the epistle dedicatory to his most dear and precious ones the Sons and Daughters of the most high God over whom the Holy Spirit has made him a Watchman beloved in our dearest Lord Christ the scripture your own hearts and Satan's devices are the four Prime things that should be first and most studied and searched if any cast off the study of these they cannot be safe here nor happy Hereafter it is my work as a Christian but much more as I am a Watchman to do my best to discover the fullness of Christ The Emptiness of the creature and the snares of The Great Deceiver which I have endeavored to do in the following discourse according to that measure of Grace which I have received from the Lord God once accepted a handful of meal for a sacrifice and a small quantity of goats hair for an obl and I know that you have not so learned the father as to despise the day of small things beloved Satan being fallen from light to Darkness from Felicity to misery from Heaven to Hell from an angel to a devil is so full of malice and envy that he will leave no means unattempted whereby he may make all others eternally miserable with himself he being shut out of heaven and shut up under the chains of dark Darkness until the Judgment of the great day makes use of all his power and skill to bring all the sons of men into the same condition and condemnation with himself Satan has cast such sinful seed into our souls that now he can no sooner tempt but we are ready to Ascent he can no sooner have a plot upon us but he makes a conquest of us if he does but show men a little of the beauty and finery of the world how ready are they to fall down and worship him whatever sin the heart of man is most prone to that the devil will help forward if David is proud of his people Satan will provoke him to number them that he may be yet prouder if Peter is slavishly fearful Satan will put him upon rebuking and denying of Christ to save his own skin if ahab's prophets are given to flatter the devil will immedi medely become a lying spirit in the mouths of 400 of them and they shall flatter Ahab to his ruin if Judas will be a traitor Satan will quickly enter into his heart and make him sell his master for money which some Heathen would never have done if ananas will lie for Advantage Satan will fill his heart that he may lie with a witness to the Holy Spirit Satan loves to sail with the wind and to suit men Temptations to their conditions and inclinations if they be in prosperity he will tempt them to deny God if they be in adversity he will tempt them to distrust God if their knowledge be weak he will tempt them to have low thoughts of God if their conscience be tender he will tempt to scrupulosity if large to carnal security if bold spirited he will tempt to presumption if ous to desperation if flexible to inconstancy if stiff to impenitent from the power malice and skill of Satan proceedes all the soul killing plots devices strategems and machinations which are in the world several devices he has to draw souls to sin and several plots he has to keep Souls from all holy and Heavenly services and several strategems he has to keep souls in a Mourning staggering doubting and questioning condition he has several devices to destroy the great and honorable the wise and learned the Blind and ignorant the rich and the poor the real and the nominal Christians at one time he will restrain from tempting that we may think ourselves secure and neglect our watch at another time he will seem to flee that he may make us proud of the victory at one time he will fix men's eyes on others sins than their own that he may puff them up at another time he may fix their eyes more on others Graces than their own that he may discourage them a man may as well count the stars and number the Sands of the sea as reckon up all the devices of Satan yet those which are most considerable and by which he does most mischief to the precious Souls of men are in the following Treatise discovered and the against them prescribed beloved I think it necessary to give you and the world a faithful account of the reasons moving me to appear in print in these days wherein we may say there was never more writing and yet never less practicing and they are these that follow reason one because Satan has a greater influence upon men and higher advantages over them than they think he has and the knowledge of his high Advantage is the high way to disappoint him and to render the soul strong in resisting and happy in conquering reason two your importunity and the importunity of many other precious sons of Zion has after much striving with God my own heart and others made a conquest of me and forced me to do that at last which at first was not a little contrary to my inclination and resolution reason three the strange opposition that I met with from Satan in the study of this following discourse has put an edge upon my spirit knowing that Satan strives mightily to keep those things from seeing the light that tend imminently to shake and break his kingdom of darkness and to lift up the kingdom and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the souls and lives of the men reason four it's exceeding usefulness to All Sorts ranks and conditions of men in the world here you have Sav for every SAR and a plaster for every wound and a remedy against every disease especially against those that tend most to the undoing of Souls and the ruin of the state reason five I know not of anyone or other that have written of this subject all that ever I have seen have only touched upon this theme which has been no small provocation to me to attempt to do something this way that others that have better heads and hearts May be the more stirred to improve their talents in a further discovery of Satan's devices and in making known of such Choice remedies as may enable The Souls of men to triumph over all his plots and strategems reason six I have many precious friends in several countries who are desirous that my pen May reach them now that my voice cannot I have formerly been by the help of the Mighty God of Jacob a weak instrument of good to them and cannot but hope and believe that the Lord will also bless these labors to them they being in part the fruit of their desires and prayers reason seven lastly not knowing how soon my hourglass may be out and how soon I may be cut off by a hand of death from all opportunities of doing further service for Christ for your souls in this world I was willing to sew a little handful of spiritual seed among you that so when I put off this Earthly Tabernacle my love to you and that dear remembrance of you which I have in my soul may strongly engage your minds and Spirits to make this book your companion and under all external or internal changes to make use of this heavenly Sav which I hope will by the blessing of the Lord be as effectual for the healing of all your wounds as their looking up to the bronze serpent was effectual to heal theirs who were bit and stung with fiery serpents I shall leave book with you as a legacy of my dearest love Desiring the Lord to make it a far greater and sweeter Legacy than all those carnal legacies that are left by the high and mighty ones of the earth to their nearest and dearest relations beloved I would not have affection carry my pen too much beyond my intention therefore only give me leave to signify my desires for you and my desires to you and I shall draw to a close my desires for you you are that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ May dwell in your hearts through faith and I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God and we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way bearing fruit in every good work growing in the knowledge of God being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully giving thanks to the father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the Saints in the Kingdom of Light that you do no evil that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment that you may approve things that are excellent that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of Faith with power that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ and that you may be eminent in sanctity sanctity being Zion's Glory that your hearts may be kept upright your judgments sound and your lives unblamable that as you are now my joy so in the day of Christ you may be my crown that I may see my labors in your lives that your lives may not be Earthly when the things you here are Heavenly but that it may be as becomes the gospel that as the f fish which live in the salt sea yet are fresh so you though you live in an ungodly world may yet be Godly and loving that you may like the bee suck honey out of every flower that you may shine in the sea of troubles as the pearls shines in the sky though it grows in the sea that in all your trials you may shine like the stone in thracia which neither Burns in the fire nor sinks in the water that you may be like the heavens excellent in substance and beautiful in appearance that so you may meet me with joy in that day wherein Christ shall say to his father Lo here am I and the children that you have given me my desires to you are that you would make it your business to study Christ his word your own Hearts Satan's plots and Eternity more than ever that you would Endeavor more to be inwardly sincere than outwardly glorious to live than to have a mere name to live that you would labor with all your might to be thankful under mercies and thankful in your places and humble under Divine appearances and fruitful under precious ordinances that as your means and mercies are greater than others so your account before God may not prove a worse than others that you would pray for me who am not worthy to be named among the saints that I may be a precious instrument in the hand of Christ to bring in many Souls unto him and to build up those who are brought in in their Most Holy Faith and that utterance may be given to me that I may make known all the will of God that I may be sincere faithful frequent fervent and constant in the work of the Lord and that my labor be not in vain in the Lord that my labors may be accepted in the Lord and his Saints and I may daily see the travail of my soul but above all pray for me that I may more and more or find the power and sweet of those things upon my own heart that I give out to you and others that my soul may be so visited with strength from on high that I may live up fully and constantly to those truths that I hold forth to the world and that I may be both in life and Doctrine a burning and a shining light that so when the Lord Jesus shall appear I may receive a Crown of Glory which he shall give to me in that day and not not only to me but to all who love his appearing for a close remember this that your life is short your duties many your assistance great and your reward sure therefore faint not hold on and hold up in ways of well-doing and Heaven shall make amends for all I shall now take leave of you when my heart has by my hand subscribed that I am your loving pastor under Christ according to all pastoral affections and engagements in our dearest Lord Thomas Brooks editor's note the next few minutes are narrated by a computer voice a word to the reader dear friend Solomon bids Us by the truth Proverbs 23:23 but does not tell us what it must cost because we must get it though it be ever so dear we must love truth both shining and scorching every parcel of Truth is precious as the filings of gold we must either live with it or die for it as Ruth said to Naomi where you go I will go and where you Lodge I will Lodge and nothing but Death Shall part you and me Ruth 1: 161 17 so must gracious Spirits say where truth goes I will go and where truth lodges I will will Lodge and nothing but Death Shall part me in truth a man May lawfully sell his house land and jewels but truth is a jewel that exceeds all price and must never be sold it is our heritage your testimonies have I taken as in Heritage forever Psalm 119: 111 truth is a legacy that our forefathers have bought with their blood which should make us willing to lay down anything and to lay out anything that we may with the wise Merchant in the Gospel Matthew 13:45 purchase this precious Pearl which is of more worth than Heaven and Earth and which will make a man live happily die comfortably and Reign eternally and now if you please read this work and receive this counsel from me first you must know that every man cannot be excellent yet every man may be useful an Iron Key May unlock the door with a gold treasure behind it yes iron can do some things that gold cannot secondly remember it is not Hasty reading but serious meditating upon holy and Heavenly truths that make them prove sweet and profitable to the soul it is not the bee's touching of the flower which gathers honey but her abiding for a Time upon the flower which draws out the Sweet It Is Not He who reads most but he who meditates most who will prove the the choicest sweetest wisest and strongest Christian next know that it is not the knowing nor the talking nor the reading man but the doing man who at last will be found the happiest man if you know these things blessed and happy are you if you Deo them not everyone that says Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven John 13:17 Matthew : 21 Judas called Christ Lord Lord and yet betrayed him and has gone to his place ah how many judases have we in these days who kiss Christ and yet betray Christ who in their words profess him but in their Works deny him who bow their knee to him and yet in their hearts despise him who call him Jesus and yet will not obey him as their lord reader if it is not strong upon your heart to practice what you read to what end do you read to increase your own condemnation if your light and knowledge are not turned into practice the more knowing a man you are the more miserable a man you will be in the day of recompense your light and knowledge will more torment you than all the devils in Hell your knowledge will be that Rod that will eternally lash you and that scorpion that will forever bite F you and that worm that will everlastingly know you therefore read and labor to know that you may do or else you are undone forever when demises was asked what was the first part of an oror what was the second part what was the third part he answered action the same I may say if any should ask me what is the first the second the third part of a Christian I must answer action as that man who reads that he may know and that labors to know that he may do will have two Heavens a heaven of joy peace and comfort on Earth and a heaven of glory and happiness after death fourthly and lastly so Desiring that you may find as much sweetness and advantage in reading this Treatise as I have found by the overshadowing of Heaven in the studying and writing of it I recommend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among those who are Sanctified acts 20:32 your Soul's servant in every Office of the Gospel Thomas Brooks introduction second Corinthians 2:1 lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices in verse 6 the Apostle Paul shows that the incestuous person had by his incest saddened those precious Souls who God would not have saddened Souls who walk sinfully are hes to The Godly 2 Kings 8: 12 to 15 and draw many sze and tears from them Jeremiah weeps in secret for judah's sins and Paul cannot speak of the bods with dry eyes lot's righteous Soul was burdened vexed and racked by the filthy sodomites 2 Peter 2: 78 every sinful sodomite was a haale to his eyes and heart gracious souls used to mourn for other men's sins as well as their own and for the souls and sins of those who make a mock of sin and a Gest of damning their own Souls guilt or grief is all that gracious Souls get by communion with vain Souls streams of Tears flow from my eyes for your law is not obeyed Psalm 119: 136 I look on the faithless with loathing for they do not obey your word Psalm 119: 158 in the sixth verse Paul shows that the punishment which was inflicted upon the incestuous person was sufficient and therefore they should not refuse to receive him who had repented and sorrowed for his former faults and folies it is not for the honor of Christ the credit of the Gospel nor the good of souls for professors to be like those bloody wretches who burnt some who recanted at the stake saying that they would send them into eternity while they were in a good mind in the 7th through 10th verses the Apostle stir up the church to forgive him to comfort him and to confirm their love towards him lest he should be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow Satan going about to mix the detestable weeds of despair with The Godly sorrow of a pure penitent heart it was a sweet saying of Jerome let a man grieve for his sin and then Rejoice for his grief that sorrow for sin which keeps the soul from looking towards the mercy seat and that keeps Christ and the Soul asunder or that shall render the soul unfit for the communion of saints is a sinful sorrow in the 11th verse he lays down another reason to help them to show pity and mercy to the penitent sinner who was mourning and groaning under his sin and misery that is lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices lest Satan should get an advantage of us the word advantage is taken from the greedy Merchant who seeks and takes all opportunities to beguile and deceive others Satan is that Wy Merchant who devours not widows houses but most men's Souls for we are not ignorant of Satan's devices or evil plots or machinations or stratagems he is but a Christian intitle only who has no personal experience of Satan's strategems his set and composed machinations his artificially mold methods his plots his darts his depths whereby he outwitted our first parents this is enough for the opening up of the words of our text the main observation that I shall draw from these words is this that Satan has his several devices to deceive entangle and undo the souls of men I shall one prove the point two show you his several devices three show the remedies against his devices four show how it comes to pass that he has so many various devices to deceive entangle and damn The Souls of men five lay down some propositions concerning Satan's devices chapter one the proof of the point for the proof of the point take these few scriptures Ephesians 6:1 put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the Ws of the devil the Greek word that is here rendered WS is a notable emphatic word one it signifies such snares as are laid behind one such treacheries as come upon one's back by surprise it notes the methods or way layings of that old subtle serpent who like Dan's adder in the path bites the heels of passengers and thereby transfuses his Venom to the head and heart the word signifies an ambush or strategy of war whereby the enemy sets Upon A man at unawares two it signifies such snares as are set to catch one in one's Road a man walks in his road and thinks not of it but suddenly he is caught by thieves or falls into a pit Etc three it signifies such as are purposely artificially and craftily set for the taking the prey at the greatest advantage that can be the Greek signifies properly a waylaying circumvent ion or going about as they do who seek after their prey Julian by his craft Drew more away from the faith than all his persecuting predecessors could do by their cruelty so does Satan more hurt in his sheep's skin than by roaring like a lion take one scripture more for the proof of the point and that is in 2 Timothy 2: 26 and that they might recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him him at his will the Greek word that is here rendered recover themselves signifies to awaken themselves the Apostle alludes to one who is asleep or drunk who is to be awakened and restored to his senses and the Greek word that is here rendered taken captive signifies to be taken alive the word is properly a military word and signifies to be taken alive as soldiers are taken alive in the wars or as birds are taken alive and in snared in the Fowler's net Satan has snares for the wise and snares for the simple snares for Hypocrites and snares for the upright snares for generous souls and snares for timorous Souls snares for the rich and snares for the poor snares for the Aged and snares for youth happy are those Souls that are not taken and held in the snares that he has laid take one proof more and then I will proceed to the opening of the point and that is in Revelation 2:4 but unto you I say and unto the rest in thyra as many as have not this Doctrine and who have not known the depths of Satan as they speak I will put upon you no other burden but to hold fast until I come these poor souls called their opinions the depths of God when indeed they were the depths of Satan you call all your opinions depths and so they are but they are such depths as Satan has brought out of hell they are the whisperings and hissings of that serpent not The Inspirations of God