Anglican treatises on marriage listed procreation as the primary purpose of marriage, followed by restraint and remedy of sin, and finally companionship. The Puritans reversed the order, putting mutual society, help, and comfort in first place. Daniel Rogers wrote, "Husbands and wives should be as two sweet friends, bred under one constellation, tempered by an influence from heaven whereof neither can give any reason, save mercy and providence first made them so, and then made their match; saying, see, God hath determined us out of this vast world for each other." In direct contrast to the medieval Catholic glorification of celibacy, the Puritans placed a very high value on marriage, sex, and family—as long as they occurred in that order!
It's a peeve of mine that Puritan has become a pejorative.
1 comment:
I know I'm a little late here but I want to stand behind your peeve. Hardly anyone knows any actual facts about the Puritans or their beliefs but they trash-talk them like they do. Sure, many people wouldn't like the Puritans if they really did know some facts. Nonetheless, it'd be nice if the Puritans weren't tagged with words and deeds that don't apply to them.
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