TO omit (leaſt I ſeem an ungentle entertainer) the various or different conjectures which on this place are gathered by Interpreters, I do conceive this to be the morall ſence.

That other perſons by admonitions, reproofes, Laws and menaces may be beat or perſwaded, but the mind of a King (becauſe he ſtands in awe of none) if you reſiſt it, is the more incenſt, and therefore Princes, ſo often as2 they be earneſtly inclind to any thing, muſt be thereunto left, not becauſe they would alwaies doe what's beſt, but in reſpect Almighty God ſometimes doth uſe their folly or malice to offend thoſe that have offended, even as hee forbad his people to withſtand Nabuchadnezzar, for that by his oppreſſion he had decreed to chaſtice them. Being perhaps the ſame which Iob ſaith, Who maketh the Hypo­crite to reigne for the ſins of the people.

And hereunto happily belongeth what David deplo­ring his ſin did utter. I have ſinned againſt thee alone, and have done evill in thy ſight.

Not that Kings doe not ſin, to the great damage of their Subjects, but that they have not over them a man by whoſe authority they may be condemned, where no man how great ſoever can eſcape the judgements of God.

Your interpretation I diſlike not, but what mean the diviſions of the waters?

There a Similitude is uſed, by which the mat­ter may be explained. The provoked ſtomack of a King is a violent and unruly thing, neither can it be drawn hi­ther or thither, but is hurried by its owne headlong force as one incited with a Divine Furie. Even as the Sea doth ſcatter it ſelfe upon the Land, and ſuddenly changeth its courſe, contemning fields, buildings, and whatſoever doth reſiſt, in ſome place hiding it ſelfe under ground, whoſe force if you indeavour to inhibite, or any other way di­vert, the labour is all loſt. The ſame hath alſo happened in great Rivers, as Poets declare of Achelous, but if you well obey them, leſſe hurt is received than if you violent­ly oppoſed them.

Is there no remedy therefore againſt the wilful­neſſe of evill Kings?

The chiefeſt perhaps will be to keepe the Lyon out of the City, the next, by authority of the Senate, Ma­giſtrates and Citizens ſo to moderate his power, that hee may not eaſily breake forth into tyranny; but the chiefeſt of all, while he is yet a Child, and knows not himſelf to be a Prince, his mind with holy precepts to faſhion and in­ſtruct; intreaties alſo and advertiſements, but mild and ſeaſonable profit much. But the laſt Anchor is, very ear­neſtly to call upon God, that he would incline the Kings mind to thoſe things which are worthy of a Chriſtian Prince.

What meaneſt thou ſimple man? If I were Bache­lour of Divinitie, ſhould I not be aſham'd of this inter­pretation.

I know not whether it be true it ſatisfies me that my meaning is neither impious nor hereticall; your〈◊〉I have obeyed; now as in ſuch meeting it is meet I deſire on the other ſide to be a hearer.

If unto theſe gray haires you aſſigne any thing, this ſpring ſeems to me to be applied unto a more obſcure or ſubtle ſence.

I do beleeve you & deſire to hear.

A King we may underſtand to be a perfect man, (who having his carnall affections tam'd and ſubdued) is directed by the only power of Gods Spirit. And ſuch a man it is not fit by humane Laws to be reſtrained, but to leave him unto his L. by whoſe Spirit he is guided. Nei­ther is he to be judged from theſe things whereby the im­becillity of thoſe that are imperfect, howſoever is brouht unto true godlineſſe; but if he do any thing amiſſe, wee muſt conclude with Paul, the Lord hath taken him unto himſelfe, unto his Lord, he ſtandeth or falleth, likewiſe this.

A ſpirituall man judgeth all things, but is judged by none, let no man therefore preſcribe unto ſuch, but the Lord, who hath preſcribed bounds to the Sea, and rivers, holds the Kings heart in his hand, and turnes the ſame which way ſoever it pleaſeth him; for what need have we to preſcribe unto him, who performeth better things of his own accord than the Laws of man do require, or what a raſhneſſe were it for us to binde that man unto ordinan­ces, whom by ſure proofs we finde to be governed by the motions of Gods ſpirit.

Now ſurely Timotheus, you have not onely gray haires - but a breaſt alſo to be reverenced for gravity of learning. And I pray God amongſt Chriſtians (as all Kings ought to be) there may be found many worthy of that name.

How many Chriſtians have I ſeene very coldly dying (not in fleſh but in faith) ſome confiding in thoſe things, wherein they are not to confide, other for the guilt of their wickedneſſe and ſcruples that ſome un­learned dunces buz in the dying mans eare, dye almoſt in deſpaire.

Neither is it a wonder, that they ſo expire, who have ſpent the whole time of their lives in ſtudying Ce­remonies,

What meane you by that.

I'le tell you, but with this preface that I doe not reprove, but rather earneſtly approve the Sacraments and rights of the Church. But ſome either wicked or ſuperſti­tious7 or (to uſe the mildeſt phraſe) ſimple and unlearned men that teach the people in theſe things to confide, let­ting paſſe theſe things which truely make us Chriſtians.

As yet I hardly underſtand whether you tend.

I ſhall give you to underſtand, if the common ſort of Chriſtians you conſider, are not their lives from head to heel conſumed with Ceremonies, with how much Religion are the hold rites of the Church repreſented in Baptiſme? the Infant ſtaies without the Temple doors, a Catechiſing is performed, vowes undertaken, Sathan with his pomps and pleaſures abjur'd. At length the in­fant is beſmeard with oyle, croſt, ſalted, dipt, charge to the witneſſes is given, that they ſhall have a care to ſee the childe inſtructed, yet they, by monie given, are of this charge releaſed, and then the childe is called a Chri­ſtian, who in ſome manner is. Again he is annointed, at length he learns to confeſſe, receives the Euchariſt, uſeth to reſt on holie dayes, to heare Maſſe, ſometimes to taſte and abſtaine from fleſh. And theſe things if he obſerve he is eſteemed an abſolute Chriſtian. Takes he a wife? hee a•••res another Sacrament, if he enter into orders, hee takes new unction, and is conſecrated, changeth his gar­ments and ſaith prayers. Now I allow that all theſe things be done: but that theſe things be done more of cuſtome then of zeal, I do not allow, but rather vehemently con­demn, becauſe nothing elſe is applied to Chriſtianity. For many men while they truſt unto theſe things, doe never­theleſſe in the interim, by right or wrong, heap up riches, yeeld to their anger, ſerve their luſt, their envy and ambi­tion, and ſo at length expire.

Now here again new Ceremonies are prepared, Con­feſſion is uſed once and againe, Unction is added, and the Euchariſt given; the ſacred waxen Tapors be there pre­ſent with Croſſe and Holy Water, Indulgences are adhi­bited, the Popes Bull is drawne forth, or there bought by the dying man, his Funeralls are ordered to be magnifi­cently celebrated, again is made a ſolemne ſtipulation or Covenant; There is one that cryes aloud to the dying man, yea, ſometimes if he happen to cry ſhrill or be well tippled, kills him before his time.

As theſe things be us'd rightly, chiefly thoſe which through Cuſtome have beene delivered to us, ſo there be certaine other things more hidden which wil performe this unto us, that with alacrity of ſpirit, and Chriſtian confidence we may wander out of this vale of miſery.