were Ahaziah's own Children, it was a moft unnatural and cruel 235 Fact of Athaliab to cut off her own Pofterity.

For the Ufurpation, there might have been two Motives. 1. It feemeth, that when Abaziah went to Battel, Athaliah was left to govern the Kingdom; and her Son Ahaziah being flain before his return, the thought the Government sweet, and could not part with it; and because the Royal Seed food in her way, the cruelly deftroy'd them, that he might reign with the greater freedom. 2. She was earneft to fet up a falfe Worthip, even the Worship of Baal, which the thought could not be fo well done, as by cutting off the Royal Race, and getting the fole Power in her Hand, that the might do what the pleas'd.

The Business you are about this day is not unlike. You are to inveft a young King in the Throne in a very troublefome time; and wicked Men have rifen up, and ufurp'd the Kingdom, and put to Death the late King moft unnaturally. The like Motives feem to have prevail'd with them. Men by Falfhood and Diffimulation have gotten Power in I These their hands, which to them is fo fweet, that they are unwil ling to part with it: And because the King and his Seed ftood in their way, they have made away the King, and difinherited his Children, that the fole Power might be in their hand. 2. They have a Number of damnable Errors, and a falfe Worship to fet up; and intend to take away the Ordinances of Chrift, and Government of his Kirk. All this cannot be done, unless they have the fole Power in their hands; and this they cannot have, till the King and his Pofterity be cut off. But I leave this, and come to the prefent Solemnity. There is a Prince to be inthron'd, good Jehoiada will have the Crown put upon his Head.

It may be queftion'd, why they went about this Coronation in a time of fo great hazard, when Athaliah had reign'd fix years? Had it not been better to have defeated Athaliah, and then to have crowned the King? Two Reasons may be render'd, why they delay not the Coronation. 1. To crown the King, was a Duty they were bound to; Hazard fhould not make them leave their Duty. They did their Duty, and left the fuccefs to God. 2. They crowned the young King, to endear the People's Affections to their own native Prince, and to alienate their Hearts from her that had ufurp'd the Kingdom. If they had delay'd, the King being known to be preferv'd, it might have brought on, not only Compliance with her, but allo Subjection to her Government, by refting in it, and being content to lay aside the righteous Heir of the Crown.

The

The fame is obferv'd in our Cafe, and many wonder that you fhould Crown the King in a dangerous time, when the Ufurpers have fuch Power in the Land; the fame Reasons may ferve to answer for your doing. 1. It is our neceffary Duty to Crown the King upon all hazards, and to leave the fuccefs to God. 2. It appeareth now, it hath been too long delay'd. Delay is dangerous, becaufe of the Compliance of fome, and Treachery of others. If it shall be delay'd longer, it is to be fear'd, that the most part fhall fit down under the hadow of the Bramble, the deftroying Ufurpers.

I come to the particular handling of this prefent Text, and to fpeak from it to the prefent Time: I have read the 12th and 17th Verfes; because of these two which meet together, the Crowning of a King, and his renewing the Covenant. Among many particulars which may be handled from the Text, I fhall confine my felf to thefe Five. 1. The Crown; He put the Crown upon his Head. 2. The Teftimony; He gave him the Teflimony. 3. The Anointing; They Anointed him. These three are in the 12th Verfe. As for that which is spoken of the People's Joy, we fhall give it a touch when we come to the People's Duty. 4. The Covenant between God, and the King, and the People: Jehoiada made a Covenant between God and the King, and the People; that they fhould be the Lord's People. 5. The Covenant between the King and the People; Between the King allo and the People: both in the 17th Verse.

Firft, The Crown is put upon his Head. A Crown is the moft excellent Badg of Royal Majefty. To difcourfe on Crowns in a State-way, I fhall leave untó States-men, and lay only thefe Three before you of the Crown.

I. In putting on of the Crown, it would be well faftned. For Kings Crowns are oftentimes tottering; and this is a time wherein they totter. There are two Things which make King's Crowns to totter, Great Sins, and great Commotions and Troubles: take heed of both.

1. There are many Sins upon our King and his Family. Sin will make the fureft Crown, that ever Men fet on, to totter. The Sins of former Kings have made this a tottering Crown. I fhall not infift here, feeing there hath been a folemn Day of Humiliation through the Land, on Thursday laft, for the Sins of the Royal Family. I wish the Lord may blefs it; and defire the King be truly humbled for his own Sins, and the Sins of his Father's Houfe, which have been great. Beware of putting on thefe 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

it from tottering; yea, from falling. Lord, take away the Controverly with the Royal Family, that the Crown may be faftned fure upon the King's Head, without falling or tot tering.

2. Troubles and Commotions in a Kingdom, make Crowns to totter. A Crown at the beft, and in the moft calm Times, is full of Trouble; which if it were well weigh'd by Men, there would not be fuch hunting after Crowns. I read of a great Man who, confidering the Trouble and Care that accompanied a Crown, faid, He would not take it up at his Foot, tho he might have it for taking. Now if a Crown at the beft be fo full of Troubles, what fhall one think of a Crown at the worft, when there are fo great Commotions, wherein the Crown is directly aim'd at? Surely it must be a tottering Crown at the leaft, efpecially when former Sins have brought on thefe Troubles. As the remedy of the former is true Humiliation, and turning unto God; fo the remedy of the latter, is Pfal. 21. 3. (fpeaking of David's Crown) Thou fetteft a Crown of pure Gold upon his Head. God fet on David's Crown; and therefore it was fetled, notwithstanding of many Troubles. Men may fet on Crowns, and they may be thrown off again: But when God fetteth them on, they will be faft. Enemies have touched the Crown of our King, and caften it off in the other Kingdom, and have made it totter in this Kingdom. Both the King who is to be crown'd, and you who are to crown him, fhould deal earneftly with God, to fet the Crown on the King's Head, and to keep it on againft all the Commotions of this Generation. 2. A King fhould efteem more of the People he reigneth over, than of his Crown: Kings ufe to be fo taken up with their Crowns, that they defpife their People. I would have a King following Chrift, the King of his People, who faith of them, a. 62.3. Thou shalt be a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord, and a Royal Diadem in the hand of thy God. Chrift counteth his People his Crown and Diadem; fo fhould a King efteem the People of the Lord, over whom he ruleth, to be as his Crown and Dia dem; take away the People, and a Crown is but an empty Symbol. 3. A King, when he getteth his Crown on his Head, fhould think at the best, it is but a fading Crown. All the Crowns of Kings are but fading Crowns; therefore they fhould have an eye upon that Crown of Glory that fadeth not away, 1 Pet. 5. 4. and upon a Kingdom that cannot be fhaken, Heb. 12. 28, 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 fecond Thing in this Solemnity, is the Teftimony; by this is meant the Law of God, fo call'd, because it teftifieth of the Mind and Will of God. It was commanded, Deut. 17. 18, 19. When the King fhall fit upon the Throne of his Kingdom, be fhall write a Copy of the Book of the Law, and it shall be with him, that he may read therein all the days of his life. The King should have the Teftimony for thefe three main Ufes.

1. For his Information in the Way of God, Deut. 17. 19. This Ufe of the King's having the Book of the Law is expreffed, That he may learn to fear the Lord bus God: The Reading of other Books may do a King good for Government, but no Book will teach him the Way of Salvation, but the Book of God. Chrift biddeth fearch the Scriptures, for in them ye think to have eternal life, and they teflify of me, Joh. 5.39. He is a blessed Man who meditateth in the Law of the Lord day and night, Pfal. 1. I. King David was well acquainted herewith, as appeareth, Pfal. It is re119. Kings thould be well exercifed in Scripture. ported of Alphonfus, King of Aragon, that he read the Bible fourteen times, with Gloffes thereupon. I recommend to the King, to take fome Hours for reading Holy Scripture: It will be a good means to make him acquainted with God's Mind, and with Chrift a Saviour.

2. For his direction in Government. Kings read Books that they may learn to govern well, which I condemn not; 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 Caufe Joshua is commanded, Josh. 1. 8. That the Book of the Law fhall not depart out of his mouth; and he is commanded to do according to that which is written therein. He should not only do himself that which is written in it, but do and govern his People according to that is written in it. King David knew this Ufe of the Teftimony, who faid, Pfal. 119. 24. Thy Teftimonies are my delight, and my Counsellors. The belt Counfels that ever a King getteth, are in the Book of God; yea, the Tefti monies are the beft and fureft Counsellors: because, altho King's Counsellors be never fo wife and trulty, yet they use not to be so free with a King as they ought: But the Scripture will tell Kings very freely both their Sin and their Duty.

3. For Prefervation and Cuftody. The King is Cuftos utriuf que Tabula; the Keeper of both Tables: Not that he should take upon him the Power to difpenfe the Word of God, or to difpenfe with it: But that he fhould preserve the Word of God, and the true Religion according to the Word of God, pure, intire, and uncorrupted within his Dominions, and tranfmit them so to Pofterity; and alfo be careful to fee his

Subjects

Subjects obferve both Tables, and to punish the Tranfgreffors of the fame.

III. The third Thing in this Solemnity is, the Anointing of the King. The Anointing of Kings was not abfolutely neceffary under the Old Teftament; for we read not that all the Kings of Judah and Ifrael were Anointed. The Hebrews obServe, that Anointing of Kings was used in three Cafes

1. When the first of a Family was made King, as Saul, David. 2. When there was a Question for the Crown, as in the Cafe of Solomon and Adonijah. 3. When there was an Interruption of the Lawful Succeffion by Ufurpation, as in the Cafe of Joafh there is an Interruption by the Ufurpation of Athaliah; there fore he is Anointed. If this Obfervation hold, as it is probable, then it was not abfolutely neceffary under the Old Teftament; and therefore far lefs under the New.

Because it may be faid, That in our Cafe there is an Interruption by Ufurpation, let it be confider'd, That the Anointing. under the Old Teftament was Typical; altho all Kings were not Types of Chrift, yet the Anointing of Kings, Priests, and Prophets, was Typical of Chrift, and his Offices: But Chrift being now come, all thefe Ceremonies ceafe; and therefore the Anointing of Kings ought not to be us'd in the New Teftament.

If it be faid, Anointing of Kings hath been in ufe among Chriftians, not only Papifts, but Proteftants; as in the Kingdom of England, and our late King was Anointed with Oyl It may be reply'd, They who us'd it under the New Teftament, took it from the Jews, without warrant. It was moft in ufe with the Bishops of Rome, who, to keep Kings and Emperors fubject to themfelves, did fwear them to the Pope, when they were Anointed, (and yet the Jewish Priests did ne ver fwear Kings to themfelves) As for England, altho the Pope was caften off, yet the Subjection of Kings to Bishops was ftill retain'd; for they Anointed the King, and fware him to the Maintenance of their Prelatical Dignity. They are here. who were Witneffes 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 Bleffing of God, Popery and Prelacy, are remov'd: The Bishops, as Limbs of An tichrift, are put to the Door; let the Anointing of Kings with Oyl go to the Door with them, and let them never come in. again.

The Anointing with material Oyl, maketh, not a King the Anointed of the Lord, for he is fo without it. He is the Anointed of the Lord, who by the Divine Ordinance and Ap pointment is a King, a. 45 God called Grms his Anointed

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