Directions for Daily Communion with God (continued)
provisions for the whole week, but we must wait on him every day, and all the day, as those that live from hand to mouth, and yet live very easy.
4. We must resist our daily temptations, and do our daily duties in the strength of his grace. Every day brings its temptations with it; our Master knew that when he taught us, as duly as we pray for our daily bread, to pray that we might not be led into temptation. There is no business we engage in, no enjoyment we partake of, but it has its snares attending it; Satan by it assaults us, and endeavors to draw us into sin: Now sin is the great evil we should be continually upon our guard against, as Nehemiah was, ch. 6:13. Nehemiah 6:13 (KJV) That I should be afraid, and do so, and sin. And we have no way to secure ourselves but by the waiting on God all the day, we must not only in the morning put ourselves under the protection of his grace, but we must all day keep ourselves under the shelter of it; must not only go forth, but go on in dependence upon that grace which he hath said shall be sufficient for us, that care which will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able. Our waiting upon God will furnish us with the best arguments to make use of in resisting temptations, and with strength according to the day; be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, and then we wait on the Lord all the day.
We have duty to do, many an opportunity of speaking good words, and doing good works, and we must see and own that we are not sufficient of ourselves for any thing that is food, not so much as to think a good thought: we must therefore wait upon God, must seek to him, and depend on him, for that light and fire, that wisdom and zeal, which is necessary to the due discharge of our duty; that by his grace we may not only be fortified against every evil word and work, but furnished for every good word and work. From the fullness that is in Jesus Christ, we must by faith be continually drawing grace for grace, grace for all gracious exercises; grace to help in every time of need: We must wait on this grace, must follow the conduct of it, comply with the operations of it, and must be turned to it as wax to the seal.
5. We must bear our daily afflictions with submission to his will; We are bid to expect trouble in the flesh, something or other happens every day that grieves us, something in our relations, something in our callings,