Chapter 3. Of Satan's Subtlety in Choosing Instruments Fit for His Turn to Carry On His Tempting Design

THe third particular in which Satan shewes his subtilty, as a Tempter is in the choice of those instruments, whom he useth for the carrying on this his design, he as the Master-workman cuts out the temptation, and gives it the shape, but sometimes he has his Journeymen to make it up, he knows his work may be carried on better by others, when he appears not aboveboard himself. Indeed there is not such a suitableness between the Angelical nature & mans, as there is between one man & another, and therefore he cannot make his approaches so familiarly to us, as man can do to man; and here (as in other things) he is Gods Ape; you know this very reason was given, why the Israelites desired God might not speak to them, but Moses, and God liked the motion;They have well said, says God, I will raise up a Prophet from the midst of them like unto you. Thus Satan, he useth the Ministery of men like our selves, by which as he becomes more familiar, so he is lesse suspected, while Joab-like, he gets another to do his errand. Now 'tis not any will serve his turne for this employment, he is very choice in his instruments he pitchs on; 'tis not every souldier is fit for an Ambassage to treat with an enemy, to betray a town and the like. Satan considers who can do his work to his greatest advantage; and in this he is unlike God, who is not at all choice in his instruments, because he needs none, and is able to do as well with one as another; but Satans power being finite, he must patch up the defect of the Lions skin with the Foxes. Now the persons Satan aimes at for his instruments are chiefly of four sorts.

First, persons of place and power. Secondly, persons of parts and policie. Thirdly, persons of holiness, or at least reputed so. Fourthly, persons of relation and interest.

First, Satan makes choice of persons of place and power. These are either in the Common-wealth or Church, if he can he will secure the Throne and the Pulpit, as the two Forts that command the whole line. First, men of power in the Common-wealth, 'tis his old trick to be tampering with such. A Prince, a Ruler may stand for a thousand; therefore says Paul to Elymas, when he would have turned the Deputy from the faith; O full of all subtilty, you child of the devil! Asts 13.8 As if he had said, you have learn't this of your father the devil, to haunt the Courts of Princes, winde into the favor of great ones. There it a double policy Satan has, in gaining such to his side. First, none have such advantage to draw others to their way: corrupt the Captan, and 'tis hard if he bring not off his troop with him. When the Princes, men of renown in their tribes, stood up with Corah, presently a multitude are drawn into the conspiracy. Let Jeroboam set up idolatry, and Israel is soon in a snare; it's said the people willingly walked after his Commandment, Hosea 5:11. Secondly, should the sin stay at Court, and the infection go no further, yet the sin of such a one, (though a good man) may cost a whole Kingdom dear. 1 Chronicles 21:1. Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number the people. He owed Israel a spite, and he payes them home in their Kings sin, which drop't in a fearful plague upon their heads. Secondly, such as are in place and office in the Church. No such way to infect the whole town, as to poison the Cistern at which they draw their water; who shall perswade Ahab that he may go to Ramoth-Gilead and fall? Satan can tell, I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his Prophets, 2 Kings 22:21. How shall the profane be hardened in their sins? let the Preacher sowe pillows under their elbowes, and cry peace, peace, and it's done. How may the worship of God come to be neglected? let Hophni and Phineas be but scandalous in their lives, and many both good and bad will abhor the sacrifice of the Lord.

Secondly, he employs persons of parts and policy, if any has more pregnancy of wit, and depth of reason then other, he is the man Satan looks upon for his service: and so far he prevails that very few of this rank are found among Christs disciples, Not many wise. Indeed, God will not have his Kingdom, either in the heart or in the world, maintained by carnal policy, 'tis a Gospel-command that we walk in godly simplicity, sine plicis; though the Serpent can shrink up into his folds, and appear what he is not, yet it does not become the Saints to juggle or shuffle with God or men; and truly when any of them have made use of the Serpents subtilty, it has not followed their hand; Jacob got the blessing by a wile, but he might have had it cheaper with plain dealing. Abraham and Sarah both dissemble to Abimelech, God discovers their sin, and reproves them for it by the mouth of an Heathen. Asa out of State-policy joynes league with Syria, yea, pawns the vessels of the Sanctuary, and all for help, and what comes of all this? Herein you have done foolishly, says God, from henceforth you shalt have wars. Sinful policy shall not long thrive in the Saints hands well, but Satan will not out of his way, he enquires for the subtilest-pated men, a Balaam, Achitophl, Haman, Sanballat, men admired for their counsel and deep plots, these are for his turne. A wicked cause needs a smooth Oratour, bad ware a pleasing Chapman, as in particular, his instruments he useth to seduce and corrupt the mindes of men are commonly subtile-pated men, such, that if it were possible should deceive the very elect. This made the Apostle so jealous of the Corinthians, whom he had espoused to Christ, lest as Eve by the Serpent, so their minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. He must be a cunning devil indeed, that can draw off the Spouses love from her beloved, yet there is such a witchery in Satans instruments, that many have been brought to flie on the face of those truths and ordinances, yea, Christ himself to whom they have seemed espoused formerly. Now in three particulars this sort of Satans instruments show their Masters subtilty.

First, in aspersing the good name of the sincere messengers of Christ. Satans old trick to raise his credit upon the ruined reputation of Christs faithful servants. Thus he taught Corah, Dathan and Abiram, to charge Moses and Aaron, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the Congregation is holy; they would make the people believe, that it was the pride of their heart, to claim a monopoly to themselves, as if none but Aaron and his fraternity were holy enough to offer incense, and by this subtile practice they seduced (for a while) in a manner, the whole Congregation to their side. So the lying Prophets (that were Satans Knights of the post to Ahab,) fell foul on good Micaiah. Our Saviour himself was no better handled by the Pharisees and their Confederates, and Paul the chief of the Apostles, his Ministery undermined, and his reputation blasted by false teachers, as if he had been some weak sorry Preacher,His bodily presence is weak, say they, and his speech contemptible; and is this your admired man?

Secondly, in covering their impostures and errours with choice notions and excellent truthes. Arrius himself, and other dangerous instruments of Satan were too wise to stuffe their discourses with nothing but heterodoxe matter, precious truths dropt from them with which they sprinkled their corrupt principles, yet with such Art as should not easily be discerned. This (as one observs) our Saviour warns his disciples of, when he bids them beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, (that is, of their errours.) But why leaven? for the secret mixture of it with the wholesom bread; you do not make your bread all of leaven, none would then eate it, but crumble a little into a whole batch, which sowers all: thus Christ does tell the disciples, that the Pharisees among many truths mixe their errours, and therefore it behoves them to beware, lest with the truth the errour goes down also. Again, leaven is very like the dough, of the same grain with it, only differs in age and sourenesse: thus Christ intimates the resemblance of their errours to the truth, scraped, as it were, out of the Scriptures, but sowered with their own false glosses. This indeed makes it easie for Christs sheep to be infected with the scab of errour, because that weed which breeds the rot is so like the grasse that nourishs them.

Thirdly, their subtilty appears in holding forth such principles as are indulgent to the flesh. This brings in whole shoales of silly souls into their net, the heart of man loves of life to shape a Religion according to its own humor, and is easie to believe that to be a truth, which favours its own inclination. Now there are three lusts that Satans instruments labor to gratifie in their doctrine, Carnal Reason, Pride, and steshly Liberty.

First, Carnal reason, this is the great idol which the more intelligent part of the world worship, making it the very standard of their faith, and from this bitter root have sprung those Arrian and Socinian heresies. And truly he that will go no further then reason will carry him, may hold out in the plain way of the Moral Law, but when he comes to the depths of the Gospel, must either go back, or be content that faith should help reason over.

Secondly, another lust that Satan cockers, is pride. Man naturally would be a god to himself, [though for clambering so high he got his fall] and whatever doctrine nourishs a good opinion of man in his own eye, this is acceptable to him, and this has spawned another fry of dangerous errours. The Pelagian and semi-Pelagian, which set nature upon its own legs, and perswade man he can go alone to Christ, or at least with a little external help, of an hand to lead, or argument to excite, without any creating work in the soul. O, we cannot conceive how glib such stuffe goes down. If one Workman should tell you that your house is rotten, and must be pull'd down, and all new materials prepared; and another should say no such matter, such a beam is good, and such a sparre may stand; a little cost will serve the turne: it were no wonder that you should listen to him that would put you to least cost and trouble: the faithful servants of Christ tell sinners from the Word, that man in his natural state is corrupt and rotten, that nothing of the old frame will serve, and there must needs be all new; but in comes an Arminian and blows up the sinners pride, and tells him he is not so weak or wicked as the other represents him, if you will you may repent and believe, or at least by exerting your natural abilities, oblige God to superadde what you have not. This is the Workman that will please proud man best.

Thirdly, Satan by his instruments nourishs that desire of fleshly liberty, which is in man by nature, who is a son of Belial, without yoke; and if he must wear any, that will please best, which has the softest lining, and pinchs the flesh least, and therefore when the sincere teachers of the Word will not abate of the strictnesse of the command, but presse sincere obedience to it, then come Satans instruments and say, these are hard task-masters, who will not allow one play-day in a year to the Christian, but tie him to continual duty, we'll show you an easier way to heaven: Come, says the Papist, confesse but once a year to the Priest, (pay him well for his paines) and be an obedient son of the Church, and we'll dispense with all the rest. Come, says the Familist, the Gospel-Charter allows more liberty then these legal Preachers tell you of; they bid you repent and believe, when Christ has done all these to your hand. What have you left to do but to nourish the flesh? something sure is in it, that Impostors finde such quick return for their ware, while Truth hangs upon the log; and is it not this? that they are content to afford heaven cheaper to their disciples, then Christ will to his. He that sells cheapest shall have most customers, though at last best will be best cheap; Truth with self-denial, a better penny-worth, then errour with all its flesh-pleasing.

Thirdly, Satan makes choice of such as have a great name for holiness, none to a live bird to draw other birds into the net. But is it possible that such should do this work for the devil? yes, such is the policy of Satan, and the frailty of the best, that the most holy men have been his instruments to seduce others, Abraham he tempts his wife to lie, Say you are my Sister. The old Prophet leads the man of God out of his way, 1 Kings 13. the holiness of the man, and the reverence of his age, 'tis like, gave authority to his counsel. O how should this make you watchful, whose long travel and great progresse in the ways of God have gained you a name of eminency in the Church, what you say, do; or hold, because you are file-leading men, and others look more on you: then their way.

Fourthly, Satan chooss such, as by relation or affection have deep interest in the persons he would gain. Some will kisse the child for the Nurses sake, and like the Present for the hand that brings it. 'Tis like David would not have received that from Nabal, which he took from Abigail, and thanks her. Satan sent the apple by Eves hand to Adam. Delilah does more with Samson, then all the Philistines bands, Jobs wife brings him the poison, Curse God and die. Some think Satan spared her life, when he slew his children and servants, (though she was also within his Commission) as the most likely instrument, by reason of her relation and his affection, to lead him into temptation. Satan employes Peter a disciple to tempt Christ, at another time his friends and kinsfolk. Some Martyrs have confest, the hardest work they met withal, was to overcome the prayers and tears of their friends and relations. Paul himself could not get off this snare without heart-breaking: What mean ye to weep, and to break my heart? Acts 21:13.

The third way Satan shows his subtlety as a tempter is in the choice of instruments he uses to carry out his design. He is the master craftsman who designs the temptation and gives it its shape — but sometimes he has workers to finish the job. He knows his work can often be done more effectively through others when he does not appear openly himself. There is not the same natural affinity between an angelic being and a human as there is between one person and another. Therefore Satan cannot approach us as naturally and personally as a fellow human can. In this, as in other things, he imitates God. You will recall that this same reasoning explains why the Israelites asked God not to speak to them directly but through Moses — and God approved: "They have spoken well," He said, "I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you" (Deuteronomy 18:17). In the same way, Satan uses people just like us as his instruments. Through them he becomes more familiar and is less easily suspected, while — like Joab — he gets someone else to do his work. Not just anyone will serve his purpose, however. He is very selective about the instruments he chooses. Not every soldier is suited for a diplomatic mission, or for betraying a city, or similar tasks. Satan carefully considers who can serve his ends most effectively. In this he differs from God, who is not selective about His instruments — because He needs no one and can accomplish His purposes equally through any person. But since Satan's power is limited, he must make up for the lion's weakness with the fox's cunning. The people Satan targets for his instruments fall into four main categories.

First, persons of position and power. Second, persons of talent and cunning. Third, persons of holiness, or at least those reputed to be holy. Fourth, persons of close relationship and personal influence.

First, Satan chooses persons of position and power. These are found in either civil government or the church. If he can, he will secure the throne and the pulpit — the two fortresses that command the entire line. Men of power in civil government have always been a target of his meddling. A prince or ruler can stand for a thousand — which is why Paul said to Elymas when he tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil" (Acts 13:10) — as if to say: you learned this from your father the devil, haunting the courts of princes and working your way into the favor of the powerful. Satan has a double strategy in winning such people to his side. First, no one has such power to draw others along: corrupt the captain, and he will likely bring his whole company with him. When men of standing in their tribes sided with Korah, a large crowd was immediately drawn into the conspiracy. When Jeroboam set up idolatry, Israel was quickly ensnared — the people willingly followed his command (Hosea 5:11). Second, even if the sin remained confined to the court and spread no further, the sin of a great man — even a good one — can cost an entire kingdom dearly (1 Chronicles 21:1). Satan stirred up trouble against Israel by provoking David to count the people. He had a grievance against Israel, and he settled it through their king's sin, which brought a devastating plague down on their heads. Second, Satan targets those in positions of office within the church. There is no more effective way to infect an entire city than to poison the cistern from which everyone draws water. Who would persuade Ahab not to go to Ramoth-gilead to his death? Satan had a plan: "I will be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets" (1 Kings 22:22). How can the godless be hardened in their sins? Have the preacher smooth things over and cry "Peace, peace" — and it is done. How can the worship of God be brought into contempt? Let Hophni and Phinehas live scandalously, and many — both good and bad — will despise the offering of the Lord.

Second, Satan employs people of talent and cunning. If anyone has a sharper mind and greater depth of reasoning than others, that is the person Satan looks for in his service. He succeeds at this to such a degree that very few of this class are found among Christ's disciples — "not many wise" (1 Corinthians 1:26). God will not have His kingdom — whether in the heart or in the world — maintained by human cleverness. The gospel command is that we walk in godly simplicity, without pretense. The serpent can coil itself and appear to be something it is not — but this does not become the saints. When any of them have resorted to the serpent's cunning, it has not served them well. Jacob obtained the blessing through a scheme, but he could have received it more cheaply through straightforward dealing. Abraham and Sarah both deceived Abimelech — and God exposed their sin and rebuked them for it through the mouth of a pagan. Asa, for reasons of state policy, allied himself with Syria — even pawning the sacred vessels of the sanctuary to secure help. What came of it? "In this you have acted foolishly," God said, "indeed, from now on you will have wars" (2 Chronicles 16:9). Sinful cleverness will not prosper long in the saints' hands. But Satan does not abandon his ways — he searches for the sharpest minds: a Balaam, an Ahithophel, a Haman, a Sanballat — men admired for their counsel and deep scheming. These are the ones suited for his purposes. A wicked cause needs a smooth orator; bad goods need a persuasive salesman. In particular, the instruments Satan uses to seduce and corrupt people's minds are typically men of subtle intelligence — the kind who, if it were possible, would deceive even the elect. This is what made the apostle so anxious for the Corinthians, whom he had brought to Christ: he feared that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent, so their minds might be led astray from their pure devotion to Christ. It takes a genuinely cunning devil to pull the bride's affections away from her beloved — yet there is such a bewitching power in Satan's instruments that many have been led to turn against the very truths and ordinances — indeed, against Christ Himself — to whom they once seemed committed. This kind of instrument shows their master's subtlety in three particular ways.

First, these instruments show their master's subtlety by attacking the reputations of Christ's faithful servants. This is Satan's old trick: to build up his own credibility by destroying the reputation of those who faithfully serve Christ. He taught Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to charge Moses and Aaron: "You take too much upon yourselves, since all the congregation is holy" (Numbers 16:3). They tried to convince the people that Moses and Aaron were acting out of pride, claiming an exclusive monopoly as if only Aaron and his associates were holy enough to offer incense. Through this cunning strategy, they seduced nearly the entire congregation to their side for a time. Similarly, the false prophets — Satan's hired witnesses to Ahab — turned viciously on the faithful Micaiah. Our Savior Himself was treated no better by the Pharisees and their allies. And Paul, the foremost of the apostles, had his ministry undermined and his reputation attacked by false teachers, who portrayed him as a weak and unremarkable preacher: "His personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible" (2 Corinthians 10:10). And this is your great man?

Second, these instruments display their master's subtlety by covering their deceptions and errors with carefully chosen ideas and genuine truths. Arius himself, and other dangerous agents of Satan, were too shrewd to fill their teaching with nothing but false doctrine. They sprinkled genuine and precious truths throughout their teaching, but blended their corrupt principles in with such skill that the mixture was not easily detected. As one observer notes, Christ warned His disciples about exactly this when He told them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees — meaning their errors. But why leaven? Because of how secretly it is mixed into the wholesome bread. You do not make your entire loaf out of leaven — no one would eat it. Instead, you work a small amount into a whole batch, and it sours everything. Christ was telling His disciples that the Pharisees mixed their errors among many truths — so they needed to be on guard, lest the error go down along with the truth. Furthermore, leaven looks very much like the dough itself — it is made from the same grain, differing only in age and sourness. Christ was pointing out that the Pharisees' errors closely resembled the truth, being scraped from Scripture but turned sour by their own false interpretations. This is precisely what makes it easy for Christ's sheep to be infected with the disease of error — because the weed that causes the rot looks so much like the grass that nourishes them.

Third, their subtlety appears in promoting teachings that are lenient toward the flesh. This draws whole crowds of naive souls into their net. The human heart loves to shape a religion according to its own desires, and readily believes whatever favors its own inclinations. There are three lusts that Satan's instruments aim to satisfy through their teaching: carnal reason, pride, and fleshly liberty.

First, carnal reason — this is the great idol worshiped by the more intellectual segment of the world, who make it the very standard of their faith. From this bitter root have grown the Arian and Socinian heresies. Anyone who will go no further than reason can carry them may manage tolerably in the plain territory of the moral law — but when they come to the depths of the gospel, they must either turn back or accept that faith must carry reason over what it cannot cross on its own.

Second, another lust Satan feeds is pride. By nature, man wants to be his own god — though his attempt to climb that high is what caused his fall in the first place. Whatever teaching flatters a good opinion of oneself is welcome, and this has given birth to another dangerous family of errors. These are the Pelagian and semi-Pelagian errors, which set human nature on its own feet and persuade people that they can come to Christ on their own, or at least with only mild external assistance — a guiding hand, or an argument to motivate them — without any new creating work being done in the soul. We cannot imagine how smoothly such ideas go down. Suppose one builder tells you that your house is rotten and must be torn down, with all new materials brought in — while another says nothing of the sort: this beam is fine, that rafter can stay, a little repair work will do. It would be no surprise at all if you preferred the one who asked less of you. The faithful servants of Christ tell sinners from Scripture that in their natural state they are corrupt and rotten — that nothing of the old frame will serve, and everything must be made new. But along comes an Arminian, who flatters the sinner's pride and tells him he is not as weak or wicked as the others make out. "If you choose to, you can repent and believe — or at least by putting forth your natural abilities, you can oblige God to supply what you lack." That is the builder proud hearts will always prefer.

Third, Satan uses his instruments to feed the desire for fleshly freedom that is natural to every person — who is by nature a child of Belial, unwilling to wear any yoke. And if he must wear one, the one that pleases him most is the one with the softest lining and the least pressure on the flesh. So when faithful teachers of Scripture hold firm to the strictness of God's commands and press for sincere obedience, Satan's instruments step in and say: these are harsh taskmasters who will not allow the Christian a single day off from duty, but keep him in constant obligation. "We will show you an easier road to heaven." "Come," says the Roman Catholic, "confess to the priest once a year — pay him well for his trouble — be an obedient son of the church, and we will overlook the rest." "Come," says the antinomian, "the gospel charter allows far more freedom than these law-bound preachers tell you. They demand repentance and faith, when Christ has already done all of that on your behalf. What is left for you to do but enjoy life?" There must be something in it — that deceivers find such quick returns for their product while truth moves slowly. Is it not this: they are willing to sell heaven to their followers at a lower price than Christ offers it to His? He who sells cheapest will always have the most customers. But in the end, the best is the best bargain. Truth with self-denial is a far greater value than error with all its pleasures for the flesh.

Third, Satan selects people who have a great reputation for holiness. Nothing works better than a live decoy bird to draw other birds into the net. But can people of genuine holiness really do this kind of work for the devil? Yes — such is Satan's cunning, and the weakness of even the best Christians, that the most godly people have served as his instruments to lead others astray. Abraham tempted his wife to lie: "Say you are my sister." The old prophet led the man of God off his path (1 Kings 13) — and the man's reputation for holiness, combined with the prophet's age, likely gave authority to his counsel. How carefully this should make you walk — you who by long service and great progress in the ways of God have earned a name for spiritual maturity in the church. What you say, do, and believe carries weight, because others look more to you than to their own path.

Fourth, Satan chooses people who are closely connected by relationship or affection to those he wants to influence. Some will welcome the gift for the sake of the one who brings it. David would likely not have received from Nabal what he accepted from Abigail — and he thanked her for it. Satan delivered the forbidden fruit to Adam through Eve's hand. Delilah accomplished more with Samson than all the Philistine armies combined. Job's wife brought him the poison: "Curse God and die." Some think Satan intentionally spared her life when he destroyed Job's children and servants — though she was technically within the scope of his permitted harm — because she was the most effective instrument, through her close relationship and his deep affection for her, to lead him into temptation. Satan used Peter, a disciple, to tempt Christ — and at another time used Christ's friends and relatives. Some martyrs have confessed that the hardest trial they faced was overcoming the prayers and tears of those closest to them. Even Paul could not escape this trap without real anguish: "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart?" (Acts 21:13).