The Story of the Puritans
-
Errol Husle
This booklet
(article) was published by Reformation and Revival Journal, Volume 5, Number 2
●Spring 1996. I read it in November 2016 as a part of the required reading for
the class of Church History. Here are the Two Applications
I deduced after reading it:
1. The Importance of Reading Books (especially
the Foxe Book of Martyrs)
Rev. Errol Husle, the author observed four
formative influences in the making of the golden era of Christian Church
History – the Puritans. He includes John Foxe’s Books, The Book of Martyrs in 2nd
position (page 18.) After that, he demonstrated how the successive
puritans were encouraged and followed the Martyrs such as John Bunyan (page
43.)
The Puritans
were not just preachers, they were writers. Their writings were not just
theoretical for they had lived out and demonstrated their writings to their
congregations. Those books were as the results of their studies and
applications from their studies of the Bible. It did not come from the ivory tower.
Here is a lesson for pastors and church leaders, to read their (Puritans)
writings and also to reproduce the same for their own congregation (like
Puritans) based on their reflection of the teaching of the Bible.
There
are scores of people who have gone ahead and have left their footprints on the
page of history that will have eternal fruitfulness. Their lives were not an easy
life. Their legacy lives and causes others to reproduce the same committed
people like them through their death as a martyr. We do need to read this
book, the Book of Martyr, both pastors and congregations to be faithful to the
Caller of the church, Lord Jesus Christ.
2. The Importance of Christian Family and
Community.
On page 48-49, the author wrote
about the creation of the Christian family in the English-speaking world and
its influences on the whole part of the world. It is also about their Unity in
the Community to live as Christians. They have “constancy in prayers” (John
Bradford of page 23). They sanctified even a horse to God (p.48).
They enjoyed Lord’s Day. What a blessed family and community theirs are!
In
this modern world, people demand that religion must be privatized. One is not
supposed to discuss religion in the market and Public Square. One is allowed to
talk about football stars, movie stars, politicians, intellectuals, but not
about Christ. Religion is not even discussed in the family. It is personal and
private things. Puritans were not. Christianity (the Gospel) penetrated the
family, community, and all their lives. Christ of the Bible and His teachings
became the foundation, sustainer, problem-solving, comforter, joy, and delight
of their lives. We need to reflect on the lives of these people. Our society
and families are torn. We need to follow them. If we want our children
to be successful, we need to follow their example. If we don’t want our
children to bring grief to our souls, we need to follow their lives. We are not
to privatize religion (the Gospel). We are to live out. We are to proclaim it.
We are to persuade others to believe the Gospel too. We are to swim against the
current of the culture of “tolerance” and “political correctness.”