The Life And Testimony Of John Shaw

Gospel Standard 1865:

He was better known in the North by the familiar name of Johnnie Shaw. The late Mr. Gadsby and Mr. M’Kenzie both esteemed him highly for his work’s sake. As stated in the Obituary, he was a plain country farmer, altogether unlettered, but well taught by the Spirit.

In the beginning of his religious life he was a strenuous advocate for Arminianism, though at the same time his experience bore direct testimony against it, he having been deeply ploughed up in his conscience by the force and spirituality of God’s most holy law. He was promised considerable property if he would become a Churchman; but, to use his own expression, “The Lord drove me away in spite of my teeth.” After this he joined the Independents, till he was forced out of their assembly. Still he held the invitations of the gospel as indiscriminate until Mr. Gadsby’s work, “Gawthorn brought to the Test,” fell into his hands, and that work opened up his understanding, and he soon afterwards became a decided advocate for the truth.

For some time he preached in his own house at Nateby, near Garstang, Lancashire, until the place became too strait for the people, and all were anxious to have a chapel. But how was one to be built? All the land around, except one field, belonged to “the squire,” Mr. S.’s land-lord, and of course he would not part with any for a chapel. It occurred, however, in the providence of God, that the said field was to be sold, in consequence of the death of the owner. John asked the steward if the squire meant to buy it, and was answered in the negative, or at least the steward said he had not heard anything about it. The day of sale came, and John saw no one bidding but a stranger; so John bid, and bid, and bid again, until at last the hammer fell. The field was John’s. The next day the steward called upon him, and asked him how he dared to bid against the squire. “Why,” said John, “I did not know that the squire wanted it. I asked you, and you said you had heard nothing about it, and there was nobody bidding but that stranger and me.” “Well,” said the steward, “he was bidding for the squire, and you must give the field up to him.” “Nay,” replied John, “I dare not do that. God has given it to me for a chapel, and I dare not part with it.” The steward was very angry, and threatened to turn him out of his farm, but John was firm as a rock. At last it was arranged between John and the squire that the land should be given up, and that the squire should give John a piece of land for a chapel nearer to the farm, and give also £100 towards the building of the chapel. Everything being thus arranged and legally settled, the people “helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. So the carpenter encouraged the founder, (Isa. 41:7, margin) and he that smoothed with the hammer him that smote the anvil,” &c. That is to say, all the people worked freely and voluntarily, without fee or reward. The carpenters attended to the woodwork, the masons to the stone, the brick-setters to the bricks, the plumbers and glaziers to the windows, &c., &c. The £100 given by the squire paid for the materials, or thereabouts, and so the little chapel was opened without having a debt upon it.

The following letter is from a friend who knew John well:

My dear Friend, In answer to your request respecting the late John Shaw, I wish not only to bear testimony to what is contained in his Obituary, which appeared in the “Gospel Standard” for March. 1840, but also to make a few additional remarks. His ministry, though plain, was, at times, solemn, pointed, and searching, and at others, shrewd and confounding. Indeed, he realised much of the fulfilment of that promise of his Lord and Master: “It shall be given you in that hour what ye shall say.” The following circumstances may illustrate this. There was a number of professed singers in a neighbouring township, who made it up together to go one Lord’s day to hear John preach, and to display their singing powers. The day came, and they made their appearance. After John had read over the first hymn, and before giving out the first two lines for singing, he raised his head, and, looking steadfastly on the people, addressed them thus: “Friends, I wish it to be clearly understood that no person has any right to sing this solemn hymn but those whom the Holy Ghost has quickened, and written God’s law upon their hearts.” The effect was that the singers were confounded, and prevented from their purpose, conscience bearing witness that they were not the characters.

The success that attended the word spoken by him caused the Arminians in the immediate neighbourhood to rage furiously against him and his people, calling them Antinomians, and endeavouring to undermine their private characters. Indeed, one of the Wesleyan preachers went so far as to say, “I’ll physic these Antinomians, but you can do no good with them unless you take them to that important chapter of James: ‘Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.’ That’s the physic for the Antinomians.” Their enmity was also most furious against the ordinance of baptism.

At length John’s spirit was stirred within him. He “put on zeal as a cloak, and determined to carry the gospel banner in doctrine, precept, and practice into the midst of the enemy’s camp.” For this purpose, a barn threw open its wide doors. The owner was not a Baptist, but favourable to the doctrines of grace. It being made known that John would draw the sword in defence of the ordinance of baptism, the barn was completely filled, even some of the beams being occupied by persons sitting upon them. A great number of the greatest opponents to baptism by immersion being there, John, in his plain and pointed style, ably set forth that believers, and they only, were the right scriptural subjects for gospel baptism, and that all other so-called baptisms were the offspring of Popery. “Whilst earnestly contending that wherever baptism was named in the New Testament it invariably signified a being covered over, or, as his term was, “overhead,” a deacon of an Independent church, a surgeon by profession, interrupted him thus: “John, you cannot prove that ever they were overhead in the Holy Ghost; and yet it is said they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost.” This caused John to say: “I don’t consider it good manners of you, doctor, to thus interrupt me while I am preaching; but be quiet a short time until I come to the point you speak of;” and then hastening on to Acts 2, he raised his voice, and exclaimed, “Now for the doctor!” He then read until he came to verse 2: “The rushing as of a mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting.” “Now, doctor,” said John, “unless you can prove that their heads were out of the window, or up the chimney, or through the roof, they must have been overhead in the Holy Ghost, for ‘it filled the whole house where they were sitting.’ 

[Some may think that this language is too plain, and others that it is too light for so solemn a subject; but it must be remembered that the speaker was a plain man, and that he made replies to a doctrinal objector, and answered the man “according to his folly.” The late Mr. M’Kenzie often approvingly related the circumstance. J. G.]

At the conclusion of the discourse, he announced that (D.V.) he would take up that important chapter in James, and take for his text: “Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works,” on such an evening. At the time appointed the barn was again filled, and John at his post. Having read his text, he thus began: “Before I enter upon my text I deem it needful that I should give you a short sketch of my life, there having been so much said against me as an Antinomian; and in the first place I have to say, with humility, that before I became what is called an Antinomian, I was no better than other people, and hardly as good, as many of you know; but, in the second place, since I became what some of you call me, an Antinomian, if there is any one in this large assembly that ever knew or heard of a beggar coming to John Shaw’s door, and going away without receiving an alms, let him now come forth and declare it.” After a short pause, and no one answering, he said, “So it appears you are silent on that challenge. Now, thirdly. If I have not let the poor people have the produce of my farm in small quantities, at wholesale prices, and to pay for it when they were able, now let any one declare to the contrary.” No reply. “Further. There is another class, poor little farmers, who cannot raise money to pay their rents at the time. If ever any came to ask me for a few pounds, and went away without them, let them now declare it.” Still there was silence, and he continued, “I have generally found such as I have mentioned pretty honest, and I never lost much; yea, to be sure, I did lose £20 by a blazing Arminian.” This formed his introduction. He then dared any of those who contended so much for their good works to stand forth and give the same challenge and opportunity of reply as he had done. A voice was now heard from the multitude, “He’s a Pharisee. He’s telling all his good deeds.” “I’ll let you see soon whether I’m a Pharisee or not,” said John. “Now, if I have nothing to stand before God in but these and such-like works I have mentioned, I shall be for ever damned for a real Antinomian.”

And thus he swept away the refuges of lies, and knocked from under them the props of all their fleshly religion. Then reading his text, James 2:18, he solemnly, powerfully, and sweetly entered into the difference of true and false faith, describing that precious faith which is alone of the operation of the mighty power of God; and then spoke of the blessed fruits of faith which gave evidence of its quality, demonstrating the truth declared by the apostle: “By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

At the conclusion, the workmongers were ready to fall upon him, and it was clearly manifest that the old spirit was not dead which cried out, “Away with him; it is not fit that such a fellow should live.” It was quite clear his soul was in its element, and the Holy Ghost blessed him with the spirit of martyrdom; for, with his countenance beaming with zeal, love, compassion, and resignation, he exclaimed in their midst: “If I have done anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die.”

Here I stop, having written more than I intended. If there is anything you can glean out of this hasty scribble for your foot-note, well and good.

Yours affectionately,

Preston, Feb. 6th, 1865.

Thomas Walsh