Suffering and Redemption in Puritan and Early Colonial Literature

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary
Introduction
Main Body
Conclusion
Works Cited
Footnotes

Executive Summary

Thesis Statement: The Puritan religion’s members and related colonial literature affirms happy acceptance of suffering as part of the Puritan religion’s predestined redemption through Jesus Christ.

Paper Outline:

Introduction

The Puritans and early colonial literature shows suffering as part of their redemption process.
The research focuses on the redemption theory of the Puritan religion’s members.
The research includes a study on the Puritan religion’s members’ suffering concept.

Body

Redemption.
Suffering.

Conclusion

Colonial literature and the Puritans wholeheartedly accepted suffering as part and parcel of their redemption process.
The Puritan religion’ members believed in predestination.
The same members accepted Jesus Christ as the only way to reach heaven’s redemption area.
The Puritan religion’s members considered suffering as a consequence of original sin.
Indeed, the Puritan religion’s members and related colonial literature affirms happy acceptance of suffering as part of the Puritan religion’s predestined redemption through Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Puritans and early colonial literature show suffering as part of their redemption process. The research focuses on the redemption theory of the Puritan religion’s members. The research includes a study on the Puritan religion’s members’ suffering concept. The Puritan religion’s members and related colonial literature affirms happy acceptance of suffering as part of the Puritan religion’s predestined redemption through Jesus Christ.

Puritanism and colonial literature during the 16^th century was a sweeping revival the enveloped the Church of England. The Puritan member took to heart John Calvin’s religious teachings. Calvin’s teachings focused on the nature of a person. Similarly, Puritan beliefs included man’s free will as well as predestination.

After King Charles II rose to England’s throne in 1660, Puritanism split into three major religious groups. The three groups are Presbyterian Church, Congregational Church, and Baptist Church groups. The Puritans believed that God as the Father God of the Old Testament. The Puritans firmly believed in God’s righteousness, majesty, and control of the universe for God’s own glorious magnificence.

Main Body

In terms of redemption, Tom Webster (315) emphasized the puritans believe that God is the author of redemption. Puritan theory employed the medieval distinction of Go’s absolute and ordaining power. God can do all things possible, including the redemption of all members of the Puritan church.

The puritans strongly believed in predestination and the assurance of salvation of all its members. Predestination states that each person has been predestined to enter heaven or hell after one’s temporary stay on earth. God predestined some persons, some are called saints, to never fall from grace. The reformation movement places great emphasis on the doctrine of assurance.

The Puritan’s teaching runs counter to the Catholic Church’s teaching. The Catholic teaching dictates the members of the church are not sure whether they will go to heaven or hell during the dooms day. The Catholic faith does not incorporate predestination. Puritan stance of predestination is grounded on faith alone. A puritan’s faith in Jesus Christ, salvation by faith alone, is enough qualify one to enter the gates of heaven. Puritan faith is self –validating. The puritan member’s faith is enough to ensure one’s redemption process.

The puritans and colonial literature interpreted the Bible as showering its members with redemptive piety. The puritans strongly believed that the only way to enter heaven, redemption, was to be converted to convert to Puritan religion. The redemption dictates that good works is not required for one to enter the kingdom of heaven. A primary source indicates John Winthrop, a Puritan, stating in 1630 “There is a time when a Christian must sell all and give to the poor, as they did in the Apostles times”^[1].

The grace of Jesus Christ is the only requirement needed to be redeemed. Thus, the redemption principle dictates that once a person is saved, such person is always saved. This is the very essence of the Puritan religion’s redemption concept. However, the Puritans believed that they are required to do good works while they are on the short journey on earth.

The Puritans emphasized strict compliance with the bible’s instructions. Hard work was a considered the Puritan members’ duty to God and one’s community. The puritans encouraged people in the community to be converted to the Puritan religion. Failure to convert was a signal to the Puritan members to expel the unbeliever from their ranks.

To spread their redemption theory, the Puritans placed importance on education. The Puritans prioritized the education of their children.

In terms of suffering, the Puritan religion’s members as well as colonial literature shows belief in enduring suffering for the sake of their religion. The Puritan religion’s members considered themselves the descendants of the English martyrs. Many of the Puritan religion’s pastors were literary ejected from their church pulpits when the crackdown their religion cropped up.

The Puritan religion’s members had been taught to accept suffering willingly. The members trusted God to reduce the degree of their sufferings. The Puritan religion’s members believed that God will lessen the length of during endured by each suffering Puritan religion’s member.

Thomas Watson reiterated Jesus Christ is their model of suffering. The Puritan religion’s members should happily endure each suffering minute as an offering their God in heaven. Favorite Puritan religion’s members’ quotes include “A sanctified person, like a silver bell, the harder he is smitten, the better he sounds” (George Swinnock). Another favorite quote goes “He that rides to be crowned will not think much of a rainy day’ (John Trapp).

Anna Duane (40) proposed during the colonial times literature, the Puritan religion’s members’ parents were classified as protectors and not abusers of the faith. In contrast, the Indian parents were classified as too soft on their children. The Indian parents were overly gentle parents. The Puritan religion’s members’ parents were disciplinarians. The Puritan religion’s members’ parents often use the rod to breed the children in upright ways.

The father was described as the religious practice of ensuring the children’s unyielding obedience to the father’s strict family policies. The strictness was considered necessary in order to keep the children away from harm’s way. Robert DeBellis (5) mentioned that Puritan religion’s members considered are suffering because of their original sin. The Puritan religion’s members’ suffering includes illness, spiritual weakness and death.

Catherine Martin (283) stated that a Puritan religion’s member, Ludlow, suffered for his Puritan religion’s sake. Sam-son-like exile, public humiliation, imprisonment, feelings of Godly desertion united a broad spectrum of Puritan religion’s members from Ludlow to Algermon Sidney and Sir Henry Vane, and many others during the colonial times.

During his two year incarceration, the Puritan religion’s member Vane was finally executed by the King’s soldiers. In addition, Ludlow waited for God to restore the saints to power or lead them to martyrdom.

The Puritan religion’s members and colonial literature believed in the world of heaven and hell. The heaven is reserved for those who God has predestined. God knows who would enter heaven long before the person was born.

In the same light, God knows who would predestined to hell long before the person was baptized. The Puritan religion’s members believe that one must comply with their religious concept in order to be counted as one of God’s chosen few to enter the kingdom of heaven. The puritans believe that only the Puritan religion’s members will be allowed to enter the gates of heaven.

The Puritan religion’s members’ redemption and colonial literature focus is on Jesus Christ. The Puritan religion’s members do not consider praying to Mother Mary, mother of Christ, as a way to redemption. The Puritan religion’s members do not consider praying to Saint Peter as a way to redemption.

The Puritan religion’s members do not believe asking for the priest’s prayer would trigger the Catholic Church members’ redemption. The Puritan religion’s members emphasized that Jesus Christ is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Jesus Christ is the only roads towards redemption. The Puritan religion’s members believe that giving alms to the poor, visiting the sick in the hospitals, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked, are necessary for one to be redeemed.

However, the Puritan religion’s members’ faith does not include avoiding helping others during times of need. For example, a Puritan religion’s members should help the old person cross the street. The Puritan religion’s member must aid a limping physically disabled person trying to board a train. In addition, the Puritan religion’s members should not stop giving alms to the poor.

Colonial literature shows the Puritan religion’s members’ long thorny journey towards salvation, they were normally theologians. They love to read the bible. The spend most of their time acting as theologians. Many acted as pastors. Other members of the Puritan religion’s members acted as soul healers. Other Puritan religion’s members did perfectly well as counselors to the community. Many believe that the Puritan religion’s members understood how the people think and do.

To further secure their redemption, colonial literature indicates the Puritan religion’s members normal go out of their way to do pleasing things in the eyes of God. The members tried their best to avoid doing acts that would be classified as sinful in nature. The Puritan religion’s members feared sinning in the eyes of God.

Conclusion

Based on the above discussion, colonial literature and the Puritans wholeheartedly accepted suffering as part and parcel of their redemption process. The Puritan religion’ members believed in predestination. The same members accepted Jesus Christ as the only way to reach heaven’s redemption area.

The Puritan religion’s members considered suffering as a consequence of original sin. Indeed, the Puritan religion’s members and related colonial literature affirms happy acceptance of suffering as part of the Puritan religion’s predestined redemption through Jesus Christ.

Works Cited

DeBellis, Robert. Suffering: Psycholocial and Social Aspects . New York: Routledge Press, 1986.

Duane, Anna. Suffering Childhood in Early American Violence. New York: University of Georgia Press, 2010.

Martin, Catherine. Milton Among the Puritans. New York: Ashgate Press, 2010.

Webster, Tom. Puritans and Purtitanism in Europe and America. New York: ABC Press, 2006.

Winthrop, John. A Model of Christian Charity.1630. Web.

Footnotes

Winthrop, John. A Model of Christian Charity. Web.

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