III. In what sense it is to be understood, that

we will not be able to mend, or even the crook in our lot.
Negat'ivehj^ It is not to be understood, as if the case were absolutely hopeless^ and that there is no remedy for the crook in the lot. For there is no case so desperate but God may right it, Gen. xviii. 14. " Is any thing too hard for the Lord ?" Whea the crook has continued long, and spurned all re- medies one has used fur it, one is ready to lose hope about it; but many a crook, given over for hopeless that would never mend, God has made perfectly straight, as in Job's case.
But, Positively^ We will never be able to mend it by cursehci; ; if the Lord himself take it not m hand to remove it, it will stand before us im- moveable, like a mountain of brass, though per- haps it may be in itself a thing that might easily be removed. We take it up in these three things :
1. It will never do by the mereyi?rc 1 Sam. ii, 9. — " For^ by strength shall n© man *' prevail. — " The most vigorous endeavours we can use will not even the crook, if God give it not a touch of his hand ; so that all endeavours that way, without an eye to God, are vain and fruitless, and will be but plowing on the rock, Psalittcxxvii-
The Crook hi the Lot. 57
2. The use of all allowable means, for it will be successless unless the Lord bless them for that end. Lam. iii, 37* " Who is he that saith, and it com- *'eth to pass, vrhen the Lord commandeth it *'not?" As one may eat, and not be satisfied, so one may use means proper for evening^ the crook in the lot, and yet prevail nothing ; for nothing can be or do for us any more than God makes it to be or do, EccL ix. 11. "The race is not to the *' swift, nor the battle to the strong ; neither yet "bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of un- *' derstanding,'' Sec.
3. It will never do in our ti?nc, but in God*s time, which seldom is so early as ours, John vii. 6, — " My time is not yet come, but your time is *' always ready," Hence that crook remains some- times immoveable, as if it were kept by an invisi- ble hand ; and at another time it goes away with a touch, because God^s time is come for evening It.