The Loyal Non-Conformist,
OR,
An Account what he dare swear, and what not
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I Fear an Oath, before I swear, to take it;
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And well I may, for tis the Oath of God:
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I fear an Oath, when I have sworn, to break it;
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And well I may, for Vengeance hath a Rod.
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And yet I may swear, and must too; tis due
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Both to my Heavnly and my Earthly King:
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If I assent, it must be full and true;
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And if I promise, I must do the thing.
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I am no Quaker, not at all to swear:
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Nor Papist, to swear East, and mean the West:
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But am a Protestant, and shall declare
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What I cannot, and what I can protest.
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I never will endeavour Alteration
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Of Monarchy, or of that Royal Name:
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Which God hath chosen to command this Nation;
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But will maintain his Person, Crown and Fame.
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What He commands, if Conscience say not nay,
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(For Conscience is a greater King than He)
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For Conscience sake, not Fear, I will obey;
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And if not active, passive I will be.
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Ill pray, That all his Subjects may agree,
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And never more be crumbled into Parts:
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I will endeavour that His Majesty
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May not be King of Clubs, but King of Hearts.
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The Royal Oak I swear I will defend;
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But for the Ivy which doth hug it so,
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I swear that is a Thief, and not a Friend;
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And about Steeples fitter for to grow.
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The Civil Government I will obey,
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But for Church Policie I swear I doubt it:
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And if my Bible want th Apocrypha,
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I swear my Book may be compleat without it.
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I dare not swear Church-Government is Right
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As it should be: but this I dare to swear,
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If they should put me to t, the Bishops might
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Do better and be better than they are.
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Nor will I swear for all that they are worth,
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That Bishopricks will stand, and Doomsday see:
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And yet Ill swear the Gospel holdeth forth;
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Christ with his Mysteries till then will be.
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That Peter was a Prelate, they aver;
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But Ill not sweart when all is said and done:
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But I dare swear, and hope I shall not err,
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He preachd a hundred Sermons to their one.
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Peter a Fisher was, and he caught men;
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And they have Nets, and in them catch men too:
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Yet Ill not swear they are alike; f[o]r them
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He caught, he savd; these catch and them undo.
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I dare not swear that Courts Eccles[ia]stick
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Do in their Laws make just and [g]entle Votes:
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But Ill be sworn that Burton, Pryn [a]nd Bastwick,
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Were once Ear-witnesses of hars[he]r Notes.
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Archdeacons, Deans and Chapters are [b]rave men
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By Canon, not by Scripture; bu[t t]o this,
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If I be calld, Ill swear and swear a[gai]n,
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That no such Chapter in my Bibl[e i]s.
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Ill not condemn those Presbyterian[s] who
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Refused Bishopricks and might [ha]ve had em:
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But Mistress Calamy, Ill swear, d[oe]s do
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As well as if she were a Spiritu[al] Madam.
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For Holy Vestments Ill not take an [Oa]th,
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Which Linnen most Canonical [?]y be:
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Some are for Lawn, some Holland, [t]he Scotch-cloath,
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And Hemp for some is fitter than [?] three.
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Paul had a Cloak, and Books, and [Par]chments too;
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But that he wore a Surplise Ill [?] swear:
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Nor that his Parchments did his Or[?]s show,
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Or in his books there was a Com[mon]-Prayer.
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I own Assistance to the King by [Oath];
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And if he please to put the Bish[op] down,
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(As who knows what may be) I sh[ou]ld be loath
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To see Tom Beckets Mitre push[?]e Crown.
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And yet Church-Government I do al[?],
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And am contented Bishops be th[?] [?]en:
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And that I speak in earnest, here I v[?]
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Where we have One I wish we n[?]t have Ten.
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In fine, the Civil Power Ill obey;
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And seek the Peace and Wellfare [of] the Nation:
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If this wont do, I know not what t[he]y;
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But farewell London, farewell C[?] ration[?]
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