Spiritual warfare in Christian preaching depicts the believer's struggle against evil forces using the armor and weapons provided by God, emphasizing vigilance and faith (Ephesians 6:11). Illustrations often portray Satan as a hostile adversary or dog, highlighting the need for resistance and divine protection through Scripture and prayer (James 4:7).
Spiritual warfare has no peace, unlike earthly wars, because it involves eternal consequences.
Among men engaged in war, peace may be made to the advantage of all parties; but, in the spiritual warfare, there is no peace. It would be the peace of the wolf with the lamb, of the fire with the tow,—the peace of submission to Satan and eternal death.
The Old Guard's refusal to surrender illustrates persistent faith in spiritual battles.
Towards sunset of the long, bloody day of Waterloo, when the surviving remnants of the old Imperial Guards were summoned to lay down their arms, the scarred veterans of fifty victories cried out, "The Old Guard dies: it never surrenders!"
Sloth in worship can be a spiritual attack that must be resisted and cast out by godly discipline.
A certain monk in one of the dependent cells at Subiaco was always inattentive to his religious duties, and, at the hour devoted to mental prayer, was seen to leave the choir, and wander forth. Benedict, coming to reprove him, saw that he was led forth by a demon in the shape of a little black boy, who pulled him by the robe (a personification of the demon of sloth). This demon, however, was visible to no other eyes but those of the saint, who, following the monk, touched him on the shoulder with his staff, and exorcised the demon, who from that hour troubled the sinner no more. Mrs. Jameson.
Resisting the devil boldly causes him to flee, like animals disarmed by steady gaze.
As it is said that ferocious animals are disarmed by the eye of man, and will dare no violence if he but steadily look at them, so it is when right looks upon wrong. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you; offer him a bold front, and he runs away. He goes, it may be, uttering threats of rage; but yet he goes.
— Guzhnell
The devil rejoices when Christians lack zeal and fall asleep spiritually.
The Devil held a great anniversary, at which his emissaries were convened to report the results of their several missions. "I let loose the wild beasts of the desert," said one, "on a caravan of Christians; and their bones are now bleaching on the sands."—"What of that?" said the Devil: "their souls were all saved."—"I drove the east wind," said another, "against a ship freighted with Christians; and they were all drowned."—"What of that?" said the Devil: "their souls were all saved."—"For ten years, I tried to get a single Christian asleep," said a third; "and I succeeded, and left him so." Then the Devil shouted, and the night stars of hell sang for joy. Luther.
Using Scripture as a refuge helped a man resist mental affliction and spiritual attacks.
Mr. John Conway, of Monmouthshire, (Eng.) was remarkably subject to nervous affections, which induced a very painful degree of mental depression. He informed Mrs. Conway, that at one season he was so harassed by this affliction, which doubtless was aggravated by the fiery darts of the wicked one, as to render his existence almost insupportable. Relief was sought, and in some measure derived from the following wise expedient: he furnished himself with a variety of Scriptures, eminently expressive of the love and faithfulness of God, and of his great willingness to receive those that are disposed to accept salvation on gospel terms. To these he referred and fled for refuge whenever he found the enemy coming in like a flood; and in the hands of the Spirit, he found them sufficient to lift up a standard against him.
Using God's word as a weapon outwits challenges without physical violence.
The Rev. J. Cooke, of Maidenhead, many years ago, published a very interesting pamphlet, containing the dying confession of a deist, under the title of, "Reason paying homage to Revelation." Soon after its publication, a great commotion was excited in Maidenhead and its neighborhood. The brother of the deceased gentleman conceived himself injured, and sent a message to Mr. Cooke, demanding the satisfaction of a gentleman. Mr. C. replied, "I am quite prepared to give Mr. — the satisfaction of a Christian gentleman; and, according to the laws of honor, as he has sent the challenge, it rests with me to choose time, place, and weapons. I do not choose to fight with pistola; my weapon is a sword; and if he will meet me in this parlor to-morrow at noon, with any witnesses he may desire, I shall be prepared to meet him with 'the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.' My character, my principles, my office, forbid my using any other weapons." It need not be added that his opponent did not admire this method of meeting the challenge, and Mr. C. heard no more of him.
A boy's witty faith provokes a priest's anger, illustrating spiritual conflict and courage.
The following striking anecdote of a papal priest and a clergyman's son, was related by William Digby Seymour, Esq., a young Irish barrister, at an Anniversary of the "Irish Society of London."
The boy was taking a walk, when a father-confessor of an adjoining parish met him; and when he had spoken awhile with him, he said, "You're a smart lad you young heretic! Do you know, I'd eat meat nine Fridays running to coax you into Maynooth?" "Would you?" replied the youngster; "I'd do more; I'd fast every Friday of my life to coax Maynooth into the Shannon." The priest was surprised at this sally. He spoke with the lad some minutes longer, and, when going off, he presented him with a half-crown, saying, he gave because the other was "the very picture of his poor, dear, departed grandmother!" The boy took the half-crown, and said, he would put it into his papa's collection box for the Irish Society. This enraged the priest. The face of the holy father, proceeded Mr. Seymour, blazed till ignition was momentarily threatened: an anathema of pious vengeance burst from his lips:—"My curse,—the Virgin's curse—the curse of Peter and Paul,—the curse of the Church and martyrs, be upon that Society!" he shouted; "may a blight and a blast be upon it! It took from me the best Catholic in my parish to be a Scripture-reader last week, and he'll steal them all from me before this time twelvemonth. So, you young reprobate, you're going to abuse my kindness this way! You'll not take your life and your half-crown together from this till you swear on this blessed cross (taking one from his breast) that you will not give my money to such an infernal purpose." So saying, and with a furious imprecation, he sprang off the saddle. It was truly a wild and painful scene! There stood the weeping boy and the man! the boy so bewildered as to forget restoring the coin; the priest so frenzied with religious ardor ar to forget he was before a child. There they stood, for a moment only. The savage man had an Irish heart; the tears of childhood fell upon that breast and melted it to softness. The priest re-mounted his horse and bade the last adieu forever. The priest's curse fell where it was uttered. The arrow touched not the Society, for the breath of God's blessing wafted it aside. The priest has since been gathered to them that sleep. He died a penitent. Oh! may he awake to glory. But what of the boy? Some kind voice here may ask—"What of the boy?" He lives, my friends; he lives to muse full oft on that eventful scene. He lives to pray for the Society he much loved then, and loves much now. He lives to thank England's people for their zeal in that Society's behalf, and to urge them to continue in the noble work of giving Irishmen the Bible; of giving children their Father's will in a copy they can understand; of giving the bondmen of Rome the Magna Charta of Protestant liberty. Full of gratitude for the past, and full of hopes for the future, it is he who now addresses you.
Infidels fear the influence of Sunday schools because they effectively spread Christianity.
An infidel in the town of B., New-York, used to ridicule religion and rail against it. On one occasion he observed, "of all religions that ever cursed the world, the Christian religion is the worst. But," said he, as if he was considering what he could do to stop its progress; "but," said he, "what I shall do to put down these infernal Sunday schools, I don't know, I'M AFRAID OF THEM!" That which so alarms the fears of some infidels, should encourage the hopes and nerve the hands of all Christians; and for the very reasons such infidels would pull down Sunday schools, Christians should strive to build them up.
### MORAL AND RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE ON PUPILS.
392. In Preventing and Removing Crime and Vice.
Increasing wickedness and religion show the devil’s anger as his time shortens.
"I asked the Rev. Leigh Richmccz" says one, "how we were to reconcile the increase of religion with the acknowledged growth of crime, as evinced in our courts of justice? He answered, 'Both are true. Bad men are becoming worse, and good men better. The first are ripening for judgment, the latter for glory. The increase of wickedness is, in this respect, a proof of the increase of religion. The devil is wroth, knowing that his time is short.'" # 401. SELF-C
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