The Tenets of Puritanism

At the core of Puritanism was providence, the idea that God actively governed the entire universe. He controlled everything and made choices to achieve His righteous ends. This extended to man and his free will. Obviously this raised a dilemma: If God governed everything, why did men sin? God did not approve of sinning, but He did not always restrain it. He essentially gave men permission to sin. Perhaps there were higher reasons or forces at work.

Puritans were eager to know God's will. Since He was present in everything to them, they took notice of everything from natural phenomena to personal thoughts, then tried to interpret the signs.

Stemming from providence was predestination, the belief that God already knew who was going to Heaven or Hell. An individual's fate was predetermined; his actions could not change his fate. Acceptance to Heaven was known as regeneration, while the damned experienced reprobation. The argument for this belief was that a mere human could not influence God's will; claiming so was heretical.

Consequently, Puritans were desperate to root out the "chosen" from the damned. Any sin, any misdemeanor, could be a sign of a person's impurity. The notorious strictness of Puritan culture arose from this search; individuals constantly regulated their thoughts and actions, hoping they were one of those God had chosen. Frivolity was indulgent, and it took time away from the holy duty of vocation. Vocation reasoned that, since God gave individuals talents, they were expected to use them to the best of their abilities.

Puritans also had the right to know about the lives of other community members, since it was their duty to purge their Godly community of those slated for Hell.

Also central to the Puritan belief were the many covenants made between God and man. The Covenant of Grace was God's promise to make the elect believe in Christianity. Without the touch of the Holy Spirit, man would continue his sinful ways. (This idea that humans were by nature corrupt was called natural depravity, a result of Adam's original sin.) Once graced, however, men could repent and hopefully be chosen for entry to Heaven.

Clearly, the Puritans believed magic to be the Devil's power; witches sold their souls to the Devil and received magical skills in return.