Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits

Shall we condemn him who is most just? But when people object and ask, "Where is Providence? And how shall men live on the Earth if the Devil is permitted to use such power?" I ask, where was Providence when Satan had the power to cause the "sons of Belial" sons of Belial A biblical term used to describe wicked, lawless, or worthless men to lie and swear away the life of the innocent Naboth, charging him with crimes he never committed? And what an hour of darkness it was! How far was the power of Hell allowed to prevail when Christ, the Son of God, was accused, condemned, and hanged for a crime he never committed? That was the strangest act of Providence that has occurred since the world began, and yet in its outcome original: "Issue", it was the most glorious. We must therefore distinguish between what usually happens through the Providence of God and things that are extraordinary. It is not a common thing for a Naboth to have his life taken from him by false accusations, or for an Athanasius A 4th-century Christian leader who was famously and repeatedly targeted by false accusations from his political and theological rivals or a Susanna A figure from the Book of Daniel (Apocrypha) who was falsely accused of adultery by two corrupt elders to be charged and perhaps brought before courts of law original: "Courts of Judicature" for crimes of which they were completely innocent.

But if we conclude from this that such a thing can never happen in the world, we would be speaking against the community of the righteous original: "offend against the Generation of the just". It is not ordinary for Devils to be allowed to reveal the secret sins of men; yet this has been done more than once or twice. Nor is it ordinary for Demons to steal money out of people’s pockets and purses, or wine and cider out of their cellars. Yet there have been some such instances among our—