Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A88204
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The just defence of John Lilburn, against such as charge him with turbulency of spirit.
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Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing L2123A; Thomason E711_10; ESTC R207124
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13,471
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11
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imprisonments were unlawful and that in all my sufferings I have not suffered as an evil doer but for righteousness sake then were they turbulent that afflicted and imprisoned me and not I that have cryed out against their oppressions nor should my many imprisonments be more a blemish unto me then unto the Apostle Paul who thought it no dishonour to remember those that somewhat despised him that he had been in labours more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequent in deaths oft And truly though I have not wherewith to compare with those glorious witnesses of God that in the Apostles times sealed the testimony of Jesus with their bloods nor with those that in the ages since down to these times who have with the loss of their own lives brought us out of the gross darkness of Popery into a possibility of discerning the clear truths of the Gospel yet as I have the assurance of God in my own conscience that in the day of the Lord I shall be found to have been faithful so though the policies of the adversaries of those truths I have suffered for do blinde many mens understandings for a season concerning me yet a time will come when those that now are apt to censure me of rashness and turbulency of spirit will dearly repent that ever they admitted such a thought confess they have done me wrong and wish with all their hearts they had been all of my judgement and resolution There being not one particular I have contended for or for which I have suffered but the right freedome safety and well-being of every particular man woman and child in England hath been so highly concerned therein that their freedome or bondage hath depended thereupon insomuch that had they not been misled in their judgements and corrupted in their understandings by such as sought their bondage they would have seen themselves as much bound to have assisted me as they judge themselves obliged to deliver their neighbour out of the hands of theevs robbers it being impossible for any man woman or child in England to be free from the arbitrary and tyrannical wills of men except those ancient laws and ancient rights of England for which I have contended even unto blood be preserved and maintained the justness and goodness whereof I no sooner understood and how great a check they were to tyranny and oppression but my conscience enforced me to stand firme in their defence against all innovation and contrary practices in whomsoever For I bless God I have been never partial unto men neither malicing any nor having any mans person in admiration nor bearing with that in one sort of men which I condemned in others As for instance the first fundamental right I contended for in the late Kings and Bishops times was for the freedom of mens persons against arbitrary and illegal imprisonments it being a thing expresly contrary to the law of the land which requireth That no man be attached imprisoned c. as in Magna Charta cap. 29. but by lawful judgement of a Jury a law so just and preservative as without which intirely observed every mans person is continually liable to be imprisoned at pleasure and either to be kept there for moneths or yeers or to be starved there at the wills of those that in any time are in power as hath since been seen and felt abundantly and had been more had not some men strove against it but it being my lot so to be imprisoned in those times I conceive I did but my duty to manifest the injustice thereof and claime and cry out for my right and in so doing was serviceable to the liberties of my country and no wayes deserved to be accounted turbulent in so doing Another fundamental right I then contended for was that no mans conscience ought to be racked by oaths imposed to answer to questions concerning himself in matters criminal or pretended to be so The ancient known right and law of England being that no man be put to his defence at law upon any mans bare saying or upon his own oath but by presentment of lawful men and by faithful witnesses brought for the same same face to face a law and known right without which any that are in power may at pleasure rake into the brests of every man for matter to destroy life liberty or estate when according to true law and due proceedings there is nought against them now it being my lot to be drawn out and required to take an oath and to be required to answer to questions against my self and others whom I honoured and whom I knew no evil by though I might know such things by them as the oppossors and persecutors would have punished them for in that I stood firm to our true English liberty as resolvedly persisted therein enduring a most cruel whipping pilloring gagging and barbarous imprisonment rather then betray the rights and liberties of every man did I deserve for so doing to be accounted turbulent certainly none will so judge but such as are very weak or very wicked the first of which are inexcusable at this day this ancient right having now for many yeers been known to all men and the latter ought rather to be punished then be countenanced being still ready to do the like to me or any man I then contended also against close imprisonment as most illegal being contrary to the known laws of the land and by which tyrants and oppossors in all ages have broken the spirits of the English and sometimes broken their very hearts a cruelty few are sensible of but such as have been sensible by suffering but yet it concerns all men to oppose in whomsoever for what is done to any one may be done to every one besides being all members of one body that is of the English Commonwealth one man should not suffer wrongfully but all should be sensible and endeavour his preservation otherwise they give way to an inlet of the sea of will and power upon their laws and liberities which are the boundaries to keep out tyrany and oppression and who assists not in such cases betrayes his own rights and is over-run and or a free man made a slave when he thinks not of it or regards it not and so shunning the censure of turbulency incurs the guilt of treachery to the present and future generations Nor did I thrust my self upon these contests for my native rights and the rights of every Englishman but was forced thereupon in my own defence which I urge not but that I judge it lawful praise-worthy and expedient for every man continually to watch over the rights and liberties of his country and to see that they are violated upon none though the most vile and dissolute of men or if they be speedily to indeavour redresse otherwise such violations breaches and incroachments will eat like a Gangrene upon the common Liberty and become past remedy but I urge it that it
intentions towards me and having not consciences to go back they now fill all mens mouthes whom they have power to deceive that I am of so turbulent a spirit that there will be no quietness in England except I be taken off But dear Country-men friends and Christians aske them what evil I have done and they can shew you none no my great and onely fault is that as they conceive I will never brook whilst I live to see and be silent the laws and rights of the Nation trod under foot by themselves who have all the obligations of men and Christians to revive and restore them They imagine whilst I have breath the old law of the land will be pleaded and upheld against the new against all innovated law or practice whatsoever And because I am and continue constant to my principles upon which I first engaged for the common liberty and will no more bear in these the violation of them then I did in the King Bishops Lords or Commons but cry aloud many times of their abominable unworthiness in their so doing therefore to stop my mouth and take away my life they cry out I never will be quiet I never will be content with any power but the just God heareth in heaven and those who are his true servants will hear and consider upon earth and I trust will not judge according to the voice of self-seeking ambitious men their creatures and relations but will judge righteous judgement and then I doubt not all their aspersions of me will appear most false and causless when the worst I have said or written of them and their wayes will prove less then they have deserved Another stratagem they have upon me is to possess all men that all the souldiers in the Army are against me but they know the contrary otherwise why do they so carefully suppress all petitions which the souldiers have been handing in my behalf indeed those of the souldiers that hear nothing but what they please of me either by their scandalous tongues or books may through misinformation be against me but would they permit them to hear or read what is extant to my vindication I would wish no better friends then the souldiers of the Army for I am certaine I never wronged one of them nor are they apt to wrong any man except upon a misinformation But I hope this discourse will be satisfactory both to them and all other men that I am no such Wolfe Bear or Lyon that right or wrong deserves to be destroyed and through the truth herein appearing will strongly perswade for a more gentle construction of my intentions and conversation and be an effectual Antidote against such poisonous asps who endeavour to kill me with the bitterness of their envenomed tongues that they shall not be able to prevaile against me to sway the consciences of any to my prejudice in the day of my trial Frailties and infirmities I have and thick and threefold have been my provocations he that hath not failed in his tongue is perfect so am not I. I dare not say Lord I am not as other men but Lord be merciful to me a sinner But I have been hunted like a Partridge upon the mountains My words and actions in the times of my trials and deepest distress and danger have been scanned with the spirit of Jobs comforters but yet I know I have to do with a gracious God I know that my redeemer liveth and that he will bring light out of this darkeness and cleer my innocency to all the world FINIS