The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 3

V. The Clash of Puritanism and Separatism

It will be desirable to bear in mind throughout these early chapters that the Massachusetts Bay immigrants were Puritan Anglicans who, while deploring her ritualism and Romeward trends, nevertheless professed love for the mother Church of England and were unfriendly to the principles of Separatism. ¹³ Calvinistic in view, the Puritans came to America to establish the Genevan discipline in the New World. On the contrary, the Mayflower leaders, landing at Plymouth, were Separatists. And the “two consorted ill together.” ¹⁴ In their prior stay on the European Continent, under the guidance of Pastor Robinson, the Pilgrims had been disciplined in Congregationalism. Thus the democratic principle was brought to America. Such, then, was the sharp differentiation between the two concepts.” ¹⁵ PFF3 27.1

The Puritans regarded themselves as the particular repositories of righteousness. Their goal was a close-knit church-state. Centralization of power was natural and inevitable under this scheme. Dissenters must be held in subjection. Theocracy was inevitable. ¹⁶ Jehovah was the Lawgiver; the Bible, the statute book; and the minister, the interpreter of the law. ¹⁷ But sanctuaries were close at hand for the dissenters from theocracy-Connecticut for Congregationalists, Rhode Island for the Separatists, and Maine for the rebellious individualists. ¹⁸ PFF3 27.2