The devils obviously knew that God was protecting Guthalc. Nevertheless, they drag the saint to the hellmouth and speak to him, telling him that he was not worthy of God’s love and would now sink down deep into hell.
Guthlac tells them to go ahead and lead him into hell. If God wills it, Guthlac submits to it. He sings the praise of God by day and by night. He promises to do reverence to God at all times, and notes that the devils are themselves betrayers of trust who have been punished by having to live in exile in the wilderness. Guthlac believes that God will never desert him and believes that the devils will never be allowed to drag him to torment.
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