Books on the New England Puritans

Pilgrims Going To Church by George H. Boughton

The New England Puritans make for a fascinating study. I think what they attempted was noble, that they succeeded more than many realize, and that their decline was both due to weaknesses in their system (e.g. being Congregationalist rather than Presbyterian) and to the free choices made by some of their descendants to depart from the path. Here is an annotated bibliography of the best books I have read about them over the years, beginning with books primarily covering 17th century history and ending with books covering 18th century history.

A Reforming People: Puritanism and the Transformation of Public Life in New England by David D. Hall

I really enjoyed reading this book by David D. Hall, professor of New England church history at Harvard Divinity School (three of his books are listed here). It contains a careful look at how the New England Puritans transformed public life by implementing the biblical teachings, reforms, and ethic they had developed in their preaching and teaching. It was a good book on a historical level, giving a better understanding of our American roots and the development of our society, as well as on an applied theology level, giving an example of a society that took seriously the imperative to submit itself to Christ the King and his revelation, the Bible. Rather than moving toward a cruel and authoritative oligarchy (as some would portray it), Puritan society in New England fostered community participation and checks on any potentially “arbitrary” government power. The details of their reforms and practices as they were hammered out in the new world is quite interesting and inspiring.

Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in Early New England by David D. Hall

This book is not as memorable as A Reforming People, but it was another good book by the same author, with a focus on the religion practiced by the people in early New England, how the theology taught in their books was practiced. As Edmund Morgan says in his review of this book, “[Hall] shows us, as never before, how the sophisticated doctrines of the Puritan clergy meshed, clashed, and merged with the inherited attitudes and assumptions of ordinary people in their day-to-day grappling with the mysteries of their world.” 

The Faithful Shepherd: A History of the New England Ministry in the Seventeenth Century, With a New Introduction by David D. Hall

One takeaway from this book is that New England churches were most radically Congregationalist in the 1630s and that from that time there was tension between those who defended that system and those who sought to modify it toward Presbyterianism. I find that the history of the New England Puritans shows that their heirs are not only found in modern Congregationalist churches, but also in Baptist and Presbyterian churches (the directions these two wings of Congregationalism tended toward).

I have admiration for the New England Puritans, but a consistent takeaway I draw from studying them is an appreciation for Presbyterianism. As Charles Hodge noted in the 19th century, “Had New England, with her compact and homogenous population, and all her other advantages, enjoyed the benefit of a regular Presbyterian government in the church, it would, in all human probability, have been the noblest ecclesiastical community in the world.”

The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop by Edmund S. Morgan

An excellent little book that not only tells the story of John Winthrop, but in telling it, lays out the Puritan mission and dilemma, to seek purity without retreating from society. I seem to remember a few brief passages where the author might have misrepresented or overly simplified the theology of the Puritans, but taking those comments with a grain of salt, the book is worth reading. Morgan was a professor of history at Yale, and three of his books are listed here.

The Puritan Family: Religion and Domestic Relations in Seventeenth-Century New England by Edmund S. Morgan

The Puritans took quite seriously the idea that the household is basic to human society. This book is an interesting look into the family life and household structure of the New England Puritans, including the relationships of husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and servants. (Another book I have but which I have not read cover to cover is a similar book covering family life in Plymouth Colony in particular, A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony by John Demos.)

New England Frontier: Puritans and Indians 1620-1675 by Alden T. Vaughan

An excellent book on the New England Pilgrims and Puritans and their interactions with the native peoples by Alden T. Vaughn, a professor of history at Colombia University (I have the third edition, published in 1995). I came across this book while researching missionary efforts to the native tribes of New England, since it spends three chapters on that subject. It traces the relationships of the colonies to the tribes in other respects as well, from the founding of Plymouth in 1620 to King Philip’s War in 1675. (Two other books I found helpful on Puritan missions were The Theology of Puritan Missions by Rooy and The Puritan Hope by Iain Murray.) 

Anne Bradstreet: A Guided Tour of the Life And Thought of a Puritan Poet by Heidi L. Nichols

My wife and I read this book while we were expecting our daughter Anne. Later I found out that I am descended from Anne Bradstreet. This book gives a helpful overview of Anne’s life and context as well as her writings, many of which are included in the book (both of her poetry and her proverbs). This is probably the best single book to get on Anne Bradstreet, but another biography with greater focus on her life and character is Beyond Stateliest Marble by Douglas Wilson (also published as Anne Bradstreet: Passionate Femininity), and a good biography for younger readers is Anne Bradstreet by Simonetta Carr.

William Brewster of the Mayflower: Portrait of a Pilgrim by Dorothy Brewster

A helpful and informative biography of a man who lived an eventful life - a Cambridge education, service abroad under Queen Elizabeth, Postmaster and Bailiff of Scrooby Manor, outlaw printer in Holland, and elder of the Pilgrims’ church. This book mostly tells of Brewster's life leading up to the Mayflower. I also have another biography of Brewster which I have not yet read but have heard recommended, Pilgrim: A Biography of William Brewster by Mary B. Sherwood.

Pilgrim Colony: A History of New Plymouth 1620-1691 by George D. Langdon

A helpful history of Plymouth colony from its founding in 1620 to its annexation to Massachusetts in 1691. While many accounts of Plymouth’s history focus only on its beginning, it was nice to see the full history of the colony laid out. Another less academic history of Plymouth which I have partly read is Samuel Eliot Morrison’s, The Story of the “Old Colony” of New Plymouth. Of course, William Bradford’s history of the colony up to 1646, Of Plymouth Plantation, is an important classic. I have the edition edited by Samuel Eliot Morrison. For more on the founding of that colony, you can get Mourt's Relation, an account first printed in 1622, from Applewoods Books. 

Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England by Bruce C. Daniels

An interesting look into how the Puritans viewed and practiced leisure and recreation. While they placed limits on play, they still had fun within those limits. And even as those limits expanded later in the colonial period, they continued to be influenced by the original principles of practicality and moral restraint.

Jonathan Edwards: New Biography by Iain H. Murray

I have read many of Iain Murray’s books and I have appreciated each one. This biography of Jonathan Edwards was no exception. And in the life of Jonathan Edwards, we learn more about what happened to New England Puritanism in the 18th century.

The Gentle Puritan: A Life of Ezra Stiles, 1727-1795 by Edmund S. Morgan

An interesting book for its insight into 18th century New England from the perspective of the history of Ezra Stiles, a Congregationalist minister and president of Yale College. This book continues the story of New England from the Great Awakening through the American Revolution to 1795. As the author says in his preface concerning Ezra Stiles, “his intellectual curiosity was omnivorous, and precisely because his mind was more receptive than creative, this book is as much a study of the times as it is of the man.” The book also provides another perspective on Edwards, and especially his successors, since Stiles was usually on the other side. I would like to read a book on Stiles' successor at Yale, Timothy Dwight IV, but I have not done so yet. 

Connecticut’s War Governor: Jonathan Trumbull by David M. Roth

I did not know much about Governor Trumbull until we visited his hometown, Lebanon, CT, which is where I got this book. He was a vital figure during the American War for Independence and a man firmly rooted in New England's Puritan heritage. 

“Day after day, through personal tragedy, and through news of military defeat, financial chaos, and political confusion at Philadelphia, Jonathan Trumbull sat at his desk in the 'War Office' and turned out the directives, and occasionally pleas, that kept the Connecticut war effort functioning until ultimate victory was achieved. The old man came to be something of a comic figure to the sophisticated visitors, especially the French, who passed through Lebanon during the war. Remarks were made about the short, unimposing governor whose conversation was saturated with biblical exhortations. Yet, the smiles never lingered very long, for this Old Testament patriarch never appeared very anachronistic when the time came for performance. His quotas were always filled on time. He was the man to whom Washington turned when the shaky Continental Army was on the point of dissolution.” (p. 65)

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough

One important aspect of studying the New England Puritans is that their legacy is not only to be found in New England, but also in other parts of the USA, especially the Midwest. My own New England ancestors moved west over the generations to Wisconsin. This book tells the story of the settlers who came from New England to settle the Northwest Territory, and in particular, the town of Marietta, Ohio.

Our Errand in the Wilderness

The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall

It was April 5th, 1621. The winter was over and a new year had begun (in those days, the year began on March 25th). A few weeks earlier, on March 16th, the Pilgrims had made contact with the Wampanoag and over the next week or two they had established a treaty with them, making friends with Samoset, Squanto, and Massasoit. The deadly illness that had plagued them for months was beginning to lift. Nevertheless, they had reached a point of decision. The Mayflower, their ship, was about to depart. The Mayflower had stayed extra long because of their difficulties and insecurity. But now it was time for the ship to return. Half of their people had died. They were not guaranteed a better winter the next time around. Would they stay or would they return on the Mayflower?

None of the passengers returned on the Mayflower. This small group of 52 people remained - without a ship - in their little village on the coast of New England. Why were they there? Why did they stay? Why had they ventured everything on this settlement?

This was the same question asked 50 years later by Samuel Danforth, the pastor in Roxbury, Massachusetts. In 1670 he preached a memorable election day sermon entitled, “A Brief Recognition of New-England’s Errand into the Wilderness” (available online here). What was their errand in the new world? What was the purpose of their settlement? Why did the founders of New England, Pilgrims and Puritans, go out into the wilderness and remain there? He took his text from Matthew 11:7-10 where Jesus spoke of John the Baptist. 

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

This was Danforth's main point:

Such as have sometime left their pleasant Cities and Habitations to enjoy the pure Worship of God in a Wilderness, are apt in time to abate and cool in their affection thereunto: but then the Lord calls upon them seriously and throughly to examine themselves, what it was that drew them into the Wilderness, and to consider that it was not the expectation of ludicrous levity, nor of Courtly pomp and delicacy, but of the free and clear dispensation of the Gospel and Kingdome of God.

Having explained this doctrine, he began to apply it, with its first use being: 

Use 1: Of solemn and serious Enquiry to us all in this general Assembly, Whether we have not in a great measure forgotten our Errand into the Wilderness. You have solemnly professed before God, Angels and Men, that the Cause of your leaving your Country, Kindred and Fathers houses, and transporting your selves with your Wives, Little Ones and Substance over the vast Ocean into this waste and howling Wilderness, was your Liberty to walk in the Faith of the Gospel with all good Conscience according to the Order of the Gospel, and your enjoyment of the pure Worship of God according to his Institution, without humane Mixtures and Impositions.

It is incumbent us, their heirs, to make a similar enquiry. Have we forgotten our errand in the wilderness? Have we been true to our godly heritage?

What Danforth said of New England generally was indeed true of the Pilgrims in particular. William Bradford listed several reasons they decided to leave Holland, including the coming war with Spain and economic hardship, but the first reason went beyond these to the bigger picture: 

And first, they saw and found by experience the hardness of the place and country to be such as few in comparison would come to them, and fewer that would bide it out and continue with them … For many, though they desired to enjoy the ordinances of God in their purity and the liberty of the gospel with them, yet (alas) they admitted of bondage with danger of conscience, rather than to endure these hardships … But it was thought that if a better and easier place of living could be had, it would draw many and take away these discouragements. (Of Plymouth Plantation)

Thus, the difficulties of life in Holland were not just a hinderance to their comfort, but a hinderance to their mission of building a community that enjoyed the ordinances of God in their purity and the liberty of the gospel. They were not persecuted in Holland, but due to economic, political, and cultural pressures, they were in danger of shrinking and scattering. These difficulties also kept other English Puritans from joining them. But in the new world, as an English colony in the wilderness, they had the opportunity to build a place where others might come from England and join them, practicing freely the principles of God’s word.

Many Puritans desired a further reformation of church and society, but were held back from it in England. If the Pilgrims established this reformation in New England, in a land where they could make a good living, be secure from foreign conflicts, and create an English society reformed by God’s word, then these Puritans could come and join them. The settlement of a new land would certainly be more difficult in the short term, but the opportunities were much greater and the long term prospects much brighter than in Holland.

Indeed, this is what happened! The Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth in 1620. In 1630, John Winthrop and his fleet arrived in Boston harbor, bringing 1,000 Puritans. By 1640, about 20,000 Puritans had come to New England. Their background differed from the Pilgrims, but their basic intention was the same: to complete the reformation and enjoy the purity of God’s ordinances and the liberty of the gospel. In 1643, Plymouth and the other Puritan colonies joined a federation and declared, “we all came into these parts of America with one and the same end and aim, namely to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy the Liberties of the Gospel in purity with peace.”

Therefore, William Bradford said concerning the arrival of the Puritans in 1630, 

Thus out of small beginning greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise. (Of Plymouth Plantation)

In fact, when Bradford was writing, “our whole nation” of England (at least, as represented by its parliament) had embraced Puritanism, corrected the tyranny of the king, and had called the Westminster Assembly to reform the church. This brought great joy to the Pilgrims. Bradford wrote in 1646: 

Do you not now see the fruit of your labors, O all ye servants of the Lord? that have suffered for His truth, and have been faithful witnesses of the same, and ye little handful amongst the rest, the least amongst the thousands of Israel? … But thou wilt ask, ‘What is the matter? What is done?’ … The tyrannous Bishops are ejected, their courts dissolved, their canons forceless, their service cashiered, their ceremonies useless and despised, their plots for popery prevented, and all their superstitions discarded and returned to Rome from whence they came, and the monuments of idolatry rooted out of the land … Hallelujah! (Of Plymouth Plantation)

Unfortunately, that full national embrace of Puritanism was short lived in England. But what Bradford celebrated would endure in New England, as well as in Scotland. And the influence of New England Puritans and Scots-Irish Presbyterians would spread throughout what would become the United States of America.

In application, let us first consider whether we have we forgotten our errand? Have you, and has our nation forgotten? Have we neglected our privileges, blessings, and heritage? Have we forgotten the importance of "our Liberty to walk in the Faith of the Gospel according to the Order of the Gospel, and our enjoyment of the pure Worship of God according to his Institution"?

Secondly, let us attend and prosecute our Errand into the Wilderness! We did not come to see a reed shaking in the wind. Therefore do not be such a reed - light, empty, and limp - but be “solid, serious and sober Christians, constant and stedfast in the Profession and Practice of the Truth, Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified, holding fast the profession of our Faith without wavering” (Danforth). Nor did we come for courtly pomp and soft clothing. Therefore do not be soft, immodest, or vain, but rather humble, respectable, with self-controlled. 

Instead, we came into the wilderness, as the people did in the days of John the Baptist, for the ministry of God’s word. As Danforth said, we came for “the pure and faithful Dispensation of the Gospel and Kingdom of God.” This is a worthy thing to seek. Jesus said, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). This kingdom is established and administered by Christ’s ordinances, used with faith and obedience (Matt. 20:18-20, see also WLC 45, 191). Let us arise and build, and seek the Lord’s blessing.

The Puritans spoke much of the ordinances of God and of keeping them pure and observing them diligently. These ordinances included prayer, singing psalms, the reading and preaching of Scripture, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, catechizing, biblical church government, collection for the poor, and the observance of the Christian sabbath. God works by these means, and by them Christ builds and administers his kingdom. They are to be kept unmixed with human innovations and used with faith, a faith which embraces the promises and obeys the commands. 

Thirdly, let us also give thanks to God for this good heritage. Be grateful for these forefathers and their sacrifices. Throughout our country’s history, the purposefulness of these forefathers has been an inspiration and a corrective. You and I have benefitted from their work. Our whole country has been blessed by their perseverance. Praise God for giving them such a zeal for his kingdom. May he give us a similar zeal and may he call back our countrymen to the faith of our fathers.

19th Century Presbyterians and Abortion

When the Orthodox Presbyterian Church affirmed in 1972 "that voluntary abortion, except possibly to save the physical life of the mother, is in violation of the Sixth Commandment," they were not breaking new ground.

The 1869 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America unanimously adopted the following committee report:

"That it is with great pain we are constrained to admit the increasing prevalence, in many parts of our country, of unscriptural views of the marriage relation, in consequence of which the obligations of that relation are disregarded by many, and separations of husbands and wives, and divorces for slight and unwarranted reasons are becoming more frequent every year. Nor can we shut our eyes to the fact that the horrible crime of infanticide, especially in the form of the destruction, by parents, of their own offspring, before birth, also prevails to an alarming extent. The evils which these errors and crimes have already brought upon our country, and the worse evils which they threaten in the near future, make it imperative, as we believe, that the whole power of the ministry and Church of Jesus Christ should be put forth in maintenance of the truth, and of virtue in regard to these things. Many causes have operated to produce a corruption of the public morals so deplorable, prominent among which may be mentioned the facility with which divorces may be obtained in some of the States, constant promulgation of false ideas of marriage and its duties, by means of books, lectures, &c., and the distribution, through the mails, of impure publications. But an influence no less powerful than any of these, is the growing devotion to fashion and luxury of this age, and the idea which practically obtains to so great an extent, that pleasure, instead of the glory of God and the enjoyment of his favor, is the great object of life. It is therefore the duty of the Church of Christ to oppose, in every practical way, these and all other corrupting agencies and tendencies, and we especially urge upon all ministers of the gospel the duty of giving instruction to the people of their respective charges, as to the scriptural doctrine concerning the marriage relation. We warn them against joining in wedlock any who may have been divorced upon other than scriptural grounds. We also enjoin upon church sessions the exercise of due discipline in the cases of those members who may be guilty of violating the law of Christ in this particular.

"This Assembly regards the destruction by parents of their own offspring before birth with abhorrence, as a crime against God, and against nature, and as the frequency of such murders can no longer be concealed, we hereby warn those that are guilty of this crime, that except they repent, they cannot inherit eternal life. We also exhort those who have been called to preach the gospel, and all who love purity and truth, and who would avert the just judgment of Almighty God from the nation, that they be no longer silent or tolerant of these things, but that they endeavor by all proper means, to stay the flood of impurity and cruelty. We call upon all to remember that marriage is honorable, not only in itself, but in its ends. Therefore, those who seek to avoid the responsibility and cares connected with the bringing up of children, not only deprive themselves of one of the greatest blessings of life, and fly in the face of God's decrees, but do violence to their own natures, and will be found out of their sins even in this world."

This statement is quoted in a book by Hugh Lenox Hodge, the brother of theologian Charles Hodge. Hugh Hodge was a committed Presbyterian and the Professor of Obstetrics and the Diseases of Women at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote a book, Foeticide, or Criminal Abortion in 1869, to join with the efforts of his profession to "illuminate the public mind on the nature of this crime, and to urge our legislative and executive officers to greater stringency in the formation and execution of legal enactments" (p. 4). He argued that human existence and the union of our body and soul begins at conception, and that from that point the child “is truly a perfect human being, and that its criminal destruction is murder” (p. 27). The book can be found online here: Foeticide, or Criminal Abortion.