And they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the King of Princes

And they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the King of Princes.

This has more darkness in it, and yet upon the searching into it, we shall see it clear, and many excellent truths cleared from it. There are these five things to be enquired after for the opening of these words.

First, Who is this King of Princes that is here meant.

Secondly, What was this burden of the King of Princes.

Thirdly, Why does he call this the burden? Or rather thirdly thus, When was this threat fulfilled, that they should sorrow for the burden of the King of Princes.

Fourthly, Why does he call it the burden of the King of Princes?

Fifthly, What's meant by sorrowing a little.

These five things will clear the text. Indeed we cannot see the full meaning of the Holy Ghost without understanding somewhat of these five.

First, Who is meant by the King of Princes. We are here to understand the King of Assyria, because he was a great King whose nobles were princes, and we find this both by Scripture and likewise by human story; in (2 Kings 18:24) How then will you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants. And in (Isaiah 36:13) Hear the word of the great King, the King of Assyria. And how will you turn away the face of the captains of the least of my master's servants. His captains and nobles were as princes. And so Josephus in his 1st book, 10th chapter, as I remember says, That at the time before Sodom's destruction, the Assyrians were lords of all Asia, so that the Assyrian was a great King, and here called the King of Princes.

Thus God suffers his enemies to grow great in the world, an Assyrian, a dog, a wicked wretch under the curse of God, and yet is he the great King, even the King of Princes; as Luther has such an expression concerning the empire of Turkey, it is (says he) but one crumb that the great master of the family does cast to dogs. What are your estates then? Certainly though you be never so great in the world, what's any of your estates to the whole Turkish empire? And if that be but a crumb that the great master of the family casts to a dog, you should never then bless yourselves in the enjoyment of a little of the world. But though the Assyrian may be called the King of Princes in regard of his power over some great men, yet most properly our Lord Jesus Christ he is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords: in (Revelation 19:16) and he has on his vesture, and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Why was it written upon his vesture, and why upon his thigh? Upon his vesture, that is, he will appear openly to be the King of Kings; there was a time when Christ seemed to be (as it were) a servant under the dominion of Antichrist, but now his name shall be upon his vesture, openly. And then upon his thigh; that is, upon his lower parts, his Church Militant, it shall have the kingly power among them for its good, so as they shall be above the nations, according to the prophecy in (Isaiah 60:13) He will make the place of his feet glorious. (The Church in their low condition) He does not say, he will have the name upon his crown, but upon his thigh, that is, upon his lower parts, upon his people, that were in a low condition, he will make the very place of his feet to be glorious, even there shall be written, The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

But secondly, What was this burden? This burden was those taxes that were upon the people, whereby they maintained their correspondence with this King of Assyria: correspondence with wicked men it is burdensome; for the more they are sought to, and yielded to, ordinarily the more burdensome they are: and whatever they do for you for a while, it is indeed to serve their own ends, and this they brought upon themselves; for they would go to Assyria, and they found the Assyrians to be burdensome to them.

When men will follow their own ways, and think to have more ease in their own way than in God's, it is just they should find those ways to be burdensome to them. I am persuaded there is not one in this congregation but has found the experience of this; when you think your ways will bring more ease to you than God's ways, have not you found your ways burdensome?

But thirdly, When was this fulfilled? If we would know the meaning of the Prophet we must refer to the history of the kings, and in (2 Kings 15:19) there you may find when this prophecy was fulfilled. Phul the King of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Phul a thousand talents of silver that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver to give to the King of Assyria. There was one burden. And then in the 29th verse, In the days of Pekah King of Israel, came Tiglath-Pileser King of Assyria, and took Jion, and Abel-Beth-Maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. There was a further burden. But yet the whole land was not, it was only the other side of Jordan: at these two times was this Scripture fulfilled.

Fourthly, Why does the Holy Ghost say, The burden of the King of Princes? In speaking of the burden that was upon the people he does give the Assyrian such an epithet? Why it seems to be a diminution of their burden rather than any aggravation; for he speaks of sorrowing but a little, as if it should not be so great a burden as afterwards should be upon them, noting thus, That they were burdened a while with taxations from a great King, but they should afterwards come under the power, to be at the wills and lusts of all kind of base people, of the very dregs of people: and it is not so great an evil to be under the power of men of rank and quality, no not under their oppression, as to be under the oppression of many people, of people that are of very mean quality and condition, the very refuse of a nation, to come to be under their power it's a great deal worse.

And by the way this note it should teach us, even those that are of mean breeding, and whose lives have been very low in the world, of mean condition, if they be put into place of any power and authority, to take heed how they behave themselves, for their oppression will be the most grievous to an ingenuous spirit that possibly can be. And there is a great deal of danger in them to grow more oppressing than other men that were born to greatness, and their oppression will be so intolerable as will bring the greatest confusion that possibly can be if that be not well looked to. And therefore here when he would lessen the burden, (says he) you shall sorrow a little for that burden of the King of Princes.

But what is it? You shall sorrow a little. They complained, but says God, what do you complain of this? This is but a little burden to that which you are like to have, there's another manner of burden a coming for you than this; and from hence the notes are these.

First, when sinners have brought trouble upon themselves they will complain much, exceedingly troubled; but when they complain they are to consider, that what they feel it is but a little to what's coming after. There are burdens upon you, and you are complaining of these burdens, as if so be that they were the greatest that ever were upon people, Oh sinner! Consider of this when you are complaining of your burdens, know, that these burdens that are upon you may prove to be but very trifles in comparison of what's like to come upon you afterwards, for that's the scope of the Holy Ghost here, They shall sorrow a little for this burden, as if he should say, There is other manner of sorrow coming after, and so it did, for afterwards the Assyrians carried them all away captives, and the basest of all the people came even to set their feet upon them, and therefore says the Holy Ghost, This is but a little. I speak to those that make not up their peace with God; and do not upon those burdens that are upon them return to God. As the mercies of God to his saints, that which now they have is but a little, they may be said to rejoice a little for the mercy that now they have. And so the burdens upon the ungodly they are but a little, but if they return not to God upon what they feel, God has greater burdens than those are that they so vex and fret under.

Secondly, taxes and impositions upon men's estates are but a little burden in comparison of being brought under the power of the enemy.

Though there be sore taxes upon you, as here there was fifty shekels of silver laid upon every man that was able, but those taxes are but little burdens in comparison of being given up to the power of the enemy, they would lay burdens indeed upon us, burdens upon our consciences, all our estates, all our lives, all our liberties, whatever we are or have must be under their mercy; now we are troubled, but then their little finger will be more heavy than the loins that now we find to be upon us; although we dare not say but some may find burdens very sore upon them for the present.

A third note, is this; that, as taxes are a burden, but a little in comparison, so the carrying of our brethren into captivity: though we enjoy our estates ourselves, yet if God lays his hand upon any of our brethren though in remote parts of the kingdom, Oh we should account this to be a burden. As not only their taxations was a burden, but the carrying away of their brethren that were beyond the river.

If there were no other sin among us, it were just with God to bring the enemy upon us, and then we should find that there were other manner of burdens.

But there is another burden that we are not sensible enough of, and that is the captivity of our brethren in the remote parts of this land. Oh! how little sensible are we of it because we feel it not ourselves?

The fourth note from hence is this, that it's God's mercy when we are running on to our utter ruin, not to suffer us to plunge ourselves irrecoverably into misery, but to bring lesser evils upon us that by them we may come to bethink ourselves, and if it be possible to prevent greater. You shall sorrow a little, I will not undo you presently; but return to me, or else you are utterly undone, but this is my mercy, I will bring afflictions upon you by piece-meal, and if you do not return to me, then you shall be utterly lost; for so this people were, they were carried away captive and never returned to this very day. Oh! does God come to you in your family, or person, or estate? Oh! let us consider of this.

And this is the last note from it: the consideration of little burdens which is upon us to what might be, should cause us to turn to God; it should break our hearts, and cause us to seek the face of God, that we may prevent greater evils, that otherwise will certainly come. The Lord in his dealing towards us seems as if he were loth to lose us, and that this nation should perish, Oh that this might work kindly upon our hearts to prevent greater evils, that we might not be made a spectacle of the wrath of God to all the nations that are round about us.

And yet further, the words translated, They shall sorrow a little, are by some translated, They have begun a little for the burden of the King of Princes: and so in (Deuteronomy 2:25) there is the word that comes from the same root, that that they have felt, it is but the beginning of what is like to come, my wrath is let out upon them in some degree already, and do not you see it, how it is begun to burn upon them? And that which was lately before your eyes, by that you may come to believe my threatenings.

God's judgments against wicked men are the beginnings of further judgments. In Deuteronomy 32:42: I will make my arrows drunk with blood (and my sword shall devour flesh) and that with the blood of the slain, and of the captives, from the beginning of revenge upon the enemy. All this is but from the beginning of revenges, when I come so terribly upon them, it is but the beginning of revenges. We are ready to think if there be miserable slaughters, Surely God has been revenged enough upon this people. No, all this may prove but the beginning of revenges. I may say so concerning ourselves, Though the Lord many times has made the sword drunk with blood, yet it may prove to be but the beginning of revenges; truly we cannot say that from the time that these judgments have been upon us, that we have begun scarce to come in to turn to God, yes, the state of the Kingdom is far worse than it was at the beginning of this heavy stroke that is upon us. In Matthew 24:7, 8: You shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars, and Nation should rise against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes: all these should be but the beginning of sorrows.

Secondly, God expects from men, that though they be not sensible of his threats, yet when he begins with them in way of execution of his wrath, they should begin a little. Oh! it were well with us if we did prevent God's heavy wrath by our repentance. Numbers 16:46: Moses said to Aaron, Take a Censer, and put fire therein from off the Altar, and put on Incense, and go quickly to the Congregation, and make an atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun. Oh! how should we all make haste? We cannot say only, the plague is begun (the plague of Civil War, which is the greatest of all kind of plagues) but it has gone on a great way.

But to proceed.