The Loyal Nonconformist;
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 Heav'nly, 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 & 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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I'll pray that all his Subjects may agree,
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And never more be crumbled into parts;
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I will endeavor that his Majestie
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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-Policy I swear I doubt it;
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And if my Bible want thApocrypha,
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I'l 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, & Doomsday see;
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And yet I'l swear the Gospel holdeth forth
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Christ with his Ministers till then will be.
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That Peter was a Prelate they aver;
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But I'l not swear't 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 preach'd 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, & in them catch Men too;
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Yet I'l not swear they are alike, for them
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He caught he sav'd: these catch, & them undo.
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I dare not swear that Courts Ecclesiastick
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Do in their Laws make just and gentle Votes;
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But I'l be sworn that Burton, Pryn and Bastwick
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Were once Ear-witnesses of harsher Notes.
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Archdeacons, Deans & Chapters are brave men,
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By Canon, not by Scripture: but to this,
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If I be call'd, I'll swear, and swear agen,
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That no such Chapter in my Bible is.
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I'll not condemn those Presbyterians, who
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Refused Bishopricks, and might have had'em:
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But Mistris Calamy I'll swear doth do
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As well as if she were a Spiritual Madam.
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For Holy Vestments I'll not take an Oath
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Which Linen most Canonical may be;
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Some are for Lawn, some Holland, some Scotscloth;
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And Hemp for some is fitter than all three.
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Paul had a Cloak, and Books, & Parchments too;
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But that he wore a Surplice I'll not swear,
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Nor that his Parchments did his Orders shew,
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Or in his Books there was a Common-Prayer.
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I owe assistance to the King by Oath;
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And if he please to put the Bishops down,
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As who knows what may be, I should be loth
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To see Tom Beckets Mitre push the Crown.
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And yet Church-Government I do allow,
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And am contented Bishops be the men;
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And that I speak in earnest, here I vow
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Where we have one, I wish we might have ten.
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In fine, the Civil Power I'le obey,
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And seek the Peace & Welfare of the Nation:
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If this won't do, I know not what to say,
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But farewel London, farewel Corporation.
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Printed in the Year, 1666.
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