First of all, we are then said to hearken to the voice of Christ as we should do, when we first seek to him, and depend wholly and only upon him for direction. I do not say, but we may use all good means and helps that God shall please to put in our hands: But this I say, howsoever we may use other means, yet we must depend upon no other but the Lord Jesus: first of all have recourse unto him, and withal resolve, that he only shall cast the scale, that his direction shall only stand with us, in whatsoever case it is we desire counsel. And then the soul is said indeed to depend upon Christ for direction, when it doth acknowledge a kind of sovereignty in him, and also an all-sufficiency to direct a man: so that howsoever we sometimes hear the counsel of others, and hearken to the voice of the Minister and of private friends, yet we ever use them, but as means to bring us to Christ, and to reveal his counsel unto us: and there being diversity of opinions, and variety of judgements in many matters of Religion, and that amongst godly and learned men, yet in all points, that which mainly casteth the scales with us, is not the learning or holiness of this, or that man, but the so veraignty and authority of Christ, what he saith, what his mind and his judgement is, and what he would have us to do, This is the depending of the soul upon Christ. You shall observe in the Old Testament, how this course was ever taken up by the Saints in any matter of difficulty, how they had always recourse to the counsel of God, and made their repair to his mouth. We may read how often David did this, 1 Sam. 23. When the matter was in much question, and he in a great straight, and every one gave in their several opinions, he went and enquired of the ⟨p. 129⟩Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? verse 2. And when the Lord bad him go, and his followers were utterly against it, he enquired yet again, verse 4. and in the conclusion the counsel of the Lord bore the sway with him, though in the judgement of flesh and blood it seemed the worse. So again, verse 11. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into the hands of Saul? will Saul come down? &c. So Psal. 85. when he had long pleaded with God, as it were, in the time of Extremity, see whither he had recourse at the last, and upon what he settled himself: verse 8.
First of all, we are then said to hearken to the voice of Christ as we should doe, when we first seek to him, and depend wholly and onely upon him for direction. I doe not say, but we may use all good meanes and helpes that God shall please to put in our hands: But this I say, howsoever we may use other meanes, yet we must depend upon no other but the Lord Jesus: first of all have recourse unto him, and withall resolve, that he onely shall cast the scale, that his direction shall onely stand with us, in whatsoever case it is we desire counsell. And then the soule is said indeed to depend upon Christ for direction, when it doth acknowledge a kind of soveraignty in him, and also an all-sufficiency to direct a man: so that howsoever we sometimes heare the counsell of others, and hearken to the voyce of the Minister and of private friends, yet we ever use them, but as means to bring us to Christ, and to reveale his counsell unto us: and there being diversity of opinions, and variety of judgements in many matters of Religion, and that amongst godly and learned men, yet in all points, that which mainly casteth the scales with us, is not the learning or holinesse of this, or that man, but the so veraignty and authority of Christ, what he saith, what his mind and his judgement is, and what he would have us to doe, This is the depending of the soule upon Christ. You shall observe in the Old Testament, how this course was ever taken up by the Saints in any matter of difficulty, how they had alwayes recourse to the counsell of God, and made their repair to his mouth. We may read how often David did this, 1 Sam. 23. When the matter was in much question, and he in a great straight, and every one gave in their severall opinions, he went and enquired of the ⟨p. 129⟩Lord, saying, Shall I goe and smite these Philistines? verse 2. And when the Lord bad him goe, and his followers were utterly against it, he enquired yet again, verse 4. and in the conclusion the counsell of the Lord bore the sway with him, though in the judgement of flesh and blood it seemed the worse. So again, verse 11. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into the hands of Saul? will Saul come down? &c. So Psal. 85. when he had long pleaded with God, as it were, in the time of Extremity, see whither he had recourse at the last, and upon what he setled himselfe: verse 8.
