A WORD of WISDOM and COƲNSEL to the Officers and Souldiers of the AR­MY in ENGLAND, &c.To weigh and conſider before the light and power of their day bee ſhut up in darkneſſe when they cannot Act for God.

THE people of this Common-wealth hath by deep and ſad experi­ences not onely ſeen the falſeneſſe and deceivableneſſe of many fair words and pretences, whereby they have been betrayed of their liberties and freedom, and nothing yet but bondage and ſlavery is left upon them, but they alſo through their deep ſuf­ferings have learned to know the ſpirits of men. And though every appear­ance of a Power that ariſeth gets new words and fair pretences, but ſtill in the old ſpirit; Yet we do perfectly know, that it is the new Spirit of the Lord put in the inward parts, from which men muſt act for the Lord and for the Liberties of his people, before they be eſtabliſhed in Righteouſneſs, or enjoy the Liberty of their Conſciences. And we ſee that God hath given time and dayes, which ſhould have been dayes of Liberty and of plentious redemption; But through mens departing from the leadings of God, and ſuffering their own wiſdom to pervert them, they became dayes of perſecu­tion and cruelty, which for the Elects ſake (which ſuffered in them) was ſhort­ned; as for inſtance,

1. Oliver Cromwell in his dayes made many Vows, Promiſes, Engage­ments and Profeſſions for the Liberty of tender Conſciences, as the honeſt People of this Nation are not ignorant, & how that at Dunbar, he confeſt unto God in his prayer, That if the Lord would but deliver him that time, he would•ake away that great oppreſſion of Tithes; which when he was delivered, both at that and many other times, & had a prize put into his hand, yet had no heart to improve it; but contrary to all his prayers, promiſes and engagements, ſuffered and tollerated the wicked ſpirit of perſecution, in the murthering Prieſts and Magiſtrates to Rule in the Land over tender Conſciences, even until violence and blood covered the earth and filled the whole Nation; ſuffering Laws to be made for Tithes, and for perſecuting of tender Conſci­ences, and ſo building again that which he had deſtroyed, and ſo made himſelf a Tranſgreſſor; but for the Elects ſake his dayes were ſhortened.

2. In the dayes of R. Cromwel many of that ſucceeding Parliament began to declare their ſenſibleneſs, how that O. Cromwell had betrayed the Nation and its Liberty, and left them in great bondage, debt, perſecution and ſlave­ry; But how ſoon they were perverted, and became more bloody and cru­el againſt all that fear God, (the upright in heart are ſenſible) ſetting up in themſelves that which they declared againſt in him, and in ſtead of giving liberty and freedom to the Army and to the people of God, they voted down that liberty and freedom which they already had (viz.) of meeting together one with another in the fear and worſhip of God, and ſo they be­came cruel as the Oſtridge in the Wilderneſſe, and as evening Wolves; but for the Elects ſake was their dayes ſhortened.

3. The long and late Parl they came up with greater pretences of liberty & freedom, then all that was before them; and the people generally applauding of them, by telling them that they were the beginners of ſelting the Nation in the way of Common-wealth; and did expect they ſhould perfect the peo­ples Liberty and Freedom outwardly (which by the other Powers they had•…fered under) expecting that they ſhould remove thoſe burthens which•…as laid upon tender Conſciences by impoſitions and cruel ſufferings, and in their beginning they ſeemed to be given up to do the work expected from them, and did publiſh it in their weekly news to the Nation ſeveral times, that it was their real intent to make the Nation a Free Common-wealth, not in name but in nature, and this was often expreſſed by them, and indeed they did ſomething more then thoſe that went before them, in ſetting at Liberty thoſe that were impriſoned becauſe they could not pay Tythes to the Prieſts, and becauſe they could not ſwear, and becauſe they could not put off their hats to honour pride and ambition, and becauſe they ſpoke the Truth againſt the deceits of the Prieſts, which both the Souldiers and the honeſt hearted in the Nation knows how treacherous they have been, and the hinderance of every appearance of God in the Nation, for the chief cauſe of Gods breaking down, and of bringing into ignominy, ſhame and re­proach thoſe late powers before mentioned was the leting in of the Prieſts ſpirit and flatteries; as O. Cromwell, if alive would witneſſe, or thoſe that are alive may witneſſe for him, that he had never been ſuch a covenant­breaker and betrayer of the Nations Liberties, but by letting in that wicked intereſt, which made him a reproach, a by-word, a hiſſing among the people. And the two late Parliaments, it was their joyning to that betraying inter­eſt of the Prieſts, and neglecting of the Nations buſineſſe that brought dark­neſſe and confuſion, and conſequently a deſſolution upon them: And the laſt as I ſaid did ſomething more then the former; But when they began to revive the committee for plundred Miniſters, and did not take notice, nor call any Committe to ſubdue or puniſh the plundering Miniſters, of which they were informed from divers parts of the Nation, which had feloniouſly ta­ken away the goods of many an honeſt innocent man; then did Gods In­dignation grow hot againſt them, and then was it time for them to be diſ­ſolved, for they had finiſhed their day, and they had done all that ever they would have done for the Lord, for bonds and violence was in their hearts; but for the Elects ſake, which hath alwayes borne a true Teſtimony againſt the oppreſſion and cruelty under which the Innocent ſuffers, was their days ſhortened.

All thoſe before mentioned had their day from the Lord given them to try und to prove them, and they have been tried and proved.

And now you the Army have your day from the Lord, wherein you will be tried and proved, and you will be more in excuſable if you do not the things pretended, then any that hath been before you, for you ſee what hath been the cauſe of the fall, and you ſee how that through Pride and Ambition, flatteries and fair pretences, the Cauſe of God, and the Peoples Li­berties have been betrayed by thoſe that have ſought honour one of another, and not the honour which belongs unto God onely; Therefore if you would have the Lord to honour you, and keep you in renown in the Nation, ſeek not your ſelves, but deny your own Lordſhips honours and Excellencies, let none cleave unto you by flatteries, in giving you titles in ſeeming reſpect, and honors, for that will betray you, and lead you from that Innocency by which you ſhould act for the Lord; and as now you have Power, exerciſe it, in chuſing men fearing God, and hating covetouſneſſe, ambition, pride and honor, that ſo the Nation may enjoy that Liberty and Freedom which they have long waited for, and ſuffer none to act that perſecution in your names which hath already covered the Nation with blackneſſe and darkneſſe, and hath brought Gods curſe upon their proceedings.

One thing is upon me to acquaint you with, which many of you it may be doth not know, which is this; One of the little horns which puſhed & perſecu­ted the Lambs of Chriſt, is ſpringing up again, and begins to be as fierce as e­ver; For yeſterday in the Exchequer at Weſtminſter, Judge Parker and Judge Wilde would not receive a true anſwer from an honeſt man (who is well known for his uprightneſſe) againſt a falſe Bill prohibited againſt him by a Prieſt, unleſſe he would give it in upon Oath; and therefore becauſe he could not ſwear for Conſcience ſake, but did teſtifie the Truth from his heart, he was committed Priſoner to the Fleet, and ſeveral others True and Juſt men, and Friends to the Common-wealth, was denied the Law, and their anſwers rejected, becauſe they could not ſwear; but in whoſe names and by whoſe authority they act thoſe things is not yet declared to the Nation: If thoſe Judges act thoſe things in the name and by the authority of the Army or their late choſen Counſel, let it be openly manifeſt; and if not, but they did it in their own names, let the Nation know it; For this is worſe then the laſt Parliament, who did ſet many free who were ſo impriſoned, & did give com­miſſions and receive Teſtimony without ſwearing; and Judge Parker ſeems to have forgotten that knowledge and fidelity which he had of that people when he went his laſt circuit in the North, and his ſo favouring the Prieſts now, ſhews that he hath forgotten ſince he confeſt that he was Sermon-ſick at Car­liſle this laſt Summer, when he wiſhed that a Quaker had been there, and ſaw that they had reaſon to declare againſt them, &c.

But to us it is no ſtrange thing to ſee men ſo apt to change and to betray their own knowledge for filthy lucre ſake, while the corruption of the Laws through bribery and deceit is upheld, which once the Souldiers had a clear fight of, and a determination to pull down, and now it is the onely day of their tryal to prove themſelves, and it is doing of that which you have accuſ­ed the Parliaments for not doing that muſt make you manifeſt; for people will no longer believe words; for your ſelves know, that the good people of the Nation have made daily complaints and Petitions, and the Officers and Souldiers alſo, againſt that general oppreſſion of Tithes, and the Parliament hath onely given them thanks for their good expreſſions, and good affecti­ons, but done nothing, until their thanks did even become loathſom to the people.

Is it not a grievous thing, and intollerable to be born, that innocent and faithful men (who ſee and deny the Prieſts deceit) ſhould be forced, whether by Law or Violence, to give them the tenth part of all their labours and in­creaſe, and they with that mony to buy horſe and arms to raiſe a Rebellion, to murther and deſtroy thoſe men who deny to give them that which your Law hath cauſed to be taken from them, and ſo both the Law and Prieſt­hood is joyned together in oppreſſion of the people.

And the Nation is very ſenſible that all this while they have but been deceiv­ed by promiſes and fair pretences, Therefore be diligent to improve the light of your day, before the Sun ſet upon you, and you be ſhut up in darkneſſe, and the power to do good be taken from you.