Who are “The Puritans.” We must begin with a correction. “Puritanical” has evolved in English to mean fervent intolerance to the slightest deviation from some very strict moral code. And, accordingly, the term “Puritan” has become freighted with persons who follow narrow, joyless, stern ways of life particularly with regard to sexual attitudes and practices. Such ideas do not describe the Puritans, though of course they were not promoters of licentiousness.
A short, approximate definition of “The Puritans” is this: the term is broad category describing Christian writers, primarily living in England, beginning during the immediate post-Reformation period, the latter-half of the 16th Century, continuing approximately to the mid- 18th Century. The Puritan writers are generally thought to be bookended by William Perkins (1558-1602) to American Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) (names cited by Becke, referenced below). In my view, the apex, and critical transition period of the Puritans and related writings is the 12-year period from 1688 to 1689, that began the waning of the broad cultural influence of the Puritan light. I have written and posted elsewhere of this critical period and my claim for its significance.
One might summarize the role of the Puritans as having carried the practical, everyday expression of “light out of the darkness” of the Reformation into practical counsel of Christian living, derived not from their personal or group authorities but from the direct teachings of the Bible. (The motto of the Reformation has often been expressed in Latin as “Post Tennebras Lux,” After Darkness, Light, paralleling the opening theme of Genesis and Job 17:12 “turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near.” NIV).
A Great Book on The Puritans: Becke and Pederson
The best single, accessible resource on the Puritans is a comprehensive book on the subject by Joel Becke and Randall Pederson (hereafter “Becke”): Meet the Puritans, by Joel R. Becke and Randall J. Pederson, published Reformation Heritage Books, 2006.
Becke’s book is 900 pages, so it’s not one evening’s read. It has an excellent summary of “Puritans” in general in his Preface and his opening chapter “A Brief History of English Puritanism,” together comprising ca. 25 pages. The balance of the book are individual chapters dedicated to more than two dozen individual Puritans, particularly with respect to their writings.
Becke Nuggets on the Puritans
Given below is my summary / ‘nuggets’ from Becke’s review of Puritans.
The Puritans sought to search the Scriptures, collate their findings, and apply them to all areas of life…
They never tired of proclaiming the electing grace of God, the dying love of Jesus Christ, and the applicatory work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of sinners.
…Puritanism was a movement that focused on plain and earnest preaching, liturgical reform, and spiritual brotherhood.
…Puritans focused on personal, comprehensive conversion. They believed with Christ that “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven” (Joh 3:3). SO they excelled at preaching the gospel, probing the conscience, awakening the sinner, calling him to repentance and faith, leading him to Christ and schooling him in the way of Christ.
They shape life by Scripture. The puritans loved, lived, and breathed Scripture, relishing the power of the Spirit that accompanied the Word. They regarded the sixty-six books of Scripture as the library of the Holy Spirit graciously bequeathed to Christians…giving them the truth they could trust for all eternity…as Spirit-empowered to renew their minds and transform their lives.
The Puritans called believers to be Word-centered in faith and practice.
[Quoting Puritan John Flavel, as capturing the essence of the Puritan worldview] “The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable way of dying.”
They marry doctrine and practice. The Puritans did this by addressing the mind, confronting the conscience, and loosing the heart.
They show us how to handle trials. We learn from the puritans that we need affliction to humble us (Deut. 8:2), to teach us what sin is (Zeph. 1:12), and to bring us to God (Hos. 5:15).
They show hos to live in two worlds….the power that the hope of heaven has to direct, control, and energize our life here on earth….that we should have “in our eye” throughout our earthly pilgrimage.
They show us true spirituality. The Puritans promoted the authority of Scripture, biblical evangelism, church reform, the spirituality of the law, spiritual warfare against indwelling fin, the filler fear of God, the art of meditation, the dreadfulness of hell, and the glories of heaven.
Becke, 2006
Two other authorities on the Puritans are cited below:
The Puritans [were] burning and shining lights….Though dead, by their writings they yet speak; a peculiar unction attends them to this very hour….Their works still praise them in the gates, and without pretending to a spirit of prophecy, we may venture to affirm that they will live and flourish when more modern performance of a contrary cast, notwithstanding their gaudy and tinseled trappings, will languish and die in the esteem of those whose understanding are opened to discern what comes nearer to the scripture standard.
George Whitfield, cited by Becke.
In a time of failing vision and decaying values [the Puritans are] a beacon of hope calling us to radical commitment and action when both are desperately needed.
James I. Packer, cited by Becke.
The Resurgence, Recovery of the Puritans
Thought the writings and influence of the Puritans never disappeared from published literature, their influence upon their broad culture decidedly waned, believing as I do of that the above-cited critical 12-year period late in the 17th Century, and also even on professing Christians. That great English preacher, and writer, of the 20th Century, Martyn Lloyd Jones (MLJ, 1899-1981) is widely credited having birth a renewal of interest in their writing. Most of the preaching of MLJ is freely available as podcasts (1600 of them and counting) through: MLJtrust.org.
And, so today, there are many available sources of printed and electronic publication of almost the entirety of Puritan writers and writing, many freely available in online pdf formats. The wealth of this resource is incredible.
Richard Sibbes and “The Bruised Reed”
One of the key Puritan writers is Richard Sibbes (1577-1635). He is most well-known by his book The Bruised Reed, published ca. 1631. Sibbes and this book can be considered as the early shinning light of Puritan influence that was to peak a generation after his death in 1635.
Separately I have created a studied guide with resources to encourage a reading and careful consideration of this worth writing: Richard Sibbes Study Resources.