Bradford had a Puritan writing style similar to the other women that we had observed the other day in class. He mentions god on every page, he never says anything against his religion, and he thinks that the lord is responsible for every happening in his life. In a passage in chapter 1, Bradford says:
"The one side laboured to have y right worship of God & discipline of Christ established in y church according to y simplicitie of y gospell wihtout the mixture of mens inventions, and to have & be ruled by y laws of Gods word, dispensed in those offices, & by those officers of Pastors, Teachers, & elders, & c."(Bradford 4).
This shows that some of his fellow Puritans had worked to please God. He shows that every one of God's people have to work and do good things to earn a spot in the eternal life with God. On the other end of this quote, it said that there was only "one side labuored to have y right worship of God & dicipline of Christ". This shows that there were also people who did not worship God in the correct way. This shows that Bradford judged other people who were not as strict on religion as he was. This just proves his Puritan beliefs are strongly and accurately portrayed through his writing in this nonfiction piece.
"The other partie, though under many colours & pretences, endevored to have y episcopall dignite with their large power & jurisdiction still retained: with all those courts, cannons, & ceremonies, togeather with all such livings, revenues, & subordinate officers, with other such means as formerly upheld their antichristian greatness, and enabled them with lordly & tyranous power to persecute y poore servants of God." (Bradford 4).
This was Bradford's opinion on the "antichristian" other group. This sentence shows that the other group scared him and he would rather they honor his religion. He thinks that the innovation that this group is developing is against God. The thought of change seems scary to the Puritans. This shows another aspect of Puritan belief because they do not like when other people believe other things then them. While they do not push their religion too hard, they still make it knowing that they disapprove of other religions. This passage of Bradford's is showing that.
He can be compared to the other authors in three aspects: belief, hope, and hard work. All three authors believed in God. They all followed his rules and spoke to him because they believe that God is there for them always. Also, they all hoped. They did not hope in a greedy way, but they prayed and asked for help and forgiveness. They were never ungrateful, but they new that God had a plan for them and that he would not disappoint them. Lastly, all three authors showed work ethic. They all worked hard to earn a spot in heaven. They never were spiteful to God. They also gave forgiveness even when they had bad fortune. This shows the Puritan beliefs were in the writing because as a reader, I gathered all that information. It is very important to write in a unique way, and each Puritan author wrote in a way that the reader could understand their opinions on religion!
Bradford, William. "Chapter 1." History of Plymouth Plantation. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1856. 1-10. Print.
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