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262 CITY OF GOD
yet,
the children of the Church might arrive at a more definite
and particular knowledge of the attacks and persecutions
of the devils against all men ;
because in their earthliness
and gross sensuality they are accustomed to attend
only to what they perceive by
the senses and never lift
their thoughts to higher things, they live in a false se
curity, ignoring the inhuman and hidden cruelty with
which the devils solicit and draw them to perdition and
therein succeed. Men are ignorant also of the divine pro
tection by which they are surrounded and defended; and
like
ignorant persons, they neither give
thanks for this
Woe is
blessing, nor pay any attention to their danger.
to the earth, says saint John in the Apocalypse (Apoc.
12, 12), because satan has come down to you with great
indignation of his wrath. This lamenting voice the
Evangelist heard in heaven, where, if the saints could feel
sorrow, they certainly would feel it for us on account of
the hidden war, which our powerful, and mortally en
raged enemy wages against men. But although the
saints cannot feel sorrow, they pity us for this
while we, sunk in
danger;
a formidable lethargy and forgetfulness,
have neither sorrow nor compassion for ourselves.
In order to rouse from their torpor those that read this
history, I understand, that throughout the course of these
revelations I have been enlightened concerning the hid
den schemes of malice concocted by the demons against
the mysteries of Christ, against the Church and her chil
dren. These I have described in many passages, particu
larly dilating upon some of the secrets of this terrible
war against men, which the devils wage in order to draw
us to their side. On this
version of saint Paul, the
present occasion of the con
Lord has shown to me this
truth more openly, enabling1
me to describe and make
known the continual combat and strife, which goes on,
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