The English Puritans: The Rise and the Fall of the Puritan Movement

by John Brown

The Puritan era was extremely important in the formation of the English consitution and its affect upon the church. It gave us tradition of pastoral theology unsurpassed in the history of the English-speaking world.

Today, a significiant proportion of the church has decided that its ministry today should be carried out pragmatically rather than theologically. 'what works' is more important than 'what is more biblical'. If we want to be effective in the 21st century then we need to sit at the feet of the Puritans.

Genres: History, Church History, Theology, Christian

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

John Brown, 1830-1922, was a British theologian, historian, and pastor. He was born in 1830. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a Doctor of Divinity and served as pastor of Bunyan Meeting in the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire in the Eastern part of England. He was the author of several oft referenced works on church history and theology, including an important biography of John Bunyan.

Publicalions:
Lectures on the Book of Revelation, 1860;
God's Book for Man's Life, 1882;
John Bunyan, his Life, Times, and Work, 1885;
The Pilgrim Fathers of New England, 1895;
Apostolical Succession in the Light of History and Fact, 1898;
Puritan Preaching in England, etc., 1900;
From the Restoration to the Revolution, 1904
Commonwealth England, 1904;
The English Puritans, 1910;
History of the English Bible, 1911

Reviews

[Sarahelisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical introduction to the English Puritans written clearly and chronologically, starting in Tudor times and going on through the reign of the last Tudor, Elizabeth I, with a fair amount of detail and then into the time of the Stuarts and the Commonweath. The book brings out the work of the Puritans in protesting against the rule of the church by the monarchy and bishops as well as their role in Parliamentary democracy. The issues of vestments and church order are major topics.
I enjoyed this short book and learned a great deal.
I would have liked to have given it four and half stars. It fails to get five as it doesn't have a timeline and a short list of important people and their roles.
Recommended.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of English puritanism. Also read in 2013.

Second reading: I have even more respect for the skill with which Brown traces his narrative, though it is curious that he wholly omits any discussion of the Westminster assembly. Still, a great little volume.

[Geoff Atwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

The misunderstood Puritans

The Puritans in England were not Separatists, but worked within the Church of England to continue the reform that had begun from severance with the Catholic Church under Henry VIII. The complaints of the Puritans included requiring ministers who could preach, ministers trained in the Bible, and doing the will of Heaven. Many of these things were not achieved and resulted in severe persecution under the increasing absolutism of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs. However, the breath of freedom desired by the Puritans found its way into the liberties enjoyed by later Englishmen and colonists.
My own family fled religious persecution in England to go to New England and became part of the expedition that founded the colony the later was named New Haven. Reading this book helped to understand the motivation required to abandon one's country and flee to the wilderness of the New World. It is good to remember that the ideas of freedom and liberties enjoyed in America were fruits of this turmoil.

[Shane Goodyear · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Good little book on how Puritanism shaped constitutional liberty in England and indeed the world
* Goes through who the puritans where and there main controversies
* Vestments, church government and the liberty to choose by conscience what ones church government should be, instead of the state
* Puritanism could be the birthplace of modern constitutional liberty
* Good book slightly hard read
* Goes through the puritans from the beginning under the religious settlement act to the death of Cromwell and the main actors in that Hooper, whitgift and Milton

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a concise overview of the origins, primary battles, and core beliefs of Puritanism under Elizabeth, and more briefly, during the ECW. Great for those wanting a simple overview of the big picture. Incisive on the problems encountered re: Elizabeth and a broken Episcopal model.

Great on Cromwell and his affections for tolerance, freedom of conscience, and how his Commonwealth ended. Heart warming.

[Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handy. Good. Nice introduction.

[Christina Eastwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is a gem. Its concise description of Puritan thought, groupings and history puts the whole thing into clear perspective. The book uses the Puritans' own words extensively to decribe the movement that shaped the British political and religious landscape. I wish I had come across it years ago.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Presupposes a lot of previous knowledge on British history - something I didn't have. For me, that is where it lost the 2 stars. Writing style is great and covers a lot but often I want more depth. Doesn't follow a chronological path, but rather a hybrid between chronological and topical.