I. As to the crook itself, the crock in the lot ;

for the better unrlerstanding thereof, these fe\T things that follow are premised.
1 . There is a certain train or course of events, by the providence of God, falling to Qxery one of us during our life in this >vorld : And that this is our lot, as being allotted to as by the sovereign God, our Creator and Governor, " m whose hand ** mtr breath is, and whose are all our rvays,-^ This train of events is widely different to different persons, according to the will and pleasure of the sovereign manager, who ordereth men's conditions in the world in a great variety, some moving in a higher, some in a lower sphere.
2. In that train or course of events, some fall out cross to us, and aguinst the grain ; and these make the crook in our lot. ^V^hile we are her^, there will be cross events, as well as agreeable ones, in our lot and condition. Sometimes things are softly and agreeably gliding on ; but, bye and bye, there is some incident which alters that course, grates us, and pains us, as when having made a wrong step, we begin to halt.
3. Kvery body's lot in this world hath som i:rook in it. Complainers are apt to make odious comparisons ; they look about, and taking a dxstant view of the condition of others, can discern no- thing in it but what is straight, and just to one's wish ; so they pronounce their neighbour's lot wholly str.Tight. But tl;at is a false verdict ; there is no perfection here ; no lot out of hr-^vr^ ^"\\h
7 he Crook in the Lc.:. 17
9UX a Cxook. For, as to " all tlie v/orks that are *' done under the 3un» behold all is vunit}- aad vcs- '"' atioii of spirit. That which is crookea Cvinnot be *' made straight." Eccl. i. 14-, 15.- Vvlio would have thought but Haman^s lot was ver)^ strai^h'-, while his family was i.\ a flourishing conJiiion, and he prospering in riches and honour, being prime minister of state in the Persian court, and stmding high in the king's favour : Yet there was, at the same time, a crook in his lot, v,hich so grill- ed him, that *' all this availed him ucthmg." Kiiih. X'. 13. Every one feels for himself, where h- is pinched, though others perceive it not. No bod} 's iot, in this world, is u holly crooked ; there are alv/ays some straight and even p-irts it. Indeed, v.'hen men's passions, having got up, have case a ir.istpvcr their minds, thty are ready fo si.y, aU is wrong with them, noth„ng right; but tliough'in hell t!iat tale is, and ever will be true, yet it is ne- v^er true in this world ; for ihere^ indeed, there is not a drop of comfort allowed, Luke xvi. 2j. but herd it always holds good, that *' it is ot th-. Lor„:'s *' mercies that we are not consumed," Lam. iii. 22.
4. Tl^e crook in the lot came into the world by sin: it v/as owing to ihe fail, Rom. v. 12. ** By " one man sin entered into the world, and death by "sin; under v/hich death, the crook in the lot is comprehended, as a stiite oi comfort or prosjjtrit:'. •5, in scripture st}'le, exprestby livini^^ 1 Sam. xxv. o. John iv. 50. 51. Sin so bowed the hearts and >:nind'j of men, as they became crooked in respect of the holy law; and God justly so bowed their iot, as it became crooked too. And this crook in ^urlot inseparably follows our sinful condition, till, Iropping this body of sin and death, wc ^ti v, ith- n h-avc-^'s gales.
1 8 The Crook in thelfiU
These being prciuised, a crook in the ht apeak*:, in the general, tv.o things, (1.) Adversity, {2.)Cc?:' tinuance* Accordingly it mukcs a day of adver- sity^ opposed to the day cf pro-^^p"*-^^". in t^i'i verse immediately following th- text.
The crook in the lot is, Firat^ Some one or otner piece of adversity* The prosperous part of one's lot, which goes forwnrd according to one's wish, is the straight and even part of it; the advers'- part, going a contrarj^ way, is t,he crookrfd part thereof. God hath intermixed these two in m ^-i'- rondition in this world; that, as there is ^ prosperiiy therein making the straight lin. r.here is also some adversity, making the crc- The which mixture hath place, not only in \?. of saints, who are told, that in the -world ihey . have tribulation^ but even in the lot of ail, r^ a. ready observed. Secondly^ It is adversity of some continuance. We do not reckon it a crooked thinj:, which, tho* forcibly bended and bowed together, vet presently recovers its former straiglunes^ These are twinges of the rod of adversity, v/ ' •asslng like a stitch in one's side, all is immec'; * ly set to righi.3 again; one's lot m:\v he suddeul" overclouded, and the cloud ^vanish ere he is r. ware. Eut under the crook, one havirg leisure t j f.nd hit; smart, is in some concern to get the crook evened. So the crook in the lot is adversity, continucil for shoiter or longer time.
l-^ow^ there is a threefold crc :^^ i- dent to the children of men.
1. Oi»c made by a cross dispensation., howsoever in itself, passing, yet hath lasting effects. Such a crook did Herod' J' cruelty make, itithe lot of the mothers in Bethlehem, who by the murder- ers were I f: **v/ccpii!g for their shin children, and ' u'Q.^d net S>^ cojnforted, because tliey were not"
riie Crook VI the Lot> 1^
Mat ii, 18. A slip of the foot may soon be made, which will make a maa go halting all along aftero ** As the fishes are taken in an evil net, — So are the *' sons of men shared in an evil time," £ccl. ix. 12. The thing may fall out in a moment, under which the party ahall go halting to the grave.
2. There is a crook made by a train of cross dispensatioiiSj v.'hether of the same or diifereni kinds, following hard one upon another, and leav- ing lasting effvicts behind them. Thus in the cacr of Job, while one messenger of evil tidings xvas yet iipeaking^ another came^ Job i. 16 — 18. Cross e- vents coming, one upon the neck of another, deep callinq" unto cfeep, make a sore crook. In that case the party is like unto one, who recovering his sli- ding foot from one unfirm piece of ground, sets it on another equally unfirm, which immediately gives way under him too : or, like unto one, who travelling in an unknov/n mountaneous tract, after iiaving, with difficulty, made his Vv-ay 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 hisreligion, until hezvent i:ito thcsanctiKtrn, where this mystery of providence v/as unriddfed to him, ?sal. Ixiii. 13 — 17. Solomon observes, 'VT^j/. *' there be just men, unto whom it happeneth ac- *' cording to the work of the wicked," Eccl. viii.- 14. Providence taking a run against them, as ii they v^ere to be run dov/n for good and all. Who- ever they be, v/hcse 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 da^-s, nor our Saviour aii hie
20 'I'hc O:ok in the Lot.
3. There !s ;i crook made by one cross dispen- -ifi ' X effects thereof coming into tK
ro.^r.i v^; »ii.v>ii.ci- removed. Thus one croos straightened, there is anotlicr made in its plac: : and so there is still a crook. Want of cliildren ;iad lon^-j been the crook in Kachers lot, Gen. xxr.