344 \ . 0/a providential Call the Divine direCl:ion ; Prov. iv. r 2. ' When tho'u runnefl, thou !halt not fiumb]e.' But Chtifiians !hould ~ccufiom ·themfe1ves to lay their matter~ before the· Lord, in folemn pra)'~r, for light ~nqdireCtion· there~ · i!1, as far as circumfiances do per'mit~ .. So did Abra:. ham's pious fe(llarit, Wfth' the affair his mafier had ;eommitted to him, Gen. xxiv.. 12, 13, 14. And ac– cordingly had ,a pleafur.able experiehce ofthe_a·ccom– plHhment of the pi·o~1ife· relative to that c~(e, Prov. iv. 12. ' When tnou· ·goefl, thy fie'ps lhiill not be fl:raitned.' And where they ar~ to be determined in c:r I matter of fpecial weight, fuch as t~e change of their lot, the choice of their employment, fome momentubils .undertaking, or any the like occ\irrences·ih li'fe_ whei~eof ferious · ~hrifiia~s wi~l fin'd not' a few allowing them time and opp6rtuni'ty to deliberate on them; that is a fpecial occafiori for extraordinary prayer with fafiing, for light fl·om the 'Lord the Fath~r of-tights, to difcover what is their duty thereiq, and what he is · calling them to in the' fuatter. Sothecaptivesreturnin'g· ' fi·om Baby/on with Ezrti, kepf a .fail at the rive( .Ahava, ' to feek of God a right way,' Ezra viii. ir. , Tenthly, '\Vhen duty being cleared in a inafter of fpeciul weight, it comes_fo the fettip"g to; in which ~vent one needs the prefence of God with him there– in, the Divine . bleffing upon it, and' fuccefs . in it. Thus E!lher being to ' go in unto the kh1g, to make requefl: for •'her people,' there was fo~eliui fafiing-, on that occafion, ' ufcd by her and the Jews in Shtijhan, Efih. iv. 8, 16. And' Barnabas and Saul being called. of God unto a fpecial'work, w~re not f'entaw~y to it,, hut after f:'lfling and prayer, ACl:s xiii. 2, 3· V'{ e· rieed ·n ot only light from the Lord to difco·ver unto us our duty.in par~icular cafes ; _bu·t that ~eirig ~btained? we n eed alfo his prefence to goalong w1th us m the thmg, . t hat we may be enabled rightly to make our way, \vhich he bids us go. Therefore faid Mo(es, Exod. ' x xxiii. 15' ' 1f thy prefence ' go not with me, carry us . '·
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