"Unexplained phenomena such as the death of livestock, human disease, and hideous fits suffered by young and old" might all be blamed on the agency of the devil or a witch. According to covenant theology, Christ's sacrifice on the cross made possible the covenant of grace, by which those selected by God could be saved. The Puritan movement of Jacobean times became distinctive by adaptation and compromise, with the emergence of "semi-separatism", "moderate puritanism", the writings of William Bradshaw (who adopted the term "Puritan" for himself), and the beginnings of Congregationalism. [31][32] This so-called "Great Migration" is not so named because of sheer numbers, which were much less than the number of English citizens who immigrated to Virginia and the Caribbean during this time. [130] In 1684, England revoked the Massachusetts charter, sent over a royal governor to enforce English laws in 1686 and, in 1689, passed a broad Toleration Act. Under the Act of Uniformity 1662, the Church of England was restored to its pre-Civil War constitution with only minor changes, and the Puritans found themselves sidelined. However, some Puritans equated the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church, and therefore considered it no Christian church at all. • Puritans used public punishments like whipping and humiliation to enforce the rules. Puritan authors such as John Milton, John Bunyan, Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor continue to be read and studied as important figures within English and American literature. The national context (England and Wales, as well as the kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland) frames the definition of Puritans, but was not a self-identification for those Protestants who saw the progress of the Thirty Years' War from 1620 as directly bearing on their denomination, and as a continuation of the religious wars of the previous century, carried on by the English Civil Wars. [114], Puritans were opposed to Sunday sport or recreation because these distracted from religious observance of the Sabbath. [82] A child could only be redeemed through religious education and obedience. Puritan husbands commanded authority through family direction and prayer. Puritans conceived of the relationship between God and man differently from many other Christian sects. [121] Spouses were disciplined if they did not perform their sexual marital duties, in accordance with 1 Corinthians 7 and other biblical passages. The initial conflict between Puritans and the authorities included instances of nonconformity such as omitting parts of the liturgy to allow more time for the sermon and singing of metrical psalms. During the reign of Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603), the Church of England was widely considered a Reformed church, and Calvinists held the best bishoprics and deaneries. In agreement with Thomas Cranmer, the Puritans stressed "that Christ comes down to us in the sacrament by His Word and Spirit, offering Himself as our spiritual food and drink". [75] Husbands were the spiritual heads of the household, while women were to demonstrate religious piety and obedience under male authority. In the funeral service, the priest committed the body to the ground "in sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Consequently, they became a major political force in England and came to power as a result of the First English Civil War (1642–1646). They also made sure that everyone was educated enough to read and understand the Bible as it was the main source of living their lives and the only source of obtaining God’s forgiveness to overcome the sin. In its widest historical sense, the term Puritan includes both groups. Puritans believed it was the government's responsibility to enforce moral standards and ensure true religious worship was established and maintained. [99] Anne Hutchinson (1591–1643), the well educated daughter of a teacher, argued with the established theological orthodoxy, and was forced to leave colonial New England with her followers. In England, the Standards were contested by Independents up to 1660. [2] The nature of the movement in England changed radically, although it retained its character for a much longer period in New England. The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. Some Puritans left for New England, particularly from 1629 to 1640 (the Eleven Years' Tyranny under King Charles I), supporting the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other settlements among the northern colonies. Officially, lay people were only required to receive communion three times a year, but most people only received communion once a year at Easter. Girls carried the additional burden of Eve's corruption and were catechised separately from boys at adolescence. purit ... – Online Information article about Puritanism (Lat. Sproul was taken aback by the intrusion and responded with the first words that came into his mind: "Saved from what?" Puritan definition, a member of a group of Protestants that arose in the 16th century within the Church of England, demanding the simplification of doctrine and worship, and greater strictness in religious discipline: during part of the 17th century the Puritans became a powerful political party. PURITANS The Puritans were a group of people who grew discontent in the Church of England and worked towards religious, moral and societal reforms. The paradox created by female inferiority in the public sphere and the spiritual equality of men and women in marriage, then, gave way to the informal authority of women concerning matters of the home and childrearing. These included Arthur Dent's The Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven (1601), Richard Rogers's Seven Treatises (1603), Henry Scudder's Christian's Daily Walk (1627) and Richard Sibbes's The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax (1630). African-American and Indian servants were likely excluded from such benefits. [81] In her poem titled "In Reference to her Children", poet Anne Bradstreet reflects on her role as a mother: I had eight birds hatched in one nest; Four cocks there were, and hens the rest. [53] On these questions, Puritans divided between supporters of episcopal polity, presbyterian polity and congregational polity. As sinners, every person deserved damnation. Puritans were not opposed to drinking alcohol in moderation. [93][91] Another departure from other Protestants was the widespread belief among Puritans that the conversion of the Jews to Christianity was an important sign of the apocalypse. Puritanism was never a formally defined religious division within Protestantism, and the term Puritan itself was rarely used after the turn of the 18th century. [111] They also objected to Christmas because the festivities surrounding the holiday were seen as impious. Puritans believed in unconditional election and irresistible grace—God's grace was given freely without condition to the elect and could not be refused. [14] One Puritan settlement in western Massachusetts banished a husband because he refused to fulfill his sexual duties to his wife.[15]. This was followed by humiliation, when the sinner realized that he or she was helpless to break free from sin and that their good works could never earn forgiveness. [53], The Puritan conversion experience was commonly described as occurring in discrete phases. [130], Anti-Catholic sentiment appeared in New England with the first Pilgrim and Puritan settlers. [87], The Salem witch trials of 1692 had a lasting impact on the historical reputation of New England Puritans. The Church of England of the Interregnum (1649–60) was run along Presbyterian lines but never became a national Presbyterian church, such as existed in Scotland, and England was not the theocratic state which leading Puritans had called for as "godly rule". Private baptisms were opposed because Puritans believed that preaching should always accompany sacraments. The Elect were people chosen by God for salvation. They believed that because God bestowed salvation on very few people, most souls would face eternal torment in Hell, which they believed was full of the worst horrors. It was later brought to America by the Pilgrims who settled in New England. Archbishop Matthew Parker of that time used it and precisian with a sense similar to the modern stickler. [96], Some strong religious beliefs common to Puritans had direct impacts on culture. The membership of the Assembly was heavily weighted towards the Presbyterians, but Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan and an independent Congregationalist Separatist who imposed his doctrines upon them. Laws banned the practice of individuals toasting each other, with the explanation that it led to wasting God's gift of beer and wine, as well as being carnal. [55] While evangelical views on conversion were heavily influenced by Puritan theology, the Puritans believed that assurance of one's salvation was "rare, late and the fruit of struggle in the experience of believers", whereas evangelicals believed that assurance was normative for all the truly converted. The Puritans, therefore, formed a proper community, which enabled them to endure, whereas the Jamestown settlers did not. After the fall of man, human nature was corrupted by original sin and unable to fulfill the covenant of works, since each person inevitably violated God's law as expressed in the Ten Commandments. Yet, the main complaint Puritans had was the requirement that clergy wear the white surplice and clerical cap. However, Harsnett was in the minority, and many clergy, not only Puritans, believed in witchcraft and possession. This then leads to thinking for themselves, which is the basis of democracy. William Perkins did so in a sermon an Matthew 6:19-20, in which he listed what Christ did not forbid: . The Puritans taught the need to constantly examine one’s life for proper living in line with the teachings of the Bible, as well as to maintain faith in one’s goodness and God’s providence. [117] In New England, the first dancing school did not open until the end of the 17th century. [49], Puritans shared with other Calvinists a belief in double predestination, that some people (the elect) were destined by God to receive grace and salvation while others were destined for Hell. [51] Early on, Puritans did not consider a specific conversion experience normative or necessary, but many gained assurance of salvation from such experiences. [94], David Brady describes a "lull before the storm"[further explanation needed] in the early 17th century, in which "reasonably restrained and systematic" Protestant exegesis of the Book of Revelation was seen with Brightman, Mede, and Hugh Broughton, after which "apocalyptic literature became too easily debased" as it became more populist and less scholarly. That century can be broken down into three parts: the generation of John Cotton and Richard Mather, 1630–62 from the founding to the Restoration, years of virtual independence and nearly autonomous development; the generation of Increase Mather, 1662–89 from the Restoration and the Halfway Covenant to the Glorious Revolution, years of struggle with the British crown; and the generation of Cotton Mather, 1689–1728 from the overthrow of Edmund Andros (in which Cotton Mather played a part) and the new charter, mediated by Increase Mather, to the death of Cotton Mather. [47], The concept of covenant was extremely important to Puritans, and covenant theology was central to their beliefs. For the remainder of Elizabeth's reign, Puritans ceased to agitate for further reform.[21]. Diligent labor in a main vocation, whereby [a person] provides things needful for himself, and those that depend on him. [135] English historian Patrick Collinson argues that "There is little point in constructing elaborate statements defining what, in ontological terms, puritanism was and what it was not, when it was not a thing definable in itself but only one half of a stressful relationship. Mary Tyler said that her brother and Reverend Emerson put so much pressure on her that she felt she would be hanged if she did not confess, and other women spoke to similar pressures. He called the Hampton Court Conference in 1604, and heard the teachings of four prominent Puritan leaders, including Laurence Chaderton, but largely sided with his bishops. Yet, since God is also inscrutable, there is no way to know for sure who will be saved and who will be damned, according to the book "The Puritan Way of Death: A Study in Religion, Culture, and Social Change.". The first two of the four Boston martyrs were executed by the Puritans on 27 October 1659, and in memory of this, 27 October is now International Religious Freedom Day to recognise the importance of freedom of religion. [129] In 1660, one of the most notable victims of the religious intolerance was English Quaker Mary Dyer, who was hanged in Boston for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony. No one was executed for their religion during the Protectorate. [81], Puritans viewed the relationship between master and servant similarly to that of parent and child. [79] With the consent of their husbands, wives made important decisions concerning the labour of their children, property, and the management of inns and taverns owned by their husbands. 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