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When anyone acts in accordance with the devil, they become of a “devilish quality,” (John 6:70). When Christians are enticed by the devil, they are pulled away from God by honors, profits, pleasures, or whatever other things the devil uses to hinder their profiting by the Word, (Luke 8:12). These wicked spirits have such a heinous effect on the world, that the same condemnation that will befall them, will befall those who follow them. The proud fall into the condemnation of the devil, that is, by means of pride and high mindedness they too will be cast into hell fire, in the same manner as the devil will be. In consideration of such vile and wicked practices following the devil and his practices, Gifford directs the reader to resist such assaults and submit before God with the weapon of steadfast faith. His text is a famous one, “Be sober and watch: for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith,” (1 Peter 5:8-9). Gifford expounds on how the Apostle Peter, 1) begins with an admonition or exhortation by which he stirs up all the faithful to sobriety and watchfulness with these words, “Be sober and watch,” 2) why it is important to move all men into this position of sobriety and watchfulness, seeing they have such a terrible and cruel adversary who continually seeks their eternal misery and destruction, “For your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” And, 3) teaching how Christians shall withstand him, overcome him, and put him to flight, that so they may escape from his cruel tyranny, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith.” This is an exceedingly helpful work, that will arm the Christian in due manner to fight steadfastly in the power of Jesus Christ through his Spirit against the works and wiles of the devil. And Gifford will not only show how to do this, but how to do it effectively, with victory, through true Christian faith empowered by God’s Christ.
