The Elements of Puritanism-God¡¯s Law and Society

For the most part, historians of the twentieth century have portrayed the Puritan movement in a negative light. They say the Puritan was a stern-faced religious bigot who burned witches at the stake and never had any fun. Here is what one historian wrote: [Puritanism] did great things for England and America, but only by creating in the men and women it affected a tension which was at best painful and at worst unbearable...Puritanism …

…men could form compacts or covenants in the sight of God as a basis for government without the consent of a higher authority. It was the constitution of a pure democracy, the principle of Congregational church government applied to the state. This was all the law they had for several years. It worked because they chose Christians as their leaders and all understood that they were to be self-governing under the moral law of God.