Some of the devil’s strategies

August 30, 2021 • 1 min

From The Spiritual Combat, page 107
By Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

CHAPTER XXVII.

In what manner the Devil tempts and seduces those who are willing to embrace virtue, or are still plunged in vice.

It is certain the Devil is continually seeking the destruction of mankind, and has various ways of working his ends.

In order, therefore, to let you see some of his stratagems, we will consider different sorts of persons in different dispositions.

• Some, overwhelmed with iniquity, think not of breaking their chains;
• others are willing to free themselves from their thraldom, but do nothing towards it;
• others again think themselves in a good way, but by that means are very far from it;
• others, in fine, after attaining a high degree of virtue, fall into a more dangerous condition than before.

In the following chapters we shall consider these several sorts of persons.