Puritan Spiritual Diaries and Autobiographies in Seventeenth-Century England
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_________________________________________________________________________Swansea University E-Theses Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord': Puritan spiritual diaries and autobiographies in seventeenth-century England. Vivian, Claire Louise How to cite: _________________________________________________________________________ Vivian, Claire Louise (2008) Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord': Puritan spiritual diaries and autobiographies in seventeenth-century England.. thesis, Swansea University. http://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42394 Use policy: _________________________________________________________________________ This item is brought to you by Swansea University. Any person downloading material is agreeing to abide by the terms of the repository licence: copies of full text items may be used or reproduced in any format or medium, without prior permission for personal research or study, educational or non-commercial purposes only. 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Claire Louise Vivian Submitted to the University of Wales in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Swansea University 2008 ProQuest Number: 10798102 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10798102 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 r LIBRARY Summary Recent analysis of early modern spiritual diaries and autobiographies has tended to focus on ‘self-fashioning’ - how authors used their texts to create their own identity - but little interest has been shown in the degree of variation present in this form of writing and how the various identities related to one another once created. If anything, scholars have been reluctant to admit that there are any notable differences between such texts, instead preferring to uncover the ‘pattern’ that all spiritual relations follow. Through a study of texts by seventeenth-century English Puritans this thesis argues that a definite degree of individuality is present within each account. Even though common themes, such as the need for assurance and a belief in mankind’s inherent depravity, may be found, a more detailed consideration reveals subtle, yet important variations. My main aim has not been to uncover new, previously unstudied, spiritual autobiographies, but to examine new possibilities for widely-read writings, such as John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding and George Trosse’s Life. Nevertheless, discussions of little-known texts such as Cicely Johnson’sFanatical Reveries and Rose Thurgood’s Lecture o f Repentance have also proved fruitful. Somewhat tempering this emphasis on individuality is the central discussion of the influences on the composition of these works. Here it is argued that, despite the seemingly private nature of some accounts, spiritual diaries and autobiographies played a vital role in communal life and were generally intended to be read by an audience of some description - even if only family and friends. DECLARATION This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed, (candidate) Date . .....QtGr.Q6>'.0.8. ......................................... STATEMENT 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Where correction services have been used, the extent and nature of the correction is clearly marked in a footnote(s). Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. Signed. (candidate) Date .Q.4“ 0.6.Tr.Q8 ........................................ STATEMENT 2 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed . (candidate) D ate SL(a7T.oG~.Q& Contents Acknowledgements i Abbreviations and Note on Quotations ii Introduction I Calvin and Calvinism: Historical Debates 1 Historiography of English Puritanism 6 English Puritanism: Seventeenth-Century Definitions 15 The Changing Definition of Puritanism 31 Sources 44 Part I: The Construction of a Life: Influences on the Writing of Puritan Spiritual 46 Autobiographies and Diaries Introduction 47 Chapter 1: Puritans and the Writing of Spiritual Autobiographies and Diaries 49 Calvinist Theology, Introspection and Puritan Self-Writing 57 John Bunyan and his Reasons for WritingGrace Abounding 73 Patterns of Piety: Grace Abounding and the Formation of Spiritual 94 Autobiographies Nehemiah Wallington and his Reasons for WritingThe Growth o f a Christian 98 Chapter 2: Puritans, Assurance and Communal Piety 108 John Bunyan and the Community of the Faithful 114 Congregational Piety and the Community: The Experiences of Bedford and 124 Broadmead Agnes Beaumont and the Community 128 Isaac Archer and the Community 135 Samuel Rogers and the Community 151 Part II: Shared Experiences? The Composition of Puritan Spiritual Diaries and 158 Autobiographies Introduction 159 Chapter 3: Childhood and Adolescent Experiences 171 A Sinful Childhood and Divine Providence 172 First Impulses Towards Religion 185 Age and Religious Experience 188 Chapter 4: Initial Experiences of Grace 198 The Nature of Grace 199 Indications of Grace: I. Biblical Incursions 200 II. The Awakening of the Conscience 206 III. Unconscious Attraction Towards Religion 214 IV. Easily Awakened Piety 218 Grace and the Clergy 221 Grace, Dreams and the Power of Reading 224 Chapter 5: Temptation and Experiences of Satan 230 The Extent of the Devil’s Power 231 Invisible Realities: Intangible Encounters with the Devil 235 The Devil and His Guises: Physical Manifestations of Satan 242 Subtle Forms of Deceit 243 Blatant Deception and the Development of Religious Melancholy 251 Diabolical Designs: Patterns of Temptation 256 Chapter 6: Experiences of Conversion 264 Definitions of Conversion 266 Gradual (lysis) Conversion 274 Sudden (crisis) Conversion 285 Chapter 7: Post-Conversion Experiences 290 The Devil and Post-Conversion Experiences 291 Grace and Post-Conversion Experiences 307 Gradual Conversions 313 Conclusion 326 Appendix 1 332 Appendix 2 355 Bibliography 357 Acknowledgements The past three-and-a-half years have been both exciting and challenging for me. Yet I have not been alone on this journey and it is now a pleasure to record my gratitude to those who have helped me most along the way. My most sincere thanks are to my supervisor, Professor John Spurr, whose unfailing support, advice and good humour will not be forgotten. Without Professor Spurr’s encouragement this thesis would not have been completed; I could not have asked for a better, or kinder, supervisor. To him I am extremely grateful. Thanks are also due to my second supervisor, Dr David Turner, and Dr John Law who have always shown a keen interest in my progress and offered assistance wherever possible. I was very fortunate to receive a PhD bursary from Swansea University History Department early on in my studies. My research would have been impossible without this financial assistance and I hope the finished product does justice to the Department’s faith in my abilities. The Society for Renaissance Studies kindly awarded me a fellowship in 2005 which enabled me to take my first research trip to London. As always, Swansea University Library proves to be a very convivial place to work and I am especially grateful to Lynne Cooling, Sophie Randell, Colin Lawson and the rest of the shelvers for putting up with my continual anxieties about my thesis and providing very welcome distractions by making work fun. Lastly, but by no means least, I want to thank my parents for their continued support and tolerance of my role as a seemingly perpetual student. Abbreviations Archer, Diary Isaac Archer, Diary printed in M. Storey (ed.), Two East Anglian Diaries, 1641-1729: Isaac Archer and William Coe (Woodbridge: Suffolk Records Society, 36, 1994). Beaumont, Narrative Agnes Beaumont, The Narrative of the Persecution of Agnes Beaumont (c.1674) reprinted in J. Stachniewski and A. Pacheco (eds.), Grace Abounding with Other Spiritual Autobiographies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998). Bunyan, GA John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666) reprinted in J. Stachniewski and A. Pacheco (eds.), Grace Abounding with Other Spiritual