From 1604 he became involved in controversial theology as an onlooker, assisting his friend Thomas Morton in a reply to James Anderton, commissioned by Richard Bancroft.
[3][4] Donne entered directly into one of the major debates of the period, supporting Sir Edward Coke against the Jesuit Robert Parsons.
Coke in Fift Part of the Reports (1606) had made a historical argument on the powers of the King of England in church matters.
[7] A more subtle side to the argument is that it recognised that the oath had closed down the option of passive obedience to the king.
Donne threw the onus of swearing onto individual conscience, discounting both arguments from the state and the authority of casuistry.