judgment4 ,therefore ,god says to the sinner1 ,make your resolution in honesty of purpose2 commit it to ,me2 do the best you can2 above all things never violate your own conscience2 and under no circumstances try to estimate your progress4 ,if you should see that you had advanced1 pride and presumption would arise to imperil you2 if you could see no progress1 the temptation to despair might unnerve you4 ,commit your ways unto ,me2 that will bring a man peace at the last4 ,v4 ,the ,gainsaying of ,satan ,we have said that the true test of penitence is amendment of life4 ,we can hardly read this sentence without being conscious of temptation1 for it is here that ,satan brings in one of his most subtle suggestions4 ,we can hear him taunting the soul3 ,is this all you have to depend on for your hope of salvation8 ,have you ever really amended your life8 ,and then with that mysterious power that #aii ,god has given him for the trial of the ,saints1 and which he uses so pitilessly1 he flashes upon the mirror of the mind old sins1 sins of long ago1 of which we repented in bitterness and tears1 it may be2 but which we took again to our hearts time after time4 ,we made our ,confession1 we said to ,god in the presence of ,his priest 7for he could not have absolved us without this71 ,i firmly purpose amendment4 ,then we went away and sinned again and yet again4 ,after a time we came back to ,confession4 ,the same acknowledgment1 the same promise1--and then the same old sin again4 ,thus has life gone on1 year after year1 and yet we dare to look to ,god to take us back to our old allegiance4 ,satan tells us all this2 and it loses nothing in the telling4 ,it is very terrible1 and the soul shrinks back appalled4 ,then swift as thought the voice of the tempter comes again3 ,what is the use8 ,you will sin again2 why not give it all up8 ,many a soul has followed his counsel to its eternal loss4 ,it sounded plausible4 ,it seemed to fit exactly into our own experience2 and yet it was a lie4 ,it was a lie because in all that he said the tempter was deceiving us as to the true meaning of amendment4 ,satan's knowledge of what perfection is1 is a very strange and wonderful thing4 #bjj ,an angel from heaven could not set up a higher standard than he is able to do when he is seeking to discourage a struggling soul4 ,amendment does not mean perfection of life2 it does not mean never committing some particular sin again4 ,this was not what we resolved2 it was not what we told ,god we purposed doing4 ,what amendment does mean is1 to change for the better4#ad ,this is to be the spirit and resolution with which we return from the captivity of sin4 ,it is all ,god asks4 ,but the tempter is not yet vanquished4 ,quick comes the whisper in the soul1--,have you done even this8 ,has there been a change in your life for the better8 ,have you any assurance that your life is in the smallest degree better than it was a year ago8 ,staggering questions these1 to the soul that is ignorant2 but the soul that is wise1 the soul that is really under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit1 has its answer ready4 ,i do not know whether ,i have done this or not4 ,i know not if my life is changed for the better1 or if ,i am living more as ,christ would have me live than ,i did a year ago4 ,moreover1 ,i am not concerned to give you1 ,god's enemy and mine1 any answer to these questions4 ,i have no account to render to you4 ,but one thing ,i know2 #bja when ,i sin ,i can come back to ,him4 ,i kneel at ,his feet1 ,i put my hands in ,his1 ,i look up into those eyes brimming with love1 and ,i say1 ',dear ,lord1 here is my poor heart all full of sin again2 ,i lay it at ,thy feet4 ,wash it in ,thy ,precious ,blood1 and make me strong to serve ,thee better4 ,i am sorry and ,i purpose to amend1 but ,i am weak4 ,be ,thou my strength2 fight ,thou against them that fight against me1 and let me be the victor in the end4' ,i speak thus to ,him1 and leave it all with ,him4 ,i sin again1 and again ,i come and kneel at ,his feet2 and though ,i have to come daily to ,him with the same burden1 ,his embrace is never less tender1 ,his words not less sweet1 ,his eyes are ever full of the same old love4 ,am ,i amending my life8 ,i know not1--,he knows4 ,is my soul a saintlier thing than it was a year ago8 ,i know not1--,he knows4 ,all ,i know is that ,i love ,him1 and ,i want to love ,him more2 and that when ,i think on ,him my heart is at peace4 #a #a ,tim4 i1 #ae4 #b #a ,st4 ,john i1 #h and #aj4 #c ,ps4 xci1 #aa4 #d ,st4 ,luke xii1 #cb4 #e ,st4 ,john xiv1 #bg4 #f ,heb4 xiii1 #e4 #g ,joel ii1 #ac4 #h ,dan4 ix1 #i1 #aj4 #i ,st4 ,john vi1 #cg4 #aj #a ,st4 ,john i1 #g4 #aa ,ps4 ciii1 #ag4 #ab ,phil4 iii1 #ac-ad4 #ac #a ,cor4 ix1 #bg4 #ad ,vid4 ,webster4 #bjb ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,ground ,,for ,,christian ,,courage ,in ,his instructions to ,his disciples1 while not hiding from them what were to be the hardships and1 as the world counts it1 loss1 that must accompany ,his service1 our ,lord was ever full of words of encouragement4 ,he strove always to show them that while the following of ,him was not what the natural heart would look for as a flowery path1 yet1 if understood aright1 ,his yoke was easy and ,his burden light1 and that those who bore it would find rest for their souls4#a ,particularly in ,his last discourse to them ,he sets forth repeated words of encouragement4 ,twice ,he used those words of tender assurance1 ,let not your heart be troubled1 adding1 ,neither let it be afraid4#b ,four times ,he declares in substance1 ,whatsoever ye shall ask in ,my name1 that will ,i do4#c ,he assures them that ,he ,himself will be diligent in praying the ,father for them that the ,blessed ,comforter may #bjc abide with them forever4#d ,he declares that if they will but abide in ,him1 they will be able to bring forth eternal fruit of victory4#e ,sorrow indeed shall be theirs1 but ,your sorrow shall be turned into joy1 a joy that may be full1 a joy that no man taketh from you4#f ,and the great discourse concludes with a pledge of their final victory1--words of lofty encouragement that should ever be in the hearts of ,his soldiers1 sustaining in them the spirit of a divine valour3 ,these things ,i have spoken unto you that in ,me ye might have peace4 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation1 but be of good cheer2 ,i have overcome the world4#g ,let us therefore1 as the final study we are to make of the conditions and progress of our spiritual warfare1 consider the grounds we have for encouragement at every stage of the battle4 ,i4 ,members ,one of ,another ,the ,church of ,god1 the ,body of ,christ1#h as ,st4 ,paul repeatedly calls it1 which is the blessed company of all faithful people1 is a living #bjd organism4 ,when the ,apostle says it is the ,body of ,christ1 and speaks of us as members of that ,body1 he means that the members bear the same relation to every other member as1 for example1 my hands and my feet1 members of my physical body1 bear to each other2 and that all are partakers of the one life which flows through the whole ,body and which constitutes it what it is4 ,the effect of all this he sets forth in a brief saying3 ,whether one member suffer1 all the members suffer with it2 or one member be honoured1 all the members rejoice with it4#i ,when my hand is diseased my whole body is sick2 and when health and strength return to it again1 my whole body rejoices in that healing4 ,if we keep this principle in mind1 the tempter will be powerless to discourage us in the conflict4 ,rather will our hearts be ever full of high hope1 which will carry us rejoicing through the darkest hour of the conflict4 ,think of our share in every prayer and good work that is being offered to ,god anywhere to-day in all the world4 ,think of the ,eucharists in which we share4 ,as the sun follows its course1 and looks with each revolving day upon a million altars whose fires ring the world1 it looks upon nothing in which ,i have not my part4 ,think #bje how many times this day the cry has sounded forth1 ,let us pray for the whole state of ,christ's ,church ,militant6 ,with each exhortation there ascended to ,god a prayer for me1 that my soul might be strong1 that ,i might be victor in the end4 ,the great ,sacrifice of the ,altar is lifted up1 and it is for me2 and whatever grace comes to those far-off souls of priest and people through their faithful performance of that duty1 comes also to me4 ,no grace can enter their souls without flowing on to mine2 they could not be lifted up to a higher and godlier plane of life without drawing me up with them4 ,little do we dream of the power of the unknown prayers of ,god's people4 ,this very day ,satan may have planned some deadly snare in which to entrap my feet2 and the snare1 it may be1 was broken and swept from my path through the power of a simple prayer for tempted souls1 offered this morning by a little child half-way round the world4 ,picture a man walking on a dark night along a lonely mountain trail4 ,a deadly viper lies across his path4 ,he steps across the venomous thing2 it coils and strikes1--just a moment too late6 ,the traveller passes on1 never to know the danger he was in4 ,so with us in our journey through life4 ,we may never know the hidden #bjf dangers2 we may never know the grace that came through the prayer or good works of some far-off soul1 that saved us4 ,but what courage does the thought infuse6 ,i had thought myself alone on this far outpost of temptation4 ,i knew not how my soul could be reinforced by my comrades in the strife4 ,but the help came4 ,i was made strong2 and that which might have been a grievous and hurtful battle was to me an easy victory4 ,such is the power of intercession1--here a heart lifted up to ,god1 yonder a soul made strong2 here a spirit wrestling with ,him1 yonder a crown of victory won4 ,the weary ones had rest1 the sick had joy that day ,and wondered how4 ,the ploughman1 singing at his work1 had prayed1 ',god help them now4' ,alone in foreign lands1 they wondered how ,their feeble word had power4 ,at home the ,christians1 two or three1 had met ,to pray an hour4 ,so we are always wondering1 wondering long ,because we do not see ,some one1 unknown perhaps1 and far away1 ,on bended knee4 #bjg ,,ii4 ,the ,church's ,treasury of ,grace ,since1 then1 no soul in the ,church of ,god1 whether in this world or beyond1 can increase in grace without that same grace flowing also into my soul and helping me1 the recollection of the ,communion of ,saints and the vast treasury of spiritual power upon which ,i can continually draw must be a never-failing source of hope and courage4 ,i may be far from the state of spiritual perfection that constitutes what the ,church calls a ,saint1 but no gift of grace is ever laid hold upon by a ,saint in which ,i do not have a share4 ,the gifts of ,god1 in whatever form they may come1 and upon whomsoever they may be directly bestowed1 are for the edifying of the ,body of ,christ1#aj for the enriching of every member thereof4 ,nor do these graces operate but for a little time1 and then lose their activity4 ,once the grace of ,god is set in operation1 it goes on forever4 ,the sanctity of the ,saints moves on through the ages4 ,the ,church to-day is strong with the strength which long labour and faithfulness won for the ,apostles and ,prophets1 the ,confessors1 the ,martyrs1 the ,virgins4 ,the grace #bjh bestowed upon ,st4 ,john in his earthly life still holds its place in the ,body of ,christ1 and so long as ,i am in that ,body that very grace which was given to him helps me1 and is a part of the defence of my soul in the hour of battle1 if ,i will only rise up to use what ,god is offering me4 ,more wonderful than this1 however1 is the relation of the ,saints in glory to my soul4 ,not only am ,i helped by the grace they received in their earthly pilgrimage1 but every access of glory given them in their heavenly life is a like increase of grace to every member of the same ,body of which ,i am a part1 and so an added help to me4 ,thus wondrously does the law of divine grace work4 ,when the ,saints on earth go on from strength to strength1 their strength flows into me2 when the ,saints in heaven pass1 in their unceasing progress1 from glory to glory1 ,i again am made the beneficiary of what is given them4 ,all this1 however1 operates on one condition4 ,am ,i keeping the channels open through which the life and strength of the ,body flow into the members8 ,if ,i bind fast a member of my body with a cord the circulation ceases1 and strength and life begin to ebb in that member4 ,if ,i permit myself1 a member of the ,body of ,christ1 to be bound with a cord of sin1 the circulation of #bji the divine life and grace is cut off from me1 and grace begins to fail1 strength is reduced1 and spiritual death will ensue1 unless by penitence ,i cut the cord and let the life-blood flow freely once again4 ,prayer and faithfulness in the use of what ,i already have will keep the channels open4 ,every cry of my soul to ,god1 every effort to do ,his will1 every resistance of the ,evil ,one1 produces a stronger1 more vigorous circulation in the ,body1 that makes my strength greater1 my life richer1 with the communication of all that the ,body of ,christ possesses for the edifying of its members4 ,,iii4 ,god's ,interest in ,our ,victory ,there is among men to-day a wide-spread notion of ,christianity that bases everything upon a spirit of utter selfishness4 ,it tells me to think always of my own soul2 that if ,i find a reasonable assurance that this soul of mine will in the end be saved1 ,i need give no thought to further service of ,god4 ,in short it is a strange and monstrous belief that teaches me to look out for myself1 to serve ,god for just what ,i can get out of ,him1 to drive as shrewd a bargain with ,him as ,i can1 and win heaven on as cheap terms as is in any way possible4 ,it is a ,christianity1 falsely so called1 that leaves out of consideration the #baj most important fact of all1 namely1 that ,god has an infinite interest in me and my victory1 because ,his first relation to me is that of a tender1 loving ,father whose heart yearns over me1 who loves me with an everlasting love4#aa ,when ,i think of this1 ,i can understand how strong an encouragement ,i can draw from the consideration of ,his interest in the issue of the battle to which ,he calls me4 ,my victory involves the destiny of my soul1 but the destiny of my soul involves the eternal honour of ,god4 7#a7 ,our ,lord has gone to prepare a place for me4 ,this place is awaiting me1 a place in the heavenly choirs among those whose eternal occupation is to serve ,god day and night in ,his temple4 ,what that service is in its nature and detail ,i know not4 ,but one thing ,i know2 that so deeply is it bound up with the divine interest and honour1 that ,god counted it worth while to sacrifice the life of ,his eternal ,son1 amid the torments of the ,cross1 in order to win me for that service4 ,there is the place awaiting me2 the heavenly ranks are not full2 the heavenly task is not yet done3 a rift is in the heavenly praises1 a hand wanting in the work1 until ,i come thither to have my part among those who are counted worthy of the eternal rest of ,paradise1 #baa but who nevertheless rest not day nor night from ,his perfect service4 ,when ,i think of all this1 ,i see that my relation to ,god cannot be a selfish one4 ,god has infinitely more at stake than ,i have2 my victory is infinitely more to ,his interest than it is to mine1 just because ,he is so infinitely greater than ,his creature4 ,seeing that this is so1 we can understand how mightily ,he will strive to give us the victory4 ,no matter what undreamed of gifts of grace are needed1 ,he stands ready to bestow them4 ,having given such infinite hostages already to make sure of us1 nothing can be too great with which to equip us if it be necessary to our victory2 for the victory is bound up in the bundle of life with the everlasting honour of the ,godhead4 ,he that spared not ,his own ,son1 but delivered ,him up for us all1 how shall ,he not with ,him also freely give us all things4#ab 7#b7 ,time and again in ,holy ,scripture does the ,holy ,ghost lead the inspired authors to call upon ,god for help and deliverance for ,his ,name's sake4 ,the expression is so common that we pass it over too often1 as though it were a mere adjuration which1 like many that find their way into human speech1 has no real significance4 ,but the ,holy ,spirit never uses #bab language in this meaningless fashion1 and a few moments' consideration will show us how definite and deep a meaning there is in this expression used so constantly in ,holy ,writ4 ,it means nothing less than that our pardon1 our deliverance1 or whatever it is that is being asked for ,his ,name's sake1 involves the honour of the ,divine ,name4 ,god's ,name is dishonoured among men whenever a ,christian sins4 ,a simple illustration will show us how this is4 ,a son leaves the paternal roof2 he goes out into the world and disgraces himself4 ,how quickly do men say1 ,this man did not have the proper1 honest training2 his parents must have been indeed careless of his bringing-up1 since he has turned out so badly4 ,here we find the father's good name being spoken against because of the sins of the son4 ,is not the like thing being constantly said of our ,heavenly ,father because of the sins of ,his children8 ,a ,christian is guilty of some dishonest1 or mean1 or selfish act4 ,he is known to the world as a ,christian man1 and how often have we heard it said1 ,well1 if he is what you call a ,christian1 ,i do not care to be one4 ,thus is ,god's ,name dishonoured and blasphemed among men1 through the sins of ,his children4 ,he and the power of ,his ,gospel are held to be of small account because those who confess ,him #bac fail to be faithful to ,him4 ,well did the ,spirit inspire the holy men of old to pray for deliverance for the sake of ,his ,holy ,name1 that it might not1 through their failure1 be brought into disrepute4 ,so in the time of temptation the ,psalmist cries1 ,save me1 ,o ,god1 for ,thy ,name's sake2#ac and when he fails1 his prayer is ,for ,thy ,name's sake1 ,o ,lord1 pardon mine iniquity4#ad ,realizing his sins1 he asks for forgiveness1 but with no selfish motive4 ,he thought not of his own salvation alone4 ,it was the honour of his ,father's ,name that he had at heart1 and so he asked for pardon lest his sins should give the enemy occasion to blaspheme4 ,nor is it only for deliverance that the ,psalmist prays4 ,his sins being forgiven1 he knows that he cannot walk in the paths of righteousness save through the divine guiding1 and that if his feet wander from the way1 again will that ,name be dishonoured4 ,and so he cries1 ,for ,thy ,name's sake1 lead me and guide me2#ae and again desiring more and more of the divine life of the ,spirit1 he cries1 ,quicken me1 ,o ,lord1 for ,thy ,name's sake4#af ,the lesson for our encouragement is clear4 ,so #bad jealous is ,god of ,his own ,name1 so deeply dishonoured is that ,name whenever we sin1 that the ,spirit again and again1 in teaching us to pray against the devil1 tells us to plead with ,god on this very basis4 ,when ,his ,name is involved ,god will rise in ,his might1 and come to our help with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm4 ,even if ,his mighty love were not a motive force1 we can trust ,him to care for ,his own good ,name1 to do ,his utmost to save us1 since the fall of one who is called by ,his ,name will lay ,his honour in the dust4 7#c7 ,again1 consider what is the meaning of each particular defeat to ,god4 ,every baptized soul is a point on the far-flung battle line of the ,church ,militant2 every baptized soul is ,his soldier1 made in ,his image and sealed with ,his ,sign of adoption1 and set to defend a definite point in the front of ,god's army4 ,is it nothing to ,him that such a soul be beaten down by the foe8 ,is it nothing to ,him that ,his divine image be marred and denied with the marks of the ,fiend1 and that he who bears it be dragged away a captive of hell8 ,unless all revelation concerning ,his love be false1 even the smallest defeat in the battle is to ,god something at which the imagination staggers when it seeks to grasp it4 ,what would a loving #bae earthly father think to see his beloved child torn from his bosom1 and carried away into the power of a savage enemy1 consigned to untold and eternal woe8 ,would he take it philosophically1 dismissing the whole affair from his mind after a time1 justifying himself that this dread calamity came by the child's fault1 and was the result of its own disobedience8 ,and is our heavenly ,father less loving1 less tender1 of ,his children1 than an earthly father8 ,true1 suffering in any human sense1 cannot touch the ,godhead1 but there must be some awful and mysterious thing which human thought can never fathom1 and which we dare not seek to understand1 that enters1 as it were1 into the ,godhead when souls fail and are lost2 or else the ,holy ,spirit could never have inspired the ,apostle to reveal concerning the risen1 ascended1 and glorified ,god-,incarnate1 that in our surrender to ,satan there is a crucifying of ,him afresh4#ag ,where then have we warrant for discouragement8 ,when ,satan sets the battle in array against my soul1 ,i am not alone4 ,the call to arms rings through all heaven4 ,the ,lord ,christ ,himself goes forth to war in the unconquerable might of ,his ,sacred ,humanity4 ,angels and archangels1 and all the glorious company of heaven1 spring #baf forward to action4 ,the great multitude which no man can number1 of all nations and kindreds1 and people1 and tongues1 that stand before the throne and before the ,lamb1 war for me in the might of their ceaseless intercession2 and as the vast and splendid front of the armies of the living ,god sweep on to the conflict1 my soul is caught up in the mighty movement and advance1 and their spirit becomes my spirit1 as we go forth1 conquering and to conquer1 in ,god's behalf and mine4 #a ,st4 ,matt4 xi1 #bi-cj4 #b ,st4 ,john xiv1 #a and #bg4 #c ,st4 ,john xiv1 #ac2 xv1 #g and #af2 xvi1 #bc and #bd4 #d ,st4 ,john xiv1 #af4 #e ,st4 ,john xv1 #af4 #f ,st4 ,john xvi1 #bj1 #bb1 and #bd4 #g ,st4 ,john xvi1 #cc4 #h ,now ye are the ,body of ,christ1 and members in particular4--#a ,cor4 xii1 #bg4 ,see also ,rom4 xii1 #e2 ,eph4 i1 #bc2 iv1 #ab2 and v1 #bc and #cj2 ,col4 i1 #bd4 #i #a ,cor4 xii1 #bf4 #aj ,eph4 iv1 #ab4 #aa ,jer4 xxxi1 #c4 #ab ,rom4 viii1 #cb4 #ac ,ps4 liv1 #a4 #ad ,ps4 xxv1 #aa4 #ae ,ps4 xxxi1 #c4 #af ,ps4 cxliii1 #aa4 #ag ,heb4 vi1 #f4