THE KING'S POSSESSIONS: WRITTEN By His Majesty's own Hand; annexed by way of Notes, to a Letter sent to the Ecclesiastical Assembly at LONDON: In Answer to a Letter sent from them.  
NEWCASTLE: Printed by Stephen Bulkley, Printer to the King's Majesty, 1647.   

THE PREFACE.  
READER,  
MAy the Father of lights open thine eyes to see over this stranger's shoulders, and by this impartial Perspective, what thou, whilst kept down thus low by thy new Masters, and through tby Seducers false Mediums, hast not hitherto been suffered to perceive, it being now purposely hid from thine eyes: Behold a mere stranger, that notwithstanding his manifold obligations, and personal engagements to a contrary Discipline in the Church and different form of Government in the State, yet overruled by the manifest truth and honesty of the King's Cause, breaks through all those Restraints of his Liberty (as far as he may) to tell thee thus much plain English Truth. Behold here Genevas ●eneration, and full vindication too of thine own Mother the Church of England, as it stood under Episcopacy traduced here at home by her own Spurious brood of Superstitious, Popish, Antichristian, what not? And this Apology directed to the Assembly-men in answer to their Letter what ever it was  
Behold here again, a clear justification of a King, vilified by his own for that for which strangers do admire him; His clemency, his inclinations to peace, his acts of grace, etc. Behold here the root of Gall, that which hath brought forth all these Nationall mischiefs, the popular tumults & conspiracies pointed at here, is the only evident cause of the King's divorce from the Parliament. See here, by whom poor Ireland was deserted: one thing also thou mayst here take notice of from these standers by, That the Clergy in their own proper Sphere may be as fit and as honest, & perhaps, in some respects more able for the good speed of a treaty, than those that do slight them with utter Preterition.  
Last of all, behold here the loyal and religious Subjects only Militia, or his own proper Magazine; to wit, the known Laws of the Land, that and prayer and submission are the only defensive weapons allowed here by this Master of Fence.  
I say no more save only, that I do hearty pity thee, and therefore I do still pray for thee, and for all thy fellow bondmen, that God will bring into the way of Truth all such as have erred and are deceived, Amen.   

Reverend, godly, and worthy Sirs, our dear Brethren and Companions in the Work of the Lord.  
IF proportionably to the grief we have conceived at your letters; wherein you have expressed the most sad face of your affairs) we had but as much ability either by our consolations to assuage your sorrows, or by our counsels to ease your burdens, or by any our co-operation to help your extremity: we should think ourselves very happy in so well corresponding with your honourable and most loving compellation of us: and right glad we should be thus to requite you with our best and effectual good offices. But alas, as the scantness of our capacity in this kind; so the ignorance of the more inward causes of so many miseries, and chief the perplex & dangerous ●ature of matters now in agitation among you: All these put together, strike us quite dumb: we are as men wholly at a stand, able only (in a kind of silent astonishment or holy horror) to admire, and to adore that finger of God, which is now lifted up over you all.  
But since, being by you so lovingly invited to it, we must needs at last break off our silence: We are reduced to an extraordinary Suspense both of Minds and of Pens, what to say first or last, or indeed what to say at all.  
And now in the end, after long deliberation, lest, as Jobs friends, we should transgress by precipitate or unseasonable discourse: Behold our hearts and mouths topful of the Senses and Expressions of our hearty commiseration, our eyes running down with tears of compassion, our breasts even swollen up with sighs & groans at your calamities. These are they, God is our Witness, that fill up the greatest part of our private prayers, of our public Devotions, Fast, and Humiliations: In all which we are resolved to give the Father of mercies no rest, until your tranquillity being once more ordained in Heaven, God do extend peace upon Earth unto you all like a River, & the fullness of his Blessing, like an ever-flowing stream.  
Our affairs, yea the general interest of all the reformed Churches are so closely involved in yours, and so mutually depending thereon, That your safety once procured, assures us all of our own good Estates.  
Therefore, especially during this grievous Tempest, which may seem to bring about again the heavy times of the Saints great primitive Tribulation, we are, in a manner, compelled with trembling hearts and lips, to pour out our lamentations into the ears of our most gracious and heavenly Father, no longer now only preparing to contend by Fire, as he once revealed it in a Vision to his Prophet Amos, Amos 7.4, 5. but already for a long time really contending by Fire indeed: And how then can we forbear from crying out? O Lord forgive, cease we beseech thee, by whom shall Jacob arise, for he is small, and round about all in a flame, by the fire of thy burning indignation. From this our own Watch-Tower, untouched as yet by Divine miracle: We have beheld this furious conflagration, spreading itself all over; We have seen the Grisoen-Italian Churches utterly defaced, the Gospel in Bohemia its ancient Seat, wholly extirpated; the Palatinate devoured; the French Churches deprived of all humane supports & refuges (like so many poor little Callow Birds, alive indeed, but only during pleasure the) German Churches almost all overshaken; yea, more than half destroyed, your own Ireland swallowed up with an unexpected deluge of Assassins and Robbers, one only thing was wanting to that huge heap of public calamity; namely, that flourishing England (the very eye and excellency of all the Churches, Christ's own choice, purchase, and peculiar; the Sanctuary of the afflicted, the Arceonall of the faint-hearted, the Magazine of the Needy, that Royal Standard of good hope) should by so unlooked for an accident, without an external Enemy, or foreign Impression, become in a manner it's own Felo de se, and make an end of its self with its own cruel hands.  
What a sad spectacle is this to see that Church thus trodden under foot? To see that glorious Fould of our Lord thus ransacked, yea worryed, not by the wild Beasts of the Forest, not torn in pieces by the merciless paws of the Lion, or of the Wolf, but utterly dismembered by its own unnatural sheep enraged and exasperated one against another.  
An horrid example this, and till now never heard nf among the reformed Churches.  
It seems, heretofore, like Christ's own true sheep, they were kept tame by the fear of God, united by the same bond of Faith, knit together by the apprehension of the common enemy: and so long they did both express and exercise holily and faithfully their mutual charity, quiet▪ and unity amongst themselves: in all which, they preserved themselves from the rage of the Wolf by the Christian simplicity of their own conditions, by the innocency of their pious lives, by the sanctity of their Religion, by the constant undantednesse of their holy Faith.  
But now we are wholly struck with horror at the change of that so glorious Face of your Church, whilst we hear at this distance the loud report of those deadly wars that are now flaming up between the King and his People: to see at Daggers drawing indeed, Brethren against Brethren, Parents against their own Children, Christ's sheep pushing against and goring their own Fellows, nay their own Shepherds: At all this we are utterly amazed, and would scarce have believed, that in the selfsame pitched field, one and the same God and Father, in the name of one and the same Mediator, at one and the same time, could be invocated for help on both sides, to shed the blood of those, that for the Major-part had hitherto by so many clear Demonstrations in the whole equal course of their lives, equal in their Piety towards God, equal in their love and loyalty towards their Country, approved themselves such faithful and true Brethren one to another. Strange, that these should now against their own Bowels, turn all their warlike power, far better if employed in the just punishments of their own treacherous Neighbours, or towards the relief of their dearest Brethren so long bowing the back under the weight of their bondage, and even at the last gasp for help.  
What marvel then, if these your cruel distractions have awakened; yea, divided even to a variety the judgements and affections too of Christendom?  
Neither do we ourselves deny but that for a while we did somewhat stagger at, and as it were fluctuate about it; yet that demur of ours did neither proceed from prejudice against, nor from partiality towards either side, as not being called upon by either, neither publicly nor privately, till now of late in your reference unto us, which we do reckon as no small piece of honour, since in your esteem, our judgement may seem of so much weight, as able to advance or balance down either party, both being of such extraordinary quality.  
We have contained ourselves within the bounds of a conscionable judgement, and impartial charity towards both parties, for indeed we are both Brethren; We have neither way exceeded the compass of our own measure, but still kept a mean, as rejoicing on the one hand at those good things which we did hear were entertained with the general applause of all good men; So on the other hand, we could not but behold with grief those other Sinister passages that in themselves did carry a more fatal appearance.  
We were overjoyed at the issue of the Scottish troubles, that seemed at first to presage a combustion, not unlike this of yours, and yet far sooner quenched, for as by Gods own admirable handiwork (So by the never-enough-magnified of your most gracious King, & by the Concord of that wary Nation) that fire was in time put out, ere it did burst into a more open flame.  
At the first report of these your own Commotions, our minds were possessed with a good hope that all past offences might with the same promptitude and facility be forthwith repaired, and all matters composed.  
So that what actions or counsels should appear amiss, might by the benignity of the best of Princes be easily redressed, and consequently both Church and Commonwealth without noise or blood shed, be kept in due order▪  
In pursuance of all which, we could not but admire the happy and glorious beginnings of the Parliament, and the more than Fatherly affection of his most gracious Majesty, evidenced by his enacting those Laws, from which for the time to come, there was a clear hope of a Government full of equity, and freed from all corruption:  
An example not so rare, as indeed singular in this our wild Generation, so fertile of violent Powers and Princes. But all these our goodly hopes were soon blasted by that raging storm and tempest of popular tumults among you, that did force away both your most gracious Prince from his Parliament, as also a great part of the Parliament from itself. Since which we have heard indeed of many attempts and enterprises, many Propositions and Projects, but all of them come to nothing, nothing is yet brought to perfection, nothing is yet rightly settled or established.  
The business of the Church might seem the chief object of your care and solicitude: If it had been handled and debated at times, & with minds calm and quiet: had the opposite judgements been compared and impartially weighed one with another; such an orderly course might happily have purchased a lasting Peace to your Kingdom, and also rendered unto your Church that most desired Primitive face of the Apostolical times: 
a Such was Episcopacy in its first Apostolical vigour of Discipline & Government, the which as at the Synod of Dort this very man did both acknowledge unto Bishop Carlton to be the best Form of Church-Government, and also did hearty wish for it in his own Church; so doth he sufficiently commend the happy effects of it above pag. 5. in that full passage of his containing the Superlative Praises of the former flourishing estate of the Church of England, as before these troubles it stood under Episcopacy: The Restauration of which former good Estate, is again by this Author at the latter end of this Epistle, pag. 12. earnestly wished and prayed for.  but behold how quite contrary the event hath fallen out? for the minds of both sides being averse from, yea, violently bend one against another, this very matter hath proved the great rock of offence by exasperating the wound, and tearing it wider and wider, * by distracting more and more asunder the hearts of each party, distempered enough already through former partiality and discord of affections. Nay, if the report be true, these Church Distractions have opened a wide gap to so many boysterors and private spirits, which we hear have assumed to themselves the most mischievous Title of Independents, than which Destructive Sect nothing could more undermine, yea quite overturn the very foundation of the Church.  
Besides all that, we have been extremely grieved at this, That the spirit of division hath so plentifully sown among you his pernicious Tares of Fears and Jealousies, that they have not only fructified, but even overgrown all over all manner of mutual trust, in despite of so many Royal protestations sealed and bound up with so many most grievous Imprecations. But the very top and height of all our sorrows on your behalves, hath been this. That all that cursed fuel thus heaped on, is now at last kindled into bloody war, lengthened on both sides by a multiplication of deadly feuds, So that during such an universal combustion, what ever men's bare words, & never so frequent Protestations other wise may pretend, yet the Royal Honour, Power and Dignity, cannot but fall into utter contempt: and on the contrary, the licentiousness of the most audacious and lawless, cannot but gather strength, and out-grow the other: and then consequently▪ Piety must needs decay, mutual love and charity must needs vanish away; and in stead thereof, a kind of savage disposition, yea brutish rage must needs invade at last the minds and manners of the men of this Generation, who in process of time will no longer look upon the old original causes that began the war, but rather upon the new mutual injuries freshly done, or received in the very progress or prosecution of the war between two parties divided, far more by an odious difference of reproachful Names, as it were, infamous brands fixed upon each other, then really by the cause itself. It had been fare more easy unto us, and all good men else, to deliver our judgements upon your case: had the Major part of either side differed from the other, either in the more essential points of Religion, or else dissented about the Fundamental Laws of the Commonwealth: or had either party been oppressed 
b Woe be to them that first began that war whose Nonnecessity, yea Injustice strangers themselves can so far off so plainly perceive and condemn too.  by the other in a direct way of open persecution, or had there been an introduction of public tyranny against the laws through the baseness and pusillanimity of the other party: But as for you, you have abundant cause of comfort or security against all these evils. 
c To wit, in a fair, quiet, legal Parliamentary way, not in a Martial way: therefore he mentions not at all the power of Arms, but only the power of the Laws.  since by virtue of your own most just and powerful Laws, those Laws that already have been indifferently agreed upon by the general consent of all parties concerned, you may with ease prevent, or put all those forementioned evils which in other Kingdoms may seem almost unavoidable. All these considerations put together, have moved us for a long while seriously to deliberate and advise what might be at last, the best expedient left to procure an honest and sure Peace among you. Indeed we have been much scandalised, that all the Mediations of several Kingdoms and Provinces in league with you, have been tried and used all in vain: Howbeit it came into our mind to propound this one Medium more, whether now at last there be yet any hope to obtain from the Kings most gracious Majesty, and from the Parliament, that, of both sides, Ecclesiastical persons may be chosen of unquestioned Trust, and Fame-proofe beyond all suspicion, to whom this great business may be committed; Namely, that comparing the chief points now in controversy, they may chalkout some good way towards an holy peace. But first these men must by God's good Spirit themselves be dispossessed of all factious inclinations, that so they may become fit umpires and trusties of the public Peace, and impartial Ambassadors of Reconciliation between both parties, and also able and studious too by all their Speeches, Exhortations, and Sacred Obtestations to charm the hearts that on both sides are so obdurate in War and Bloodshed.  
This were the ready way, by thus interposing the Sacred Censer in the very midst of these public flames, to quench all the heart-burnings: for who knows whether at the devout Prayers and holy groans of Persons Sacred, thus prostrate at the footstool of the Heavenly grace, the Divine power and glory may not break out once more, and show forth itself by moving the hearts of both Parties to lay down all hatred, and public enmities? The only way to procure such sound Council of both sides, and to purchase again the precious blessing of a general Peace, is especially when all humane helps fail, to call in the Divine Assistance, which no man did ever try in vain. By these good means that may be brought to pass (what cannot be hoped for from Civil War, however the success prove) that by a voluntary Inclination of Minds, the wound shall be so fully closed up, as that Love and Charity may in time perfectly be recovered.  
The good opinion which you have conceived of us, may suffer us to offer these Considerations unto you. It might be immodesty in us to prescribe, or to advise you any further: But no Law of Modesty can ever forbid us to wish, and to Vow, and to beseech God for you, yea to appeal unto God, and to adjure you all in his Name.  
O then above all, take a speedy and special care for a sure and found Peace, what ever it be 
d What would this Peacemaker have said if he had seen or heard of so many Royal reiterated offers of peace wherewith the Sovereign hath and still doth woo his Stiffnecked Subjects, Certainly, the more peaceable side hath always amongst good men had the Reputation of the better side.  'tis to be preferred before any Civil Broils. Beware lest the fortune of War smiling upon you, draw you on, and tempt you to commit your great Affairs to the Ambignous Chance of Victory, than which nothing can happen more deadly, yea pernicious unto the Common wealth. Roll away that huge Scandal that lies so heavy upon the whole Christian world, yea wash and wipe off that foul stain of black oppression charged especially upon the purest Profession of the Gospel, as if still it did in a kind of Antipathy, or secret hatred, oppose and oppugn all Kingly power, and Supreme authority. Mitigate and assuage the exulcerated, and tootoo much provoked mind of your King, and do not compel Him to Pinnacles and Precipices.  
Rather bear with some blemishes and Corruptions from which no Empire could yet wholly be free, no not in its most flourishing Estate. Account not those Remedies the best, that are abruptly applied and accumulated; but those rather, that being taken in by degrees, may in time, by little and little, go down more easily, and digest the better, and so at last obtain a Confirmation. And last of all, by the Bowels and mercy of Christ, suffer yourselves to be entreated, that we may no longer see that Wealth, Power, and Strength which God hath graciously bestowed upon you, employed, yea, utterly wasted in the fatal Ruin of your own selves, but rather let it be stretched out to the Relief, and support of so many of your own 
e This was very good Council from a Stranger: had the Subjects had the grace to follow it in time; then had there been an end of the old War, and a happy Prevention of a new War, which, except stopped by timely submission, can portend nothing but the utter Nationall Ruin of Church and State, which God in mercy avert.  most afflicted Brethren, even panting after your own Peace. 
f Of Ireland.   
May the God of Peace himself hear, accept, and grant these our sincere Devotions; May God defeat all the P●o●s, and disappoint all the Machinations of the Devil, and of Antichrist. May the same God restore your Kingdom and your Churches to that High State and pitch of Holiness and of Glory, in which, on the Theatre of the Universal Church they have hitherto excelled & out-shinedall the 
g This full Testimony of the excellent State of the Church of England (still as it heretofore stood under Episcopacy) outspeaks all the former, and to this good Ejaculation from Geneva, no right, Protestant-Malignant but will hearty say, Amen.  Churches upon Earth.  
As for us, take in good part this our plain Sense delivered freely unto you, in a Brotherly Confidence, and Pardon and Impute our delay of Answer unto these weighty Reasons. The Report was here very strong, that you were now very fair for a Treaty of Peace: Therefore we thought it fit to expect what a day might bring forth, that so all our words and all our affections too, might overflow with mere gratulations and full expressions of our joys. But sorry we are, that we have yet again been deceived with vain hopes. And now that we may speedily recover and enjoy that Happiness we both wish and pray, with as much Devotion as becomes your dearest Brethren, (who glory not a little in your good esteem of us) That God will pour down upon you his richest Benedictions, together with a large Measure of his Wisdom, and Spiritual Strength. Farewell, and prosper in the Lord.  

The Copy of a Certificate from one of the Scribes of the Assembly to a Minister in London.  
SIR,  
I Have perused the paper and examined the Records, and find that there was never any such letter sent from Dr. Deodate in the Name of the Church of Geneva to the Assembly: the whole letter now printed at Newcastle is an abominable forgery, I find that we did receive a letter from the Church of Geneva in answer unto ours sent unto them, but not Signed by Deodate but 2. others in the name of all the Pastors and Professors of the Church and University of Geneva: but there is no likeness between the one and the other.   
FINIS.