Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices

by Thomas Brooks (where)
A small, paperback reference book on personal repentance. The best I have ever seen. Many of the Puritan era books are good on the subject, but this one is best, in my opinion, for its clear and simple organization. The entire text is broken down into section/subsection form, with a crystal clear table of contents. You can look up a subject that you are struggling with in the contents, turn immediately there, and read the highly organized, clearly reasoned, scripturally supported:

1. Errors in your thinking
2. In what specific ways you are offending and/or neglecting Christ
3. Steps that led you there
4. Promised consequences from God
5. Steps to bring you back out.

I cannot really characterize it any better than that. It wondrously proclaims the gospel matter-of-factly while using great theology and the attributes of God to encourage and admonish the reader toward walking in the Spirit and sanctification. This is a book that I will someday order as many copies as I can afford, and hand them out at church. Maybe on street corners. I don’t know why I haven’t done it already.

Abbreviated Outline (sub-points removed):

I. THE PROOF OF THE POINT

II. SATAN'S DEVICES TO DRAW THE SOUL TO SIN
[12 devices and their remedies]
1. By presenting the bait and hiding the hook: (4 points)
2. By painting sin with virtue's colors: (4 points)
3. By the extenuating and lessening of sin: (7 points)
4. By showing to the soul the best men's sins and by hiding from the soul their virtues, their sorrows, and their repentance: (4 points)
5. By presenting God to the soul as One made up all of mercy: (5 points)
6. By persuading the soul that repentance is easy and that therefore the soul need not scruple about sinning: (6 points)
7. By making the soul bold to venture upon the occasions of sin: (4 points)
8. By representing to the soul the outward mercies enjoyed by men walking in sin, and their freedom from outward miseries: (8 points)
9. By presenting to the soul the crosses, losses, sorrows and sufferings that daily attend those who walk in the ways of holiness: (7 points)
10. By causing saints to compare themselves and their ways with those reputed to be worse than themselves: (3 points)
11. By polluting the souls and judgments of men with dangerous errors that lead to looseness and wickedness: (7 points)
12. By leading men to choose wicked company: (4 points)

III. 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: (8 points)
2 By presenting to the soul the dangers, losses and sufferings that accompany the performance of certain religious duties: (5 points)
3. By presenting to the soul the difficulty of performing religious duties: (5 points)
4. By causing saints to draw false inferences from the blessed and glorious things that Christ has done: (5 points)
5. By presenting to view the fewness and poverty of those who hold to religious practices: (6 points)
6. By showing saints that the majority of men make light of God's ways and walk in the ways of their own hearts: (3 points)
7. By casting in vain thoughts while the soul is seeking God or waiting on God: (7 points)
8. By tempting Christians to rest in their performances: (4 points)

IV. SATAN'S DEVICES TO KEEP SAINTS IN A SAD, DOUBTING, QUESTIONING AND UNCOMFORTABLE CONDITION
[8 devices and their remedies]
1. By causing saints to remember their sins more than their Savior, yes, even to forget and neglect their Savior: (6 points)
2. By causing saints to make false definitions of their graces: (4 points)
3. By causing saints to make false inferences from the cross actings of Providence: (4 points)
4. By suggesting to saints that their graces are not true, but counterfeit: (2 points)
5. By suggesting to saints that the conflict that is in them is found also in hypocrites and profane souls: (6 points)
6. By suggesting to the saint who has lost joy and comfort that his state is not good: (5 points)
7. By reminding the saint of his frequent relapses into sin formerly repented of and prayed against: (6 points)
8. By persuading saints that their state is not good nor their graces sound: (3 points)

V. 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 HONORABLE OF THE EARTH
1. By causing them to seek greatness, position, riches and security: (6 points)
2. By causing them to act against the people of the Most High: (4 points)

II. DEVICE AGAINST THE LEARNED AND THE WISE
By moving them to pride themselves on their parts and abilities, and to despise men of greater grace but inferior abilities: (4 points)

III. DEVICE AGAINST THE SAINTS
By dividing them and causing them to 'bite and devour one another.' (12 points)

IV. DEVICE AGAINST POOR AND IGNORANT SOULS
By causing them to affect ignorance and to neglect and despise the means of knowledge: (4 points)

APPENDIX

I. FIVE MORE OF SATAN'S DEVICES
1. By suggesting to men the greatness and vileness of their sins [Eight Remedies]
2. By suggesting to sinners their unworthiness [Four Remedies]
3. By suggesting to sinners their want of certain preparations and qualifications [Three Remedies]
4. By suggesting to sinners that Christ Is unwilling to save them [Six Remedies]
5. By causing sinners to give more attention to the secret decrees and counsels of God than to their own duty [Two Remedies]

II. SEVEN CHARACTERS OF FALSE TEACHERS

III. SIX PROPOSITIONS CONCERNING SATAN AND HIS DEVICES
[Five reasons of the point added]

IV. CONCLUSION: TEN SPECIAL HELPS AND RULES AGAINST SATAN'S DEVICES
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:11-13