ADVISE TO A FRIEND DISCONTENTED AT Some proceed in His MAJESTY'S ROYAL COURT.  
BY F. G.  
LONDON, Printed by Thomas Creak. 1660.   

Dear Friend,  
YOurs I received, and am sorry to find in it, that any want of power in his Majesty, should put you into a discontent; and at this time for you to, deplore the dissatisfaction of your own interest, more than the condition so Royal a friend is in, to give your merit a recompense to encourage it, as well as a due Character to set it off. I confess a narrowness of fortune may excuse the generousest spirit from mirth, but let us consider how narrow and small a compass of Air our Sovereign has had yet to breath in, and we may the readier acquiesce in our own limits. When our party ventured for the King, we esteemed the establishing of his Happiness a sure foundation of our own. We have brought our desires to a hopeful issue, and may make ourselves rich in the favour of Divine Providence, let but a sober and solid progress in our cure hinder the making our best mediator for that Providence miserable. I mean the King, whom God has given us for our goods, and he having the best Sacrifices of our Loyalty, will form a recompense for us with the best endeavours of his friendship. Nor are his sufferings less to see us want happiness, then ours to find it, as yet not in his power to make us happy. 'Tis no small benefit for us to live in Peace as we are, and to know that what we have is by his coming confirmed our own. And Heaven has a great hand in this, that if we have any subsistency by endeavours or estate, we may quietly and to our comfort employ the one and enjoy the other. Justice and the balanced principles of the Law shall guard the innocent, nor shall Tyranny any more Usurp the Regal Throne, nor oppression burden us by an Imperial pretence of power. Now we have the best of Governments, and worthiest of Governors to protect us. This can no way bedenyed or disputed in the birthright, and our affectionate embracing of so good a Prince, enthroning him in our loves as well as obedience. I believe you so candid an interpreter of my actions, as not to think me an undeserving labourer in his Majesty's affairs: and I should be loath to conclude so ungratefully, as to want patience till he is as well able as willing to make me live by some fruitful acknowledgement of what I have done for him. Plunder and Sequestration have razed the Crown and sheepcoate alike, nor can so great a goodness as his rise and be fixed in any splendour, and an honest merit live poor and forgotten. He has yet little else but his title King, and we are as well settled in our condition by being styled his friends. He adores the God of goodness, therefore loves our being so good to him. He honours true Religion most, therefore cannot love us least, who are his partners in suffering for, and professing that Religion he accounts the truest. From all this, Reason concludes, that we have his heart to love us, and cannot want his hand, when it is strong enough, to reward us and cherish us. We have enough of him, if we know how to manage it to our own good without doing him hurt. The best way to make him all ours, is to let him find a certainty of his being wholly his own. That cannot so well be done by acknowledging and gratefully rewarding any one particular service only, as by promulgating his good and gracious acceptance of any one who desires to be true, loyal, and serviceable to him: By this he will multiply his friends, in giving a larger compass to his friendship. Suppose the smiles of prosperity upon sin in former times made some, most, nay all these, his, and our enemies; Charity cannot but frame a better construction in us, then to judge that all have their conversion to what is good, because, and only because fear of punishment keeps them from being ill. Virtue has a brightness in her to dispel ignorance, but not always an inherent power to conquer iniquity. Her own nature ennobles her with the first, and ingenuous dispositions procure her an Army for the last. Nor is it the divine will that she should force her way into men's hearts by cruelty, but convert men's hearts from being cruel by her excellency. Our conjectures will have the better stamp given them by our enemies, when they find us to credit a possibility of their growing our friends. The surest way of bringing ill men to goodness is to show the convenientest inlets, and not to bar them out by assurance of non-admissiion. This way, and the best of ways has the best of Kings, our Great and Gracious Charles, taken: To let them know that so far as they can be good, he can welcome their goodness, and not only for their conversion pardon their worst of ills, but also accept with a due resentment their best of actions. And this civility of his to them, will cause no small reflection of his favours upon us: When he considers upon that turgency of merit naturally flowing in his old friends, what and how much it overpoises those small stillititious droppings io his new ones. This he will make worthy, both of his ponder and affection. His power is made yet but of slender Cion's, and it may perish for want of sappage, if the increase as well as goodness of his friends be denied to nourish it. When he is strong enough than he will venture at the choice of his friends, and placing of his friendship. We have had patience to lose all with him, let us not now incur the repute of such poor spirits, as to have less in our desires to get by him, than we had in our hazard for him. We shall scarce be thought men, when that virtue is rather forced upon us, than loved by us. I have known those whom we call the worst of people, namely the Papists, when the Laws of our land have taken away two parts of their Estates for their Religion, they have willingly endangered the third part, and their lives out of their zeal to loyalty. What can our judgements call that eminency of cuurage in them but good, since they are such true friends to their principles, in God almighty's service, and most willing to establish God's anointed servant. I wish our principles and their zeal, had a nearer relation. For let us consider them all along in their sufferings and allegiance, and we shall find them to wave their own considerations in any government, so that they might live and be acknowledged serviceable in enthroning a true and lawful governor. I have heard a proposition urged very high in arguments, which you please to make a hint at. viz. hat the pillars of the Church, are the best support of King and people: and our slackness in establishing authority in divine truth, must needs weaken supremacy in popular affection. I suppose you find an answer to this in his Majesty's Royal character; that tender consciences ought to be alured by gentleness and fraternal kindness, and not tortered to believe by any predominative coercion. I dare affirm that his Majesty knows the love of a subject is most sincere to him, when that subject is a most fervent servant in his principles towards God. And consequence will instruct us that what power Eclesiastick has the King's Closet and cappel to spread its Juster in, it will gain more hearts to it, by a due performance of Piety, than it can by any rigour or strictness in its jurisdiction abroad. But our prayers and best wishes ought to be the greatest sticklers in these matters. Let not our censures prove us busy in superior actions, nor conclude them ill in themselves, because they do not readily square with ourgood: Steers of ships will not endure a passengers correction. And that most Illustrious pilot of our Kingdoms will rather be slow in prosecuteing his own interest, then want industry to remunerate his friend's affection. God preserve him in peace and plenty, and the least sufferer with him shall neither find trouble nor penury.  
Your true Friend, F. G.