holy law; and God justly so bowed their lot, that it became crooked too. And this crook in our lot inseparably follows our sinful condition, till, dropping this body of sin and death, we get within heaven's gates.

These being premised, a crook in the lot speaks in general, two things, (1.) Adversity, (2.) Continuance. Accordingly it makes a day of adversity, opposed to the day of prosperity, in the verse immediately following the text.

The crook in the lot is, first, some one or other piece of adversity. The prosperous part of one's lot, which goes forward according to one's wish, is the straight and even part of it; the adverse part, going a contrary way, is the crooked part thereof.

God hath intermixed these two in men's condition in this world; that, as there is some prosperity therein, making the straight line, so there is also some adversity, making the crooked: which mixture hath place, not only in the lot of saints, who are told, that "in the world they shall have tribulation," but even in the lot of all, as already observed. Secondly, it is adversity of some continuance. We do not reckon it a crooked thing, which, though forcibly bended and bowed together, yet presently recovers its former straightness. There are twinges of the rod of adversity, which passing like a stitch in one's side, all is immediately set to rights again: one's lot may be suddenly overclouded, and the cloud vanish ere he is aware. But under the crook, one having leisure to find his smart, is in some concern to get the crook made even. So the crook in the lot is adversity, continued for a shorter or longer time.

Now, there is a threefold crook in the lot incident to the children of men.

1. One made by a cross dispensation, which, how

Sometimes is long continued.

7

soever in itself passing, yet hath lasting effects. Such a crook did Herod's cruelty make in the lot of the mothers in Bethlehem, who by the murderers were left" weeping for their slain children, and would not be comforted, because they were not." Matth. ii. 18. A slip of the foot may soon be made, which will make a man go halting long after. 66 As the fishes are taken in an evil net: so are the sons of men snared in an evil time." Eccl. ix. 12. The thing may fall out in a moment, under which the party shall go halting to the grave.

2. There is a crook made by a train of cross dispensations, whether of the same or different kinds, following hard one upon another, and leaving lasting effects behind them. Thus in the case of Job, while one messenger of evil tidings was yet speaking, another came. Jobi. 16-18. Cross events coming one upon the neck of another, deep calling unto deep, make a sore crook. In that case, the party is like unto one, who, recovering his sliding foot from one unfirm piece of ground, sets it on another equally unfirm, which immediately gives way under him Joo: or, like unto one, who, travelling in an unknown mountainous track, after having, with difficulty, made his way over one mountain, is expecting to see the plain country; but, instead thereof, there comes in view, time after time, a new mountain to be passed. This crook in Asaph's lot had like to have made him give up all his religion, until he went into the sanctuary, where this mystery of providence was unriddled to him. Psal. lxxiii. 13-17. Solomon observes, "That there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked." Eccl. viii. 14. Providence taking a run against them, as if they were to be run down for good and all. Whoever they be, whose life in no part thereof

holy law; and God justly so bowed their lot, that it became crooked too. And this crook in our lot inseparably follows our sinful condition, till, dropping this body of sin and death, we get within heaven's gates.

These being premised, a crook in the lot speaks in general, two things, (1.) Adversity, (2.) Continuance. Accordingly it makes a day of adversity, opposed to the day of prosperity, in the verse immediately following the text.

The crook in the lot is, first, some one or other piece of adversity. The prosperous part of one's lot, which goes forward according to one's wish, is the straight and even part of it; the adverse part, going a contrary way, is the crooked part thereof. God hath intermixed these two in men's condition in this world; that, as there is some prosperity therein, making the straight line, so there is also some adversity, making the crooked: which mixture hath place, not only in the lot of saints, who are told, that "in the world they shall have tribulation," but even in the lot of all, as already observed. Secondly, it is adversity of some continuance. We do not reckon it a crooked thing, which, though forcibly bended and bowed together, yet presently recovers its former straightness. There are twinges of the rod of adversity, which passing like a stitch in one's side, all is immediately set to rights again: one's lot may be suddenly overclouded, and the cloud vanish ere he is aware. But under the crook, one having leisure to find his smart, is in some concern to get the crook made even. So the crook in the lot is adversity, continued for a shorter or longer time.

Now, there is a threefold crook in the lot incident to the children of men.

1. One made by a cross dispensation, which, how

Sometimes is long continued.

7

soever in itself passing, yet hath lasting effects. Such a crook did Herod's cruelty make in the lot of the mothers in Bethlehem, who by the murderers were left" weeping for their slain children, and would not be comforted, because they were not." Matth. ii. 18. A slip of the foot may soon be made, which will make a man go halting long after. 'As the fishes are taken in an evil net: so are the sons of men snared in an evil time." Eccl. ix. 12. The thing may fall out in a moment, under which the party shall go halting to the grave.

66

2. There is a crook made by a train of cross dispensations, whether of the same or different kinds, following hard one upon another, and leaving lasting effects behind them. Thus in the case of Job, while one messenger of evil tidings was yet speaking, another came. Jobi. 16-18. Cross events coming one upon the neck of another, deep calling unto deep, make a sore crook. In that case, the party is like unto one, who, recovering his sliding foot from one unfirm piece of ground, sets it on another equally unfirm, which immediately gives way under him loo: or, like unto one, who, travelling in an unknown mountainous track, after having, with difficulty, made his way over one mountain, is expecting to see the plain country; but, instead thereof, there comes in view, time after time, a new mountain to be passed. This crook in Asaph's lot had like to have made him give up all his religion, until he went into the sanctuary, where this mystery of providence was unriddled to him. Psal. Ixxiii. 13-17. Solomon observes, "That there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked." Eccl. viii. 14. Providence taking a run against them, as if they were to be run down for good and all. Whoever they be, whose life in no part thereof

affords them experience of this, sure Joseph missed not of it in his young days, nor Jacob in his middle days, nor Peter in his old days, nor our Saviour all his days.

3. There is a crook made by one cross dispensation, with lasting effects thereof coming in the room of another removed. Thus one crook straightened, there is another made in its place: and so there is still a crook. Want of children had long been the crook in Rachel's lot. Gen. xxx. 1. That was at length made even to her mind; but then she got another in its stead, hard labour in travailing to bring forth. Chap. xxxv. 16. This world is a wilderness, in which we may indeed get our station changed; but the remove will be out of one wilderness station to another. When one part of the lot is made even, soon some other part thereof will be crooked.

More particularly, the crook in the lot hath in it four things of the nature of that which is crooked.

(1.) Disagreeableness. A crooked thing is wayward; and, being laid to a rule, answers it not, but declines from it. There is not, in any body's lot, any such thing as a crook, in respect of the will and purposes of God. Take the most harsh and dismal dispensation in one's lot, and lay it to the eternal decree, made in the depth of infinite wisdom, before the world began, and it will answer it exactly, without the least deviation, "all things being wrought after the counsel of his will." Eph. i. 11. Lay it to the providential will of God, in the government of the world, and there is a perfect harmony.—If Paul is to be bound at Jerusalem, and "delivered into the hands of the Gentiles," it is "the will of the Lord it should be so." Acts xxi. 11, 14. Wherefore, the greatest crook of the lot on earth, is straight in heaven: there is no disagreeableness in it there.