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than one (saith Solomon) and woe be to him that is alone, Eccles. iv. 9, 10.

2. When you are alone, you must be very watchful, and stand upon your guard, lest you fall into manifold temptations of the devil; for solitariness is Satan's opportunity, Gen. iii. 1, xxxix. 11, 2 Sam. xi. 2, Matt. iv. 1; which he will not lose, as the manifold examples in Scripture, and our daily experience, do witness. Wherefore you must have a ready eye to observe, and a heart ready bent to resist all his assaults. And it will now the more concern you to keep close to God, and not lose his company; that through the weapons of your Christian warfare, you may by the power of God's might quit yourself, and stand fast, Eph. vi. 10, &c.

3. Take special heed, lest when you be alone, you, yourself, conceive, devise, or indulge any evil, to which your nature is then most prone.

And beware in particular, lest you commit alone, by yourself, contemplative wickedness, Mic. ii. 1, Psa. xxxvi. 4, Matt. v. 28; which is, when by feeding your fancy, and pleasing yourself in covetous, lustful, revengeful, ambitious, or other wicked thoughts, you act that in your mind and fancy, which, either for fear, or shame, you dare not, or for want of opportunity or means, you cannot act otherwise.

4. When you are alone, be sure that you are well and fully exercised about something that is good, either in the works of your calling, or in reading, or in holy meditation or prayer. For whensoever Satan does find you idle, and out of employment in some or other of those works which God has appointed, he will take that as an opportunity to use you for himself, and to employ you in some of his works, Matt. xii. 44. But if you keep always in your place; and to some or other good work of your place, you are under God's special protection, as the bird in the law was, while she sat upon her eggs or young ones, keeping her own nest; in which case no man might hurt her, Deut. xxii. 6.

I have already showed how you should behave