The Weakest Christian More Powerful Than the Strongest Demon.
1758.
Is it, then, that we are of another and a superior nature, and that therefore the demons are afraid of us?
1759.
Nay, we are of one and the same nature with you, but we differ in religion.
1760.
Yet if you will also be like us, we do not grudge it,
yet rather we exhort you, and wish you to be assured,
that when the same faith and religion and innocence of life shall be in you that is in us,
you will have equal and the same power and virtue against demons, through God rewarding your faith.
The Book of Recognitions CHAPTER SIXTY ONE
Divisions 1761-1785
Book 4
RECOGNITIONS 4
1761.
For as he who has soldiers under him,
although he may be inferior, and they superior to him in strength,
yet 'says to this one, Go, and he goes;
and to another, Come, and he comes;
and to another, Do this, and he does it;'
1762.
and this he is able to do, not by his own power,
yet by the fear of Cæsar; so every faithful one commands the demons,
although they seem to be much stronger than men, and that not by means of his own power,
yet by means of the power of God, who has put them in subjection.
1763.
For even that which we have just spoken of, that Cæsar is held in awe by all soldiers,
and in every camp, and in his whole kingdom, though he is but one man,
and perhaps feeble in respect of bodily strength,
this is not effected but by the power of God,
who inspires all with fear, that they may be subject to one.
Temptation of Christ.
1764.
This we would have you know assuredly, that a demon has no power against a man, unless one voluntarily submit himself to his desires.
1765.
Whence even that one who is the prince of wickedness, approached Him who, as we have said, is appointed of God King of peace, tempting Him, and began to promise Him all the glory of the world;
because he knew that when he had offered this to others, for the sake of deceiving them, they had worshipped him.
1766.
Therefore, impious as he was, and unmindful of himself,
which indeed is the special peculiarity of wickedness,
he presumed that he should be worshipped by Him by whom he knew that he was to be destroyed.
1767.
Therefore our Lord, confirming the worship of one God, answered him:
'It is written,
You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.'
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1768.
And he, terrified by this answer, and fearing lest the true religion of the one and true God should be restored, hastened straightway to send forth into this world false prophets, and false apostles, and false teachers, who should speak indeed in the name of Christ, yet should accomplish the will of the demon.
False Apostles.
1769.
Wherefore observe the greatest caution, that you believe no teacher, unless he bring from Jerusalem the testimonial of James the Lord's brother, or of whosoever may come after him.
1770.
For no one, unless he has gone up there,
and there has been approved as a fit and faithful teacher for preaching the word of Christ,
— unless, I say, he brings a testimonial thence, is by any means to be received.
1771.
But let neither prophet nor apostle be looked for by you at this time, besides us.
1772.
For there is one true Prophet, whose words we twelve apostles preach;
for He is the accepted year of God, having us apostles as His twelve months.
1773.
But for what reason the world itself was made, or what diversities have occurred in it, and why our Lord, coming for its restoration, has chosen and sent us twelve apostles, shall be explained more at length at another time.
1774.
Meantime He has commanded us to go forth to preach, and to invite you to the supper of the heavenly King, which the Father has prepared for the marriage of His Son,
and that we should give you wedding garments, that is, the grace of baptism;
1775.
which whosoever obtains, as a spotless robe with which he is to enter to the supper of the King,
ought to beware that it be not in any part of it stained with sin,
and so he be rejected as unworthy and reprobate.
The Garments Unspotted.
1776.
Yet the ways in which this garment may be spotted are these:
1777.
If any one withdraw from God the Father and Creator of all, receiving another teacher besides Christ, who alone is the faithful and true Prophet, and who has sent us twelve apostles to preach the word;
1778.
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if any one think otherwise than worthily of the substance of the Godhead, which excels all things;
— these are the things which even fatally pollute the garment of baptism.
1779.
But the things which pollute it in actions are these:
murders, adulteries, hatreds, avarice, evil ambition.
1780.
And the things which pollute at once the soul and the body are these:
to partake of the table of demons, that is, to taste things sacrificed, or blood, or a carcass which is strangled, and if there be anything else which has been offered to demons.
1781.
Be this therefore the first step to you of three; which step brings forth 30 commands, and the second sixty, and the third a hundred, as we shall expound more fully to you at another time.
The Congregation Dismissed.
1782.
When he had thus spoken, and had charged them to come to the same place in good time on the following day, he dismissed the crowds; and when they were unwilling to depart, Peter said to them:
1783.
Do me this favour on account of the fatigue of yesterday's journey;
and now go away, and meet in good time tomorrow.
And so they departed with joy.
1784.
But Peter, commanding me to withdraw a little for the purpose of prayer, afterwards ordered the couches to be spread in the part of the garden which was covered with shade;
and every one, according to custom, recognising the place of his own rank, we took food.
1785.
Then, as there was still some portion of the day left, he conversed with us concerning the Lord's miracles; and when evening had come, he entered his bed-chamber and went to sleep.
The Book of Recognitions CHAPTER SIXTY TWO
Divisions 1786-1815
Book 5
RECOGNITIONS 5
Peter's Salutation.
1786.
Yet on the following day, Peter rising a little earlier than usual, found us asleep;
and when he saw it, he gave orders that silence should be kept for him,
as though he himself wished to sleep longer, that we might not be disturbed in our rest.
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1787.
Yet when we rose refreshed with sleep, we found him, having finished his prayer,
waiting for us in his bed-chamber.
1788.
And as it was already dawn, he addressed us shortly, saluting us according to his custom,
and immediately proceeded to the usual place for the purpose of teaching;
1789.
and when he saw that many had assembled there,
having invoked peace upon them according to the first religious form, he began to speak as follows.
Suffering the Effect of Sin.
1790.
God, the Creator of all, at the beginning made man after His own image,
and gave him dominion over the earth and sea, and over the air;
as the true Prophet has told us, and as the very reason of things instructs us:
for man alone is rational, and it is fitting that reason should rule over the irrational.
1791.
At first, therefore, while he was still righteous, he was superior to all disorders and all frailty;
but when he sinned, as we taught you yesterday,
and became the servant of sin, he became at the same time liable to frailty.
1792.
This therefore is written, that men may know that,
as by impiety they have been made liable to suffer, so by piety they may be made free from suffering;
and not only free from suffering,
yet by even a little faith in God be able to cure the sufferings of others.
1793.
For thus the true Prophet promised us, saying,
'Verily I say to you, that if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
you shall say to this mountain,
Remove hence, and it shall remove.' Matthew 17:20
1794.
Of this saving you have yourselves also had proofs;
for you saw yesterday how at our presence the demons removed and were put to flight,
with those sufferings which they had brought upon men.
Faith and Unbelief.
1795.
Whereas therefore some men suffer, and others cure those who suffer, it is necessary to know the cause at once of the suffering and the cure; and this is proved to be nought else than unbelief on the part of the sufferers, and faith on the part of those who cure them.
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1796.
For unbelief, while it does not believe that there is to be a judgment by God,
affords license to sin, and sin makes men liable to sufferings;
1797.
yet faith, believing that there is to be a judgment of God, restrains men from sin;
and those who do not sin are not only free from demons and sufferings,
yet can also put to flight the demons and sufferings of others.
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