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The devil acts here according to his deliberate judgment, being driven on to his own inexpressible torment by the fury of sin, malice, revenge, and pride, and is so entirely under the government of malice, that although he never attempted anything against God but he was disappointed.
Puritans believed that Satan at-tacked the soul by assaulting the body, and that because women's bodies were weaker, the devil could reach women's souls more easily, breaching these "weaker. vessels" with greater frequency.
One Puritan lambasted native holy men as “great witches, having fellowship with the old Serpent,” drawing off his power to heal their sick. Indians were also said to use “diabolic skill” to cause harm and to consort with “infernal spirits.”
Puritanism, a religious reform movement in the late 16th and 17th centuries that was known for the intensity of the religious experience that it fostered. Puritans’ efforts contributed to both civil war in England and the founding of colonies in America. Learn more about Puritanism, its history, and beliefs.
The Puritans were members of a religious reform movement that arose in the late 16th century and held that the Church of England should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in the Bible.
The Puritan belief in witchcraft evolved over the years from its roots in European culture that predated the founding of the religion itself, and because Puritans accepted the existence of the devil, they also believed in the possibility of witchcraft.
For Puritans, a witch was a person who made a pact with the devil, thus giving the devil permission to use her body to harm others and lure them into his service. This definition highlights something important about the Puritan world—it was the scene of a cosmic struggle between God and Satan.
Human frailty was understood to account for inclement weather: teeth chattering, toes numb, the Massachusetts Puritan had every reason to believe that he sinned flamboyantly.
"Puritans" had been a name of ridicule first used during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. These were Christians who wanted the Church of England purified of any liturgy, ceremony, or practices which were not found in Scripture. The Bible was their sole authority, and with these beliefs, they believed it applied to every area and level of life.
‘The puritan and his God’ explores the nature of puritan belief, which was rooted in the Protestant understanding of the broad Christian tradition. It examines how puritans understood God and the nature of man's relationship with God.