A few Plain Words TO THE OFFICERS OF THE ARMY By way of council, From one who was conversant with them for the space of about 14 years.  
By RICHARD CRANE.  
LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simmons, at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate, 1659.   

A FEW PLAIN WORDS TO THE OFFICERS OF THE ARMY: From one who was conversant with them for the space of about 14 years.  
Friends,  
TO You of the Army I writ, to whom is committed the appointing of men to Govern and Rule in these Nations, my council is to you in the fear of the Lord, and in true love that you turn your minds to Gods manifestation in you, and by it you will first see what is amiss in yourselves, before you choose others; For how can you choose men fearing God and hating covetousness, when out of Gods fear you are yourselves, and seeking your own ends? Therefore turn to Gods witness in you, and bring your deeds to it, that by it either you may be Justified or Condemned, for it will deal plainly with you. Think not your undertakings will prosper, whilst you are at enmity with that of God in you; I know Friends, once truth was precious amongst you, and the welfare of it was your aim, but you are most grievously backslidden and degenerated, as though you had never been the men, to the grief of heart of all that fear the Lord; and in plainness I tell you, that since your zeal for truth hath been lost, and the honesty turned from, you have never recovered yourselves of the apostasy since, nor come to the same principle again as yet, though you have often made shows as if you would, but to this day the Judgements of God are upon you and among you for your thus dealing, and great is your misery, for your darkness is such, that you know not the reason, you must find out Achans wedge of gold which hath been stolen, and hath been this many years hid amongst you, before you see the Judgements of God which are heaped on you, removed; But alas! instead of making true search for it, devices and inventions in the deceit are still made to cover it, and would bury it for ever, if it were possible; but know Gods Judgements will in no wise give ease or rest till that cursed thing be removed from amongst you; you may remember though many years be passed over your heads since, that when the Lord gave into your hand the grand enemy of these Nations welfare, which stood in opposition to the way and work of the Lord at that time, true Justice was done on him, for his shedding and causing to be  shed so much innocent blood in these Nations, at length his blood was  shed, which was Just, for his life paid for his transgression, according to Gods Law and his own, which he pretended to Govern by; Hitherto Friends, you kept your integrity, I am a witness with many more, but it was quickly lost, as shall be made appear; for when Justice was faithfully performed upon the murderer for his proper fact, then the wrong he had done to the Nation by his cruel oppression and his Army should have been satisfied out of his Estate and Revenue whilst a penny of it had lasted, and likewise out of their Estates, who were partners with him in his tyrannical actions, and the public debs should have been paid; But alas! here you let in the tempter and entred the temptation, there appeared goodly buildings, great and stately houses, pleasant vineyards, large parks, with many other pleasant things which he kept in his life-time to serve his insatiable lusts; and letting your minds out a whoring after this beautiful Harlot which hath bewitched you, here you lost your integrity for God and truth, here you turned from his measure in you, and so gave up yourselves to your covetous desires, which was received as an Angel by you, but it is become and will be a Devil to torment you for ever, except you come to be reconciled to Gods witness in you, which cannot be, unless true repentance and pure self-denial be made manifest from you; here the Good Old Cause was left to purchase Lands to yourselves, and the back was turned off the honest principle then, which was found precious to many of you; and many Officers who could not procure money to purchase to themselves the curse, made means to buy Souldiers debentures, some for 8 shillings in the pound, some five, some half a crown; here the inferior Officers found out a way to merchandise and traffic; but know this, the fields you have purchased are but so many Aceldeme's,& assuredly the price of blood: I was not Ignorant of these things, for I was one of them that sold my Arrears for not half the worth, I do not envy any of you in the least who hath made yourselves rich by this way and means, the Lord bears me witness, but in love I mind you of them, and show you the very time and way where you turned out from truth, and entred into the falsehood and deceit; and if ever you return to the same principle again, you must restore the wedge, and vomit up again what in your excess you have swallowed down; and so give that of God in you his due, and the Common-wealth his due, and your due you will find to be your lawful pay, from time to time, for Kings Lands, or Bishops, or other delinquents estates belonged not to you, that which was yours, or you might demand was, your just pay for your just service, and no otherwise, and you should have been content with that which was your lot, and then violence you would have stood clear of;& this is true which we have found by experience, that since you turned from that of God in you, you have lost that which kept the conscience tender in you, and so you being out of the sense of it, hath given up to persecution all tender consciences to be used according to the will and pleasure of both wicked Magistrates, wicked Ministers and wicked people, and so havoc hath been and is made of all that fear the Lord, and this lieth at your doors, neither can you ever free yourselves of it, till you through true repentance to the Lord, and pure self-denial make it appear otherwise, and whereas you countenance, and say you will maintain a godly learned Ministry, you are out of the knowledge of those sort of men, that are really so, while you and the measure of Gods Spirit in you is separated, your discerning is lost, for you are, and stand in that which calls darkness light, and light darkness, error, truth, and truth error, and so knoweth not the hypocrite from the godly, but if you will persist in your imaginations to approve& to try, take this along in your enterprise, that they that will have of your godly Ministry,& will be taught by them, let such maintain them, for I am far from envying those sort of men, that I matter it not, if every man take a Priest into his house to him, if we that are brought from under their cheat be no more troubled with them, neither compelled to hear nor maintain them, which thing is but honest, just and right; for which of you would be compelled to hear our Ministers, or would you think it well to be compelled to maintain them?( I trow not) neither do we; but know this, in the presence of God we challenge and claim the same Liberty as you yourselves have in matters of conscience which concerns worship, for you are not Judges of our consciences, neither is it your place or duty, for he who is Judge of the conscience we know, and witness his teaching and exercising.  
And Friends, think not with yourselves that you can make, or be instrumental in making Just Laws or settle a good Government in these Nations, while you are at distance from the pure measure of God in you, upon which all Just laws are grounded; for while you stand in that state, the Just Law condemns you, though you were very zealous for Justice in that nature, you could not bring it forth, for the true Prophet of the Lord in you, declareth it unto you, you are the men that are against true Justice and Liberty, neither can that which hath swerved from it, bear it, when it is brought forth, for the greatest burden you unrighteous men must bear( is Gods pure truth) and so being separated from the just Principle in you, you labour in the fire, and wearies yourselves with vanity, and this is your portion till you come honestly and unfeignedly to search yourselves with Gods witness in you, which will bring you to true repentance indeed, and forsaking and true self-denial, which will be of good savour amongst you and all that fear the Lord, and then we may take that as a sign that something that is good and just will follow; But till then, we cannot hope of better things to be brought forth then at present is; and if ever you come singly to give up to Gods manifestation in you to be taught and guided, then you will deny yourselves of your honour, and Titles of honour, which at present you seek one of another, which savours still of that old filthy sour moldy leaven, King, or single person; consider these things and lay them to heart in the fear of the Lord, wage not your Souls, which is mortal, with these trifling vanities, which will stand you in no stead in the day of the Lord; and consider though the people of this Nation have been made to draw in the deceitful yoke these many years, and have bowed down their necks under it, but now their eyes are open, and fair words will no longer serve their turns, as they have done formerly, it is now the substance they look at, and a real thing done that must answer their expectations from you, so to the end of your line and limit are you run in this particular, and your last visitation and trial I do truly believe it is to most of you; therefore prise it in love I council you.  
And my dear Friends, with whom I spent most of my youthful dayes and strength, in love and much plainness of heart I writ unto you, not out of any end to myself, that of God in me is my record, but that you might acquit yourselves like men, in this great work which is brought once more before you, I know with most of you this is the truth which I have written( Gods witness in you will seal it) when ever these things are brought to mind; and this I know, had you stood in Gods council, in which once was your delight, that temptation had never entered you which hath lead you into all the confusion and distraction which you have been in ever since, and not brought out of it this very present, neither can you, till such time as you come to act singly and honestly, from that good Principle of God in you, and then faithfulness and truth will be seen, and felt in every of your undertakings, and then a blessing will you be made upon earth, and in those few days you have to live, you may redeem many, which hath been evil spent, but if you reject the council of the Lord, and still go on in the old way of deceit, by daubing with the untempered mortar( know this friends, the Lord will make use of other Instruments, and will bring his purpose which he hath decreed to pass, and you will be east by, as making yourselves unworthy through your unfaithfulness.) Lay it to heart.  
THE END.