This was one of the first passages that touched me upon delving into this book. "A" is the translation from this 2010 TAN edition, and "B" is the same passage from an 1884 edition, the style of which is so beautiful that I immediately want to commit everything I can to memory.

A. "Today you must fight to conquer your enemy and anyone who tries to ruin you. Be courageous. Do not be afraid or cowardly. Christ your Captain is here with all the power of Heaven to protect you from the enemy, and to see that they never conquer you, either by brute power, or by trickery. Hold your ground! Do violence to yourself, no matter how painful it is. Call out for the help of Jesus and Mary and all the Saints. If you do this, you will be victorious.

It does not matter how weak you are--how strong the enemy may seem, either in number or in power. Do not be discouraged. The help you have from Heaven is more powerful than all that Hell can send to destroy the grace of God in your soul. God, the Creator and the Redeemer, is Almighty and more desirous of your salvation than the devil can be of your destruction. Fight courageously, then, and do not neglect to mortify yourself. Continual war on your inordinate inclinations and vicious habits will gain the victory, acquire the kingdom of Heaven, and unite your soul to God forever."

B. "Thou art to fight this day against this and other enemies. Let not thy heart sink, nor thy spirit faint; yield not, either from fear or from any other cause; for our Lord, thy Captain, stands beside thee, with all His glorious hosts, and will fight for thee against all thine enemies, and will not suffer their forces to prevail against thee, or to overpower thee. Only stand firm, do violence to thyself, and bear the pain which such discipline will cause thee. Cry incessantly from the depths of thine heart, and call upon the Lord, so assuredly wilt thou gain the victory.

If thou art weak and inexperienced, if thine enemies strong and many, yet much more is the strength of Him who has created and redeemed thee; and, beyond all measure and all comparison, mightier is thy God and His will to save thee than the will of all thine enemies to destroy thee. Fight valiantly then, and do not shrink from pain; for it is this toil in resisting thine evil inclination, this painful struggle against sinful habits, which shall gain thee the victory, and win for thee a treasure wherewith to purchase the kingdom of heaven, and the everlasting union of thy soul to God." ( )