An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eleventh, twelfth, & thirteenth chapters of…

Yea, and those that are in place of power in the Magistracy, they should labour to gain those that are under ¹them by love: as the greatest in a family if he be a Lord, or an Earl, should not think it too much to gain a servant by Love; so those that have the greatest power in Government, they should not think it too much to gain their meanest Subjects in a way of Love: we see it was thus with David, 1 Chron. 28. 2. Then David the King ²stood up and said, Hear me my Brethren, and my People. See what a sweet expression is here of a great Prince, Then ³David the King stood up, and he said, Hear me my Brethren, and my People; he did not sit down Majesterially and say, My People, and you that are my Subjects, and that are under me, I command you to do thus and thus; but he stands up unto them and saith, Hear me my Brethren, my People: This was a way to gain the hearts of people unto him. You know Absalom he sought in a false way to steal away the hearts of people by a gentle carriage. I remember I have read of John the Second, a ⁴King of Portugal, he chose his Emblem to be a Pelican, that he might express his love to his Subjects upon this ground; for the Pelican when her young ones have been ⁵bitten with Serpents, she feeds her young ones with her own blood, and thereby cures them: now upon this, this King of Portugal chooses the Pelican to be his Emblem, thereby he would testify his readiness to let out his blood for the good of his Subjects, for the healing of his Subjects. He would not feed upon his Subjects blood, but he ⟨p. 77⟩would rather let out his own blood for their good. This is the commendations of a Prince, not to seek to feed upon Subjects blood, and to raise up his Honour, and Prerogative by his shedding of their blood; but to love them ⁶