The Loyal Nonconformist, OR; An Account what hedareswear, and what not.  

I Fear an Oath, before I swear, to take it;  
And well I may, for 'tis the Oath of God:  
I fear Oath, when I have sworn, to break it;  
And well I may, for Vengeance hath a Rod.   

And yet I may swear, and must too; 'tis due  
Both to my Heavenly and my Earthly King:  
If I assent, it must be full and true;  
And if I promise I must do the thing.   

I am no Quaker, not at all to swear:  
Nor Papist, to swear East, and mean the West:  
But am a Protestant, and shall declare  
What I cannot, and what I can protest.   

I never will endeavour Alteration  
Of Monarchy, or of that Royal Name:  
Which God hath chosen to command this Nation;  
But will maintain his Person, Crown and Fame,   

What He commands, if Conscience say not nay,  
(For Conscience is a greater King than He)  
For Conscience sake, not Fear, I will obey;  
And if not active, passive I will be.   

I'II pray, That all his Subjects may agree,  
And never more be crumbled into Parts:  
I will endeavour that His Majesty  
May not be King of Clubs, but King of Hearts.   

The Royal Oak I swear I will defend;  
But for the Ivy which doth hug it so,  
I swear that is a Thief, and not a Friend;  
And about Steeples fitter for to grow.   

The Civil Government I will obey,  
But for Church Policy I swear I doubt it:  
And if my Bible want th' Apocrypha,  
I swear my Book may be complete without it.   

I dare not swear Church-Government is Right  
As it should be: but this I dare to swear,  
If they should put me to 't, the Bishops might  
Do better and be better than they are.   

Nor will I swear for all that they are worth;  
That Bishoprics will stand, and Doomsday see.  
And yet I'll swear the Gospel holdeth forth;  
Christ with his Mysteries till then will be.   

That Peter was a Prelate, they aver;  
But I'll not swear't when all is said and done:  
But I dare swear, and hope I shall not err,  
He preached a hundred Sermons to their one.   

Peter a Fisher was, and he caught men;  
And they have Nets, and in them catch men too:  
Yet I'll not swear they are alike; for them  
He caught he saved; these catch, and them undo.   

I dare not swear that Courts Ecclesiastic  
Do in their Laws make just and gentle Votes:  
But I'll be sworn that Burton, Pryn and Bastwick,  
Were once Ear-witnesses of harsher Notes.   

Archdeacon's, Deans and Chapters are brave men  
By Canon, not by Scripture; but to this,  
If I be called I'll swear and swear again,  
That no such Chapter in my Bible is.   

I'll not condemn those Prechyterians who  
Refused Bishoprics and might have had ' cm:  
But Mistress Calamy, I'll swear, does do  
As well as if she were a Spiritual Madam.   

For Holy Vestments I'll not take an Oath,  
Which Linen most Canonical may be:  
Some are for Lawn, some Holland, some Scotch-cloath,  
And Hemp for some is fitter than all three.   

Paul had a Cloak, and Books, and Parchments too;  
But that he wore a Surplise I'll not swear:  
Nor that his Parchments did his Orders show,  
Or in his books there was a Common-Prayer.   

I own Assistance to the King by Oath;  
And if he please to put the Bishops down,  
(As who knows what may be) I should be loath  
To see Tom Beckets Mitre push the Crown.   

And yet Church-Government I do allow,  
And am contented Bishops be the men:  
And that I speak in earnest, here I vow  
Where we have One I wish we might have Ten.   

In fine, the Civil Power I'll obey;  
And seek the Peace and Welfare of the Nation:  
If this won't do, I know not what to say;  
But farewell London, farewell Corporation;    

LONDON, Printed Anno Domini, MDC LXX.