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THE CORONATION 263
unperceived by our senses, between our angels and the
demons, and to make known the manner in which we are
defended by the divine power, either through our angels,
or through the most blessed Mary, or directly by Christ
or the omnipotence of God.
279. Of the altercations and contentions of the holy
angels in defending us against the hellish envy and malice
of the demons the holy Scriptures contain the most clear
testimony, to which, for my purpose,
it will suffice mere
ly to refer. Well known is what the holy Apostle Judas
Thaddeus says in his canonical letter : that saint Michael
contended with the devil against his design of making
known the resting-place of the body of Moses, whom the
holy archangel, at the command of God, had buried in a
place concealed from the Jews. Lucifer wished to make
it known, in order to tempt the Jews to fall away from
the lawful worship into idolatry by inducing them to
offer sacrifices at his sepulchre; but saint Michael op
posed the attempt of satan to reveal The it.
enmity of
Lucifer and his demons against man is as old as their
disobedience against God; and, as said in the first part,
their fury and cruelty, after they had come to know that
the eternal Word was to take flesh and to be born of that
Woman clothed with the sun (Apoc. 12, 1), are pro
portionate to their rebellious pride against God. Because
the proud angel rejected these decrees of God and would
not bow his neck in obedience, he conceived this hatred
against God and his creatures. As he cannot vent it upon
the Omnipotent, he executes it upon the works of his
right hand. Besides this, possessing the nature of an
angel, he resolves irrevocably and never ceases to strive
after what he has once determined to attain; hence, al
though changing the means to attain his end, he never
changes his will in regard to persecuting mankind. On
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