Edmund Calamy

I came upon Sermons of the Great Ejection recently, nine sermons from well-known Puritan preachers delivered on the Sunday before the Act of Uniformity of 1662 became law. The Church of England had become the official state religion, and anyone who couldn’t abide by the Book of Common Prayer, the official playbook of the established church, would be evicted from their pulpits. Nearly 2,500 Puritan preachers refused to sign it, including Edmund Calamy (1600-1666). He was the first of four generations to bear the name and was called “elder” to indicate that he was the first. Edmund’s sermon was delivered four months after the Act of Uniformity took effect. He worshiped at St. Mary’s Aldermanbury Church on Sunday, December 28, 1662, a congregation he had formerly pastored for twenty-three years. The preacher appointed by the bishop to serve in Edmund’s place was a no-show, so the congregation prevailed on Edmund to preach. At a moment’s notice, Edmund preached on the capture of the ark from 1 Samuel 4. The ark, symbolizing God’s presence, had previously been housed in the temple under Eli’s watchful care as priest. Eli’s adult sons, who were also priests, were derelict in their duty and carried the ark into battle thinking it would guarantee them victory. God would not be played this way. The Philistine army routed God’s people and captured the ark. When Eli heard the news, he fell off his chair, broke his neck, and died. It’s a seemingly obscure text with a bizarre ending to feature in such a poignant moment. Edmund boldly announced in the application of his sermon that England was in danger of losing the ark of God’s presence. He compared the removal of Puritan ministers to the loss of the ark. Some people in England were indifferent to this purge so long as they could engage in trading and make a tidy profit. Yet Edmund held out hope that God would not forsake “a praying and reforming people.” News of his sermon reached the town magistrates, who locked him away in Newgate prison within the week. Townspeople were in uproar, which led to his release. The church was destroyed by the great fire of London in 1666. Edmund, devastated by the news, died in its aftermath and was buried in the ruins of the church, nearest to where the pulpit had stood. His prayer is adapted from The Divine Art of Meditation: