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Puritan mother serving a meal. Courtesy of Plimoth Plantation.
Saints and Strangers addresses religious influences from the Mayflower to the Great Awakening, from Plymouth Rock to the War of Independence. It examines the groups of the faithful who were crucial influences during the colonial period -- the Church of England, the Puritans, Baptist, Quakers, and others.
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Truth Prevails: The Undying Faith Of Jan Hus In an age when Europe was divided between three popes, when pestilence claimed one in three lives and church offices were sold to the highest bidder, Hus defied earthly authorities to seek truth directly from the Word of God. [0707]
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he Puritans have taken a bum rap. You may
have seen them characterized as sour faced, dull, never smiling, haters
of fun and happiness. This distorted impression of Puritanism comes from
the nineteenth century, however, and does not reflect the vibrant lives
most Puritans lived. Take, for example, Anne Bradstreet--a model Puritan
woman whose soaring spirit, zest for life, intense love for her husband
and children, and beautiful poetry refute the false stereotype of Puritan.
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At age eighteen, Anne was among the hundreds of English Puritans who
sailed for America under the leadership of John Winthrop in 1630. Also
among this great migration were Thomas and Dorothy Dudley, Anne's parents,
and her husband, Simon Bradstreet. In England Thomas Dudley had been steward
to the Earl of Lincoln, and Anne and her family had enjoyed the advantages
of wealth. Anne was fond of learning, and when she was about seven, several
tutors were hired to teach her dancing, music, and languages, among other
subjects. When she was sixteen, Anne married Simon Bradstreet, the son
of a Puritan minister and himself a member of the Earl of Lincoln's household.
Although the young couple could anticipate a comfortable life materially,
they chose to leave much of their wealth in England and move to America
to serve their God.
Both Anne's father, Thomas Dudley, and her husband Simon were active
in the governmental affairs of Massachusetts Bay Colony; both served several
terms as governor of the colony. Anne's household was to be an influential
one in the new land.
Rich in love
In the midst of her household duties, Anne found time to write poetry.
Several of her poems were written to her husband expressing how much she
missed him while he was absent on government business (One time he was
sent to England for several months as Massachusetts' envoy to the new
king, Charles II.) The simplest of these poems beautifully told of her
love:
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if ye can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
Ten years after arriving in Massachusetts, Anne published a book of her
poems in Boston. Many of the poems were lengthy, poetic treatments of
learned subjects, such as the ages of men, the four monarchies of Daniel,
and the seasons. They are scholarly poems in a formal style such as one
would expect more from a poet at a European court than from a woman on
the American frontier. The book was well-received in America and England;
John Newton (author of "Amazing Grace") highly praised Anne's
work.
Although at the beginning of her marriage Anne was saddened by lack of
children, the Lord heard her prayers, and she and Simon eventually had
eight children! Many of her poems were written as prayers in the midst
of the events of her active family's life. Such was the poem "Upon
my Daughter Hannah Her Recovery from a Dangerous Fever":
Bles't be thy Name who did'st restore To health my Daughter dear
When death did seem ev'n to approach And life was ended near.
Grant she remember what thou'st done And celebrate thy praise
And let her Conversation say She loves thee all her Days.
Poetry out of pain
Many of Anne's poems were written at times of hardship or tragedy. Her
poetry was a means for her to again focus on her God and his matchless
plan and love for her. This can be seen in the "Verses Upon the Burning
of Our House, July 10th, 1666":
Thou hast an house on high erect,
Fram'd by that mighty Architect,
With glory richly furnished,
Stands permanent though this be fled.
It's purchased, and paid for too
By him who hath enough to do.
A Price so vast as is unknown,
Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own.
There's wealth enough, I need no more;
Farewell my Self, farewell my Store.
The world no longer let me Love,
My hope and Treasure lies Above.
Overcoming hardships and doubt
Coming to the American wilderness to settle was a venture filled with
hardships, and Anne suffered repeated illnesses throughout her forty years
in America. She recognized, however, that life is filled with testing
and that hardships bring a greater reliance on the Lord. She thanked her
God for bringing her closer to Himself through her ailments. In an age
filled with religious controversies and wars, Anne also faced doubt and
uncertainty about Christianity. But she persevered to sure faith. Shortly
before her death, she concluded an account of her spiritual pilgrimage
written for her children:
"Upon this Rock Christ Jesus will I build by faith, and if I perish,
I perish, But I know all the powers of Hell shall never prevail against
it, I know whom I have trusted, and whom I have believed and that he
is able to keep what I have committed to his charge."
| Nature and nurture
With eight children, Anne recognized that each child had its own
particular personality and that parents must know how to treat each
one:
Diverse children have their different natures; some are like
flesh (or meat) which nothing but salt will keep from putrefaction;
some again like tender fruits that are best preserved with sugar:
those parents are wise that can fit their nurture according to their
Nature. |
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