Sibthorpe first gained national prominence in 1627, when he gave an assize sermon in which he asserted the doctrine of passive obedience.
At the 1628 Parliament, John Pym moved in the House of Commons of England to impeach Sibthorpe and Maynwaring.
As a result, Sibthorpe and Maywaring were imprisoned and fined; suspended from the ministry, prevented from clerical or secular advancement, and told they could not preach at Court.
The King was furious at Parliament's actions, and instructed Attorney General Robert Heath to draw up papers giving Sibthorpe and Maynwaring a royal pardon.
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury and John Locke continued to denounce Sibthorpe's opinions decades after his death.