LOT 
Lev xv!. He required slfo, that the land of promife 
ihould be divided by lot. Numb. xxvi. xxxiii. xxxvi. 
The prieIts and levites in like manner liad cities given 
them by lot. ]ofn. xxi. In the time of David, the twenty- 
four dalles of the prielts and levites were diltributed by 
lot to determine their order of waiting in the temple, 
i Chr. xxiv. xxv. xxvi. In the divilion of the fpoil 
after viftory, lots were caft likewife, to diftribute to each 
his portion. In the New Teflament, the foldiers caft lots 
for Jefus Chrift's garments, (Matth. xxvii. 35.) as had 
been foretold by the prophet, (Pf. xxii. i8.) After the 
death of Judas, lots were caft to decide which of the per- 
fons ihould fucceed that traitor. A 3 s i. 26.—The manner of 
calling lots, we do not find defcribed clearly in Scripture ; 
and interpreters difagree ahout it; feveral methods were 
11 fed. Solomon in the Proverbs, points out one mode : 
The lot is cajl into the lap ; but the whole difpojing thereof is of 
the Lord. Prov. xvi. 3. Lots therefore were caft into fome 
perfon’s lap, or into a helmet, or an urn ; there they were 
lhaken together, and afterwards drawn out. Whatever 
might have been the mode, the ufe of lots is not prohi¬ 
bited ; for God even enjoins it on fome occafions ; and 
the moll hoiy perfons of the Old and New Teftament 
praeiifed it. The wile man acknowledges the ufefulnefs 
of this cullom in thefe words : The lot caufetk contentions to 
LOT 
675 
gate, perceived them, and intreated them to lodge in his 
lioufe. The angels at firft refufed ; but, Lot prefling 
them, they went in, and he provided an entertainment 
for them. But, before they were retired to reft, the in¬ 
habitants of the city befieged Lot’s honfe, exclaiming, 
Where are the men which came in to thee this night ? bring them 
out unto us, that we may know them. As they were on tbe 
point of breaking open tbe door, the angels ftruck ali 
thole deteftably-wicked men with blindnels. They then 
direfled Lot, to colled his family together, and to quic 
the city, as being condemned to deftruftion. Lot went 
and informed his fons in law of this dreadful denuncia¬ 
tion ; but bis intelligence they regarded as an idle fancy. 
In the morning, as loon as it was day, the angels took 
Lot, his wife, and daughters, by the hand, and drew them 
forcibly, as it were, out of their houfe, faying, “ Save 
yourfelves in all halte ; look not behind you, left you be 
involved in the general deftrutlion.” Lot intreated the 
angels that he might retire toZoar, which was one of the 
five cities doomed to be deftroyed. The angels confented : 
but Lot’s wile, looking behind her, was overtaken in the 
flame, which fellfromheaven, and which confumed Sodom, 
with the.country about it; whereby (lie was changed into 
a pillar of fait. Lot, having beheld the fad calamity of 
Sodom, had not courage to abide in Zoar; but left if*and 
ceafe, and parteth between the mighty. Prov. xviii. 18. But it retreated with his two daughters to a cave in fome moun- 
cannot be denied that calling Iocs is fouietimes forbidden : tain near it. They, imagining that all mankind was de- 
calling 
as when it is praftifed without necelfity ; or with fuper- 
liition ; or with a delign of tempting the Lord; or in 
things wherein there are other natural means of dilcover- 
ing truth ; laftly, when reafon and religion fnrnilh other 
ftroyed, and that the world would have an end unlefs 
they provided new inhabitants for it, made their father 
drunk, and the eldell lay with him without his perceiving 
it; Ihe conceived a foil by him, whom Ihe called Moab. 
ways to guide us. Hainan (Either iii. 7.) feems to have The fecond daughter did the fame, and liad Amnon by 
r ' ' ■ 1 — r r -n:.:-.- 1- - >-i— -r- -- him. Their whole hillory is related in the xixth chapter 
of Genelis. 
LOT, a river of France, which rifes in the department 
of the Lozere ; paffes by or near to Mende, St. Genies, 
St. Come, Eftang, Elagnac, Cajarc, Cahors, Alban, Vi!- 
leneuve a’Agen, See. and joins the Garonne near Ai- 
goillon. 
LOT, a department of France,, bounded on the north 
by the department of the Correze, on the eall by the 
Cantal, on the fouth.-eaft by tbe Aveiron, on the fouth by 
the Tarn and Upper Garonne, on the weft by the Lot and 
Garonne, and on the north welt by the Dordogne; fe- 
venty milts in length and thirty-five in breadth. Cahors 
is the capital. 
LOT and GARON'NE, a department of France, 
bounded on the north by the department of the Dor¬ 
dogne, on the eail by the Lot, on the fouth by the Ger.% 
and on the weft by the Landes and Gironde : ahout forty- 
five miles from eall to well, and thirty-fix from north to 
fouth. Agen is the capital. 
LOT’S WTFE, a ltupendous rock in the fea, encom- 
pafling the Ladrones, which rifes in. the form of a pyramids, 
and is thus defcribed by Mr. Meares in his voyage, cited 
by Mr. Pinkerton. “ The latitude was 29. 50. N. the Ion. 
Vi fed lots not only out of fuperftjtion, but likewife in an 
■unjult and criminal matter, when he undertook to deitroy 
the Jews; that is, if we luppofe the 7th verfe of that 
chapter to have any connedion with the eighth. Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar did fo in a luperftitious manner, when, being 
on the way to Jerufalem, and Rabbath of the Ammonites, 
be call lots to determine to which of the two cities he 
Ihould go. Ezek. xxi. 1S-24. The mariners who had 
Jonah in their veil'd, tempted God, by drawing lots to 
know whence the tempeft originated with which they 
were overtaken. Yet, upon that occalion, the Almighty 
was pleafed to anfvver them by making die lot to fall upon, 
Jonah. Jonah i. 7. 
LOT, or Loth,/ - . in mining, the thirteenth dilh, mea- 
fure, or part, of the miner’s ore, which the bar-tnaller 
takes up for the king, or the farmer. 
LOT, or Pot, f. A liquid meafure in French Flanders, 
equal at Lille to 126 cubic inches, and 183-33 =: ioo Eng- 
liih gallons. 
LOT, fon of Haran, and nephew to Abraham. He fol¬ 
lowed his uncle from Ur, and afterwards from Haran, to 
fettle in the land of Canaan. Gen. xi. 38. This was in 
the year of the world 2070, and before Chrilt 1920. 
Abraham had always a great tendernefs for Lot. He 
took him with him into Egypt, and brought him back to gitude 142. 23. E. of Greenwich. The waves broke againft 
Canaan. But they could not continue longer together: its rugged front, withafury proportioned to the immenfo 
they were obliged to feparate, becaufe, as they both had diftance they had to roll before they were interrupted by 
large flocks, their Ihepherds fometimes quarrelled. Gen. it. It role almoft perpendicular to the height of near 
xiii. 6, 7. Lot therefore chofe Sodom for his abode, the 350 feet. A fmail black rock appeared juft above tha 
country around it being very beautiful. About eight water, at about 40 or 50 yards from the weftern edge, 
years after, king Ckerderloamer and his allies having at- There was a cavern on its fouth-eallern fide, into which 
tacked the kings of Sodom and the neighbouring cities, the waters rolled with an awful and tremendous noife. 
routed them, pillaged Sodom, took many captives, and, In regarding this llupendous rock, which flood ^lone in 
among the reft. Lot himfelf. Abraham, being in- an immenfe ocean, we could not but confider it as an ob- 
formed of this, armed his fervants, purfued the confe- jed which had been abie to refill one of thofe great con- 
derate kings, overtook them near the fprings of Jordan, vulfions of nature that change the very form of thofe 
recovered the fpoil, and brought back the captives, in¬ 
cluding his nephew Lot. Gen. xii. Some years after, the 
fins of the Sodomites and of the neighbouring cities being 
at their height, God fent three angels to punifli and de- 
llroy them. Towards the evening, two of thefe angels 
being corns to Sodom, Lot, who was fitting at the city- 
parts of the globe which they are permitted to defolate.’’ 
LO'FAN, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
LO'TE-TREE, or Net'tle-tree, f. See Celtis.-~ 
The leaves of the lots -tree are like thofe of the nettle. 
The fruit of this tree is not fo tempting to us as it wa* 
to the companions of Ulyffes; the. wood is durables, and 
ufed. 
