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314 CITY OF GOD
ciples or followers of the faith. Others he appointed as
messengers to furnish him with accounts of what was
happening, or to transmit his orders for conducting the
warfare against the Church. Lucifer also pointed out
to his demons unbelieving, perfidious, evil-minded and
depraved men, whom they were to excite and provoke to
envious wrath against the followers of Christ. Among
these were Herod and many Jews, who abhored the Cruci
fied and wished to blot out his very name from the land
of the living (Jer. 11, 19). They also availed themselves
of the gentiles that were most depraved and most given to
idolatry.
They selected, both from the ones as from the
others, the worst and most perfidious to act as helpers
and instruments of their malice. In this way they began
the persecution of the Church, and they continued in
succeeding ages to use similar diabolical arts for the ruin
of virtue, of the fruits of the Redemption and the blood
of Christ. In the primitive Church the infernal dragon
caused great havoc among the faithful, overwhelming
them with diverse kinds of tribulation, not recorded or
known to us ; although we know, that what saint Paul in
his epistle to the Hebrews says of the persecution of
the ancient saints, was repeated in the saints of the new
Testament. In addition to these exterior persecutions
the demons afflicted all the just, the Apostles, disciples
and believers with hidden temptations, suggestions, illu
sions and malicious promptings, as he continues to do
now with all those who desire to walk in the divine law
and follow Christ our Redeemer and Master.
339. But nothing of all this was hidden to the great
Mother of wisdom, because in the clearness of her emi
nent science She perceived all the secrets of hell, that were
hidden to the rest of mortals. Although blows and
wounds, when they find us prepared, are wont to cause
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