1. In praises and prayers for the king, whom God hath set over us. Your prayers and praises reflect more glory upon the crown than all the jewels and sparkling stones with which it shines: And so I am per- suaded our king will account it ; according to Zech. xii. 5. " The governors of Judah shall say in their hearts, The inhabitants of Je- rusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.*^
Praise thy God, O England ! for setting thy crown this day upon the head of a Protestant prince ; who accounted not his treasures, or blood, dear unto him, to redeem the interest of Christ out of the dangers that were ready to swallow it up.
Pray fervently for your king this day : The concernments of the people of God are so great in him, as that they exact from all the saints the uttermost importunity in prayer.
(1.) That God would cleanse and wash the crown of England from all that guilt and pollution it hath contracted under former governments, that the sins of the crown may not descend with it.
(2.) That the royal head on which it shall be set this day, may be filled with the wisdom of God, and matched with an holy heart, in- flamed w ith love to God, and zeal for his glory. ^
* The Lord dethrones kings, disposes of kingdoms.
A CORONATIOiJ-SERMON, PllEACHED AT DARTMOUTH. 547
(3.) That as soon as men have set the crown upon his head, he may cheerfully take it off again, and cast it at the feet of Jesus Christ, as the twenty-four elders did. Rev. iv. 10. " And the twenty-four elders fell down before him that sat on the throne, and "worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne," &;c.
(4.) That God would make the crown sit easy, and long upon his royal head. Easy, because crowns are usually lined with thorny cares; and long, for the church's peace and tranquillity.
Secondlij, The next thing belonging to the due solemnity of this day, will be the spiritual improvement of the Avhole scene of actions, to your own instruction and spiritual advantage ; and this v/ill be much more glorious, than all the triumphant arches, royal robes, thunder- ing guns, and loud acclamations of the people. To this purpose, I have chosen this text, for the direction, and spiritualizing of the du- ties of the day. " Go forth ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon, with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart."'
This book of the Canticles, is a spiritual eplthalamium^ sung in parts betwixt the heavenly bridegroom and the bride. The matter of it is most spiritual and weighty, the stile of it rapturous and lofty, the intimate union and communion of Christ and the church, is elegantly illustrated in an allegory of marriage : But nothing is found here light, or obscene.
Procul hinc, pi'ocul este profani :
Nil hie nisi custum.* It is a crystal stream of pure spiritual love, shdin g sweetly betwixt two pleasant banks, Christ and the church.
In the ninth and tenth verses you have the description of a trium- phant chariot, prepared by king Solomon for the daughters of Jerusr- lem : " The pillars thereof of silver, the bottom of gold, the covering of purple, and the midst thereof paved with love. " A chariot is an in- strument framed for easy, safe, and honourable conveyance : This chariot is the covenant of grace, fitted by Christ for the safe and hon- ourable transporting of his bride, the church, through this world, to her stately pavilion, or glorious mansion in the highest heavens.
But how stately and magnificent soever this royal chariot be, he that contrived and framed it is much more glorious to behold : And therefore in the next words, which are my text, believers are sum- moned, and invited to behold and contemplate Christ, that framed it : ** Go forth, ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon, with his crown,'" &c. In which words we have,
1. The spectators summoned, or invited.
2. The spectacle they are invited to see.
* Hence, far hence what e'er's profane : There's nought to feed your unchaste flame.
548 A CORONATION-SEllMON, PREACHED AT DARTMOUTH,
1. The spectatoj'S invited; the daughters of Zion. By Zion^ understand the church ; and by the daughters of Zion, the mem- bers of the church, or every particular behever : These are here invited, or summoned to go forth, i. e. of their entanghng, divert- ing temptations : and to behold, viz. by the eye of faith, this most glorious, and heart-ravishing object.
2. The sjjectacle they are invited to behold and contemplate; k'mg' Solomon with his croze?}, Sfc. the most illustrious, glorious, and ravishing sight that ever the eyes of men did, or shall behold. By king Solomon, understand Christ ; of whom Solomon in this book, is the figure, or shadow ; yet one to whom Solomon, in all his glory was but a depainted sun on a sign-post, to the sun in the mid heavens, shining in all his glory.
And by his crown, understand not any material crown, as that of Solomon's was ; but the glory and honour that is put upon Christ, the king of Zion ; of which glory a crown is the emblem.
What crown is here meant, interpreters are not all agreed about it; some would have it to be understood of our human nature, which he was crowned withal by his mother Mary, of whom he took it: But though this assumption of our nature, put such a crown of glory upon it as it never had before, yet it was rather an obscuring of Christ's glory, than any addition of glory to him.
Others interpret it of the crown of thorns, with which his mother (the Jewish church or synagogue) crowned him in the day of his passion at Jerusalem ; but this seems to be as hard and foreign a sense as the former.
The most judicious expositors are agreed in a third sense, \iz. That by the crown on Christ's head, we are to understand that glory and honour, which believers give unto, or put upon Christ, ^vhen in the day of their espousals to him by faith, renouncing Satan, sin, and all that had exercised dominion over them before, wi-th all trust and dependence on any righteousness of their own, they give their deliberate, full and hearty consent, that Christ alone shall reign over them for ever and ever ; saying, " The Lord is our King, the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Law-giver." Christ is " the Lord our righteousness," and in all things we will obey him. This Christ esteems as a crown of glory put upon his head, in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. There is no such honour, no such pleasure a poor sinner can give to Christ, as to beheve in him ; this is as the putting of a crown of glory upon his head. It is true, it adds no glory to him, but it is the greatest mani- festation of his glory, we are capable to make.
Objection. But then it will be objected, in what sense believers can be tolerably stiled his mother 9 For the text tells us, it was the crown his mother put upon him.