Now! Then! Four months into the Civil War, the Puritan John Shawe of Rotherham preaches iconoclasm at St. Mary’s, Beverley

28 December 1642: Four months into the Civil War, the Puritan John Shawe of Rotherham preaches iconoclasm at St. Mary’s, Beverley

John Shawe. 1643. A Broken Heart, or The Grand Sacrifice. London. Get it:

Excerpt

It’s no sign then of the true religion to have an outward glorious pompous outside; no, if it want a broken heart, it’s but vain oblations (Isa. 1:13) but taking God’s name in vain. Satan may still dwell in the heart for all Judas’s devotion (John 13:27) and himself be a devil (John 6:70). We may for all them neither truly draw nigh to God (Matt. 15:8) nor he to us (Prov. 1:27, 28, 29). Indeed was it not so, I would confess that bloodsucking Monster of Rome, that kills the bodies (Rev. 13:15) and sells souls of men (Rev. 18:13), to carry away the bell from all churches, for gilded pictures, vestments, tapers, images, cringings, bowings, crucifixes, altars, music, etc., long prayers, strange gestures (to make sport for children), and I hear them brag of these. Alas, who required these? And had they been good (as they are not), yet one broken heart, or one poor servant’s prayer with a broken heart is worth 10,000 of them.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

When was St. Mary’s iconoclastically cleansed?

Later Shawe recounts England’s blessings:

Means to break our hearts, is the consideration of God’s works; even these may help us this way (2 Chron. 33. 12; Psalme 119. 71; Luke 15. 16, 17). And because this is verbum diei [the word of the day] most suitable to the present times, lend me so much patience as a little to enlarge it in some particular considerations relating to our own case; and here consider, 1st. What great mercies England hath had; mercies positive, great peace, great plenty, great store of gospel; comparative mercies (give me leave so to speak); great peace, gospel, and plenty, than any other nation in the world, since the first light darted from above. Before the fall of Adam, he had never that great mercy of Christ to die, etc. (having no sin, needed no Saviour); he had a covenant of works, we of grace; he (as the angels now) justified by inherent righteousness (though then no merit), we by the righteousness of another imputed; 2nd. From the fall of Adam till Christ, the Church was in its swaddling clothes, under dark types and shadows, Moses’s pædagogy; but now the veil is rent, types fulfilled, Christ is come, and all things cleared. 3rd. After Christ, during primitive times, what raging ten persecutions, many hundred Christians slain every day in the year, save the first day of January? And what hellish heresies did the dragon belch up? especially four, that occasioned four general councells; 4th. Since then, how hath God cleared up the gospel in these parts? and for peace; admirable! It’s thought worthy the registering in scripture that twice the Jews had peace and rest forty years (Judg. 3. 11, and 5. 31). But once for a wonder it’s chronicled that God’s church had peace eighty years together (Judg. 3. 30). But we beyond them, above eighty years peace; our fathers would have given whole cart-loads of hay and corn, in King Henry the Eighth his time, for a few chapters of St. Matthew’s gospel, or St. James’s epistles; yea bibles in English not permitted; yea latter; in the beginning of that virgin queen Elizabeth’s reign; we have heard such a man was one of the third or fourth preachers in the shire, now more good sermons in one city in a month than was in all England in a year; and for plenty, admired by our friends, envied by our enemies, tell me of any nation in all points the like, Et eris mihi magnus Apollo [And you’ll be to me a great Apollo].

Nay, let me add, superlative mercies, above all men’s expectation, who would have said (Gen. 21. 7) that Sarah should give suck; so who would have said, three years ago, that we should have a parliament, a triennial parliament, and that not to be broken up without mutual consent? etc. Who would have said such great things should be done or endeavoured thereby? Nay, mercies above the ordinary course of God’s providence and dealing with others, a promise in the Bible; we have such natural sins for which God plagued and threatened other nations, yet we exempted by special prerogative (as a godly divine said well). Nay, mercies above all the plots of devil and devilish men; have we not had formerly and lately against us French plots, Spanish plots, Irish plots, English plots, and a plot, a plot, a plot, and still a plot, yet God hath soared us above all, as on eagle’s wings?

Add to these also privative mercies; hath not God delivered us from heathenism when this poor island worshipped every several day a several God; the moon on Monday, Tuisco on Tuesday, etc.? But God delivered us: after this came Egyptian darkness of popery, but God gave the beast a blow in King Henry the Eighth his time; brought him on all four in King Edward the Sixth time; gave him a deadly blow in famous Queen Elizabeth’s days, and still more and more doth (and I hope will) his head and horns and heart perish; did not God miraculously deliver us both in fire (that hellish powder-plot, the devil’s masterpiece) and in water (in 1588) (Isa. 43. 2). Did He not do as much three years ago when two Israelites were contending together, two sister nations but I might in these be infinite, if I looked on these two years last past; years (not as formerly of mercies but) of miracles.

And goes on to recite God’s warnings to us, our sins, etc. etc.

Shawe tells how he ended up in Beverley:

The nation then being full of turmoils and dangers I, with my wife, fed by night to Hull, leaving my children with my dear mother at Rotherham; but when I came to Hull, and preached there, Sir John Hotham being the governor for the parliament, in Hull, being privy to his own intentions, and conceiving, as he said, that I would oppose him, would not suffer me to tarry in Hull. As he had kept the King out of Hull when he demanded entrance thereinto on April 23 before, so dealt he now with me, and put me out; whereupon, I was forced to retire with my wife for a while to Beverley … where, on a fast day I preached a sermon on Psalm 51. 16, 17. December 28, 1642, which is since printed, by the name of “a broken heart” (Shawe 1824).

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Original

Its no signe then of the true Religion to have an outward glorious pompous outside; no, if it want a broken heart, its but vaine oblations, Isa. 1. 13. but taking Gods name in vaine. Satan may still dwell in the heart, for all Iudases devotion, Ioh. 13. 27. And himselfe be a devill, Ioh. 6. 70. Wee may for all them neither truly draw nigh to God, Mat. 15. 8. Nor he to us, Prov. 1. 27, 28, 29. Indeed was it not so, I would confesse that bloodsucking Monster of Rome (that kills the bodies, Rev. 13. 15. and sells soules of men, Rev. 18. 13.) To carry away the Bell from all Churches, for guilded Pictures, Vestments, Tapers, Images, cringings, bowings, Crucifixes, Altars, Musicke, &c. Long Prayers, strange gestures, (to make sport for children) and I heare them brag of these; Alas who required these; and had they bin good, (as they are not) yet one broken heart, or one poore servants Prayer with a broken heart is worth 10000. of them.

160 words.