The direct
factor of the
Protestant
Reformation in
England was
political one
rather than pure
religious one.
In the late
1520's and early
1530's Henry
VIII was
experiencing
matrimonial and
political
difficulties
such that, in
1533, he
insisted that
the Convocation
of Canterbury
declare his
marriage to
Catherine of
Aragon
annulled. In
the next year,
Henry had the
English
Parliament
declare him the
Supreme Head of
the Church in
England, thus
severing all
ties with the
Roman Church
(Logan 1996).[1]
In less that a
century of
history of
English
Protestant
Reformation, a
renewal movement
in a true sense
of the word was
arousing. At
first, the royal
opposition
against the
movement was
fierce. Two
hundred seventy-
seven Christian
leaders were
burned to death
at the stake
during the reign
of Queen Mary.
She earned the
title 'Bloody
Mary' during her
reign from 1553
to 1558. Yet the
cause of Christ
grew and
prospered. It
was during the
reign of Queen
Elizabeth
(1558-1603) that
the Puritan
movement was
born (Hulse
1996).
As
Packer defines
it Puritanism is
“that movement
in sixteenth and
seventeenth
century England
which sought
further
reformation and
revival in the
Church of
England than the
Elizabethan
settlement
allowed”
(1995:35).
At first the
Puritans
received the
name Puritan
because they
sought to purify
the National
Church of
England. In
later times they
were called
Puritans because
of the purity of
life that they
sought. They set
out to reform
the Church of
England. Their
desire was to
conform the
national Church
to the Word of
God in
government,
worship and
practice (Hulse
1996:154).
D. M. Lloyd
Jones put it:
“It was a
purification, an
effort, wise or
unwise, to rid
the Christianity
of England from
all adhesions to
its power; an
endeavour to
remove
everything in
the doctrines,
discipline,
ceremonial,
which during the
Middle Ages had
been added to
the Gospel of
Christ”(1962:11).
The Puritans
wanted to
convert the
Church of
England; they
sought after a
Church that was
theologically
orthodox,
spiritually
alert, and
joyously sure of
salvation. In
addition, they
believed in
integrating into
their lives the
Christian
faith. For
them, there is
no distinction
between the
sacred and the
secular. They
had a high view
of women and
marriage and
encouraged
family worship.
They wanted
godly society
and acted for
it—schools they
started for the
poor is one of
the examples.[2]
Elizabeth came
to the throne in
1558. While her
father may be
said to have
seized the
church, her
brother and
sister tried to
reform it—but
with unhappy
results. She
perceived that
she must govern
it or be
ruined. Her
people were
divided in
faith. The
majority,
especially in
London, were
Protestant, but
a considerable
number were
still Catholic,
and of these
there was no
telling how many
might prove
hostile to her
authority.
There were, in
addition,
differences
within the ranks
of both
parties.
Practically,
everybody agreed
that there could
be but one true
religion and
that the church
should be
maintained by
the state
(Haller
1957:6).
In good
contrast to her
predecessor Mary
who persecuted
Protestants in
favor of
Catholicism,
Elizabeth tried
to maintain a
uniformity
policy. What
she was
interested in
was unity and
stability.
Haller observes
it from its
historical
circumstances.
Her prior value
was the
continuance of
ordered society
for which the
Christian church
must play a
role. The
church was
inconceivable
except as a
single
comprehensive
institution
uniform in faith
and worship.
But since in
fact her
subjects could
not agree as to
what religion
ought to be
enforced as
true,
Elizabeth’s
policy was to
maintain at
least the
semblance of
unity and the
framework of the
church without
at the same time
wrecking her
government
(1957: 6-7).
Paul Pierson
observes that
what she was
interested in
was unity and
stability.[3]
Elizabeth
affirmed the
independence of,
and the
Puritanism
within the
English church.
As head of the
nation, she
asserted her
control over
church
government. She
insisted that
her bishops be
men she could
depend upon, and
se saw to it
that they
asserted their
authority and
her own. The
only religious
test she
unfailingly
insisted upon
was willingness
to sweat
allegiance to
herself as the
church’s
governor. Such
practices failed
to please
earnest
reformers,
bigots and
doctrinaires,
but they gave
her people a
taste of the
practical
advantages of
toleration and
patriotism
(:7).
England
under the rule
of Queen
Elizabeth won
the battle
against the
invasion of
Spain, the
Catholic
nation. But
she, who was
also the head of
the national
Church, did not
want to be too
Protestant. In
this context the
Puritans arose.
They wanted to
purify the
Church.[4]
When James I
(who reigned
from 1603 to
1625) came to
the throne there
was hope that
now reform would
progress.
Instead the
struggle
intensified. It
did not improve
when Charles I
came to the
throne in 1625.
Ministers began
to despair of
improvement and
some left for
America where a
new group of
Puritans
developed. The
situation came
to a climax when
civil war broke
out during the
1640s. During
that time Oliver
Cromwell became
the supreme
governor in
place of the
King. When
Cromwell died
there was no one
suitable to
replace him. The
nation returned
to the monarchy.
Charles II came
to the throne
(Hulse 1996).
A
group of
Puritans formed
the Separatist
movement. Among
the leaders of
the movement,
John Robinson,
William
Brewster, and
William Bradford
were directly
involved in the
group of
Separatists
which, in 1608,
left England for
the Netherlands,
and then later
decided to
emigrate to the
New World,
landing at
Plymouth,
Massachusetts,
in 1620. Many
(probably most)
Puritans chose
to remain within
the English
church working
for reform, and
it was from this
group
that a much
larger group of
emigrants left
from England for
New England in
the late 1620's,
establishing
their colony at
Massachusetts
Bay (Logan
1996).
Folowing
the reign of
Queen
Elizabeth,
the struggle in
the Church was
renewed with
even more
conflict than
before. An act
of Parliament
was passed which
required
conformity to
rules, which the
Puritans simply
were unable to
follow. In 1662,
over 2,000
ministers and
leaders in the
Church of
England were
forced to leave.
Refusing to
compromise their
consciences,
they left.
Historians
regard the
Puritan period
as coming to an
end in 1662. It
is noteworthy,
however, that it
was after 1662
that the
Puritans wrote
some of their
finest
expositions
(Hulse 1996).
Pierson
suggests that
the Puritans
were influenced
by Continental
Reformers such
as Calvin and
Bucer. Thus, we
see them
starting in
order to foster
preaching,
biblical
exposition and
prayer.
"Puritans"
wanted to remain
as part of the
English
establishment,
working for
biblical reform
from within.
Even as they
emigrated to New
England, they
affirmed their
"Englishness"
and saw the main
purpose of their
new colony as
being that of a
biblical
witness, a "city
on a hill" which
would set an
example of
biblical
righteousness in
church and state
for Old England
and the entire
world to see.
As deeply
committed
covenant
theologians,
they emphasized
especially
strongly the
corporate
righteousness of
their entire
community before
God (Logan
1996). 1996).
The Puritans
were
passionately
concerned for
education and
high academic
standards.
Almost all the
Puritans were
graduates of
Oxford and
Cambridge.
Sidney Sussex
College and
Emmanuel
College,
Cambridge, were
famous Puritan
institutions of
learning.
Pierson
comments that
The Puritans
wanted godly,
learned pastors
who are able to
expound the
Scripture, and
who were
resident in
every parish.[1]
In the Anglican
Church, there
were priests who
were appointed,
but uneducated
and even did not
know where his
parish was. The
Puritan ideal
was the godly,
well-trained
preachers
resident in the
parish.[2]
The Puritan
movement was
highly marked by
the renewal of
preaching. The
Puritans had
brought a new,
fresh
understanding of
preaching to the
English pulpit
of the sixteenth
and the
seventeenth
centuries. They
preached not
only for the
reformation of
the Church of
England but also
for effective
communication of
the gospel.
The Puritan
movement marked
the age of
perplexing
change when many
men and women,
especially those
of lowly
position and
simple
understanding,
were racked by
anxiety for
their future
here and
hereafter. It
was a period of
storm and
stress. A group
of Puritan
preachers laid
their learning
aside in order
to win the ear
and confidence
of all men.
Their function
was to probe the
conscience of
the downhearted
sinner, to name
and cure the
malady of his
soul, and then
to send him out
strengthened for
the continuance
of his lifelong
battle (Haller
1957:27).
The Puritans
excelled in
preaching in a
practical way
and many of
their sermons
reflect this
concern to be
practical.
They made them
practical for
both life
application and
pulpit
communication.
The Puritans
taught in more
detail than
Calvin that
biblical
principles must
be applied to
every aspect of
life. They
proclaimed the
gospel message
to apply it to
every realm of
life of their
audience. They
translated their
profound
exposition of
the Bible into
simple and
accessible
language for
their audience.
Hermeneutics
©
This article is an excerpt from Dae Ryeong Kim's paper, "The
Missionary Proclamation of the English
Puritanism,"