"Another subtlety [of the devil] is to draw men to evil, 'sub specie boni,' under a pretence of good. The pirate does mischief by hanging out false colours; so does Satan by hanging out the colours of religion. He puts some men upon sinful actions, and persuades them much good will come of it. He tells them in some cases that they may dispense with the rule of the Word, and stretch their conscience beyond that line, that they may be in a capacity of doing more service. As if God needed our sin to raise his glory.
"Satan tempts to sin gradually. As the gardener digs about the root of a tree, and by degrees loosens it, and at last it falls. Satan steals by degrees into the heart: he is at first more modest. He did not say to Eve at first, 'Eat the apple'; no, but he goes more subtly to work; he puts forth a question: 'Hath God said?' 'Surely, Eve, you are mistaken; the bountiful God never intended to debar one of the best trees of the garden.' 'Hath God said?' 'Surely, either God did not say it; or if He did, He never really intended it.' Thus by degrees [the devil] wrought her to distrust and then she took of the fruit and ate. Oh, take heed of Satan's first motions to sin, that seem more modest--'principiis obsta.' He is first a fox, and then a lion."
