In the early 17th century, England suffered great turmoil. The country suffered from a severe economic depression and the election of a new king, Charles 1. King Charles’ most known quality was being sympathetic to the Roman Catholics, which greatly upset the religious group known as the Puritans. This upset them so deeply that some of them, known as the separatists, wanted to separate from the Church of England while others, known as the non separatists, wanted to reform the Church of England from within. The separatists decided that they would leave England all together and sail to America. The Puritans believed that they were the “New Israelites”, sailing towards their holy land. They decided that they would make a covenant with God while …show more content…
sailing across the sea. This covenant stated that they would follow Gods rules and spread word of his greatness. If one broke this covenant, they would have to face Gods judgment. Through the work of William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Cotton Mather, the puritan concept of God represents an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent ruler. William Bradford’s writing about his colony discussed the Plymouth survived and prospered due to their faith in the Lord. Bradford also wrote that his people survival on the journey across the Atlantic Sea was because of God when he states, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the fast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stale earth, their proper element” (Bradford 75). Bradford here thanks the Lord for safely transporting his people across the ocean. His people showed faith to their Lord who showed them a new holy land. Faith to the Lord during that time inspired these Puritans to follow the covenant with even more determination. Bradford also states the Lords greatness when he writes, “Let them forever praise the lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever.” (Bradford 76). Bradford touches on the goodness of God and his mercy. His concept of God ruler that not only always looks out for his followers, but forgives them if they confess their sins and repent. Like Bradford, John Winthrop wrote about the goodness of God and how faithfulness to him will establish a purer life. According to Winthrop, the Puritans can get along with each other through their love of God. Bradford expresses this belief when he says, “This love among Christians is a real thing, not imaginary” (Winthrop 99). Their love of God allows the Puritans to worship Him with more focus. These people can be kind and peaceful to one another through Him. Winthrop states this idea another time in his writing when he says, “Christ and his church make one body .The several parts of this body, considered apart before they were united, were as disproportionate and as much disordering as so many contrary qualities or elements, but when Christ comes and by His spirit and love knits all these parts to Himself and each to together, it is become the most perfect and best proportional body in the world” (Winthrop 96). Winthrop used a metaphor to represent that Gods people can get along through him. Winthrop compares Christ and his church to a human body. According to Winthrop, when this body comes together, it is absolutely perfect. The fact that His people are able to get along through him shows His omnipresence in his people’s lives. The Puritans always maintained their faithfulness to God. When a person began to express doubts about the Lord, they always found their way back to Him. Anne Bradstreet often expressed the doubts in her mind about the existence of God.
While most of Bradstreet’s works were encomiums to her family, most of her poems and work had strong messages about God and faithfulness. Bradstreet explained one of her doubts when she wrote, “Many times hath Satan troubled me concerning the verity of the scriptures, many times by Atheism, how I could know whether there was a God; I never saw any miracles to confirm me, and those which I read of how did I know but they were feigned? That there is a God my Reason would soon tell me by the wondrous works that I see," (Bradstreet 125). Bradstreet here describes her doubt about the truth of God because no biblical-like miracles had ever happened to her. But she then describes how she was brought back to God through nature’s beauty and how God clearly exists if the Earth shows all of the beauty that Bradstreet can see. Bradstreet also talks about Gods omnipresence in her life when she recalls something that happened to her as a child. Bradstreet states, “About 16, the Lord laid His hand sore upon me and smote me with the smallpox. When I was in my affliction, I besought the Lord and confessed my pride and vanity, and He was entreated of me and again restored me” (Bradstreet 124). Bradstreet became ill at age 16 and the Lord saved her. When she repented, the Lord had mercy on her and saved her. This shows Gods omnipotence and His omnipresence. God cares for those of his people who obey the
covenant. Cotton Mather truly believed in Gods omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence because he blessed Mather with the city of Providence. God blessed his people with this holy land and watched over them while they resided there. Mather talks about Gods involvement in the city of Providence when he states, “The New Englanders are a people of God settled in those, which were once the devil’s territories; and it may easily be supposed that the devil was exceedingly disturbed, when he perceived such a people here accomplishing the promise of old made unto our blessed Jesus, that He should have the utmost parts of the earth for His possession” (Mather 151). God blessed his people only the best parts of the Earth where they can truly worship Him. God graced to Mather and his people the city of Providence. Mather discusses how God affected their lives when he states, “But all those attempts of hell have hitherto been abortive, many an Ebenezer has been erected unto the praise of God, by his poor people here; and having obtained help from God, we continue to this day” (Mather 151). Here Mather states that God is the God of providence, and He will assist one if they have been true to the covenant. God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient and he will always be there for his people. An idea of the Puritan Concept of God is evident in all of the works of William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Cotton Mather. All of these writers have expressed that God is a ruler who is truly omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. This covenant that was made between God and the Puritans established faith that their new land would prosper under his power. This new land was a safe, new land for the worship of their all-powerful, all-knowing, and always-present God.
****Did the puritans want to separate from the Church of England? Why or why not? (3)
Anne Bradstreet’s inability to perfect her work before it was released frustrated her to the point where she internalizes the book’s imperfections as a reflection of herself. Bradstreet uses an extended metaphor of a mother and a child to compare the relationship between herself as the author and her book. Rather than investing her spirit in God, she repeatedly focuses on trying to improve the quality of her writing with no success, “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw” (Bradstreet 13). Like a mother protecting her child, Bradstreet’s attempts to prevent critics from negatively analyzing her work of art (20). Her continuous obsession about people’s opinions consumed in the Earthly world and essentially distracted her from developing a spiritual relationship with God. Bradstreet was enveloped by her dissatisfaction with her to the point of ridiculing herself, “Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble mind” (1). It was obvious that her mind and spiritual
New England was north of the Chesapeake, and included Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Haven (which soon became part of Connecticut). The New Englanders were largely Puritan Separatists, who sought religious freedom. When the Church of England separated from Catholicism under Henry VIII, Protestantism flourished in England. Some Protestants, however, wanted complete separation from Catholicism and embraced Calvinism. These "Separatists" as they were called, along with persecuted Catholics who had not joined the Church of England, came to New England in hopes of finding this religious freedom where they would be free to practice as they wished. Their motives were, thus, religious in nature, not economic. In fact, New England settlers reproduced much of England's economy, with only minor variations. They did not invest largely in staple crops, instead, relied on artisan-industries like carpentry, shipbuilding, and printing.
The colonists had different reasons for settling in these two distinct regions. The New England region was a more religiously strict yet diverse area compared to that of the Chesapeake Bay. The development of religion in the two regions came from separate roots. After Henry VIII and the Roman Catholic Church broke away from each other, a new group of English reformers was created called the Puritans. The Puritans came from protestant backgrounds, after being influenced by Calvinistic ideas. When their reforms were thwarted by King James I of England, they fled to the New World in what is now known as the "Great Migration". The Puritans were then joined by Quakers, Protestants, and Catholics in the religiously diverse New England area. These diverse religious factions were allowed to live freely but under the laws of New England. It was due to this religious freedom that these people came to escape religious persecution back home. The New Englanders had a religion-based society and religion was based on family. As the Bible highly regarded family, it condemned adultery. Adultery was considered a punishable crime. Adulterers were marked as impure by a letter "A" stitched on their clothing, as in the book "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. As religion was a very high priority in New England, it was very much less severe in the Chesapeake Bay region. The one established church in the region, the Anglican Church of Jesus Christ, was only then established in 1692, more than 70 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
While residing in England, the Puritans and faithful Catholics faced prosecution, which led to their immigration to the New World. Most left England to avoid further harassment. Many groups and parishes applied for charters to America and, led by faithful ministers, the Pilgrims and Puritans made the long voyage to North America. Their religion became a unique element in the New England colonies by 1700. Before landing, the groups settled on agreements, signing laws and compacts to ensure a community effort towards survival when they came to shore, settling in New England. Their strong sense of community and faith in God led them to develop a hardworking society by year 1700, which Documents A and D express through the explanation of how the Pilgrims and Puritans plan to develop...
Bradstreet was a Puritan and was therefore raised with a simplistic view of the world. This, combined with the fact that she was a woman, carried over into her way of writing. Her writing style was not eloquent but plain, humble, and pleasant to read. Her poems dealt with topics such as faith, family, and adversity and were easy to understand. Bradstreet had great faith which she gained through the experiences she encountered in life.
Women have faced oppression in the literary community throughout history. Whether they are seen as hysterical or unreliable, women writers seem to be faulted no matter the topics of their literature. However, Anne Bradstreet and Margaret Fuller faced their critics head-on. Whether it was Bradstreet questioning her religion or Fuller discussing gender fluidity, these two women did not water down their opinions to please others. Through their writings, Bradstreet and Fuller made great strides for not just women writers, but all women.
Bradstreet also made it appoint to compare the sudden death of her grandchild to nature stating, “But plants new set to be eradicate, / And buds new blown to have so short a date, / Is by His hands alone that guides nature and fate”( lines 12-14). Conversely, Edward describes his loss of his child as a honor from God. Taylor states, “ Lord take’t. I thank Thee, Thou tak’st ought of mine: / It is my pledge in glory, part of me / Is now in it, Lord glorified with Thee” revealing his honor to have his child sitting with the lord (Edward lines 28-30). Both authors took their faith into great consideration when speaking of the loss of a family
God; whereas Taylor wrote solely on his love for God. Bradstreet was a pioneer in the idea of writing about loving your husband and self. This was one of her greatest achievements and also greatest gifts to the world, even though it was not appropriate to write about such subjects she did anyway. The combination of Bradstreet and Taylors poetry about love prove to the world that love can exist in any part of life and should be appreciated and
In 1630, the Massachusetts Bay Company set sail to the New World in hope of reforming the Church of England. While crossing the Atlantic, John Winthrop, the puritan leader of the great migration, delivered perhaps the most famous sermon aboard the Arbella, entitled “A Model of Christian Charity.” Winthrop’s sermon gave hope to puritan immigrants to reform the Church of England and set an example for future immigrants. The Puritan’s was a goal to get rid of the offensive features that Catholicism left behind when the Protestant Reformation took place. Under Puritanism, there was a constant strain to devote your life to God and your neighbors. Unlike the old England, they wanted to prove that New England was a community of love and individual worship to God. Therefore, they created a covenant with God and would live their lives according to the covenant. Because of the covenant, Puritans tried to abide by God’s law and got rid of anything that opposed their way of life. Between 1630 and the 18th century, the Puritans tried to create a new society in New England by creating a covenant with God and living your life according to God’s rule, but in the end failed to reform the Church of England. By the mid 1630’s, threats to the Puritans such as Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, and Thomas Hooker were being banned from the Puritan community for their divergent beliefs. 20 years later, another problem arose with the children of church members and if they were to be granted full membership to the church. Because of these children, a Halfway Covenant was developed to make them “halfway” church members. And even more of a threat to the Puritan society was their notion that they were failing God, because of the belief that witches existed in 1692.
...e from her love to the world. Perhaps, she believed that in this love of her, she became God-like and God thus punishes her. Nevertheless, the presence of God in her poems is more than clear. Perhaps, it was due to religious beliefs that she though that it was wrong to feel too strong feelings to world and she considered herself to be a sinner who deserves punishment. Today, there are few followers of Bradstreet, but she, her ideas and her thoughts about sufferings still remain in modern books.
By the early 1600's, the Puritans composed a small minority of England's religious groups. The religion desired to purify the recently reformed Church Of England and rid it of all remnants of Catholicism. Puritans desired to see the government and Church more biblical and more representative. Yet, the government and the Anglican church of England denied their aspirations for more than 20 years. There was hope in the death of James I and the crowning of his son, Charles I. Nonetheless, King Charles faced more adversity than ever before. The adversity and chaos came in the form of John Pym.
She caught severe disease after only two years of arriving in America. Her sickness and expectation of death strengthened her faith and made her consider each day as being her last day. After she recovered from her sickness, she believed that to be blessing. Her sickness became a turning point and self realization for Bradstreet. She built a strong foundation for her faith as a Puritan woman and overcame all her doubts about the existence of God and started to seek salvation from God. When her husband was a way for business, she missed him because of her true and deep love for him. Yet his absent and severe physical and emotional feeling created inner conflict between worldly desire and spirituality. Her love for her husband competed with her love for God. But by using her writing, she sustained her faith and overcame her physical
In Bradstreet's writings she perceives herself to be very approachable and level headed. In an excerpt from her poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband Bradstreet” says; “If ever two were one, then surely we, / If ever man were loved by wife, then thee; / If ever wife was happy in a man, / Compare me, ye women, if you can,” (lines 1-4). In this piece Bradstreet is expressing her love for her husband. She says that if any couple were to be married then they surely would, and no other woman can love her husband as much as she loves hers. Bradstreet has an affable approach to her writing while Edwards, on the other hand has a harsh and profound approach in his writing technique. In a fragment from the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Edwards proclaims this, “Oh sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against the many of the damned in hell,” (pg. 128). Edwards is trying to inform people of the danger that they are in. That they are in the hands of a God who enraged with then and who is more than ready to drop them into the flames of hell. Edwards’ writings are filled with rage and unsettling tones. Although both authors had very opposing writing tactics they were both very influential
Bradstreet’s writing style describes God’s love for those to whom believe in him and in the form of personal poems, as Edwards’ sermons are ways to influence people to become converted to avoid God’s wrath. Bradstreet wanted to bring more people to God in a calm and peaceful way. In the poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” Bradstreet says, “That