Note, 1. Contentions commonly happen among the mighty, that are jealous
for their honour and right and stand upon the punctilios of both, that
are confident of their being able to make their part good and therefore
will hardly condescend to the necessary terms of an accommodation;
whereas those that are poor are forced to be peaceable, and sit down
losers. 2. Even the contentions of the mighty may be ended by lot if
they cannot otherwise be compromised, and sometimes better so than by
arguments which are endless, or concessions which they are loth to
stoop to, whereas it is no disparagement to a man to acquiesce in the
determination of the lot when once it is referred to that. To prevent
quarrels Canaan was divided by lot; and, if lusory lots had not
profaned this way of appeal to Providence, perhaps it might be very
well used now for the deciding of many controversies, both to the
honour of God and the satisfaction of the parties, provided it were
done with prayer and due solemnity, this and some other scriptures
seeming to direct to it, especially Acts i. 26. If the law be a lottery
(as some have called it), it were as well that a lottery were the law.