In the introduction to Magnalia, Mather sets the Puritan errand in the context of the Protestant Reformation. He places the New Englanders in a line of sincere reformers and martyrs persecuted by Catholics and Anglicans; these believers wished to reform the Reformation itself. They desired and petitioned to be accepted by the Church of England, but at last, "Multitudes of Pious, Peaceable Protestants, were driven, by their Severities, to leave their Native Country, and seek a Refuge for their Lives and Liberties, with Freedom, for the Worship of God, in a Wilderness, in the Ends of the Earth." The Puritan errand, then, was one of the many double reactions of the Reformation age. Protestants broke off from the Catholics but then splintered into various groups, each claiming to be "the truest Friends of the Reformation."
The New Englanders did not forget about the Reformation once they left Europe. Even aboard the Arbella, John Winthrop reminded his people that the world was watching, that New England should strive to be an admirable "city upon a hill," to be imitated by Protestant churches in Europe. The Magnalia is a means to lift New England to that position of prominence from which they can help purify the European Church. Mather humbly expresses his aim "to offer unto the Churches of the Reformation, abroad in the World, some small Memorials, that may be serviceable unto the Designs of Reformation, whereto, I believe, they are quickly to be awakened." The American Puritans were uniquely qualified to pose as an example for Protestant Christianity, because, as Mather claims, the Puritan faith was the closest yet to the ideal faith of the first-century Church.
He calls the American Puritans a "Light in the Darkness" that is "now to be Darted over unto the other side of the Atlantick Ocean," which recalls two specific Biblical images. First, in Revelation, "seven golden candlesticks" represent the seven early churches. Second, in Matthew 5, the "city upon a hill" phrase is part of a larger passage with a dominant metaphor of light:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (5:14-16, KJV)
The American Puritans hoped--and Cotton Mather wrote--to set New England's candle on a candlestick to be seen by the worldwide "house" of Protestant Christianity, for a pure Reformation and the glory of God.
This is a great overview. I return to a question I just asked in a previous post: what of Mather's treatment of earlier American history? He talks about Columbus, Vespucci, Raleigh, the Cabots along with the reformers and martyrs of the Reformation. What does the early history of European contact in the Americas have to do with what you so clearly identify as the American Puritan mission, to be a light in the darkness? --lc
ReplyDeleteHello! Great blog. The New Englanders did indeed retain a strong sense of connection to Protestantism in Europe, fighting the Thirty Years' War right along with the armies in Germany not only in spirit but, as they would see it, in reality (the Pequot War). And the stakes were actually even higher--since they believed England had forsaken her covenant with God, the Puritans feared the country would be literally destroyed. In that case, the Puritans would be the only outpost of true Christian faith in the world. They would have to grow and multiply in New England in order to eventually repopulate the world with true Christians after the English apocalypse. Remembering the fall of their home country would have been a powerful goad to faith!
ReplyDeletelc: I'm planning a post about earlier history and the title. Thanks for all the comments and ideas!
ReplyDeletehistoricpresent: There was definitely a sense of urgency about the importance of their mission to the fate of real, pure Christianity. I've talked about their awareness of global Christianity separately from their concern for piety at home--I like that you connected the two. Just as their faith was what made them concerned for European Christianity; their international concerns, in turn, spurred them to greater faith.