NEW OBSERVATIONS DEDICATED TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY, FROM ALL HIS Loving Subjects concerning Peace.  
AND HUMBLY PRESENTED to the Honourable House of Commons for their encouragement to the perfection of that good work of Peace and Union in the Church and State  
By J. B. Ca Pe.  
Printed for George Tomlinson. 1642.   

NEW OBSERVATIONS Dedicated to the KING'S most Excellent MAJESTY.  
SIR,  
BEsides my sorrows (which pressed me very sore, and remaineth still upon me) the troubles and grief that fell upon me for the lamentable breaches in the Church and State, and for your sacred Majesty and hopeful offspring filled up my sorrows: and in my thoughts I was grieved that those fears and desolations fell out in your days; I confess, charity suspects not, and the best minds thinks the least hurt, and the freer a man is from vice in himself, the more charitable he is of others; and this is that which hath proved (formerly) prejudicial to your Majesty. But had your Majesty been the first, or the best, that had been misled, misinformed, or ill rewarded; it would be an hard thing to command patience, but grief is assuaged either by precedents, or examples. It is true of late days, your Majesty being misinformed against some of your best Subjects, your Majesty thought to have dealt with them, as Joseph thought to have dealt with Marie, and so put them away fare from you, but with Marry, they travelling as it were with child, and that that which they traveled withal might not appear an illegitimate, but remain innocent, the only wise God, sent as it were an Angel unto you, (I mean your late Petitioners at York) to let you see, that like Marry, they being contracted unto you in love, they have not as yet defiled their marriagebed, but remain like Marie faithful to their head and Sovereign. And your Majesty having been formerly seduced by false opinions from others against them, I hope you will now be reduced unto them (and by them) by true persuasions, and that you may be so, the only wise God, that gave your Majesty your being, and so knew you better than yourself, hath dealt wit your Majesty as he did with Adam in parodice, and so hath provided you a meet helper, when with Adam you thought no need of it, nor desired it, and your Majesty yielding as Adam did (in sparing a superfluous rib, for to make him a meet helper) will become a great gainer, for your Majesty shall not only lose those who may be well spared, but you will gain to yourself, and your posterity, a meet helper, that will endeavour by all lawful means to ease you of many burdens that otherwise might have lain heavy upon you & this helper is many member of that body whereof your Majesty is become the head, and considering their pains and labour in love, you should do them injustice if you hold suffer any to accuse them. I hope their is none (or will be none) near you (if near you yet dares not) to engross your favours any more to their own advantage whereby your good Subjects may be bereft of those benefits that ought to be common to all; as for your Commons, they go not about to steal your savours, but to purchase them legally; and are become unto you as Abraham's servant was to his Master, who would nor either eat or drink, until he had done his Master's business; and I dare say, if your Commons (as your late Monopolists and others) had, or did seek themselves, or their own advantages (more than the good of King and Kingdom) they would have been wearied (after so much labour.) Before now but me thinks, I see your Commons following the counsel of God, Gen. 3.23, 24. and God having brought your Majesty and them together, they now say as Adam said, Let us be but one, and that it may be so they are willing (not only for a time to be separated from their lawful and domestic employments but even) to forsake all and run many hazards, to cleave only to your Majesty in a solemn contract, wherefore to make up the contract, me thinks, I see you to them as Rebecca was to the servant of Abraham, who ask water, made haste and drew water for his Camels also: It may be to make up this march, you must with Isaac part with something that was formerly near unto you, and who will not be contented to spare a part to save the rest: being done, it will prove to your Majesty as comfortable and welcome as Rebecca was into Isaac's tent, and the Text saith, And Isaac brought her into his Mother Sarahs' tent, and took Rebecca and she became his wife, and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his Mother's death. This happy match being made, it would not only refresh your people, but make glad your heart in time of fears and dangers. It is true, there are many that have brought your Majesty into troubles and feared dangers, (and the more too blame they, for leaving your Majesty, having brought you into them.) It is true there are many with Orpha seeing your troubles have left you; but your Commons like Ruth are resolved to stick close unto you, and will endeavour to help you out of them, if with David you will be advised by them (who blessed God for the seasonable counsel of a woman when he was upon a design) Judge then of their loves and affections to your Majesty, by yours to them, and then tell me whether they do not truly love you; doubtless, yes, accounting their lives not dear unto them, so that they may but finish their work with joy, and so accomplish their good ends concerning you, and I doubt not, but that I speak it in the name of many, and in truth by your late yielding and free expression, you have stolen me from myself, yea and am now wounded within me and like Moses, who was wounded in himself and could hardly endure to look upon God when he descended in mercy. It is true there is nothing engageth a soul to God, or a subject to a King, as the appearance of love; this made Moses to say, H●w dreadful is thy place O God and this is that which hath stolen me from myself, so that now I am no more my own but yours; yea, by this return of yours to your people you will win them to obedience with kindness; and by doing so, you will make good that which you were sent for, whose care ought to be employed for the good of your Subjects, knowing that their love is your greatest safety and their prosperity your greatest honour and felicity: and this is that which will make your bed easy when you shall possess the just title to the Crown with the love of your people, and the continuance of it with the willing applause of the Subject, is the highest way to a blessing; and the hopes of this is that which hath brought me to renew and confirm the covenant that your Majesty made with me from your first entrance to the Crown, and because you could not swear by no greater, swore by the Eternal God that you would defend me, and at the first of one contract we made but one, your power and all that you had was mine to defend me, and to do me good but there have been some of late, that have set your Majesty against me (I speak it in the name of many) and have persuaded you to beat me, and to force to obedience, though of myself willing to obey, being of a nature sooner won than compelled, and this is that which hath sore troubled me, yet this is not all, but when an oath with an etc. was put upon me, it wounded me; for, by the oath that I had taken already, I was bound fast enough but the truth is when these things befell me, I was afraid that some evil minded men like Potiphers wife seeing mine innocency, and more faithful to you my husband than themselves, had complained against me without cause: and this I could hardly bear; for, by this means our great Adversaries, Devil and Pope, have laboured to sow contentions and jealousies between us, and this is that which will be a means to undo us both, when your Majesty (which is become my head and husband) speaks kindly unto me, and is ruled by those that love us both, my heart is inflamed with a love unto you, but when your Ministers abuse your Majesty's kindness, and become tyrants to their fellow servants; yea, when they shall go about to justify themselves, and men like themselves and lay all their villainy upon your Majesty: this I can hardly bear; for, by this means, I am deprived of my marriagebed, and of my wont society and am troubled in myself, when I see your Majesty (which is become my head and husband) strange unto me, but I hope every former breach, will unite love the stronger, knowing that a little shaking of the tree will prefer the growth of it: wherefore being now reconciled to your Commons, feast, live, love and die together, and be more firm in your near union, than ever divided in your hearty unkindness so shall you meet in the end, and never part: But be like Rachel and Leah, which two built up the house of Israel. You are now in the way and it is said, Gen. 24.27. That whilst the servant of Abraham was in the way, God blessed him; the same God bless you; and for your comfort and encouragement know, by so much shall you grow to perfection by how much you draw near to unity, I confess had the Balaacks & Balaams of our times been so evil as they would have been & intended to have been, the world had been overrun with evil, but such is the wisdom of God, that ofttimes he hides from evil men those times and seasons that might prove prejudicial to his people: so when Saul sought for David. It is true, the good God might have destroyed the Balaams and wicked saul's of our times, but many times he will not, for God hath something more for them to do; and it is not so much glory to God to take away wicked men, as to use their evil to his own holy purposes, and gaineth many times more glory by working good by evil instruments, than by destroying of them presently in their wicked purposes: and this use I make of it, that it sufficeth a good man, that he resisteth the evil actions of the wicked whilst they love their persons. I confess, our Balaams, and our saul's, had gone very fare, but in some things God permits in indignation, not for that he gives leave to the act, but that he gives a man over to the sin in the act; and yet this sufferance implies not favour but judgement, and God is contented the devil should win himself credit (sometimes) where he means to judge. I confess, our saul's and our Balaams, like Sisera trusted in their strength, but like Sisera many of them run away, yet in spite of them all the Lord hath made a seasonable and hopeful provision for his people; and to that purpose the wise God (in spite of our saul's) have brought your Majesty and Commons together. It is too true by the means of our saul's, your Majesty became to your Commons as the Angel was to Gideon, and so made them afraid, but like the Angel that made Gideon afraid, your Majesty hath returned to their comfort; and as God, as he useth where he loves, he employs, & like Christ himself, you are now willing to enjoy them by a willing contract, and not by a ravishment; and by this means you appear now to your people like Moses, who had more glory by his vale than by his face; and I do not doubt but when all things shall be made manifest, but that one faithful David will be in more account with your Majesty, than either the saul's or Balaams whatsoever. It is true, by the means of our saul's, the Crown is become full of cares, and your Majesty having been almost even wearied by them, would feign now take some rest; and that your Majesty may rest, I will take unto me that large promise, Isa. 45.11. (and with Jacob will give God no rest until he have blessed you.)  
Thus saith the Lord the holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me, nay; that is not all that I will do for you but I will commend you to the Honourable House of Commons, and tell them; Right Wise, Right Worthy, you see with Abraham his Majesty is willing to resign, to win the affections of his people by his justice in his government; the thing that I shall desire of you (for his Majesty) is but this, that your Sovereign which is become your head, being full of care and troubles that you would make his bed easy for him that (notwithstanding your care in removing some that are about him) if there should still remain any about him that should go about to trouble him, again the thoughts of you when he wakes may make him lie down again, and take another nap. And the the doing of this for him, will bring him from Marah to Elim and you will become as sweet and pleasant to the Church, and the three Kingdoms, as the tree that God shown to Moses (which when he cast into the waters the waters were made sweet, which formerly were bitter) and then shall the Church of God sing the song of Moses, Exod. 15. I know that thankfulness and love, can do more with good men, than merit or necessity; and me thinks, I see you like our Saviour, who thirsted after the salvation of mankind: and I believe it was not so much out of dryness as out of love; Go you and do so likewise, knowing, that modest beginnings and hopeful proceed makes happy end. And for your comfort know that God whose battles you fight, will provide a due reward of your patience: and for my own part, I shall do with you as Jeptha did with his sword, and whilst he used it trusted to God: and with Job, will be willing to wait the appointed time, for the accomplishing of those things that concerns both the good of Church and Commonwealth; and so I commend the saving of Solomon unto you Eccle. 9.10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest.  
FINIS.