John D.

Ruane Wash, Rinse, Repeatthe Cyclical Living of Puritan Colonists Or Youre Definitely Going to Hell The United States makes a point of appearing, in face at least, as a country full of modern ideas and revolutionary innovation. In truth, what power it has is deeply rooted in the traditions which first gave it lifea Puritanical complex of concepts--the Pilgrims path to Godly living. Though today a point is made to publicly separate the ideologies governing church and state, it has not always been so; In an Elegy upon the Death of the Reverend Mr. Thomas Shepard the then president of Harvard University, Urian Oakes, commemorates the life of a bosom-friend, as he puts it, by condemning the sinful citizens of two colonies, insinuating, in essence, that their crimes against God are the cause of Shepards untimely demise (Oakes, 219). The elegy, though certainly a tribute to the character of the man that was Shepard, is masterful in its usage of Puritan thematic elements; written in English verse, Oakes didactic intent was not simply to deliver a sermon concerning the loss of a friend and community leader, but to make an appeal to the whole of the Puritan colonies about The lessons hardthat is to avoid unjustly flattering the dead and therefore confuse the purpose of the living (Oakes, 43). Interestingly enough, the elegy, like many other classic works religious in nature, begins with a cry to the Muses by Oakes to lend their flowing vein/to grace dear Shepards funeral(Oakes 2-3). The tradition of referring to these Greek and Roman figures of inspiration is a tribute to the notion that while contemplation and written reflection of ones soul, and the souls relationship with God was of the utmost import to the Protestant settlers, so to was the need to

write and deliver a message utilizing rhetorical appeal. Many Puritan settlers are known to have been middle-class and literate; well grounded in the philosophies of history and religionOakes, exploiting this in his sermon, immediately appeals to his intended audience by invoking the muses to aide him in his tribute of Shepard, and of God. Also noteworthy is the hive-mindedness or tribal quality of Puritan society; within the first lines, reference to our griefs, and succors as well as the glory of our age (Oakes 5, 10) illustrates beautifully how what the individual felt was like to be a mirror for the feelings of the entire culture. This acknowledgement of individuals as little more than a piece of a collective whole serves to justify many of the well known thematic elements within Puritan Literature. It also explains why mass appeal was so important to authors and orators of the timein maintaining the collective mentality many, such as Oakes has done with his references to art and fancy, chose to employ characters, plots, or messages familiar to almost anyone(Oakes 6). Typology, as the repetition of specific thematic elements and moral lessons can herein be named, plays an integral role in the creation of Puritan writing. Lines 91-94 of Oakes sermon utilize Typology to describe the character of Thomas Shepard : Great was the father, once a glorious light Among us, famous to an high degree: Great was his son: indeed (to do him right) As great and good (to say no more) as he. (Oakes) The metaphor of Shepard to Christ is more than apparent and is even later elaborated upon with Our sins have slain our Shepard! we have bought,/and dearly paid for, our enormities

(Oakes 191-192). The idea of types, here that Jesus prefigures Shepard as a martyr for forgiveness, is used prolifically throughout Puritan Literature. Despite Limited atonement, that Christ died for Gods chosen and not for all, Oakes makes a point of pointing out the cost of sin that those full of Gods grace, the select few, are often sacrificed as a means of allowing life to continue. This pragmatic point serves to reinforce the concept of pre-destination or manifest destiny that, while not extremely apparent in this particular work, was a corner stone of writing, politics, and religion at the time; that the good--the chosen--have always been so and exist as an example of how to live until they are plucked up by God, which was, despite any works during life, always known to be their destiny. The only example of predestination within the text can be found in a description of the life of Shepard in lines 110-114: Befriended much by nature in his wit And temper (sweet, sedate, ingenious, wise), And (which crownd all) he was Heavens Favourite; On whom the God of all Grace did command, And showr down blessings with a liberal hand. (Oakes) Oakes insinuates that Shepard was in fact one of Gods chosen as is evident in the amount of grace apparent in his station and character. This brings to surface another central principal of Puritain ideology, that of Irresistible Grace, or the bestowing of grace, success, and blessings, by God only to those who have been chosen, and not due to any accomplishment made during the course of an individuals life. The concept of Irresistible Grace then is truly more of a justification

for a theme known as Unconditional Election, or the idea that God only saves who he wishes to save, and not everyone. This is further elaborated upon with multiple references to the heart and, as in line 190, the eyes as well: And how they [sins] have pluckd out our very eyes!(Oakes) The heart in Oakes time was synonymous with the will. A visible sign of having grace bestowed by God was a strong heart, or strong conviction. In the same way, references to the eye almost always symbolized the eye of reason which again, was illuminated by Gods Grace through conviction and contemplation. These terms, the two most important faculties of the soul, were virtual clich during the founding of America, and would certainly not have been lost on the audience. On the whole because God had already chosen who was to be brought to Heaven the destinies of men and women were already written. Though no one was ever truly aware of who was and was not the Chosen of God, a life of biblical reverence, contemplation, and introspection, sometimes written as is Oakes legacy, which resulted in great success, equated in public opinion to being one of Gods elect. Within the colonies, being one of the chosen provided creative opportunity: Perseverance of the Saints, another central theme within Puritan expression, meant that as one under the grace of God, an individual had the ability, in fact the right, to advise the public as to His will. Oakes accomplishes this by acknowledging Shepard as The man that I th gap to keep the pass,/To stop the troops of judgments rushing on/This manto hold the hand of an incensed God against our Land. (Oakes 63-66) He furthers the metaphor later in the poem by comparing his friends death with some formidable comets blaze, utilizing Miltons metaphor for the fall of the angels from heaven as a portent of horrible tidings to come for the colonies; eluded to is that without the guidance of the chosen, the saints, the Puritan culture would be damned. The implication that without guidance no man would be saved comes from a combination

of two other important Puritan ideals: Inherent Sin, and also Backsliding. Inherent sin, apparent in Oakes insistent that despite prayer Our heinous sins (more than our hairs) could not save the life of shepard, is the idea that sin is present at birth(Oakes 187). In other words, that every human being is born with sin in their soul and only through devout living can one hope to remain, if they are lucky enough to have started that way, chosen. Even if they have lived a devout life, Backsliding is still possible; that is, without guidance, and through the temptation of Satan, even the chosen can fall from the grace of God. In acknowledging the death of Shepard as a communal loss, Oakes is also acknowledging the fear that without guidance from those of Shepards spiritual caliber, sin, which is ever present, has a greater opportunity to cause the Backsliding of chosen individuals within the colonies. From beginning to end Elegy upon the death of the Reverend Thomas Shepard is a warning to the mourning population to resist blaming God for such a loss, to accept it as his will, and acknowledge it as Sheppards destiny. In doing so he employs a number of well known ideals found within Puritan Literature and culture; transforming this final farewell to a friend, into a skillfully written sermon of significant Literary meritThe point is that God is in charge, men are small lumps of sin filled clay, and to question the judgment of the almighty is to condemn ones self to the lake of fire (Oakes 217). Its a wonder that even in addressing death these fathers of the American mind-set chose to acknowledge fear and condemnation, tears and blood; it is not surprising however, given the extent to which they went in order to fill these people with Godly reverence, that trouble arises today when trying to separate God from the rest of the day-to-day.

Works Cited
Oakes, Urian. Trent and Wells, eds. Colonial Prose and Poetry. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 1901; Bartleby.com, 2010. www.bartleby.com/163/. [09/19/2010].