The oppressed prisoners complaint of their great oppression: with a loud call to Englands magistrates for the exercise of impartial justice, before the wrath of the lamb break forth. With a brief relation of the unparallel'd proceedings of the court, at the Old Baily, the fifth day of the fifth month, 1662. Blackborow, Sarah. 1662 Approx. 9 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2009-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A76786 Wing B3064A ESTC R231810 99897070 99897070 137239 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A76786) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 137239) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 2452:9) The oppressed prisoners complaint of their great oppression: with a loud call to Englands magistrates for the exercise of impartial justice, before the wrath of the lamb break forth. With a brief relation of the unparallel'd proceedings of the court, at the Old Baily, the fifth day of the fifth month, 1662. Blackborow, Sarah. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [London? : 1662] Signed at end: Written by S.B. a prisoner, i.e. Sarah Blackborow--Wing. Imprint from Wing. Verse - "Repent, O England, for what thou hast done". Printed in two colomns. Reproduction of original in the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C.. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. 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Prisoners -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- England -- Early works to 1800. 2008-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2008-09 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2008-11 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2008-11 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion The Oppressed Prisoners COMPLAINT Of their great OPPRESSION : With a loud Call to Englands Magistrates for the exercise of Impartial Justice , before the Wrath of the Lamb break forth . With a brief Relation of the unparallel'd Proceedings of the Court , at the Old Baily , the fifth day of the fifth Month , 1662. REpent , O England , for what thou hast done To God's dear Lambs , and to the holy One ; Oh hearken to the doleful hideous Cry Of God's dear ones , that in your Prisons ly . The Fatherless in thee , Oh England , cry And groan , because of Bonds and Cruelty ; For great Oppression , it doth much abound , As touching Justice , it cannot be found . The Widows now , indeed , are made a prey , Their bitter Cryes are heard , still , day by day ; And in the ears of God their Cryes do come , They shall be heard by Christ , the holy One. Wo unto England then , when God shall plead The righteous Cause , of Innocents ; indeed If England now should plead , it is not guilty Of any crime that now is counted filthy , What mean you then , by halling every day God's Worshippers to Prison ; Yea , I say , What Law of God have we indeed offended ? That by your Souldiers we are apprehended , And in your filthy Goals are fast secur'd , And yet no Crime against us is procur'd ; What sin is done ? or Law have we offended , That Justice stops , and surely is suspended ? If that Offenders we , indeed , must be , Wherefore in Court , our Charge , could we not see ? What is the Crime that we committed have ? Let 's hear we pary , for Justice we do crave : For we indeed , as free-born English men , For Justice cry , which is our Right : agen What Charge is laid against us , in this day , Save in the matters of our God , I pray ? Is Liberty of Conscience now a Sin , Tho promised by the WORD of a King. Beware , O Rulers , then , how you oppress God's Heritage indeed , who do no less Than his most Royal Law strive to obay By meeting in his fear , yea day by day : Take heed , oh Rulers all , how you oppose The marked one of Christ , whom he hath chose . Oh tender , as the Apple of his Eye , Are they to him : Harm them not least you dye . The day will come that you will howl and cry Because of Torment and of Misery . Repent oh then , for what you have now done , Ye Magistrates , and hearken to the Son. In London streets you needs must here a cry Of Cruelty , and sore Captivity ; Offenders scape , and just men apprehended , Surely for this our God is much offended . Nine score Prisoners , in Newgate now doth ly For Justice , Justice , there aloud do cry ; Besides many Goals , in England round about , God's Heritage are Prisoners without doubt . Most Poor , and from our Wives and Children rended , And here abus'd , when we should be defended . And when unto the Bar we there did come , Looking for Justice , but yet finding none , We call'd to see accusers , face to face , But met with Violence , to your disgrace : When no accuser in your Court was found , A Snare , immediately , you did propound . And when in soberness we made our mone , That no such thing , in Conscience , we could owne , But Justice did there come for to behold : Your Officers and Halberteers were bold To pull and hale poor Prisoners at the Bar , While we aloud for Justice crying were . Instead of shewing Justice in that day , Back to the Goal they haled us away . Where patiently , through grace , we do abide Till God the Controversie shall decide . Take heed oh Rulers all , and now give ear , The coming of our Lord is very near : Fulfil the righteous Law of God , oh then In doing justice to the sons of men : And learn to walk in humbleness of mind , Then to God's chosen ones you will be kind . And do them Justice , while it 's call'd to day , Before grim Death doth snatch you quite away : For after Death to Judgement you must come And give account to God , what you have done . At his Tribunal Seat , oh you must stand To answer to your Charge ; it is at hand . Where Christ and Conscience will be your accuser , Right , Evidence will be without refuser . Oh with the Adversary then agree , Yea while you find him here now in the way , Else dreadful will the day of Judgement be To Rulers , and all Goalers , they shall see . Repent therefore before it be to late , And labour to escape the cruel baite , That Satan layes to catch your Souls therein , And harm no more the Children of the King. The Judgement day will prove most dreadful sure , Repent O England , better fruits procure : For dreadful will the Lamb of God be then , To all such Rulers , that do rule for men . Come let the Captives of the Lamb go free , To serve there God and King with Loyalty . 'T is not your Prisons , Bars , or Boults will scare God's Children dear , or make them for to feare . The spoiling of their Goods , or Banishments also Will not make such decline the truth I know , That do engage to meet now in God's fear , According to his will , they must appear ; His righteous Laws , they must and will obey , And to their Meetings go , yea day by day . Therefore take heed oh Rulers what you do , Harm not Christs pretious flock , though they are few ; For God himself it is that takes their part , But rather to Gamaliel's Counsel hark , Refrain from these men , and let them alone , For if their counsel be of God , he 'l own What they shall do , and with them he will go , ' Gainst Rulers all , who seek their overthrow . This Remnant of the Lord , whom he hath chose , Fear then , thus day by day still to oppose , And careful be you fight not against him , Least he in pieces tear you for this sin . Therefore repent , and hearken to his voice , And set the Captives free , that have made choice To follow Christ , the Lamb of God , indeed For follow him they must , and will with speed . His day of Vengeance is now drawing nigh , Repent , oh England , and at Christ's foot lye . The day is nigh that Vengeance it must come , Decree'd by God , the Father and the Son : When the sixth Angel with 's Vial doth appear , We may conclude , that Jesus Christ is near . Then wo to those that persecuters be , Christs dreadful Wrath and Vengeance they shall see . The Vials of God's Wrath on such will come For all the violence to Zion done . Break off your sins by righteousness , I pray , Then happy shall you be , as Christ doth say , And reign as Kings with Christ , upon his Throne , If ye repent , surely he will you owne . For all the Violence to Sion done , Repent O England , and now kiss the Son. Written by S. B. a Prisoner for the Testimony of Jesus . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A76786-e10 Mat. 3.2 . Exod. 22.22 23. Isa . 59.14 , 15. Dan. 6.5 . Acts 5.28 , 29. Mat. 18.6 . Deut. 32.10 Jam. 5.9 . Mich. 6.8 . 2 Cor. 5.10 . Mat. 5.25 . Luke 13.3 . 1 Chron. 16.21 , 22. 2 Thes . 1.8 , 9. Isa . 58.6 . Luk. 12.4 , 5. Heb. 10.34 . Isa . 55.6 . Psal . 2.10 , 11 , 12. Acts 5.34 . Acts 5.39 . Jer. 51.6 . Rev. 16.12 , — 15. Ezek. 24.6 , 7 , 8 , 9. Jer. 51.35 , 36 , 37. Isa . 3.10 , 11 , 12. Rev. 1.6 . Psal . 2. last .