Richard Gilpin
Daemonologia Sacra, or A Treatise of Satan’s Temptations, pp. 379-381

Satan is willing to gratify us with nominal and imaginary privileges and defences against himself. He will willingly allow us such defences as are altogether insignificant and delusive. And his policy here is centered upon these two things:

1. Satan Loves To Inculcate Superstition.

1. First, He doth industriously prompt us to self-devised inventions, such as were never appointed or blessed of God to any such use; but only found out by the bold superstitions of men. Of this we have an instance in Balak, who carried Baalam from place to place in his prosecution of his design of cursing Israel; neither can we imagine that a commodious prospect of Israel was all he aimed at, seeing he discovers his mind in this variation of places, “Peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse them from thence” (Num. 23:27); clearly implying that he had a confidence that the place might contribute something to his design, and that there was some inherent virtue in those consecrated places; and therefore did he begin with the high-places of Baal, and then to the held of Zophim, and then to the top of Peor (Num. 22:27, 23:14, 28).

Among the papists we find too much of this. What power they attribute to holy water, blessed salt, sign of the cross, hallowed earth, consecrated places, relics, baptized bells, exorcisms, and abundance of such stuff, may be seen in many of their writings, too tedious to be related. [1]

2. Satan Loves Dead Orthodoxy & Formalism.

2. Secondly, He is also willing that men use those real defences and helps which God hath commanded, so that they use them in a formal manner, which indeed deprives them of all the life and efficacy that might be expected from an instituted means. Thus he readily permits ignorant persons, without any disturbance or molestation, to use the repetition of the Lord’s prayer, ten commandments, and creed, or any other prayer, while they persuade themselves that the very saying of the words is a sufficient defence against the devil all that day.

The reasons of Satan’s policy in such gratifications are these:

1) Satan Diverts Us From the Means of Grace.

(1.) First, While we are kept doing with these, we are diverted from that which might be really helpful. He puts a broken reed into our hand, that we might be deprived of a staff. Experience confirms this. Those that, with greatest devotion, use these empty inventions, are usually careless in the use of God’s own appointments.

2) Satan Entrenches Us In Our Superstitions.

(2.) Secondly, Besides that he thus betrays them by these lying helps, he doth by this means cast them on a further iniquity of idolizing these foolish calves of their own invention. In this case men have a presumptuous expectation from such usages of that which God never promised to do by them, neither ever entered into his heart so to do, seeing he answers them all with this, “Who hath required these things at your hands?” (Isa. 1:12). And accordingly their consciences are more concerned for the omission of one of these fooleries, than for the neglect of the greater things of the law. Such are more troubled for the neglect of the sign of the cross or holy water, than for their constant carelessness and want of faith, by which their hearts should be guarded against their enemy.

3) Satan Seeks To Devour Us.

(3.) Thirdly, In the meantime he makes work for his own triumph over them that dote upon these sottish inventions. If we can suppose Satan to have pleasure or mirth at anything, we may be sure he will laugh at such preparations for a spiritual warfare, it being as truly ridiculous for any man to go out with these weapons against Satan, as for a combatant to assail a giant with a paper helmet, a wicker shield, and a wooden dagger. And indeed when Satan counterfeits a flight or fear of such matters, as for his advantage he sometimes doth, it is but in design to beget or confirm in men a confidence of a virtue or strength in these usages against his power, that so they may fix upon them to the neglect of God’s own institutions, which he most dreads.

Thus we read that he cunningly ceased his oracle at Daphne upon a pretence of the silencing power of the bones of the martyr Babilas, which were buried near the place, on purpose to lead unwary Christians to the adoration of saints and their relics. [2] Many such instances we have in Sprenger, of the devil’s feigned flight at the sign of the cross, the sprinkling of holy water, the angelical salutation, St Bernard’s staff, or certain words and verses hung about the neck. [3] And a great deal of such stuff we may meet with in most of their writers, all which are but cunning contrivances of Satan, to advance a belief of the virtue of these things [4]; and so to stop men there, to the neglect of those spiritual weapons which the Scripture recommends [Eph. 6:10-18].

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See also: Do Demons Flee At The Name Of Jesus? by Frederick S. Leahy; Demon Possession & Exorcism; Lawful & Unlawful Remedies Against Witchcraft by William Perkins.

[1] “The surest protection for places, men, and animals, are the words of the triumphal title of our Savior, if they are inscribed in the form of a cross through the four parts of a place: Jesus ♱ of Nazareth ♱, King ♱ of the Jews ♱. There may also be added the name of Mary and of the Evangelists, or the words of St. John: ‘The Word was made Flesh’… And according to the traditional and holy rites of the Church: the aspersion of Holy Water, the taking of consecrated salt, the carrying of blessed candles on the Day of the Purification of Our Lady, of palm leaves upon Palm Sunday—and men who thus fortify themselves are acting so that the powers of devils are diminished… it is lawful in any decent habitation of men or beasts to sprinkle Holy Water for the safety and securing of men and beasts, with the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity and a Paternoster. For it is said in the Office of Exorcism, that wherever it is sprinkled, all uncleanness is purified, all harm is repelled, and no pestilent spirit can abide there, etc.” (Jacob Sprenger & Henry Kramer, Malleus Maleficarum: The Hammer of Witches (1486), part 2, q. 1).

[2] Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History 5.19; NPNF 2.2, pp. 340-342.

[3] Jacob Sprenger & Henry Kramer, Malleus Maleficarum: The Hammer of Witches (1486), part 2, q. 11, ch. 1, 3.

[4] Modern examples of “cunning contrivances of Satan,” to advance beliefs in the virtue of superstitious remedies to demonization include:

• That Roman Catholic exorcists may command the demons in the name of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven; and demons will reluctantly admit that Mary is the Queen of Heaven. “Nine out of ten times” Mary is the person the demoniac sees when finally delivered, and she assures them “it is over.” (Capturing Christianity, SHOCKING True Stories of Demon Possession w/ Exorcist Expert Adam Blai; Nov. 1, 2022; Time: ~1:10:00). Demons will roll their eyes and scoff at the name of Jesus, but be extremely terrified of Mary, begging the exorcist “anybody but her!” (ibid., ~1:12:00). One Roman Catholic exorcist admits that his adoration of Mary has grown because of his experiences of her power over demons: “There’s a priest who loves our Lady more because of them [the demons]” (Augustine Institute, Why the Devil Hates (and Fears) Mary w/Fr. Chad Ripperger | Chris Stefanick Show; Mar. 29, 2023; Time: ~18:00)
• “The single most powerful tool that we have against the devil is the sacrament of penance and confession… What you say in confession is sealed against the demon and he cannot use it against you.” (The Gracious Guest, Interview with an EXORCIST! | feat. Fr. John Szada; Jun. 18, 2023; Time: ~56:20).
• That people begin to glow like saints do in paintings when the demons are cast out. Saints have levitated in Mass or during prayer. Levitation of the demon-possessed is Satan mimicking God. (Capturing Christianity, ibid.; Time: ~39:00).
• That the names of deceased exorcists and priests can be invoked during an exorcism to scare demons away (Capturing Christianity; A Real Exorcist Reviews “The Pope’s Exorcist” w/ Fr. Carlos Martins; Aug. 10, 2023; Time: ~54:00).
• That revelation of otherwise unrevealed information can be gleaned by an exorcist demanding information from demons (contra Deut. 18:10; Jer. 14:14). Examples from Fr. Chad Ripperger of doctrines that were revealed to him by Beelzebub: The personal identities and names of demons, the ranks and orders of the angels and demons, their memories and emotions about their Pre-Fall history, certain phrases that hurt demons the most, that Satan’s punishment for wanting to be God was the trifurcation of his personality (Lucifer, Beelzebub, Satan), that Satan’s Fall was in part due to his jealousy of God’s decree regarding the virgin Mary, that Lucifer wanted Mary’s beauty for himself, etc. (Augustine Institute, ibid.).
• That the exorcist or deliverance minister ought to command the demon to state its name. Once they have its name, they have power and authority over it to command it.
• That demons are removed by being cast out “in Jesus name.” “You can’t get demons out by prayer. We were not told to ask God to get the demons out, we were told to cast them out. Jesus gave us only one way. They have to be commanded out by us. You have to verbally call them out by name, the same way you get a dog’s attention. Demons must obey.” (Vlad Savchuk, How To Cast Out Demons – The Biblical Way; Sep. 7, 2021).
• That demoniacs will not touch a cross or crucifix, rather, they will recoil from it. That demons will be silent at “the name” of Jesus Christ. (Ken Zenk, Exorcism – Dr. Walter Martin; Oct. 17, 2016; Time: 42:00-44:00).

A few striking examples of demonic deception are in well known tales about Thomas Aquinas. Gisbertius Voetius (Selectarum Disputationum Theologicarum, vol. 1, p. 1033) references the latter as a clear example of demons inhabiting idols and speaking to people:

“The Doctors of the University of Paris consulted [Thomas Aquinas] one day about a difficult question regarding the Eucharist. He wrote his reply and placed it on the altar, submitting it to the judgment of God. His companion and several other brothers were there and watched him. Suddenly they saw Christ standing above the copy-book, and they heard these words: “Thou hast written well of the Sacrament of My Body, and thou hast well and truthfully answered the question that was put to thee, so far as it is possible to know these things on earth.” And stupefied, they saw the Saint joyfully lift himself up in the air about an arm’s length [i.e. levitate]. So strong was the attraction of his soul toward God, and so strong the love of God that drew him up.”

“Another time, at the convent of Naples, the sacristan saw him lifted up quite a distance from the floor of the chapel. He stayed a long time to look. Saint Thomas, turned towards the Crucifix, prayed and wept. And suddenly a voice came from the Crucifix: “Thou hast written well of Me, Thomas,” said the voice.” (Raïssa Maritain, Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Angel of the Schools, trans. Julie Kernan, ch. 21).