The Institution of Christian Religion

Now because God boweth the unclean Spirits hither & thither as pleaseth him, he so tempereth this government, that they exercise the faithful with battle, they set upon them out of ambushes, they assail them with invasions, they press them with fighting, and oftentimes weary them, trouble them, make them afraid, & sometime wound them, but never overcome nor oppress them. But the wicked they subdue and draw away, they reign upon their souls and bodies, and abuse them as bondslaves to all mischievous doings. As for the faithful, because they are unquieted of such enemies,¹ therefore they hear these exhortations. Do not give place to the devil. The devil your enemy goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, whom resist ye being strong in faith and such like. Paul confesseth that he him self was not free from this kind of strife when he sayeth, that for a remedy to tame pride, the Angel of Satan was given to him, by whom he might be humbled. This exercise therefore is common to all the children of God. But because that same promise of the breaking of Satan's head pertaineth generally to Christ and to all his members,² therefore I say that the faithful can never be overcome nor oppressed by him. They are many times stricken down, but they are never so astonied withal but that they recover themselves. They fall down many times with violence of strokes, but they are after raised up again: they are wounded but not deadly. Finally they so labour in all course of their life that in the end they obtain the victory:³ but I speak not this of every doing of theirs. For we know we that by the just vengeance of God David was for a time given over to Satan, by his motion to number the people: and not without cause Paul saith there is hope of pardon least if any have been entangled with the snares of the devil. Therefore in an other place the same Paul sayeth, that the promise above alleged is begun in this life, wherein we must wrestle, and is performed after our wrestling ended: when he sayeth the God of peace shall shortly beat down Satan under your feet.

Now because God boweth the vncleane Spirites hether & thether as pleaseth him, he so tēpereth this gouernemēt, yt they exercyse ye faithful wt battail, they set vpon thē out of ambushes, they assaile them wyth inuasions, they presse them with fighting, and oftentimes werry them, trouble them, make thē afraied, & somtime woūde thē, but neuer ouercome nor oppresse thē. But the wicked they subdue and drawe awaye, they reigne vpon their soules and bodies, and abuse thē as bondslaues to al mischeuous doinges. As for the faythful, because they are vnquieted of such enemies,