Who Were the Puritans?
In my preaching and teaching I will often mention "the Puritans," or quote from someone whom I refer to as "a Puritan." At times I have given a sentence or two to explain who these men were, but most often I just blaze right on by.
So, if you are unfamiliar with these men, I write this to help you understand to whom I am referring. And if you are vaguely familiar with the Puritans, then I hope this will sharpen your grasp a little more. Further, I also hope that this post will commend these men to you as those worth reading, and who are, generally, worthy of our respect.
Here's my attempt at a brief explanation of the Puritans:
The Puritans were Protestant Christians who lived primarily in England between 1550 and 1700 (roughly). They were zealous for the authority of Scripture, the glory of God, the purity of the Church, and bringing Scripture to bear on every area of life--from the political sphere to the private devotional life of every believer.
These men were fiercely doctrinal and Calvinistic, while also being passionately earnest about piety. They did not abide the divorcing of the two, but sought to marry good doctrine with personal holiness at every turn.
Actually, It's a Little More Complicated
From what I've read, anyone who seeks to define "Puritanism" will point out that it is actually pretty difficult.1 I think my above definition works, but the matter is a bit more complicated. There are various reasons for this. First, the term "Puritan" was initially used as a pejorative. William Perkins, who is often referred to as the "Father of Puritanism," despised the word itself. Moreover, its negative usage has been renewed and is commonly deployed to describe one who has strict views of morality and is, perhaps, legalistic. However, this is not a good way of describing the Puritans as this caricature of them is mostly the result of later anti-Puritan scholarship.2
A second reason it is hard to define "the Puritans" is because the group is not monolithic.3 That is, there was variety of beliefs and practices within the group. For example, there were presbyterians (like Thomas Watson), congregationalists (John Owens), Baptists (John Bunyan), and even some who never left the Church of England (Richard Sibbes). Moreover, some Puritans did not escape serious theological error, such as Richard Baxter who erred in his understanding of justification by faith and couldn't affirm the Westminster Confession as a result (and whom, I'd generally recommend not reading).4
A third challenge is that we are talking about a group of men who existed over about a 150 year period. So, we might expect to see different emphases emerge at various times throughout that period as it was an especially tumultuous time in English (and world) history.
"Burning and Shining Lights"
Nevertheless, there are general truths that remain about this group known as the Puritans. First, they were spiritual descendants of the Protestant Reformation and, grounding their doctrine in Scripture, held to Reformed orthodoxy. Another way of saying this is that they were, for the most part, Calvinists.
The Puritans were also responsible for producing the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) which was then adapted by both Congregationalists (in the Savoy Declaration, 1658) and the Baptists (in the Second London Confession, 1689). [For a side-by-side comparison of these confessions, click here]. So, they affirmed sola scriptura, but like the Reformers before them, they sought to codify their understanding in confessions.
However, these men were not simply interested theological precision. They also sought to bring good theology to bear on everyday life.5 For example, John Owen wrote impressive theological treatises like, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, but he also wrote The Mortification of Sin in order to help everyday Christians battle their sin and pursue holiness. He wrote the latter work because he was concerned about the sad state of professing believers who were given to temptation.6 All this to say, the Puritans weren't mere ivory tower men; they were intensely theological and fervently devotional. Theology should be applied to all of life and all of life was to be lived for God's glory.
The Puritans also sought further reform in the Church of England which, although Protestant, hadn't reformed enough and still maintained some "popish" practices.7 However, in 1662, nearly two thousand Puritan preachers who were still pastoring in the Church of England were expelled from their churches because they would not compromise. This is often known as "The Great Ejection" and it resulted in many Puritans suffering greatly over the next 27 years. They nevertheless continued preaching (outdoors in some cases) and writing, with some amazing works being produced during these years (including The Pilgrim's Progress).
Of course, the Puritans did not get everything right and as always we must read them with discernment. Nevertheless, the mighty 18th century preacher, George Whitefield, remarked that the Puritans were "bright and shining lights," noting that, "though dead, by their writings they yet speak: a peculiar unction tends to them this very hour."8
Conclusion: Worth Reading
If you're not convinced of their value, I'll close with 6 characteristics of Puritan writings as given by Beeke and Pederson in their book, Meet the Puritans:
- They shape life by Scripture. "The Puritans loved, lived, and breathed Scripture, relishing the power of the Spirit that accompanied the Word." Indeed this comes out in so many of their writings.
- They marry doctrine and practice by "addressing the mind," "confronting the conscience," and "engaging the heart."
- They focus on Christ. "Would you know Christ better and love him more fully? Immerse yourself in Puritan literature, asking the Spirit to sanctify you in a Christ-centered way."
- They show how to handle trials. They lived and pastored in tumultuous times. And many works were written to help Christians deal with trials of various kinds, pointing out that "God's rod of affliction is his means to write Christ's image more fully upon us."
- They show us how to live in two worlds. "The Puritans believed that we should have heaven 'in our eye' throughout our earthly pilgrimage."
- They show us true spirituality. They "promoted the authority of Scripture, biblical evangelism, church reform, the spirituality of the law, spiritual warfare against indwelling sin, the filial fear of God, the art of meditation, the dreadfulness of hell and the glories of heaven."9
If you're interested in finding a Puritan to read, let me know and I'll be glad to give you a hand.
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1. Much of the information in this post relies upon two books: Joel R. Beeke and Randall J. Pederson, Meet the Puritans (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2006), and Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2012).
2. Beeke and Pederson, Meet the Puritans, xv.
3. Ibid.
4. Beeke and Jones, A Puritan Theology, 2.
5. Ibid, 5.
6. John Owen, The Mortification of Sin: Abridged and Made Easy to Read by Richard Rushing (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2004), vii.
7. Beeke and Jones, A Puritan Theology, 3.
8. Whitefield in Beeke and Pederson, Meet the Puritans, xii.
9. Beeke and Pederson, Meet the Puritans, xix-xxiv.
