Who were Puritans?

Many Christians today still love and read the vast volumes written by the Puritans. Many people today will use the term Puritan about themselves; yet often, when looking at their beliefs, their lives, their values, and last, but by no means least, the way they do or don’t apply Scripture to their lives day-to-day, or where it is on their richter scale of priorities, they have no claim to the name Puritan, and by the examples they give in the ways above, seen very ignorant or unlearned of exactly who or what the Puritans were for them to even take the name to themselves, it is one of my pet peeves, or treading on my blue Suede shoes, when this lack of knowledge about exactly who the Puritans were while claiming the name to themselves, often does more to harm and damage to the reputation of the Puritans, which cost many of them their lives and their cost doesn’t deserve such callous carless handling by such misreprensentaions, and in general it also does much harm to reformation principals in general. John Knox is said to have described Puritanism as: Reformation without tarrying for any .” they needed no man to tell them how to live their lives as Christians, they needed purely and only the word of God to guide them.

The Puritans strangely were not all Calvinistic. The name itself has nothing to do with a doctrinal system or denomination. Many people would call Richard Baxter a confused Arminian, yet his labours and work lives on in his writings, and no one I know who speaks of him thinks of him as anything less than a great man of God despite his erroneous views on Justification-yet Calvinism today seems to be often used and held up very proudly as a badge of honour, as if just proclaiming oneself Calvinistic is all one needs to do to suggest oneself, as a superior stripe of Christian, yet even among professing Calvinists, much ignorant prevails, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Calvinist denominations encourages more tares amongst the wheat than other denominations because of the pride associated with being one in very many cases. It seems likely that this will breed one sort of people who opt to profess outwardly with little to no inward or heart change that other less controversial and without the history attached to them that Calvinists have, other denominations wouldn’t have the same pulling power as they wouldn’t seem to have the same badge of honour to wear proudly as some so obviously do.. Those Puritans such as Richard Baxter who did have some unorthodox doctrinal beliefs, is still head and shoulders taller, then many who may have all their Calvinistic theological ducks all lined up in a row. Knowledge is one thing in our head, but only heart knowledge and heart change turns it into real knowledge of wisdom and understanding. Calvinism at it’s core should give no room for pride as by its very essence and nature it’s a doctrinal system of humiliation, that makes for humble and meek, men and women, and that is what the Puritans were, whether Calvinistic or not.

So, exactly who were these men and women we today call the Puritans?

T were purifying and reforming the whole of their lives; they were zealous for God and his glory at every turn; and in doing this they saw the planks in their own eyes, before seeing the failings and planks in others eyes.. The Scripture was the whole rule in life and practice. Where matters of worship were concerned, anything not commanded directly in Scripture was in their eyes forbidden, and practising anything outside of Scripture was nothing less than idolatry when it came to the act of worshipping God.

They aimed at piety in every aspect of their lives, not just in public, or in the pulpit, or when out and about, but in every aspect of their private lives. They believed the home should be made by the husband-and-wife into a family church. Yet, they were not austere or unloving quite the opposite is true. The husband as the head of the house, loved and nurtured and cared for his wife as Christ cares for his church. They were full of the love of God. They lived disciplined lives, everything was in moderation and with temperance, and only by being so, could it be to the glory of God. Whether eating, drinking, sleeping, recreation, everything was subordinate to the Scripture in carrying out these activities, so that they didn’t overindulge and their consciences remained clean. Keeping a clear conscience was of utmost import to the Puritans.

Their children were reared with great respect for their parents and taught the scriptures and the catachisms from very early ages. One one of the Puritans is said to have never spoken a word, never taken part in any activity, with his children, without talking a word of Christ to them also. Whether talking or wrestling with them, he still spoke of Christ to them.

The things that mattered to the Puritans, while often pass us by today, as we deem them insignificant and irrelevant, yet those issues are no less relevant to us in our day and age, may be in fact more relevant, because we live in a very different world to that of the Puritans and pilgrims, yet the word of the Lord is immutable and if something was right then, it cannot now be untrue for us without saying by implication that if it’s not true for us, then the Lord and his word is both changeable and not eternal and infinite-May it never be!

If you look through such books as Richard Baxter’s the Christian directory, you will see some of the questions that were on the minds and hearts of the Puritans

These are just a few of the subjects Baxter covered in his practical writings: Is anyone of these subjects NOT relevant to us today?

Chapter I: Directions to Unconverted, Graceless Sinners, For the Attainment of Saving Grace

Chapter II: Directions to Weak Christians for Their Establishment and Growth

Chapter III: The General Grand Directions for Walking with God, in a Life of Faith and Holiness: containing the Essentials of Godliness and Christianity

Chapter IV: Subordinate Directions Against the Great Sins Most Directly Contrary to Godliness

Chapter V: Further Subordinate Directions for the Next Great Duties of Religion; Necessary to the Right Peformance of the Grand Duties

Chapter VI: Directions for the Government of the Thoughts

Chapter VII: Directions for the Government of the Passions

Chapter VIII: Directions for the Government of the Senses

Chapter IX: Directions for the Government of the Tongue

Chapter X: Directions for the Government of the Body

Part II: Christian Economics

Chapter I: Directions about marriage; for choice and contract

Chapter II: Directions for the choice of 1. Servants, 2. Masters

Chapter III: Disputation, Whether the Solemn Worhsip of God in and by Families as such, Be of Divine Appointment

Chapter IV: General Directions for the Holy Government of Families

Chapter V: Special Motives to Persuade Men to the Holy Government of their Families

Chapter VI: Motives for a Holy and Careful Education of Children

Chapter VII: The Mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives Towards Each Other

Chapter VIII: Special Duties of Husbands to their Wives

Chapter IX: The Special Duties of Wives to Their Husbands

Chapter X: The Duties of Parents for Their Children

Chapter XI: The Duties of Children Towards Their Parents

Chapter XII: The Special Duties of Children and Youth Towards God

Chapter XIII: The Duties of Servants to Their Masters

Chapter XIV: The Duty of Masters Towards Their Servants

Chapter XV: The Duties of Children and Fellow-servants to One Another

Chapter XVI: Directions for Holy Conference of Fellow-servants and Others

Chapter XVII: Directions for every member of the Family

Chapter XVIII: Directions for the Holy Spending of the Lord’s Day in Families

Chapter XIX: Directions for Profitable Hearing God’s Word Preached

Chapter XX: Directions for Profitble Reading the Holy Scriptures

Chapter XXI: Directions for Reading Other Books

Chapter XXII: Directions for Right Teaching Children and Servants

Chapter XXIII: Directions for Prayers in General

Chapter XXIV: Directions for Families About the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Chapter XXV: Directions for Fearful, Troubled Christians

Chapter XXVI: Directions for Declining, Backsliding Christians

Chapter XXVII: Directions for the Poor

Chapter XXVIII: Directions for the Rich

Chapter XXIX: Directions for the Aged and Weak

Chapter XXX: Directions for the Sick

Chapter XXXI: Directions to the Friends of the Sick

Part III: Christian Ecclesiastics

Chapter I: Of the Worship of God in General

Chapter II: Directions About the Manner of Worship

Chapter III: Directions About the Christian Covenant with God

Chapter IV: Directions About the Profession of our Religion

Chapter V: Directions About Vows and particular Covenants with God

Chapter VI: Directions to the People concerning Their Internal and Private Duty to Their Pastors

Chapter VII: Directions for the Discovery of Truth Among Contenders

Chapter VIII: Directions for the Union of Communion of Saints

Chapter IX: Twenty Directions how to Worship God

Chapter X: Directions about our Communion with Holy Souls Departed

Chapter XI: Directions about our Communion with the Holy Angels

Ecclesiastical Cases of Conscience

Part III: Christian Politics

Chapter I: General Directions for an Upright Life

Chapter II: General Directions for an Upright Life

Directions to subjects concerning their duty to rulers

Chapter IV: Directions to Lawyers about their Duty to God

Chapter V: The Duty of Physicians

Chapter VI: Directions to Schoolmasters

Chapter VII: Directions for Soldiers

VIII: Directions Against Murder

Chapter IX: Directions for the Forgiving of Injuries and Enemies

Chapter X: Cases Resolved about Forgiving Wrongs, Debts, and About Self Defence

Chapter XI: Special Directions to Escape the Guilt of Persecution

Chapter XII: Directions Against Scandal Given

Chapter XIII: Directions against Scandal Taken

Chapter XIV: Directions Against Soul-Murder

Chapter XV: General Directions for Furthering Salvation

Chapter XVI: Special Directions for Holy Conference, Exhortation, and Reproof

Chapter XVII: Directions for Keeping Peace with All Men

Chapter XVIII: Direcections Against all Theft, Fraud, or Injuries

Chapter XIX: General Directions and Particular cases of Conscience

Chaper XX: Motives and Directions against Opression

Chapter XXI: Cases and Directions about Prodigality and Sinful Waste

Chapter XXII: Cases and Directions against Injurious Lawsuits, Witnessing, and Judgment

Chapter XXIII: Cases of Conscience and Directions against Backbiting, Slandering, and Evil Speaking

Chapter XXIV: Cases of and Directions Against Censoriousness, and Sinful Judging

Chapter XXV: Cases and Directions About Trusts and Secrets

Chapter XXVI: Directions Against Selfishness

Chapter XXVII: Cases and Directions for Loving Our Neighbors as Our Selves

Chapter XXVIII: Cases of, and Directions for, the Love of Godly Persons

Chapter XXIX: Cases and Directions for Loving Enemies and Doing Them Good

Chapter XXX: Cases and Directions about Works of Charity

Chapter XXXI: Cases and Directions about Confesing Sins and Injuries to Others

Chapter XXXII: Cases and Directions about Satisfaction and Restitution

Chapter XXXIII: Cases and Directions about Our Obtaining Pardon from God

Chapter XXXIV: Cases and Directions About Self-Judging

And many more were covered in his mammoth work a Christian directory. You see, Baxter at heart, was a confused Arminian, in many ways, yet he was a Puritan and a force to be reckoned with, and his name has stood the test of time. Calvinism is a system of doctrine that I believe is true, and that I believe Baxter had some of it wrong. Yet the Christian life is about far more than doctrine, or theology, its about being living Bibles in the way we lives our lives, and the Word of the Lord coming first in every single thing we do every second that we are alive. Good doctrine is important of course, yet the Christian life is far more than that, and these men and women, the puritans, embodied what it should be.

Sometimes one hears the Puritans being referred to as Phariseecal, and considering they were all fallen men that has to be true in some cases just like its true of you and I , I daresay on some issues. Yet those who do say that should properly practise what the Puritans taught and practiced themselves first getting the plank out of their own eye, to let go of their pride, and to learn as those men and women did in much more dangerous times to do so than the most now, to put the word of the Lord above anything else, and that we are mostly just spiritual midgets compared with the puritans, and its often only another side of the same coin, of the pride that Calvinism today has attached to it, that makes us think we know better, when our lives and practices prove over and over again, that we don’t.