Volume II, Treatise IV, Chapter X

The Remedies for Temptations, and First that We Must Keep Up Our Courage, and be Joyful in Them

‘¢ FINALLY, my brother, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might put on the armour of God, that you may withstand the snares of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10,11) St. Anthony, who was so well exercised in this warfare, which the faithful are to carry on against the devil, was used to say, that one of the chief means to overcome him was to shew resolution and joy in temptations; because he is then troubled, and loses the hope of doing us harm. In the book of spiritual exercises, St. Ignatius hereupon gives us an instruction which agrees very’well with this. He says that the devil deals with us in temptations, as a woman that quarrels with a man; if the woman sees that the man advances towards her, her heart fails, and she retires; but if she find that he is afraid of her, she thereby becomes more bold and insolent; so that she behaves more like a lioness than a woman: in like manner, when the devil tempts us, if he sees us resolute and steady, he loses courage and is disheartened; but if he perceives us yielding, he resumes new strength, and becomes a formidable enemy. “Resist the devil,” says St. James, “and he will fly from you.”—(Jam. iv. 7.) And. the observations which St. Gregory makes upon these words of Job, “the tiger perished, because he had no prey” (Job 4:11), agrees wholly with what has been said. For what is called tiger in this place, is by the Septuagint or Seventy Interpreters, called Myrmecoleon, that is, lion-pismire; for the devil, adds the saint, is meant by this word. He is a lion and pismire both together; a lion to those, who are to him but as pismires; and a pismire to VOL. U. x such as behave themselves to him as lions. The holy writers therefore admonish us not to be troubled at temptations, lest thereby we may lose courage; but to resist with joy, as the Maccabees did, of whom the scripture says, “that they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel” (1 Mac. iii. 2); for that is the true way to overcome as they did.

There is another reason for us to behave ourselves thus; because the devil, being the enemy of our happiness, is certainly troubled at our cheerfulness, and rejoices at our sorrow. So that were it for nothing else, but to deprive him of so malicious a joy, we ought always do our utmost, to let him see our cheerfulness and courage. The joy and constancy which the holy martyrs expressed in their torments, was as cruel a punishment of their tyrants, as all the pains which their extraordinary cruelty made them suffer. And it is by this holy joy and resolution, that we ought to be revenged upon the malice of the devil; and beoause it is one of the best means we have to conquer him, | shall in the following chapters speak of some things that may conduce to the preservation of this _ joy and courage in our hearts.

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