This week is a mixture of sabbatical plus involvement in the Kidlington Holiday Club (plus the ongoing filling of boxes in preparation for the arrival of the electrician!) The Holiday Club has been a real encouragement with a number of youngsters coming who have had little contact with the Bible before.

Tempting as it is to write about my preparations to perform in the Holiday Club drama as Spot, second in command on the Starship Kidlington, I thought I would talk instead about Thomas Brooks’ work Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices. First published in 1652, the book shares many of the characteristics of the Puritans’ writings. It is painstakingly detailed- Brookes lists 36 ways in which Satan attacks people and provides, in total, 195 remedies to be adopted in response. As many of you know I prefer the broad brush to the detailed paintwork- and as I read the book there were various times when I was crying out for greater brevity. However, the compensation (and other Puritan writers seem to share this ability) is just how perceptively Brooks deals with the heart. There were times when I sensed he was reading my thoughts. I can’t think of many modern authors (perhaps Paul Tripp would be an exception) who are as good at probing the thoughts of our hearts and applying the Gospel into them rather than staying at a surface level of application.

Brooks’ main contention comes at the start- “Satan has a greater influence upon men than they think he has.” There’s definitely something in that- we constantly forget that we are engaged in a spiritual battle. So in order to equip us to spot and resist Satan’s work, Brooks describes the various methods that he uses in order to attack believers. There are three main sections- how Satan encourages us to sin, stops us serving wholeheartedly and causes us to doubt that we are genuine believers- before a few concluding comments which include material on how Satan stirs up division within the church. After each of Satan’s devices has been listed there are remedies provided.

I thought I would mention some of the devices and remedies that particularly struck me. The first device that Brooks says Satan uses is to tempt us to sin by “presenting the bait and hiding the hook.” Sin is presented as attractive but once it has been enjoyed it yields a bitter sense of regret and a sense of distance from the Lord. The remedies are therefore clear- “to look on sin with that eye with which within a few hours we shall see it…Sin will surely prove evil and bitter to the soul when its robes are taken off.”

Brooks picks up how Satan entices us to sin by telling us that it doesn’t matter- God will forgive us anyway. He reminds us that God’s mercy should produce grateful service: “to argue from mercy to sinful liberty is devil’s logic.”

He talks about how the devil will use the attractions of the world to snare us. The remedy is put strikingly- “A man may have enough of the world to sink him, but he can never have enough to satisfy him.” On the flip side of this, the devil may present the sufferings that a Christian may face in order to discourage a believer from being wholehearted. This produces a long section on the benefits of sufferings in order to keep the believer depending on the Lord.

The chapters helping believers to face up to Satan’s accusations that they are not even Christians is written with warm sensitivity. “There may be true faith where there is much doubting.” There is a clear call not to be discouraged because of the ongoing presence of sin in our lives- we are to believe that Christ has paid for it all. “To sit down discouraged when the debt is satisfied is sin.”

Satan’s threat to our unity is handled with real wisdom. “Dwell more upon one another’s graces than upon one another’s weaknesses and infirmities.” “Dwell upon those commands of God that require you to love one another.” “Dwell upon those choice and sweet things wherein you agree, than upon those things wherein you differ.”

Ultimately our strength in all these battles comes from Christ. “All divine power and strength against sin flows from the soul’s union and communion with Christ…Sin always dies most when faith lives most.” The power to resist Satan comes from a faith that looks to and enjoys communion with Jesus. The good news is that victory is assured. The book ends by reminding us that we can fight confidently because we know that Satan is on God’s leash and will ultimately be destroyed. “Though Satan be a roaring lion, yet Christ, who is the lion of the tribe of Judah, will make Satan fly and fall before you. Let Satan do his worst, yet you shall have the honour and the happiness to triumph over him.”

I am glad that I read this. Apart from anything else it reminded me to be diligent in spotting Satan’s attempts to attack me- something that can be easily forgotten. And it has made me long for the day when the battle is finally won when Jesus returns.

You can download the book for free here. It is a long read- perhaps have a look at the contents and see which chapters may be particularly appropriate for you?