THE REMONSTRANCE OF Lieutenant Colonel John Lilburn, to the Freeborn people of England; and His Declaration and Speech to the Parliament on Tuesday last, in answer to the Sentence denounced against him at the Bar.
ON Tuesday last (being the 20 of this instant January) Lieut. Col. John Lilburn was brought before the Parliament (being attended by the Serjeant at Arms) and being come to the Bar, Mr. Speaker (in the Name of the whole House) made a learned
[Page 4] and excellent Oration to him, Wherein he minded him of the Parliaments former favour and clemency, and of their gracious and free remittance of his by-past errours & transgressions; but now falling into a further Relapse, whose fact and crime, were of so sad and dangerous consequence, that it extended to a high breach of the priviledges of Parliament; in order whereunto Mr. Speaker declared, that he was commanded by the Parliament to denounce the Judgment of the House against him; whicd was, That he should pay the fine of 7000
l. & be banished out of England, Scotland, and Ireland, & the Dominions thereof, within the space of 30 days; and in case he shal ever return, or be found in any of the aforesaid Dominions, then to be try'd as a Felon, and to suffer the pangs of death.
A dreadful sentence, reply'd Mr. Lilburn, but not in the least terrifying to a good conscience;
[Page 5] And Mr. Speaker, give me leave, I beseech you, and the rest of the members here present; to declare, That as bondage and liberty are two contraries, so you cannot consider the one, but you must reflect your eyes upon the other: For though one be so destructive to the being of the other, that where the one is, the other cannot be; yet, each by other is more eminently distinguished: and look how the one is exceeding the other, by so much the other is deficient, and loseth of its property; and therefore if you will cast your eyes upon the glory and beauty of the one, your ears must be open to the cries and complaints of the other. As for my part, I am resolved, that as in heart I defie all injustice, cruelty, tyranny, and oppression, all arbytrary Usurpation and Usurpers whatsoever, so in person (come life, come death) I will not be so treacherous to my self, to my wife and children, and especially
[Page 6] to this Nation (the Land of my Nativity) in general, as personally to yield my active submission for exilement. But being remanded from the Bar, a period was put to his allegations; and a place of Confinement provided, under the power and command of the Serjeant at Arms.
Lieut. Col.
John Lilburn's Remonstrance to the Freemen of
England.
Beloved Brethren, and Countrey-men,
IT was the lot and portion of our onely Lord and Master Jesus Christ, to be persecuted, reviled, reproached, and counted a Troubler of the World, and one not fit to breath therein: And this even by his own Countrey-men and friends; And if we his servants meet with the same measure, he hath commanded Us not to be dismayed or troubled; and the reason is, because the servant is not above the master: And withall, that we might go on cheerfully in bearing the yoak of our master, he hath ingaged himself to bear part of it with us, and takes all that is done to
[Page 7] us for adhering to him, as done unto himself, Act. 9.4. And therefore, saith the spirit of God, in all their afflictions, he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved him, Esay 63.9. Paul, Peter, and John, found these sayings of their Master true, and had their portions in afflictions in an extraordinaay manner, but yet tasted largely of the faithfulnesse of their Masters promise, which was to be with them, and in them; which made Paul glory in his tribulations, and to say, That as his afflictions did abound, so much more his consolations; and Paul's portion in these expressions and enjoyments, I my self have been made partaker of, in my great and pressing tribulations, which I under-went in the Bishops dayes, and have had a large portion of sorrowes all along both before and since, throughout my pilgrimage in this present Vail of teares. And having had my spirit mightily refreshed and carryed above the world, and the lash of my bitter adversaries, by calling to mind my by-past experience and refreshings, that I have injoyed from that Fountain of fulnesse, that hath for many years together been my sensible injoyed portion: And amongst all the Writings and Declarations of Gods Love and Kindnesse manifested to me in my sorrowes, this hath most affected, and taken my spirit with greatest content, That it is the work
[Page 8] of the Saints, to incounter with difficulties in the Cause and Quarrel of their Lord and Master, and not to be afraid of bonds nor imprisonments. A good Conscience had rather run the hazard of cruelty, then to abate an hairs breadth of contestation against illegality. This was the saying of Mr. Overton, in his late Case, depending in the House of Peers; for, saith he,
‘As their Lordships in their arbytrary capacity found Warrants; so should they find Legs to obey them; for I was resolved mine should not be inslaved to that their Usurpation to do their Arbytrary Drudgery; I would rather lose my life, then in that kind to do them that vassalage: My Legs were born as free as the rest of my Body, and therefore I scorn that Legs, or arms, or hands, should do them any servicer; for as I am a free-man by Birth, so am I resolved to live and die, both in heart, word and deed, in substance and in shew.’
In a word, my earnest desire is, That all those that love their just interest, may have cause to say, Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an Enemy; which task shall be one earnest and cordial endeavours of him that is a true lover of Englands happinesse and prosperity.
FINIS.