I. What it is to consider the crook as the -wor/:

of God, we take it up in these five things.
Firsts An enquiry into the spring whence it ri- seth, Gen. xxv. 22. Reafon and religion both teach us, not only to notice the crook, which we cannot avoid, but to consider and enquire into the spring of it. Surely, it it not our choice, nor do we designedly make it for ourselves: and to ascribe it to fortune is to asCribe it to nothing ; it is not sprung of itself, but sown by one hand or another for us, Job v. 6. And we are to notice the hand from whence it conies.
Secondly^ A perceiving of the ha7ido£ God in It. Whatever hand any creature hath therein, wc ought not to terminate our view in them, but look above and beyond them to the supreme managers agency therein. Job i, 21. Without this we make a god of the creature instrumental of the crook.
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looking on it as if it were the first cause, which is peculiar to God, Rom. xi. 36. and bring ourselves under that doom. Psalm xxvili. 5. '* Because *' they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the '" operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, '' and not build them up."
Thirdly-) A representing it to ounelves as a \Tork of God, which he hath wrought against us for ho- ly and wise ends, becoming the divine perfections. This is to take it by the right handle, to represent it to ourselves under a right notion, from whence a right management under it may spring. It can never be safe to overlook God in it, but very safe to overlook the creature, ascribing it unto God, as if no other hand were in it, his being always the principal therein. *' Ii is the Lord, let him "do what seemeth him good,'* 1 Sana. iii. 18. Thus David overlooked Shemei, and looked to God in the matter of his cursing, as one would the as, fixing his eye on him that wielded it. Here two things are to come into consideration:
1^^, The decree of God purposing that crook for us from eternity ; *' for he worketh all things " by the counsel of his own will," Eph. i. 11. the sealed book in which are written all the black lines that make the crook. Whatever valley of dark- ness, grief, and sorrow we are carried through, we are to look on them as made by the mountains of brass, the immoveable divine purposes, Zech, vi. 1. This can be no presumption in that case, if we carry it no f^.rther than the event goes in our sight and feeling; for so far the book i^ opaied for us to look into.
2^/y, The providence of God bringing to pass that crook for v^s in time, Amos iii, 6. There i^
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74 Trie Crook in the Lot.
nothing can bcfal us without him in whom we hve# Whatever kind of agency of the creatures, may be in the making of our crook, whatever they have done or not done towards it, he is the spring that sets all the created wheels in motion, which ceasing they would all stop ; though he is still infinitely pure in his agency, however impure they be in theirs. Job considered both these, chap, xxiii. 14.
Fourthly^ A continuing in the thought of it as such. It is not a simple glance of the eye, but a contemplating and leisurely viewing of it as his work, that is the proper mean. We are to be,
1st, Habitually impressed with this considera- tion : as the crook is some lasting grievance, so the consideration of this as the remedy should be ha- bitually kept up. There arc other considerations besides this that we must entertain, so that we cimnot alwa} s have it expressly in our mind : but we must lay it down for a rooted principle, accord- ing to which we are to manage the crook, and keep the heart in a disposition, v/hereby it mav slip into our minds, as occasion calls expressly.
2dlij, Occasionally exercised in it. Whenever we begin to feel the smart of the crook, \ft shouid fetch in this remedy; when the yoke begins to gall the neck, there should be an application of this spiritual ointment. And however often the former comes in on us, it will be our wisdom to fetch in the latter as the proper remedy ; the oft- cner it is used, it will more easily come to hand, Jind also be the more effectuaL
Fifihlrj^ A considering it for the end for which it is proposed to us, rzz. to briag to a dutiful car- riage under it. Men's corruptions will cause ther to enter on this consideration : ^nd as is the nrii
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cipie^ so will the end and effect of it be corrupt, 2 Kings vi. 33. But we must enter on, and use it for a good end, if we would have good of it, tak- ing it as a practical consideration for regulating our conduct under the crook.