More Notes on the Pilgrims and Puritans

Pilgrims and Puritans:

• Products of the Renaissance and Reformation
• New Protestant Christians
• Legally members of the Protestant Church of England
• Extreme reformers
• Opposed the Church of England
• “People of the Book” = BIBLE
• Everything they needed was in the Bible, not in monarchs or organizations
• “Fanatics about the Bible” = Bible Law

Pilgrims of Plymouth:

• Established in 1620
• Fervid desire to separate from the Church of England = SEPARATISTS
• Refusal to bend to the will of their king and church laws stirred the religious and civil persecution that drove them from England.
• Pilgrimage to America = name change to PILGRIMS
• Poor frontiersmen
• No support from the Church of England
• Colony was always poor
• Finally absorbed in 1691 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony:

• Established in 1628-1643
• Also believed the Church of England contained too much “Roman Catholicism”
• Also wanted to establish a colony based on Bible Law
• However, believed the Church of England was not beyond reform – they believed it could be “purified” = PURITANS
• The “great migration”
• Came not as separatists but as official members of the Church of England
• But were persecuted by the king and government for their attacks on church hierarchy (king at top)
• Religion a concern, but not sole concern
• Also a worldly people
• Yet their strict piety and their literal interpretation of the Bible to all aspects of life won them the reputation of being gloomy and solemn, indifferent to beauty and fun, devoted only to rabid dissent and militant zeal.
• Influenced by Martin Luther and John Calvin

Calvinism:

• Basic theological doctrines of colonists (from Calvin):
  • Of total depravity – all are tainted by “original sin” (Adam and Eve)
  • Of limited atonement – Jesus’ sacrifice gives grace to few, the elect
  • Of irresistible grace – salvation is given by God, it cannot be earned
  • Of perseverance of the saints – those chosen by God will remain in a state of grace, among the elect, until death
  • Of predestination – God had predestined all events and had chosen the elect
• However, it does not follow that Puritans considered most of us to be born damned.
• A sign of election was to give an account or relation of their conversion.

Comparison of Puritans to the Jews:

• Jews were led by Moses out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land (Canaan) – Bradford led the Pilgrims from persecution; Winthrop led the Puritans from persecution.
• These groups certain that they worshipped the one true God.
• These groups had fled from oppression and had suffered for their religious ideals.
• Their leaders had led followers out of “bondage.”
• Pilgrims and Puritans thus believed they were a chosen people, specially favored by God.
• The idea of a “promised land” – i.e. New England, New Eden, New World Jerusalem.

Covenant Theology #1:

• Covenant of Works – people are to be obedient, to do good works
• When Adam committed the original sin, he broke the covenant of works.
• All were now condemned to labor, misery, then death, then eternal damnation.
• God later relented.
• Covenant of Grace – a special few were chosen to escape eternal damnation.
• Puritans believed they were among that special few, the elect.

Covenant Theology #2:

• Softened and modified Calvinism, particularly important in New England.
• Instead of election (“divine decrees as a basis for election”), covenant theology substitutes the idea of a contractual relationship between God and the human race.
• God promised Adam and his posterity eternal life in exchange for absolute obedience.
• When Adam and Even committed the original sin, they broke the covenant of works.
• Punishment was labor, misery, death, and then eternal damnation.
• God later relented.
• God made another covenant with Abraham, the covenant of grace, promising human beings the ability to struggle toward perfection.

The “Half-Way” Covenant:

• Introduced by Richard Mather – ca. 1662
• A document that indicated a decline in the rigid dogmatism (of the Mather dynasty).
• It advocated the baptism of children of non-regenerate though baptized parents.
• Such parents were regarded by Mather as “half-way” members of the church.

Thoughts on God:

• Universe is controlled wholly by God
• God creates all things
• God is omnipotent
• All are equal in God’s eyes?
• God directly intervenes in the lives of all humankind – “providences” (general vs. specific providences)

Great Puritan Achievement:

• They did not create a new religion or new way of life
• They were not innovators but conservatives
• They wished to return the church to its original forms, to its early simplicity
• Their contributions are their unrelenting quest for religious independence, their strength in their faith, and their devotion to preaching
• ”That Puritan dedication to self-determination helped establish the independence and freedom that Americans have long cherished as their greatest possessions.”

Sermons:

• Sermons were by far the most popular literary form of the time
• Sermons were directed to the human intellect – exercises in logic
• Sermons were a public forum, a source of news and informed opinion

Education:

• Emphasis on sermon and Bible study led to importance of education
• They wanted a learned clergy and an educated audience
• New England Puritans were bookish and literate
• Massachusetts Bay Colony became the cultural center
• Harvard was the first college in English North America – on September 8, 1636, the General Court of Massachusetts Bay established Harvard College, the first college founded in America.

Literature:

• Written expression of religious ideals
• Sermons, biographies, diaries, poems
• Written to serve as moral lessons, to encourage piety and holiness, to emphasize self-examination, to show devotion and faith
• Religious ideas were expressed in a biblical style of writing
• Writing was to be plain and clear, without decoration – a simple style, simple language
• Edward Taylor = rich, artistic embellishment

Intolerance:

• Puritans had lofty fervor and a sense of divine mission
• Puritans were also intolerant of others
• Saw intolerance as a necessary defense against intrusion of false belief
• Were most intolerant of other religions practiced in their midst

Puritan Downfall:

• Power and unity declined
• Beset by dissenters
• New religious leaders favored a milder, more congenial Christianity
• Defenders grew old, weak, and divided
• American tradition of pluralism arose

Conclusions / Puritanism:

• Remained hard impressed on the American mind
• Spoke for
• The preeminence of the individual
• The freedom from oppressive governments
• The value of learning and education
• Influenced American thoughts, beliefs, actions, values
• Served as the dominant force in the creation of Am Lit
• Helped to bring the revolutionary glories of the American Enlightenment
• Helped to bring the artistic triumphs of the Age of American Romanticism

Source: These notes are from various sources, but primarily from the "Introduction to Colonial Literature" in the Prentice Hall Anthology of American Literature, 6th edition, 1997.