Men are gods, or, The dignity of magistracy, and the duty of the magistrate…

When David kept his Fathers sheep, and there came a Lion and a Bear, and took a Lamb out of the flock, David rose after the Lion and smote him, and took the Lamb out of his mouth, 1 Sam. 17.34. Every Magistrate is or should be a Shepherd. God saith of Cyrus, He is my Shepherd, Isa. 44. ult. The man after Gods own heart was called to feed his people Israel, Psal. 78.70, 71. Homer calleth Agamemnon [Greek or Hebrew], the shepherd or the feeder of the people. And when Lions or Bears (men that are great and strong) come to devour their flock, they ought to protect or defend them. He is a base hireling that hides his head when the Wolf cometh in the night, though he endeavour to preserve his sheep from injury by the flies in the day. For one Wolf will do more mischief in a night then a thousand flies in a year. As the day of judgement will make no difference between great and small, rich and poor, noble and ignoble; for then the Kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief Captains and the mighty men will hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the Mountains, and will say to the Mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6.15, 16. so should not the day of executing justice in this world^*.

When David kept his Fathers sheep, and there came a Lion and a Bear, and took a Lamb out of the flock, David rose after the Lion and smote him, and took the Lamb out of his mouth, 1 Sam. 17.34. Every Magistrate is or should be a Shepherd. God saith of Cyrus, He is my Shepherd, Isa. 44. ult. The man after Gods own heart was called to feed his people Israel, Psal. 78.70, 71. Homer calleth Agamemnon 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, the shepherd or the feeder of the people. And when Lions or Bears (men that are great and strong) come to devour their flock, they ought to protect or defend them. He is a base hireling that hides his head when the Wolf cometh in the night, though he endeavour to preserve his sheep from injury by the flies in the day. For one Wolf will do more mischief in a night then a thousand flies in a year. As the day of judgement will make no difference between great and small, rich and poor, noble and ignoble; for then the Kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief Captains and the mighty men will hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the Mountains, and will say to the Mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the wrath of the Lamb