lot

An innovative Christian classic from one of Scotland’s best-known churchmen, The Crook in the Lot is a meditation upon man’s lot in life, with its basis in verse from the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes.

As well as being a prominent Presbyterian Church leader in the early 1700s, Thomas Boston was a prolific author. Although his entire corpus spans a total of twelve volumes, he also had a talent for writing shorter works that thoroughly and evocatively cover spiritual topics. So it is with The Crook in the Lot - the titular ’crook’ being the adversities and hardships that are encountered in life, and the ’lot’ being precisely how a person’s life is shaped by dint of God’s own determination.

Boston describes how to use the power of God’s wisdom and holiness to overcome various difficulties which beset a person in life. He lists the emotions, outlooks and states of mind which God sees as favourable; a believer taking this advice to heart is sure to ably navigate through conflicts and trials. By contrast Boston lists the emotional pitfalls which only serve to frustrate one’s harmony and path through life. The writing style, though dating from an era far-gone, is imbued with liveliness and wit of a passionate Christian.