The following are the 12 DEVICES that Satan uses to draw the soul to sin. I included no REMEDIES that Brooks noted in his book, but wanted readers to know these such that they might be moved to read his book. Usually, Brooks provided 4 – 8 remedies about each device, in a few cases, more.
[The remedies, seem to be actions one can take, usually giving the reader insight and something to think on before and at times of temptation; and encourage reliance upon Christ. I am not yet sure how to summarize these, as I am just familiarizing myself with this book.]
These have been copied and pasted from: Brooks, Thomas. Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Other devices noted in his book; and relevant contents [typed from paperback book version]:
- Satan’s DEVICES to keep souls from holy duties
- DEVICES to keep saints in sad condition
- DEVICES to destroy and ensnare
- Five more of Satan’s DEVICES
- Seven characteristics of false teachers
- Six propositions concerning Satan and his devices
- Conclusion: ten special helps and rules
[Device 1 and 2 were posted two days ago with a video reading; the other 10 devices likely will not be posted. This post is to let readers know more about the book and encourage them to add it to their Christian library and contains all 12 devices of the first section of Brook’s book.]
DEVICE 1: TO PRESENT THE BAIT AND HIDE THE HOOK
Satan’s first device to draw the soul into sin is, to present the bait — and hide the hook; to present the golden cup — and hide the poison; to present the sweet, the pleasure, and the profit that may flow in upon the soul by yielding to sin — and to hide from the soul the wrath and misery that will certainly follow the committing of sin. By this device he deceived our first parents, “And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die — for God does know, that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened; and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5).
Your eyes shall he opened, and you shall be as gods! Here is the bait, the sweet, the pleasure, the profit. Oh — but he hides the hook — the shame, the wrath, and the loss that would certainly follow!
There is an opening of the eyes of the mind to contemplation and joy — and there is an opening of the eyes of the body to shame and confusion.
He promises them the former — but intends the latter, and so Satan cheats them — giving them an apple in exchange for a paradise, as he deals by thousands now-a-days. Satan with ease pawns falsehoods upon us, by his golden baits, and then he leads us and leaves us in a fool’s paradise. He promises the soul honor, pleasure, profit — but pays the soul with the greatest contempt, shame, and loss that can be.
By a golden bait he labored to catch Christ (Matt. 4:8, 9). He shows him the beauty and the finery of a bewitching world, which doubtless would have taken many a carnal heart; but here the devil’s fire fell upon wet tinder, and therefore did not ignite. These tempting objects did not at all win upon his affections, nor dazzle his eyes, though many have eternally died of the ‘wound of the eye’, and fallen forever by this vile strumpet the world, who, by laying forth her two fair breasts of PROFIT and PLEASURE, has wounded their souls, and cast them down into utter perdition.
She has, by the glistening of her pomp and preferment, slain millions; as the serpent Scytale, which, when she cannot overtake the fleeing passengers, does, with her beautiful colors, dazzle and amaze them, so that they have no power to pass away until she has stung them to death! Adversity has slain her thousand — but prosperity her ten thousand.
DEVICE 2: BY PAINTING SIN WITH VIRTUE’S COLORS.
Satan knows that if he would present sin in its own nature and dress, the soul would rather fly from it than yield to it; and therefore he presents it unto us, not in its own proper colors — but painted and gilded over with the name and show of virtue, that we may the more easily be overcome by it, and take the more pleasure in committing of it.
PRIDE, he presents to the soul under the name and notion of neatness and cleanliness; and COVETOUSNESS (which the apostle condemns for idolatry) to be but good business; and DRUNKENNESS to be good fellowship, and RIOTOUSNESS under the name and notion of liberality, and WANTONNESS as a trick of youth.
DEVICE 3: BY EXTENUATING AND LESSENING OF SIN
Ah! says Satan, it is but a little pride, a little worldliness, a little uncleanness, a little drunkenness, etc. As Lot said of Zoar, “It is but a little one, and my soul shall live” (Gen. 19:20). Alas! says Satan, it is but a very little sin that you stick so at. You may commit it without any danger to your soul. It is but a little one; you may commit it, and yet your soul shall live.
DEVICE 4:
By presenting to the soul the best men’s sins, and by hiding from the soul their virtues; by showing the soul their sins, and by hiding from the soul their sorrows and repentance: as by setting before the soul the adultery of David, the pride of Hezekiah, the impatience of Job, the drunkenness of Noah, the blasphemy of Peter, etc., and by hiding from the soul the tears, the sighs, the groans, the meltings, the humblings, and repentings of these precious souls.
DEVICE 5: TO PRESENT GOD TO THE SOUL AS ONE MADE UP ALL OF MERCY
Oh! says Satan, you need not make such a matter of sin, you need not be so fearful of sin, not so unwilling to sin; for God is a God of mercy, a God full of mercy, a God that delights in mercy, a God that is ready to show mercy, a God that is never weary of showing mercy, a God more prone to pardon his people than to punish his people; and therefore he will not take advantage against the soul; and why then, says Satan, should you make such a matter of sin?
DEVICE 6:
By persuading the soul that the work of repentance is an easy work; and that therefore the soul need not make such a matter of sin. Why! Suppose you do sin, says Satan, it is no such difficult thing to return, and confess, and be sorrowful, and beg pardon, and cry, ‘Lord, have mercy upon me!’ and if you do but this, God will forgive your debt, and pardon your sins, and save your souls. By this device Satan draws many a soul to sin, and makes many millions of souls servants of sin, or rather slaves to sin.
DEVICE 7: BY MAKING THE SOUL BOLD TO VENTURE UPON THE OCCASIONS OF SIN
Says Satan, You may walk by the harlot’s door though you won’t go into the harlot’s bed; you may sit and sup with the drunkard, though you won’t be drunk with the drunkard; you may look upon Jezebel’s beauty, and you may play and toy with Delilah, though you do not commit wickedness with the one or the other; you may with Achan handle the golden wedge, though you do not steal the golden wedge.
DEVICE 8:
By representing to the soul the outward mercies that vain men enjoy, and the outward miseries that they are freed from, while they have walked in the ways of sin.
Says Satan, Do you see, O soul, the many blessings that such and such enjoy, who walk in those very ways that your soul startles to think of, and the many crosses that they are delivered from, even such as makes other men, who say they dare not walk in such ways, to spend their days in sighing, weeping, groaning, and mourning? and therefore, says Satan, if ever you would be freed from the dark night of adversity, and enjoy the sunshine of prosperity — you must walk in their ways.
By this stratagem the devil took those in Jer. 44:16-18, “We will not listen to your messages from the Lord! We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and sacrifice to her just as much as we like — just as we and our ancestors did before us, and as our kings and princes have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles! But ever since we quit burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and stopped worshiping her, we have been in great trouble and have suffered the effects of war and famine.”
This is just the language of a world of ignorant, profane, and superstitious souls, who would have returned to bondage, yes, to that bondage that was worse than that the Israelites groaned under.
DEVICE 9:
By presenting to the soul the crosses, losses, reproaches, sorrows, and sufferings, which daily attend those who walk in the ways of holiness.
Says Satan, Do not you see that there are none in the world that are so vexed, afflicted, and tossed, as those who walk more circumspectly and holily than their neighbors? They are a byword at home, and a reproach abroad; their miseries come in upon them like Job’s messengers, one upon the neck of another, and there is no end of their sorrows and troubles.
Therefore, says Satan, you were better to walk in ways that are less troublesome, and less afflicted, though they be more sinful; for who but a madman would spend his days in sorrow, vexation, and affliction, when it may be prevented by walking in the ways that I set before him?
DEVICE 10:
By working them to be frequent in comparing themselves and their ways, with those who are reputed or reported to be worse than themselves. By this device the devil drew the proud pharisee to bless himself in a cursed condition, ‘God, I thank you that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax-collector’ (Luke 18:11).
Why, says Satan — you are now and then a little lustful — but such and such do daily defile and pollute themselves by actual immorality and filthiness; you deceive and take advantage your neighbors in things that are but as toys and trifles — but such and such deceive and take advantage of others in things of greatest concernment, even to their ruin and undoing; you do but sit, and chat, and sip with the drunkard — but such and such sit and drink and are drunk with the drunkard; you are only a little proud in heart and habit, in looks and words.
DEVICE 11:
By polluting and defiling the souls and judgments of men with such dangerous errors, which in their proper tendency tend to carry the souls of men to all looseness and wickedness, as woeful experience does abundantly evidence.
Ah, how many are there filled with these and suchlike Christ-dishonoring and soul- undoing opinions, that is — that the Scriptures are full of fallacies and uncertainties, and no further to be heeded, than they agree with their own carnal thoughts; that it is a poor, low thing, if not idolatry too, to worship God in a Mediator; that the resurrection is already past; that there was never any such man or person as Jesus Christ — but that all is an allegory; that there is no God nor devil, heaven nor hell — but what is within us; that sin and grace are equally good — with a hundred other horrid opinions, which have caused wickedness to break in as a flood among us.
DEVICE 12: TO CHOOSE WICKED COMPANY, TO KEEP WICKED SOCIETY
And oh! the horrid impieties and wickedness that Satan has drawn men to sin — by moving them to sit and associate themselves with vain people.
Brooks, Thomas. Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (p. 49). GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.
STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS:
LINKS TO VIDEO SERIES ON YOUTUBE; AND TO KINDLE AND BOOK AT AMAZON:
The following link is to the 10-part video series on Precious Remedies…:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucS89UlZSDI&list=PLuwkfUrtHHR-B_3tZokrsHAKznzAj-8IT&index=2
The following Amazon link is to Kindle version of Precious Remedies; one may choose book version at this same link: Kindle cost, $0.99; book cost, $5.99 paperback [Below, highlighted in purple, is a link for free book text at Grace Gems]:
THE VIDEO SERIES LINKED ABOVE IS FROM THE YOUTUBE SITE: CLARK CLIPS THE TRUTH [The link below is from that site, it is for the text of the video series, free at grace gems]:
Be sure to Visit GraceGems.org for MORE AWESOME #Puritan Content!
This is one of the best Puritan books ever written!
The TEXT for the audio can be found here:
https://gracegems.org/Brooks/precious…
I plan to post a sampling of Satan’s DEVICES from the other sections of Brooks’ book this week.