is while, 'tis a Direction that has been
wisely given us; _When he speaks fair, Believe him not, for there are
seven Abominations in his Heart._

IV. Things in themselves _Allowable_ and _Convenient_, are oftentimes
turned into sore _Temptations_ by the Devil. He press'd our Lord unto
the making of _Bread_; Why, that very thing was afterwards done by our
Lord, in the Miracles of the _Loaves_; and yet it is now a motion of the
_Devil_, _Pray, make thy self a Little Bread._ The Devil will frequently
put men by, from the doing of a _seasonable Duty_; but how? Truly by
putting us upon another _Duty_, which may be at that juncture a most
_Unseasonable_ Thing. It is said in _Eccl. 8.5._ _A Wise Mans heart
discerns both Time and Judgment._ The _Ill-Timing_ of good Things, is
One of the chief Intregues, which the Devil has to Prosecute. The Devil
himself, will Egg us on to many a _Duty_; and why so? But because at
that very Time a more proper and Useful Duty, will have a _Supersedeas_
given thereunto. And, thus there are many Things, whereof we can say,
though no more than this, yet so much as this, _They are Lawful ones_,
by which Lawful Things----_Perimus Omnes._ Where shall we find that the
Devil has laid our most fatal Snares? Truly, our Snares are on the
_Bed_, where it is _Lawful_ for us to Sleep; at the _Board_, where it is
_Lawful_ for us to Sit; in the _Cup_, where 'tis _Lawful_ to Drink; and
in the _Shops_, where we have _Lawful_ Business to do. The _Devil_ will
decoy us, unto the utmost Edge of the _Liberty_ that is _Lawful_ for us;
and then one Little push, hurries us into a Transgression against the
Lord. And the _Devil_ by Inviting us to a _Lawful_ thing, at a wrong
time for it, Layes us under further Entanglement of Guilt before God.
'Tis _Lawful_ for People to use Recreations; but in the Evening of the
Lords Day, or the Morning of any Day, how Ensnaring are they! The
_Devil_ then too commonly bears part in the Sport. If _Promiscuous
Dancing_ were Lawful; though almost all the Christian Churches in the
World, have made a Scandal of it; yet for Persons to go presently from a
_Sermon_ to a _Dance_, is to do a thing, which Doubtless the _Devil_
makes good Earnings of.

V. To _distrust_ Gods Providence and Protection, is one of the worst
things, into which the Devil by his _Temptations_ would be hurrying of
us. He would fain have driven our Lord unto a Suspicion of Gods care
about Him, said the Devil, _You may dy fo