TIme was when your Persons were as deare as your Actions were Honourable; and in truth your noble enterprises founded upon Just and Righteous Prin­ciples, was the ground-work of such high affections to your very names; that we did not onely hugge you in our bosomes on earth, but heave you up in our hearts to hea­ven: To call a person a Souldier, of the Victorious Eng­lish Army, was in effect to say, that he was neither sorded nor ingenerous; neither mercinary, nor unjust; but a man of much goodnesse, pure in his ayms, undertakings and ends; esteeming the fruits of Righteousnesse in the free­dome of his Countrey, from the yoke of Usurpation and Tyrany above his life; but with the Revolution of Time, the sceane of your noble performances is changed; you and your fellows, who declared your selves (distinct from your superiour Officers) called forth out of judgement and Conscience to serve the designe of God, in throwing down the horn of Monarchy in England; and your Coun­trey, in making them a free and unsubjected people unto the will and lust of any single person. Behold, on a sudden, you are made to forfet all your Vows, and your judgment and Conscience are sacrificed to mans Commands, though never so treacherous and abominable. This is evident, if we go no further for a President than your own Garrison, in the late Case of Master Canne, who without all processe of Law, shew of Reason, any Conviction, some of you turned out of Town, upon the peremptory and irrationall commands of your Mayor, being not able to give the least account for the legality of the attempt: What say ye, oh ye souldiers? Was this a proceeding upon Judgement and Conscience, to persecute a man unto Banishment, for no cause shewn? Nay, nor that can be shewn, except he were in some measure true unto your interest of most glorious truth. Will your Mayors Warrant (suppose you had it in your hands to shew) be a sufficient compurgator for you before the judgment seat of God? What will any of you say before that great Tribunal, when your solemn En­gagements in the high places of the field shall be laid on this hand, and your actuall obeying unjust directions on that? Will not your Consciences cry guilty before God and his holy Angels, before the persons, whom you have dealt injuriously with and all the world? Put this day as far off as you will or can, it can and will overtake you; and then every man (as well private Souldiers as Major Elton) must give an account of the deeds done in the flesh, whither they be good, or whither they be evil. But you are determined to say, Is it not a sin to refuse. Commands from our lawfull Officers? Shall the Scripture decide this Que­stion between us? If it be agreed, i'le name the place, Acts 4. 19. Whether it be right in the sight of God to harken unto you, more than unto God judge yee; so say I to you, whether it be right to harken unto your Mayor, more than unto God, judge yee: God commands you, even you souldiers, to doe violence to no man, Luke 3 14. Your Mayor com­mands you to doe violence to Master Canne, now judge you which is most your dutie? If you say, it is more righ­teous to obey your Mayor in this matter; I dare pro­nounce you cursed with a dreadfull Curse; and I protest against you this day, that you are perjured, perfidious, A­postates; the most monstruous wretches that ever tram­pled on the ground throughout the Globe of all the Earth: If you acknowledge God rather to be obeyed, then repent of what you have done; Repent of the wrong you have done to Master Canne. And if ever your Mayor command you to deal so with any other, without a reall reason shewn and declared by some presidented Law, refuse it. Tell him you are men under Vows to God for righteousnesse, you have declared your selves no mercinaries; you have fought for a due distribution of Justice, and will not act a­gainst it; tell him that though he think not of a day of account you must; and howbeit he command, yet think with your selves, you are not bound to obey besides the rule of Reason and Righteousnesse; Being now no longer the servants of men, but of your Country, for the good of which you unsheathed your swords, imbrewed them in the blood of Englands enemies, and ought so to do against all who impede its reall prosperity, under a free Repre­sentative, be they what or whom they will; and much rather those (for such there be) who have dealt deceit­fully with the Nation, pretending (with you) to intro­duce freedom [...] but have led us further into the house of bondage than [...]tofore. Souldiers, I beseech you in the bowels of c [...]on, think on these things, whilest those who ere [...] were no better than poore Michan­icks (witnesse your Mayor) pomp themselves over these Nations, and (though they be baser than the earth (as Job said) vaunt it over the freeborn people of England, ma­king themselves great by the price of your blood, and ar­rears of pay, which they have frudulently wronged you off. They leave not you also void of drugery, think how sorded a matter it is for you to relinquish all your noble principles to prostrate your selves to the lust of any crea­ture! Minde your own hearts, how God hath forsaken you, since the stream was turned by the treachery of your great ones, from a glorious Common-wealth to the vas­salage of a Protector (so called) and a Councel! God is a­gainst them, and you for their sakes at home and abroad! How are their soaring designes frustrated in America? How many of your fellows fell there by the butcherous hands of fifty Cow-killers? How is the hand of God against them at home? Their Councels are every way defeated, their Cabinets by their giddie enterprises exhausted, and them­selves run into extreamdebt; so that in probability, the lon­ger they subsist (except they lay aburden of Taxes upon the Nation, which it can not, will not bear, (by which means you may smart for their iniquity, being found at least appearing assistance of their horrid designes) you may still finde a deminution and arrearage in your pay (that free Parliaments by the blessing of God may fully satisfie) which how ever (indeed) it faire with themselves, pollicy invites them to; well knowing that poverty debates the spirit, and is the best way to servilise any people. Consider also, how many gallant upright souls, are now exempt from the right of Election and being elected, onely because they stand for what you have engaged to maintain and fought for, and how they disperse their wretched brood of Am­bitious creatures into all the Countries (in particular York­shire) to prostrate the peoples zeal unto their Tyrannicall Threats. Souldiers, In truth, from the highest to the low­est they have delt treacherously with you; and let them pretend what they please, you stand bound before God and his peo [...] prosecute the end of your engagements, for the setle [...] of the three Nations in the way of a Common-we [...]lth, in opposition to the government of a single Person: Have a care of lifting up a hand, or stirring a tongue against any, whose designes are by assisting that way, as you value your eternal peace; fight not for them to the dissolution of your Country, their alone exaltation, and the losse of your own souls; for if you doe (after so many warnings as you have received, and amongst the rest this from the hand of your Friend) sad will be your account before the just and righteous judge of heaven and earth; who for the cry of the dissolute will bestir himself, as a Li­on to the prey, he will cry, yea roar, and will prevail against his adversaries; And then the sinners in Zion shall be a­fraid, and fearfulnesse shall surprise the Hypocrite. I am far distant from you, but my affections draweth forth these pre­monitions before the day of calamity come upon you, like an overslowing flood.