Introduction
Among the various groups which brought changes to Christianity in the later part of the 16th
century and the early 17th century was the Puritan movement. Puritanism, a movement which arose
within the Church of England at that time, sought to purify, or reform the church and establish a
middle course between Roman Catholicism and the ideas of the Protestant reformers (Church of
England).
As a matter of fact the parties that rejected the Reformation and those who warranted separation
from the Church of England following the Elizabethan Religious Settlement were commonly called
‘‘Puritans’’ by historians and critics. Puritans sought ‘‘purity’’ of worship and doctrine.
Specifically, the term was applied to those wishing to completely remove all qualities for which
they could not locate biblical authorization from the Church of England. According to history,
Puritans did not originally use the term for themselves because it was a term of abuse. This term
came up in the 1560s. They were also referred to as ‘‘Precise men’’ and ‘‘Precisions’’, but they
rather called themselves ‘‘the godly’’
The term Puritanism is also used in a broader sense to refer to attitudes and values considered
characteristic of the Puritans. Thus, the Separatists in the 16th century, the Quakers in the 17th
century, and Nonconformists after the Restoration may be called Puritans, although they were no
longer part of the established church. The founders of New England, for whom immigration to
America constituted withdrawal from the mother church, are also commonly called Puritans. Even
within the Church of England, a precise definition of Puritanism is elusive.
Background
The desire for change during the Reformation of the Catholic Church in sixteenth-century created a
period of radical reformation in the middle of the century.
Puritanism evolved from dissatisfaction with the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, in particular,
which was felt by the more radical Protestants to be giving in to Popery. While Protestant
movements in Europe had broken radically with Catholic models of church organization, the
English Reformation had brought the Church under control of the monarchy while leaving many of
its religious practices intact. According to their Christian beliefs, the doctrine had been made
compliant to politics. Following the ruthless persecution of Protestants under the rule of Mary I of
England (Bloody Mary), a large number of them were forced to flee to the continent. Among these
were Boston-born John Fox, Thomas Cartwright and Walter Travers. Whiles in exile, they came
into close contact with the magisterial reformers in Calvinist Geneva and Lutheran German,
Andrew Melville. Among other prominent people who played key role in the formation of the
Puritan movement includes John Wycliffe and the Lollards and also a first generation English
reformer William Tyndale. From the early part of the 16th century, Boston gradually became a
Puritan town and, by the early 17th century, a Puritan stronghold, electing the young, radical John
Cotton as its vicar
Puritans were committed to Scripture and a theology which emphasized the concept of covenant;
from John Knox they absorbed a dedication to thorough reform in church and state; and from John
Hooper they received a determined conviction that Scripture should regulate ecclesiastical structure
and personal behaviour alike.
Puritans achieved a measure of public acceptance in the early years of Queen Elizabeth's reign.
They then suffered a series of reverses that lasted through the reigns of her successors James I and
Charles I. In the days of James I some Puritans grew discouraged about their reforming efforts and
separated entirely from the Church of England. These Separates included the ‘‘Pilgrims,’’ who after
a sojourn in Holland established in 1620 the Plymouth Colony in what is now south-eastern
Massachusetts.
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When Charles I attempted to rule England without Parliament and its many Puritan members, and
when he tried systematically to root Puritans out of the English church, a larger, less separatistic
body emigrated to Massachusetts Bay, where for the first time Puritans had the opportunity to
construct churches and a society reflecting their grasp of the word of God. In England other
Puritans continued the struggle for reform.
Doctrine
Puritans were Calvinists. They saw God as the central figure in life. They had in mind that, life is
solely directed and controlled by God's Word. The basic principle of Calvinism is the Biblical
principle that ‘‘salvation is of the Lord.’’ Thus the Puritans emphasized the activity of God in
salvation: election by the Father, redemption by the Son, and effective calling by the Holy Spirit.
Thus Puritans did not fear science, logic, and philosophy, but sought to bring the Word of God to
bear on each discipline. They believed that God can be glorified in every area of academic pursuit.
They believed Scripture to be in harmony with reason and science, refusing to allow mere
rationalism to overrule the Word of God.
The puritans made a full and free offer of Christ to sinners and urged them to seek Him. They were
not afraid to preach the clear truth of God as it is expressed in the Word of God. The Puritan
preacher considered his ministry a solemn calling from God not to be treated lightly. Because the
interpretation of Scripture is an abstruse art to be studied thoroughly and employed cautiously.
Puritanism was a healthy combination of orthodox faith and fervent devotion. The two most
important elements which were separated by the step children of the Puritans were Unitarianism and
revivalism.
The Unitarians replaced Scripture with reason alone as their authority and completely secularized
religion; the revivalists overemphasized emotion. The Great Awakening of the 1740s was still
essentially Puritan, but revivals in the nineteenth century discarded most vestiges of authentic
Puritanism, including the concept of a trained ministry.
The revivalists love for Christ kept them from Unitarian rationalism, but not from such doctrinal
errors as perfectionism and Adventism. The balance between these two strains determines the
fundamentalist’s denominational affiliation.
The Puritans, like the fundamentalists, insisted on separation from doctrinal error. Both groups have
been called separatists by their opponents. The Puritans were firmly committed to the inspired and
authoritative Word of God. They believed man fell in Adam, was totally depraved, and could not
save himself he needed a Saviour. Christ gave His sinless blood to cleanse man from his sin and set
him free from his bondage to it. Salvation is all of grace and man in no way can earn or merit it. He
is saved by God sovereignly moving on his behalf.
Beliefs
Several beliefs differentiated Puritans from other Christians. The first was their belief in
predestination. Puritans believed that belief in Jesus and participation in the sacraments could not
alone affect one’s salvation; one cannot choose salvation, for that is the privilege of God alone. All
features of salvation are determined by God's sovereignty, including choosing those who will be
saved and those who will receive God's irresistible grace.
The Puritans distinguished between ‘‘justification,’’ or the gift of God’s grace given to the elect,
and ‘‘sanctification,’’ the holy behaviour that supposedly resulted when an individual had been
saved.
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When William Laud, and a vowed Armenian, became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633, the
Church of England began to embrace beliefs abhorrent to Puritans: a focus on the individual’s
acceptance or rejection of grace; a toleration of diverse religious beliefs; and an acceptance of
‘‘high church’’ rituals and symbols.
The concept of covenant
The Puritans concept of a covenant or contract between God and his elect pervaded Puritan
theology and social relationships. In religious terms, several types of covenants were central to
Puritan thought.
1. Covenant of Works. The Covenant of Works held that God promised Adam and his
progeny eternal life if they obeyed moral law. After Adam broke this covenant, God made a
new Covenant of Grace with Abraham (Genesis 18-19).
2. Covenant of Grace. This covenant requires an active faith, and, as such, it softens the
doctrine of predestination. Although God still chooses the elect, the relationship becomes
one of contract in which punishment for sins are a judicially proper response to
disobedience. During the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards later repudiated Covenant
Theology to get back to orthodox Calvinism. Those bound by the covenant considered
themselves to be charged with a mission from God
3. Covenant of Redemption. The Covenant of Redemption was assumed to be pre-existent
to the Covenant of Grace. It held that Christ, who freely chose to sacrifice himself for fallen
man, bound God to accept him as man's representative. Having accepted this pact, God is
then committed to carrying out the Covenant of Grace. According to Perry Miller, as one
contemporary source put it, "God covenanted with Christ that if he would pay the full price
for the redemption of believers, they should be discharged.
Experience
Puritan experience also motivated the later Evangelical trends in the Church of England.
Meanwhile, in Europe, in the 17th and 18th century, a movement within Lutheranism based on
puritan ideology became a strong religious force known as pietism. In the USA, the Puritan
settlement of New England was a major influence on American Protestantism.
With the start of the English Civil War in the 1640s, fewer and fewer immigrants to New England
were Puritans. Very few immigrants to Virginia and other early colonies were Puritans. By 1660
Puritan migration to the New World had ended and was officially discouraged. Puritan populations
in New England, however, continued to grow rapidly, owing to the prosperity of many large Puritan
families. Many immigrants to New England, who were motivated by a desire for greater religious
freedom, actually soon found repression under the Puritan theocracy to be far more repressive than
any ‘‘oppression’’ of their faith that they had experienced back in Britain.
Puritans emphasis
Puritans emphasized the practical use of the law: to restrain sin, to lead men to Christ, and to direct
the believer's conduct. In this they closely followed the teaching of Calvin, who had urged that the
law be preached to show the sinner his great failure and need and to encourage the believer to strive
for holiness and integrity.
The Puritan wanted to live as godly as possible. They confessed that, only true righteousness is
evidence that one’s faith and repentance are true.
Sanctification is the immediate work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life, but the outworking of it
involves being disciplined by the Word of God.
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For the Puritan, union with Christ was not the end of the Christian life but the beginning! Thus, ‘‘all
spiritual life and holiness is treasured up in the fullness of Christ, and communicated to us by Union
with him; therefore, the accomplishing of Union with Christ is the first work of saving Grace in our
hearts.’’
Puritans commitment
The mastermind of Puritan theologians was that they were Preachers and theological writers. Their
written works were mainly edited versions of their sermons. Because of their emphasis upon
application of doctrine to the Christian life, their writings generally came to be designated as
‘‘practical divinity.’’ They were not just ordinary theologians, but preachers of God's grace who
were determined to meet the needs of men.
Puritan devotion is a model of Christian piety. Despite their strong stand for doctrinal purity,
Puritan ministers led their flocks gently, always concerned to deliver Christians from the devices of
Satan and to warn unbelievers to rest in Christ alone. Their spiritual holiness was sincere, resulting
from their commitment to Biblical doctrine.
The key to Puritan devotion was discipline. They saw the Christian life as purely a disciplined life.
At the core of Puritan sentiment was an absolutely authoritative Scripture. The Word of God
governed and disciplined their lives. The Puritans’ interest in the Word of God included an
emphasis on the law of God.
Conclusion
The Puritans were real seekers. They were preachers, not figurative theologians. They actually had
time for the Bible. They studied the Word of God carefully and thoroughly and were able to declare
the hidden truth to their listeners. Because of their firm grasp of the Bible, they became powerful
preachers. Their message was centered on salvation not by works but by the same grace we profess
today.
It is an established fact that, modern evangelicals suffer from a mentality that regards doctrine and
theology as an old fashion way or style of presenting the message of God. This mentality accuses
theologians of obscuring the truth of Scripture instead of clarifying it. The express purpose of
doctrinal preaching is to place particular truths in the framework of the whole counsel of God. It
involves exegesis and exposition that lead to a philosophically and apologetically sound belief. It
does not isolate truth from experience, but applies truth to experience.
They also preached that God is able to save man from his sin. However, they opposed the Roman
Catholic concept of man's free will and his cooperation with God in salvation. Apart from the few
lapses to the movement, they made a great impact in Christianity.
To the Puritan preacher truth had no relevance except in its practical application to the believer's
life.
Finally, the twentieth-century church greatly needs to recover and reemphasize the Puritans
principle of the truth found in the word of God in order to restore the dynamic power of Christianity
to pulpits and homes. Also their eagerness to spread the uncompromising word of God could be
emulated for the same purpose in the present generation.
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