What then should a King do to us?

What then should a King do to us?

From hence the Notes are these:

First, when God forsakes a people, there's nothing can do them good. For they did most dote upon a King that should do them good, and help them. When God forsakes a people, nothing then can do them good (Psalm 127, at the beginning): Except the Lord build the house, &c.

Secondly, it's just with God, to make those things unuseful to men which they sinfully dote upon, and put their confidence in. They sinfully doted upon Kings, and put their confidence in them, and God does now justly make the power of Kings unuseful to them: What shall a King do to us? If we dote upon them, it's just with God to make them unuseful to us. Or if we dote upon our credit, and names, and so upon Kings and Princes; if men expect preferment from them, it's just with God to blast all their hopes, that they should be forced to say, Now I see God fights against him, as well as against me. Thus the people spake in respect of their Kings.

This Scripture may well be a comment upon that text we have in (Psalm 146:3): Put not your trust in Princes, &c. Do not put your trust in Princes, have no confidence in them; if you put your trust in them, they will be unuseful to you. And Chrysostom upon that very Psalm has this note: Whereas they would say, Oh! he is a Prince. Says Chrysostom, Let me tell you that which you perhaps will wonder at: Because he is a Prince, therefore put not your trust in him (says Chrysostom), and he gives this reason, Because (says he) who is in a more unsafe condition than they? Are not they fain to have their guards go about them to protect them? They in times of peace when they are in a city that is ruled by good laws, yet they are fain to have the instruments of war round about them, to protect them; and therefore put not your confidence in them, because they are Princes: but then in the Psalm, they are called to put their confidence in the Lord, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that therein is; which keeps truth for ever. Alas you may put confidence in Princes, but they will not keep truth; they will make fair promises to you, that you shall have some great matters by them, but they use you for to serve their own turns; but put your trust in the Lord, and the Lord shall reign for ever; as it is in the 10th verse, Kings do not reign for ever, they are the children of men, the breath is in their nostrils; but the Lord shall reign for ever.

And again thirdly, What shall a King do for us?

How great an evil is it to a people then, whose complaints are; what does a King not do against us? Musculus upon the forenamed Psalm (those that read his comment shall find that note in it) says he, You are not to put your trust in Princes that are the children of men, they are but men; yes, but what shall we say to those that are cruel oppressors that are rather like tigers and such kind of wild beasts among men, that seem not to be children of men, how shall we put our trust in them? Oh! it's a sad condition indeed that a people is in, when they have this cause to complain, when they shall have cause to cry out and complain, Oh how! how does he run from place to place, plundering, spoiling, breaking, tearing, destroying wherever he comes? That people is in a sad condition, what shall he do for us? No, what does he not do against us continually? and all this, because we have not feared the Lord. That's the third note.

The fourth is, And what shall a King do to us?

See here the alteration of the spirits of these men towards their King; King, not long ago they put their confidence in their King, and gloried in their King, and now, what shall a King do to us? Hence the note is:

God can soon make a great change in the hearts of people in reference to their Kings; that even those that did dote, and admire him, and own no other God but their King, shall even turn their hearts and say, What can a King do for us? The least turn of God upon the hearts of people will make such a change as this is.

Again, here observe, the difference between the blessed estate of God's people, and the wretched estate of wicked men; those who fear God can say, What shall a King, what shall men, what devils do against us? But other men in their straights, what shall they do for us? We are in a distressed condition, and what shall they do for us? But the people of God are never in such a distressed condition but they are able to say, What shall men or devils be able to do against us? for God is our Protector.

Again sixthly, the more stoutness, and sinfulness, and creature confidence there is in any, the more do their hearts sink in desperation when they come to be crossed in their hopes. They were very stout and full of creature confidence before they were brought into misery, and now what low sordid spirits have they? Now they sink in desperation: there's no men and women have their hearts sink in desperation, more than those that in the ruff of their pride are the most bold and presumptuous against God and his servants.

Again: What shall a King do to us? Their hearts sink in regard of any hopes that they have from their King. But yet you read nothing of their hearts being set upon God, and mourning, and working towards God, when they are taken from the creature they say not thus, Now we see our vain confidence in our King, and what hopes we had of preferment in him, God has crossed us; well, we will go and seek to make the King of Heaven to be our portion. No, there's no such thing comes from them as this.

A carnal heart when it is knocked off of creature confidence and sinks in desperation in regard of the creature, it does not take advantage upon this, to have the heart work after God so much the more; but there it lies sullen and sinking, it has no interest in God, and cannot go to him to make up what it wants in the creature. But it is otherwise with a gracious heart, that acknowledges the hand of God has taken off my confidence in the creature, yes, but I hope it is in mercy to my soul, that my heart might have the more confidence in God, and that God might have the more glory from me, and therefore I hope that this taking off my heart from the creature, will for ever unite my heart more to the Lord than ever heretofore it has been. Yes, this is a gracious work indeed when the heart is taken off from creature confidence and brought nearer to the Lord. And thus much for the third verse. It follows.