Scottish Puritanism, 1590-1638

This work is a portrait of Protestantism in the two generations leading to the National Covenant of 1638. It investigates the construction of a puritan community embracing "godly" ministers along with significant numbers of lay men and women willing to engage in the practice of a piety which confronted the inner person and the external world, seeking the reformation of both. Topics include attitudes towards the Bible and the sacraments, the nature of the Christian life, the place of the feminine in Scottish divinity, and the development of ideas about predestination, covenanting, and the relationship between church and state. The book addresses the tensions inherent in puritanism, such as those associated with the nature of the church and the extent of freedom, and provides a perspective on the relationship between Scottish and English religious developments This book is intended for scholars and students interested in the religious history of Scottish Protestantism, and especially the development of the Reform movement, and those interested in British history in the period before the civil wars.

Professor Mullan draws on an outstanding range of writings and has added a stimulating intellectual history rooted in its social and political context. He is adept at close readings and his examination of the tensions within divinity and political theory is to be applauded. The central section on spirituality is especially noteworthy and to be recommended ... a thought provoking study., An extremely thorough and helpful survey of spirituality in the Kirk ... essential reading for all who study the Church of Scotland in the seventeenth century., This book offers a brilliant insight into Scottish Protestantism and should be read by anyone interested in early modern Scotland as well as by those in search of Puritanism wherever it can be found., The great achievement of this volume is to open up the mind of early seventeenth-century Scottish Protestants in a manner that no other writer, apart from Schmitz, has come close to realising ... Following an invaluable who's who of the leading clergy, Mullan offers a unique insight into the self-perception of these men in their office as ministers. At the core of the book is a finely nuanced discussion of the Christian life, from conversion through assurance and the soul's onward pilgrimage., Excellent analysis of early seventeenth-century Scottish Protestantism ... important book ... Until the publication of Scottish Puritanism, the religious history of early seventeenth-century Scotland was thin indeed.