Page:On The Spiritual Battle.pdf/14

 doorway and ladder to the kingdom of heaven is there. Therefore, beneath that clothing they will willingly walk into his throat, believing that there is great salvation there.

Not only should we already be familiar with that clothing which is unfamiliar to most people, but also to our great reproach and sorrow we must admit how our brothers are cunningly deceived by Satan and have departed from the holy gospel in peculiar and unheard-of thoughts and actions. When Satan first approached them, he did not come with an uncovered face, identifying himself as the devil, but in the splendid clothing of voluntary poverty that Christ commanded priests to observe, in the work of diligent preaching, in serving people, and in giving the Lord’s body and His holy blood. His charade has flourished for so long that great people cling to him. And then, clothing himself in yet another way, the devil approached them in the prophets and Old Testament, and because of that they have wanted to execute the judgment day in haste, it having been said that they are angels who should remove all offences from Christ’s kingdom and that they should judge the world. They killed and impoverished many people as a result, and many years passed in which they greatly terrorized many people, telling them strange news and misleading many so-called prophets. Wanting to cause great calamity to many people, the devil is not dressed plainly but in the poor priesthood, the holiness of God, many scriptures, and grandiose intentions. Who comes along today, discovers the devil’s garment, and gets inside his mouth to recognize those people’s and the devil’s secret motivations, what he engages in, and the end it leads to? It is clear that the devil has spread gold out under his feet like mud–gold lives soiled in blood, thievery, and other heinousness by those people who have abominably marred the sacrifice of the body and blood of the Son of God beneath beautiful and glorious speeches about great faith and a good life, but all of it done deceitfully.

That is why a person does not easily discover the devil’s garment. When someone wants to destroy it on one hand, saying that it is heresy, the devil wears still other more honorable clothing instead. That is why inordinate heresy poured into the Czech lands, clothing itself in innocent lives, honorable actions, and many grand interpretations of the scriptures, as well as in the simple thoughts of the words themselves. Therefore, just as he has cunning without limit, the evil devil is able to figure out our weaknesses and use us as he wishes, seeing us so infantile and unwise in God’s things. He even clothes himself in scripture and in faith and uses that to his benefit, in whatever way he sees a person. He will give some great audacity, license, and hope in those things, and that without the truth of life. They fearlessly go wherever they want with scripture and manipulate it to help with their plans as if they know God, and it seems to them that they are complying well with scripture. The devil oppresses others through true scriptures and faith. Those with no faith or hope he torments, terrifies, oppresses, and deceives, even though they diligently strive for goodness. Everything is corrupted by the devil. For that reason their good works do not afford them a clear conscience or real hope. This all takes place because of the devil’s cruel wickedness. He will turn that clothing right side out in front of a person and there will not be anyone who is able to discover that garment and recognize the devil there–neither this one without hope nor that one with audacious hope, because the devil deceives both. In both cases he leads them into his purposes.

It is also an honorable and praiseworthy thing to live in virginity, widowhood, purity, spiritual repose, devotion, and freedom–in that which is given to those people by God. But when they will not have God’s wisdom and fear, the devil clothes himself in those gifts and deceives them under that honorable clothing with great cruelty–in idleness, lust, and license with their bodies. He blinds them in that, because some people do not discern themselves in it right up to their deaths. If someone would give them