Introduction to the Devout Life: Structure of Part 4, "Troubleshooting." No, wait, I mean "Overcoming Temptations."

I've learned by now that instead of jumping right into discussing each chapter of St. Francis de Sales's work, I should consider each section of it as a whole so I can see where he's going with it.  And so let's move on to try to understand the purpose of Part 4, "Overcoming Temptations."

If the book overall can be regarded as a sort of user's manual for the devout life, then we've already covered the naming of parts, the quick-start guide, and the fundamentals of operation.  When I skimmed over Part 4, it was pretty obvious that I was reading the Troubleshooting Section.  It's essentially a catalogue of obstacles and what to do about each one.

Here's the list of chapters, each with an alternative title that, like a real troubleshooting guide, names the problem that the chapter tries to solve.

1. "Worldly Wisdom"  Read this when other people try to undermine your efforts.
2. "Courage in Devotion"  Read this when you feel regrets about what you've given up or when you fear that you won't be able to stick with your resolution to live a devout life.
3. "Temptation and Consent"  Read this and the next chapter when you are dismayed and annoyed that you are experiencing temptation away from the devout life.
4. "Two Examples"  (continuation of the ideas in chapter 3)
5. "Encouragement in Devotion"  Read this when you begin to become confident -- perhaps too confident -- that you can resist temptations.
6. "Sinful Temptation and Sinful Pleasures"  Read this when, tempted, you find yourself taking pleasure in the temptation rather than being dismayed and annoyed by it.
7. "Remedies for Great Temptations"  Read this to understand what to do about a single significant temptation
8. "Resisting Small Temptations"  With the next chapter, what to do about many small temptations
9. "Remedies for Small Temptations" (continuation of the ideas in the previous two chapters)
10. "How To Strengthen Your Heart"  What to do to strengthen yourself against your troublesome inclinations
11. "Anxiety"  
12. "Sadness"
13. "Spiritual and Sensible Consolation"  Read this when enjoying good feelings and consolations in prayer, so as not to become too proud or too dependent on them.
14. "Spiritual Desolation"  Read this when not enjoying any feelings of joy or consolations, so as not to fall into despair or anger.
15. "An Excellent Example"  A story to encourage the devoted one in all these trials.

I'll start discussing these chapters in detail in upcoming posts.