I saw so many characteristics of
Puritan writing in just Bradford’s first chapter. Though his writing was
somewhat difficult to decipher and understand at times, I was still fully able
to recognize and see how his writing reflected the qualities of Puritan
writing. He puts his trust in God despite hard times, he doesn't complain, and he believes God will persevere.
Bradford
starts off the story describing the persecution of the Christian church, saying
that they were being ‘tormented’ and ‘banished’ and oppressed, and that many
places they were at were being ‘watered with ye blooud of ye martiers’ (Bradford 2). He sets up a pretty dire
circumstance. He goes on to describe how the church was being corrupted and how
people were charging Christians with unjustly acts and that many of them were put into jail and hurt.
Though the situation
he suffers through is terribly sad, he
takes a different outlook on what is happening. Even though times for the
church are rough, he says that people who ‘profes Religion’ and want to serve
God must stay strong and sustain ‘mocks
and injuries’ even though they live ‘amongst ye enimies of Religion’ (Bradford 4). He knows that it is difficult, but believes that Christians should stay
strong and call on the Lord in their troubles and pray that he will preserve
them in hard times. “But it is ye Lords doing, and ought to be
marvelous in our eyes!” (Bradford 6) He doesn't complain in the hard times, and believes that God will deliver them.
He continues to write about how the
Lord will take care of them, and uses many bible verses to back up his points,
some of which are : 1 Cor:10. 22, Mat:15. 13, Jer. 50. 24, Jer. 50. 31, Rev.
19. 1,2. and Psa. 126. 1. One verse that I particularly liked was Revelation
19:1-2. “Should you not then rejoyse, yea, and againe, rejoice, and say
Hallelu-iah salvation, and glorie, and honour, and power, be to ye Lord our
God;for true and righteous are his judgements” (Bradford 7) I thought this was
really powerful. Even though Bradford and his Christian people are suffering
because of their beliefs, he still has faith in the Lord and believes that it
is God’s judgment and plan, which is a very Puritan characteristic.
Bradford, later on in the text, talks about
how God brought other groups of his followers out of trouble in the past. He
talks about how God overthrew tormentors of Christians. “Doe they provoke the
Lord to anger? Are they stronger than he? No, no, they have mete with their
match” (Bradford 6) Then he says “ And are not these greate things? Who can
deny it?’ (Bradford 7). He says that it was only the Lord who could overcome
such things and quotes a verse from Revelation that says that he is the ‘King
of Kinds and the Lord of Lords’. I thought it was amazing that he has faith in
God and believes that God will overcome their hardships.
Bradford goes on to a new topic, and describes how new people were coming to
Jesus, but that the ‘multitude’ persecuted them (Bradford 9). He then says
that the people ‘ shooke of this yoake of antichristian bondage, and as ye
Lords free people, joined themselves (by the covenant of the Lord) into a
church estate’ (Bradford 9). Many times in the passage he mentions that only
the Lord could have allowed such things to occur. He has true faith.
The
first chapter mainly just talks about the hardships Christians went through,
and how their suffering led them to want to go to America to practice their own
religion. But throughout his description of the pain the Christians suffered
through, he mentions bible verses and talks about how the Lord is a judge and
that the things happened for a reason. He reflects so many of Puritan qualities
in his writing, even in only the very first chapter. He quotes bible verses, he
sees a Godly plan throughout it all, he doesn’t scold his persecutors, and he
has faith that God will preserve them all.
Bradford, William. "Chapter One." History of
Plymouth Plantation. Ed. Charles Dean. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-10. Print.
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