The Puritan Spirit

The spirit, as such, is not to be identified, of course, with any specific form either of doctrine or of worship, since it has appeared in connection with many, and has continued positive and permanent, while they have been widely and variously changed. The elements involved in it are essentially moral, and earnestly practical, not theoretical; and they are not difficult to ascertain and exhibit. -from The Puritan Spirit One of the most prominent Congregational ministers of the 19th century, Richard Salter Storrs was greatly in demand as a public speaker, as this volume crisply demonstrates. Given as a speech to the Congregational Club of Tremont Temple in Boston in December 1889, here are Storrs's shrewd thoughts on the temperate character and generous heart that has infused American society since its very beginnings. From an exploration of the Biblical history of puritanism to an examination of its "magnificent qualities"-as well as its deficiencies-this is a celebration of a religious ideal that embraces courage, independence, and sincerity. OF INTEREST TO: readers of the history of religion in America, seekers after wisdom AUTHOR BIO: American clergyman and writer RICHARD SALTER STORRS (1821-1900) was associate editor of the New York Independent from 1848 to 1861. He is the author of, among other works, John Wycliffe and the First English Bible (1880) and Foundation Truths of American Missions (1897).