been borne more than ever towards evil; yet that soul ought still to trust in God, and never to lay aside its spiritual weapons and exercises, but to continue strenuously to face the foe; for no one loses in this battle but he who ceases to fight and to trust in God.
He never ceases to help His soldiers, although He sometimes suffers them to be wounded. Only fight, for all depends on this. There are remedies at hand for healing the wounds of those warriors who look to God and to His help with confidence; and, when they least expect it, they shall find their enemies dead.
CHAPTER VII.
Of Spiritual Exercise; and first of the Exercise of the Understanding, which must be preserved from Ignorance and Curiosity.
DISTRUST of self and trust in God are very necessary in this conflict, yet are they not all that is required, for if we had only these weapons we should lose the victory and fall headlong into many evils. Therefore to these we should add a third weapon, which is spiritual exercise. Spiritual exercise relates principally to the understanding and to the will.
With regard to the understanding, we must be
