Sin and an unholy lifestyle was not tolerated within the Puritan community. It was not because of trying to destroy the person but because of a teaching within the writings of the apostle Paul: A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (Galatians 5:9). It was believed that any sin within the community would have an impact on every family and on every member within that community. This belief was actually supported by a story contained in the book of Joshua; it is found in chapter seven. God has just given Joshua and the children of Israel a great victory – Jericho fell with a shout and a firm reliance on God for the victory. God demanded that everything from the city be destroyed by fire, yet one man decided that some of the things he saw were pleasing to the eye and desired by the flesh; he yielded to temptation and took the items and hid them among his own possessions. While this man’s actions were not known by Joshua, God took notice. The very next battle, God executed judgment on the children of Israel; Joshua and the men if Israel suffered a staggering defeat and actually had to retreat in the face of the enemy!
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you (Joshua 7:6-12). From the Puritan perspective, if God did this to the blood-heirs of Abraham, how then could he spare those who have been made heirs to the promise through faith?
The Puritans also placed a value on quality and hard work that set them apart from other groups settling in the Americas. Again, driven by their faith, they believed that prosperity was a gift and a blessing from God as a reward for their devotion to the faith. The “Puritan work ethic” that many of us older Americans grew up learning about in school was fed by an understanding of these scriptures: For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat (II Thessalonians 3:10), And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men (Colossians 3:23), And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). All three of these verses highlight the philosophy of work that was the foundation for that “Puritan work ethic” and it is easy to understand why the Puritans did prosper and left a legacy that affected the mindset of Americans for generations.
There are other aspects of the Puritan faith as practiced in the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colony that could be discussed from a biblical perspective and understanding, but for today, the focus of this devotional focuses on those main ones already discussed. Instead of seeing the Puritan faith as the adoption of a lifestyle that did make them a peculiar people who had been called out by Jesus [Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14)], the world focuses on the efforts that the Puritans made to coerce others into conforming to their faith and of the actions of those involved with the Salem witch trials. They neglect to discuss how the Puritans would come to the aid of other members of the community during sickness and death, would help their neighbor rebuild after a fire or storm damage, and would even give of their own food and clothing if it were needed for a member of the community or even a stranger – again, because of the need to follow the examples and teachings of Christ.
From the perspective of the lost world, the intolerance to sin, the devotion to family, church, community and God makes no sense. The call to live a holy lifestyle in a world that offers all kinds of carnal pleasures is something that seems unnatural to those that are enslaved by the flesh. The dedication to hard work and producing the best quality possible – whether it was the plowing of a field or the making of a loaf of bread – is something that defies the understanding of the lost world that has adopted an attitude of doing enough to get by. Such devotion in the daily lives of the Puritans does not meet the world’s standards for glorification and admiration, but of condemnation and scorn – the very thing that the lost claim that the Puritans represent!
If should I ever have anyone make a bronze statue of me, I do hope and pray that I am remembered as someone who was devoted to the “old tyme faithe” and am worthy of the ridicule and scorn of the lost because I chose to follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and stay true to the teachings of my faith. As a follower of Christ, I owe it to him to be devoted to his will, to live my life as close to his example as I can – and become that peculiar person that I’ve been called to be.
