Product Description
Brooks treated the seductive influence and terrible power of Satan in a way greatly more full and suggestive than in the literature of the present day.
Brooks lists seven reasons for writing this book. The first reason is enough…Brooks says, “Satan hath a greater influence upon men, and higher advantages over them than they think he hath, and the knowledge of his high advantage is the highway to disappoint him, and to render the soul strong in resisting, and happy in conquering.
Original Publication Date: 1652
Banner Publication Date: February 2019
Topic: Encouragement, Spiritual Growth
Pages: 288
Table of Contents:
Thomas Brooks – a Brief Biography 11
The Epistle Dedicatory 15
A Word to the Reader 21
Introduction 25
THE PROOF OF THE POINT 27
SATAN’S DEVICES TO DRAW THE SOUL TO SIN
[12 devices and their remedies]
1 By presenting the bait and hiding the hook 29
2 By painting sin with virtue’s colours 34
3 By the extenuating and lessening of sin 38
4 By showing to the soul the best men’s sins and by hiding from the soul their virtues, their sorrows, and their repentance 45
5 By presenting God to the soul as One made up all of mercy 50
6 By persuading the soul that repentance is easy and that therefore the soul need not scruple about sinning 55
7 By making the soul bold to venture upon the occasions of sin 66
8 By representing to the soul the outward mercies enjoyed by men walking in sin, and their freedom from outward miseries 70
9 By presenting to the soul the crosses, losses, sorrows and sufferings that daily attend those who walk in the ways of holiness 79
10 By causing saints to compare themselves and their ways with those reputed to be worse than themselves 89
11 By polluting the souls and judgments of men with dangerous errors that lead to looseness and wickedness 92
12 By leading men to choose wicked company 99
SATAN’S DEVICES TO KEEP SOULS FROM HOLY DUTIES, TO HINDER SOULS IN HOLY SERVICES, TO KEEP THEM OFF FROM RELIGIOUS PERFORMANCES
[8 devices and their remedies]
1 By presenting the world in such a garb as to ensnare the soul 102
2 By presenting to the soul the dangers, losses and sufferings that accompany the performance of certain religious duties 112
3 By presenting to the soul the difficulty of performing religious duties 117
4 By causing saints to draw false inferences from the blessed and glorious things that Christ has done 122
5 By presenting to view the fewness and poverty of those who hold to religious practices 127
6 By showing saints that the majority of men make light of God’s ways and walk in the ways of their own hearts 133
7 By casting in vain thoughts while the soul is seeking God or waiting on God 135
8 By tempting Christians to rest in their performances 139
SATAN’S DEVICES TO KEEP SAINTS IN A SAD, DOUBTING, QUESTIONING AND UNCOMFORTABLE CONDITION
[8 devices and their remedies] 142
1 By causing saints to remember their sins more than their Saviour, yea, even to forget and neglect their Saviour 142
2 By causing saints to make false definitions of their graces 148
3 By causing saints to make false inferences from the cross actions of Providence 151
4 By suggesting to saints that their graces are not true, but counterfeit 154
5 By suggesting to saints that the conflict that is in them is found also in hypocrites and profane souls 162
6 By suggesting to the saint who has lost joy and comfort that his state is not good 167
7 By reminding the saint of his frequent relapses into sin formerly repented of and prayed against 171
8 By persuading saints that their state is not good nor their graces sound 176
SATAN’S DEVICES TO DESTROY AND ENSNARE ALL SORTS AND RANKS OF MEN IN THE WORLD
[5 devices and their remedies]
I DEVICES AGAINST THE GREAT AND HONOURABLE OF THE EARTH
1 By causing them to seek greatness, position, riches and security 183
2 By causing them to act against the people of the Most High 190
II DEVICE AGAINST THE LEARNED AND THE WISE 194
By moving them to pride themselves on their parts and abilities, and to despise men of greater grace but inferior abilities 194
III DEVICE AGAINST THE SAINTS
By dividing them and causing them to ‘bite and devour one another’ 198
IV DEVICE AGAINST POOR AND IGNORANT SOULS
By causing them to affect ignorance and to neglect and despise the means of knowledge 211
APPENDIX
TOUCHING FIVE MORE OF SATAN’S DEVICES 214
1 By suggesting to men the greatness and vileness of their sins 214
2 By suggesting to sinners their unworthiness 222
3 By suggesting to sinners their want of certain preparations and qualifications 224
4 By suggesting to sinners that Christ is unwilling to save them 228
5 By causing sinners to give more attention to the secret decrees and counsels of God than to their own duty 229
SEVEN CHARACTERS OF FALSE TEACHERS 230
SIX PROPOSITIONS CONCERNING SATAN AND HIS DEVICES 234
[Five reasons of the point added] 240
CONCLUSION – CHIEFLY, TEN SPECIAL HELPS AND RULES AGAINST SATAN’S DEVICES 243
Author
Little is known about Thomas Brooks as a man, other than can be ascertained from his many writings. Born, probably of well-to-do parents, in 1608, Brooks entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1625. He was licensed as a preacher of the gospel by 1640 at the latest. Before that date he seems to have spent a number of years at sea, probably as a chaplain with the fleet. After the Civil War, Brooks became minister at Thomas Apostle's, London, and was sufficiently renowned to be chosen as preacher before the House of Commons on 26 December, 1648. Three or four years later he moved to St Margaret's, Fish-street Hill, London, but encountered considerable opposition as he refused baptism and the Lord's Supper to those clearly unworthy of such privileges. The following years were filled with written as well as spoken ministry. In 1662 he fell victim to the notorious Act of Uniformity, but he appears to have remained in his parish and to have preached the Word as opportunity offered.
