The Puritan movement was a reform movement within the Church of England from the mid-sixteenth to the late seventeenth century. The Puritans sought to "purify" the Church of England from what they regarded as remnants of Roman Catholic practice and to establish a thoroughly biblical pattern of worship, government, and life. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
The Puritan movement emerged from the English Reformation under Elizabeth I (1558–1603). While England had broken from Rome under Henry VIII and established a Protestant settlement under Elizabeth, many Reformed believers felt the settlement did not go far enough. The vestments, the liturgy, the episcopal government — all seemed to retain too much of the "popish" character.
The Puritans were not a single party. They ranged from moderate Episcopalians to Presbyterians to Congregationalists. What united them was a passionate commitment to the authority of Scripture in every area of faith and life — the conviction that Scripture alone is the rule of faith and that nothing should be introduced into worship or church government that Scripture does not warrant.
The Puritan movement produced many influential theologians in the English-speaking world:
The Puritan movement was grounded in an unwavering commitment to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The Reformation principle of sola Scriptura was the engine of their entire enterprise. They believed that Scripture is sufficient for all things necessary for salvation (WCF 1.6) and that nothing is to be added to it — whether by tradition, ecclesiastical decree, or new revelation. ^[raw/en/wcf-ch01-s06.md]
The Puritans were famous for what they called "experimental" or "experiential" preaching — preaching that aimed to inform the mind and transform the heart. Their sermons typically followed a three-fold pattern: explain the text, draw out the doctrine, apply it to the heart. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
This was the pattern of Puritan piety: doctrine was never merely to be known; it was to be lived. Every truth must be brought down to the conscience, examined in the light of our own hearts, and pressed upon our wills. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
The Puritans held that the Spirit and the Word are never to be separated. John Calvin had taught that "the Lord has so knit together the certainty of his word and his Spirit, that our minds are duly imbued with reverence for the word when the Spirit shining upon it enables us there to behold the face of God." ^[raw/en/wcf-ch01-s05.md]
The Puritans developed this insight with pastoral wisdom. John Owen insisted that the Spirit's work is not to give new revelations but to illuminate the revelation already given. Those who seek the Spirit apart from the Word fall into enthusiasm; those who study the Word without the Spirit fall into dead orthodoxy. ^[raw/en/wcf-ch01-s05.md]
The Puritans followed the principle of WCF 1.9: "The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself." Thomas Watson expressed it memorably: "As the diamond only cuts the diamond, so the Scripture only is to interpret the Scripture." ^[raw/en/wcf-ch01-s09.md]
The Puritans were masters of "practical divinity" — the application of doctrine to daily life. Their writings cover every aspect of the Christian experience: how to mortify sin (Owen), how to grow in grace (Sibbes), how to bear affliction (Boston), how to pray (Watson), how to prepare for death (Baxter).
One of the defining events of the Puritan movement was the Great Ejection. The Act of Uniformity 1662 required all ministers to use the Book of Common Prayer and to be episcopally ordained. Two thousand Puritan ministers — nearly one-fifth of all clergy — refused and were ejected from their livings. Many suffered imprisonment, poverty, and persecution. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
Among those ejected were Thomas Watson and Thomas Vincent. These men continued to preach and write in secret, producing enduring literature of the Christian faith.
The Westminster Assembly (1643–1646) was the high-water mark of Puritan theology. Though the Assembly included Episcopalians and Independents, its doctrinal standards (the Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism) reflect the mature theology of English Puritanism at its finest. ^[raw/en/wcf-intro.md]
The product of the Assembly, the Westminster Standards, became the doctrinal foundation of Presbyterian, Congregational, and many Reformed Baptist churches worldwide.
The Puritan movement left an enduring legacy: