Puritanism
I. Beliefs
A. Two Main Groups
1. Separatists - Church of England corrupt > must separate - ex. Plymouth Colonists “Pilgrims
a. Severed relations with church
b. No desire to spread word to world
2. Puritans - reform but not separation - ex. Massachusetts Bay Colonists
a. Kept relations with church
b. Wanted to establish community of churches
B. 2 Corinthians:"Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord."
C. Believed in forming churches through voluntary compacts - "covenants" - contracts with God
D. Main Covenants
1. The Covenant of Works - eternal life if obeyed Moral law - Adam broke this covenant
2. Covenant of Grace - after Adam fell, God entered this covenant with Abraham - Genesis 18-19 - requires active faith - punishment for sins crucial - "This gave the Puritans the assurance that God would not arbitrarily afflict them." If sin, become "afflicted" and must repent to reenter covenant
3. Covenant of Redemption - God and Christ made a covenant to save the human race
E. Predestination/Election - only God can choose who is saved - taking sacraments and belief in Jesus not enough
F. Believed word of God more important than church-sanctioned traditions
G. Wrote at length of Bible
H. God cannot be seen in human terms
1. Didn’t like statues of Jesus
I. God benevolent – helps humans even though they’re worthless
J. All men deserve damnation – no way of knowing true reason for being good
K. Tried to replicate life of Christ
L. Tried to bring Calvinism to reality
1. Protestant theology named after John Calvin
2. Institutes of the Christian Religion
3. All credit goes to God
4. Humans are pathetic sinners
5.
Five Points of Calvinism – TULIP
a.
Total Depravity: All humans are inherently inclined to rebel against
and offend God; all
men are naturally in a state of enmity with God; all our "good deeds"
are thus but filthy rags in God's sight. See Genesis 3, Romans 3:10-18.
b. Unconditional Election: God chooses some to be saved regardless of what they have done or how deserving they are (since, from Total Depravity, no one deserves salvation). See Romans 9:11 (and also that entire chapter), Ephesians 1:3-5.
c. Limited Atonement?: Jesus died only for those who would be saved, not for every individual in the world. See John 10:14-15 & 26-28.
d. Irresistible Grace: The saving grace? of God is irresistible; once God has chosen you to be saved, it is impossible to resist. See John 15:16.
e. Perseverance of the Saints: the saved, or Saints, cannot fall away; once saved, always saved. However, it is possible that a person could be a member in good standing in the church, etc. and not be saved. See John 10:27-29.
M. Religious education a priority
N. Sermons were “power, God-centered, hell-fire, non-discriminatory preaching lasting 2 hours.”
1. Goal was not to entertain parish
2. Read Bible and discussed applicability to life
O. Entire Sabbath Day spent in spiritual singing, readings, discussions
P. Dissenters – possibly foundation for democracy
II. Puritans in England
A. "Puritan" < insult - those wanting to purify the church
B. Church broke with Catholic Church in 1535
1. Substituted king for pope
2. Henry VIII - “mistake was that he cut off the head of Popery, but left the body of it yet within his realm!”
3. Separated from Church because wouldn’t allow him to annul marriage to Catherine of Argon
C. William Laud became Archbish of Canterbury
D. Rule of Charles I
i. Didn’t want disorder/make all rules uniform
ii.
1. Church of England focused on opposite views of Puritans
iii. Individual acceptance or rejection of grace - (anti-predestination)
iv. Toleration of diverse religious beliefs
2. Frustrated over Church symbols and rituals
E. Believed church needed Biblical reform
F. 17th Century – Act of Uniformity (remember this with Roger Williams) – Ministers must
i. Read from prayer book
ii. Wear correct clothing - vestments, surplices
iii. Support Anglican Church ceremonies – bowing at name of Jesus/Use sign of the cross in baptism
G. Problems with Church
i. Clergy’s lack of education
ii. Superstitious practices
iii. Mismanagement of Finances
H. Punishments for Puritans
i. Burned at stake
ii. Prison
iii. Emotional and Verbal abuse
I. Puritans who could not tolerate Anglican Church left
i. Known as Pilgrims
ii. Left to other European countries and the New World – Massachusetts
III. Best to work for reform overseas – Holland First
A. Left for Holland 1608 – Returned to England 1620
B. Richard Clifton minister to Scrooby congregation
C. Punished through imprisonment and taking of property
D. Moved to Amsterdam
E. Didn’t like Amsterdam
i. Couldn’t join guilds – not Dutch
ii. Only choice – unskilled urban labor
iii. Dutch didn’t observe Sabbath
IV. Why moving to America
A. Religious freedom with English environment
B. Dutch offered to pay for them to go to New York
C. See William Bradford’s Sundry Reasons for the Removal from Leyden
D. Be left alone to practice religion
E. Breakdown of family
F. Breakdown of community
G. Break from leaving England and children being raised Dutch
H. “Sharing” gospel with the natives
I. Attract others with their “city on a hill”
J. First choice – Guiana
4. Tropics too hot
5. Spaniard danger
K. Second choice – Virginia – but Church of England already there
L. Third choice – Delaware River Valley
V. The Journey and Arrival
A. Virginia Company’s London Branch permission – Sir Edwin Sandys helped secure land grant for Delaware River area
B. Joint Stock Company
i. Merchant adventurers – money/not going
ii. Merchant planters – money/going
iii. Planters - going
C. “Adventurers” – financially backed
D. Had to sign deal that they wouldn’t own land/company owns land
i. Relations started off badly between adventurers and planters – unfair agreement vs. no return on investment
E. Planned on Speedwell and Mayflower
i. Speedwell leaked
ii. Crammed aboard Mayflower
F. 65 days
G. Passenger List and Mayflower Details
i. 102 passengers
ii. 35 Separatists
iii. Friends and family of Separatists
iv. “Strangers” those with skills
1. Militia Captain Miles Standish
2. Cooper John Alden
H. Mass movement – “They arrived en masse, in Mass., running away from Mass” (Gregory)
I. Weather made latitude measurements confusing – landed in Cape Cod
i. Tried to go South – weather/sand bars made impossible
J. Half of Indian Population died because of disease
i. Indians believed disease due to killing white fisherman
ii. Subsequently, hesitant to bother new arrivals
K. No legal right to land/Signed Mayflower Compact
i. 41 men/all free male passengers
VI. Reality of Life in America
A. The Puritan’s Model Society
B. Spent first winter aboard Mayflower
C. One died during trip/Half died during winter
D. Spring 1621 made deal with Massasoit – Wampanaog Chief
i. Almost 50 years no Indian warfare
E. Adventurers upset at lack of financial return
i. Sickness
ii. Infertile land
iii. Inexperience with fishing
iv. Forced communism – work for company land/send surplus back to England
F. 1627 Adventurers sold land to planters for L 1800
i. Bradford and group would pay L 200 annual installment
ii. In exchange, they get to monopolize fur trade
iii. Divided up land and assets, had a lotter
VII. Writing of Puritans