The Covenants And The Covenanters / Covenants, Sermons, and Documents of the Covenanted Reformation

by Unknown

1. There are many sins upon our king and his family: sin will make the surest crown that ever men set on to totter. The sins of former kings have made this a tottering crown. I shall not insist here, seeing there hath been a solemn day of humiliation thro' the land on Thursday last, for the sins of the royal family; I wish the Lord may bless it; and desire the king may be truly humbled for his own sins, and the sins of his father's house, which have been great; beware of putting on these sins with the crown; for if you put them on, all the well-wishers to a king in the three kingdoms will not be able to hold on the crown, and keep it from tottering, yea, from falling. Lord, take away the controversy with the royal family, that the crown may be fastened sure upon the king's head, without falling or tottering.

2. Troubles and commotions in a kingdom make crowns to totter. A crown at the best, and in the most calm times, is full of troubles; which, if it were well weighed by men, there would not be such hunting after crowns. I read of a great man who, considering the trouble and care that accompanied the crown, said, "He would not take it up at his foot, though he might have it for taking." Now, if a crown at the best be so full of troubles, what shall one think of a crown at the worst, when there are so great commotions, wherein the crown is directly aimed at? Surely it must be a tottering crown at the best, especially when former sins have brought on these troubles. As the remedy of the former is true humiliation, and turning unto God; so the remedy of the latter, speaking of David's crown, "Thou settest a crown of pure gold upon his head." God set on David's crown, and therefore it was settled, notwithstanding of many troubles. Men may set on crowns, and they may throw them off again; but when God setteth them on, they will be fast. Enemies have touched the crown of our king, and cast it off in the other kingdom, and have made it totter in this kingdom. Both the king who is to be crowned, and you who are to crown him, should deal earnestly with God, to set the crown on the king's head, and to keep it on against all the commotions of this cruel generation.

II. A king should esteem more of the people he reigneth over, than of his crown. Kings used to be so taken up with their crowns, that they despise their people. I would have a king following Christ the King of His people, who saith of them, "Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." Christ accounteth His people, His crown and diadem; so should a king esteem the people of the Lord, over whom he ruleth, to be his crown and diadem. Take away the people, and a crown is but an empty symbol.

III. A king, when he getteth the crown on his head, should think, at the best it is but a fading crown. All the crowns of kings are but fading crowns: therefore they should have an eye upon that "crown of glory that fadeth not away." And upon a "kingdom that cannot be shaken." That crown and kingdom belongeth not to kings as kings, but unto believers; and a believing king hath this comfort, that when "he hath endured a while, and been tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him."

II. The Second thing in this solemnity is the testimony. By this is meant the law of God, so called, because it testifieth of the mind and will of God. It was commanded, "When the king shall sit upon the throne of his kingdom, he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, and it shall be with him, that he may read therein all the days of his life." The king should have the testimony for these three uses. 1. For his information in the ways of God. This use of the king's having "the book of the law" is expressed, "That he may learn to fear the Lord his God." The reading of other books may do a king good for government, but no book will teach him the way to salvation, but the book of God. Christ biddeth "search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they testify of Me." He is a blessed man, "who meditateth in the law of the Lord day and night." King David was well acquainted herewith. Kings should be well exercised in scripture. It is reported of Alphonsus, king of Arragon, that he read the Bible fourteen times with glosses thereupon. I recommend to the king to take some hours for reading the Holy Scriptures; it will be a good means to make him acquainted with God's mind, and with Christ as Saviour. 2. For his direction in government. Kings read books that may teach them to govern well, but all the books a king can read will not make him govern to please God, as this book. I know nothing that is good in government, but a king may learn it out of the book of God. For this cause, Joshua is commanded "that the book of the law shall not depart out of his mouth;" and he is commanded "to do according to all that is written therein." He should not only do himself that which is written in it, but do, and govern his people according to all that is written in it. King David knew this use of the testimony, who said, "Thy testimonies are my delight, and my counsellors." The best counsels that ever a king getteth are in the book of God: yea, the testimonies are the best and surest counsellors; because altho' a king's counsellors be never so wise and trusty, yet they are not so free with a king as they ought: but the scriptures tell kings very freely, both their sins and their duty. 3. For preservation and custody. The king is custos utriusque tabulæ, the keeper of both tables. Not that he should take upon him the power, either to dispense the word of God, or to dispense with it: but that he should preserve the word of God and true religion, according to the word of God, pure, entire, and uncorrupted, within his dominions, and transmit them so to posterity; and also be careful to see his subjects observe both tables, and to punish the transgressors of the same.

III. The Third thing in this solemnity is the "anointing of the king." The anointing of kings was not absolutely necessary under the Old Testament, for we read not that all the kings of Judah and Israel were anointed. The Hebrews observe that anointing of kings was used in three cases. 1. When the first of a family was made king, as Saul, David. 2. When there was a question for the crown, as in case of Solomon and Adonijah. 3. When there was an interruption of the lawful succession by usurpation as in the case of Joash. There is an interruption, by the usurpation of Athaliah, therefore he is anointed. If this observation hold, as it is probable, then it was not absolutely necessary under the Old Testament; and therefore far less under the New.

Because it may be said that in our case there is an interruption by usurpation, let it be considered that the anointing under the Old Testament was typical; although all kings were not types of Christ, yet the anointing of kings, priests and prophets, was typical of Christ, and His offices; but, Christ being now come, all those ceremonies cease: and, therefore, the anointing of kings ought not to be used in the New Testament.

If it be said, anointing of kings hath been in use amongst christians, not only papist but protestant, as in the kingdom of England, and our late king was anointed with oil, it may be replied, they who used it under the New Testament took it from the Jews without warrant. It was most in use with the bishops of Rome, who, to keep kings and emperors subject to themselves did swear them to the Pope when they were anointed, (and yet the Jewish priests did never swear kings to themselves.) As for England, although the Pope was cast off, yet the subjection of kings to bishops was still retained, for they anointed the king and swore him to the maintenance of their prelatical dignity. They are here who were witnesses at the coronation of the late king; the bishops behoved to perform that rite; and the king behoved to be sworn to them. But now by the blessing of God, popery and prelacy are removed: the bishops as limbs of Antichrist are put to the door; let the anointing of kings with oil go to the door with them, and let them never come in again.

The anointing with material oil maketh not a king the anointed of the Lord, for he is so without it; he is the anointed of the Lord who, by divine ordinance and appointment is a king. God called Cyrus His anointed; yet we read not that he was anointed with oil. Kings are anointed of the Lord, because, by the ordinance of the Lord, their authority is sacred and inviolable. It is enough for us to have the thing, tho' we want the ceremony, which being laid aside, I will give some observations of the thing.

1. A king, being the Lord's anointed, should be thinking upon a better unction, even that spiritual unction wherewith believers are anointed. "The anointing ye have received of Him abideth in you." And "He that hath anointed us, is God, who hath also sealed us." This anointing is not proper to kings, but common to believers: few kings are so anointed. A king should strive to be a good Christian, and then a good king: the anointing with grace is better than the anointing with oil. It is of more worth for a king to be the anointed of the Lord with grace, than to be the greatest monarch of the world without it.