Joel Caskey Sept.

8th, 2010

I believe Wigglesworth's poem, The Day of Doom was used to greatly influence those early puritans beliefs upon those who were not quite sure about their religion or even understood. I think they poem opened eyes up for those people who had doubts and greatly represented puritan beliefs so much that it even scared some people. It showed people the thing in their lives they were doing that we considered wrong by the puritans and even straightened a few of them up.

The Day of Doom used influences from the puritan beliefs to paint realistic images inside early settlers heads to give them a better understanding of what the beliefs of a puritan are. One belief of the puritans is total depravity. Total depravity is represented as the idea that Adam and Eve sinned by taking of the forbidden fruit. There they fell from the grace of God and through that so does every other man, woman and child that is born. Puritans believe that everyone is born with and into sin. That you must take upon yourself the task of earning the lords grace by keeping your body and soul clean (Basu).

The poems greatest weapon was the fear is placed in the early settlers. It made God look like a very unforgiving God who could condemn your life when ever he chose. That he would condemn you unless you greatly worked to place yourself in a right standing with him. There was no certainty about salvation in the puritan belief. The puritans came to the belief that God had no rules on who became condemned and who did not.

This belief was called unconditional election. It was the idea that as stated in the Doctrines of Grace, His most wise and holy counsel, of His own, freely and unchangeably ordain some men to heaven and some men to hell by the nature of His good pleasure. (Basu). This meant that it was essentially chosen at random who would receive Gods saving grace and who would not. There was also no way of knowing and this led to a constant fear of the puritans whether or not they would receive grace.

The idea of limited/ particular atonement is that Jesus died to convince God to give grace to us sinned humans. That Jesus actually sacrificed himself for those who wish right standing with God and not everyone. Many puritans did not like this idea and choose to ignore it. Puritans like most people wanted the saving grace of God and assurance that they have acquired his grace. This lead to a change in many puritans beliefs and led some to continue with another faith instead of Puritanism (Basu).

This ties in greatly with the next belief which is irresistible grace. The puritans were obsessed with earning God's grace. They thought anyone who was not was damned under God. They believed in external salvation which is by word of mouth and internal salvation which is through healing or some sort of inner reconciliation. They believed that if one contradicted these beliefs that they would not receive grace from God and could never get back in it.

The last belief the early puritans had was called preservation of the saints. Preservation of the saints was the idea that God has already decided those who receive his grace and those who do not. That nothing anyone can do can change this. Those who have his grace however are liable to lose it if they commit too many grave sins. This lead all the puritans to assume they have received grace and to act in accordance with all their beliefs so that they would not lose God's saving grace (Basu).

Before his face the heavens gave place, and skies are rent asunder, With mighty voice, and

hideous noise, more terrible than thunder. His brightness damps heavens' glorious lamps and makes them hide their heads, As if afraid and quite dismayed, they quit their wonted steads. The 7th stanza in Wigglesworth's poem gives a good example of how the Puritans feel about God's saving grace, that they feel it is predetermined and nothing you can do in life can change whether or not God shows grace upon you. They hide their heads, As if afraid and quite dismayed.

If for our own transgression, or disobedience, We here did stand at Thy left hand just were the recompense: But Adam's guild our souls hath spilt, his fault is charged on us' And that alone hath overthrown, and utterly undone us. This stanza shows how they believed that through Adam's failure that God condemned them all to death. That whether or not they sin is not important that Adam has already made it a lost cause for them.

You think, if we had been as he, whom God did so betrust, We to our cost would ne'er have lost all for a paltry lust. Had you been made in Adam's stead, you would like things have wrought, and so into the self-same woe, yourselves and yours have brought. This stanza shows how accepting the Puritans were of this belief. Thinking themselves no better then Adam as they believe they too would have sinned in the beginning against God.

The Day of Doom is a great representation of the puritans beliefs and that through this poem each is described. The Day of Doom also lead to many fears about the puritans belief and cause some members to follow other faiths that more suited their ideas and lifestyles. This poem is full of images that show both the greatness of the puritans beliefs and also the more fearful parts of God and every person journey to acquire his saving grace.

Basu, Dhritiman. Puritan Beliefs. Buzzle. 14 June 2010. Web. 12 September 2010.