Free God's Story: A Student Guide to Church History by Brian Cosby Page B

or “dissenters”) conscientiously objected and were, thereby, forced out! In 1665, these dissenters were evicted from five miles from their town of ministry—known as the Five Mile Act.
    One of these dissenters, John Flavel (c.1630-1691) suffered continual persec-ution from state officials while trying to lead his congregation in the city of Dartmouth. He also suffered grief from the loss of three wives, a son, and his parents who died from being incarcerated for holding a “nonconformist” worship service. However, being forced from his town of ministry afforded Flavel (like many other Puritans) time to write. This is one of the reasons why we have so much Puritan literature from the later 17 th century!
    Another one of these dissenters, John Bunyan (1628-1688), was confined to the Bedford jail for over twelve years of his life, preaching in secret and often barely avoiding execution. 1 While there—making shoelaces for a wage—he began to write what would become one of the greatest pieces of literature, The Pilgrim’s Progress. No other book in English, except the Bible, has been so widely read over such a long period. First published in 1678, it has never been out of print and has been translated into over 200 languages!
    After Charles II died in 1685, his brother James II took the throne. James was a Roman Catholic and the nation erupted in protest—many out of fear—at a Catholic sitting on the throne. After only three years, James was forced out with the peaceful “invasion” of William and Mary, an event known as the Glorious Revolution. In 1689, they enacted the Act of Toleration, which finally granted religious freedom to the Puritans.
    During the 16 th and 17 th centuries, England witnessed a turbulent Reformation and Post -Reformation, as the nation tried to implement the new changes of theology and worship into their everyday lives. Through war, persecution, and triumph, England—which began as a decisively Roman Catholic nation—had become a decisively Protestant nation. This had a profound impact on the establishment of the New World.

How did the Church of England officially
begin? Did Henry VIII really like Protestant
(Reformed) theology?
If someone were to ask you, “Who was a
Puritan?” what would you say? What’s the
first thought that comes to your head when
you think of a “Puritan”?
Many Puritans spent time in jail for their
faith. What would happen if the nation you
lived in suddenly turned strongly against the
Christian faith and put Christians in prison?
How would you react?
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    1 For an overview of Bunyan’s life, see Brian H. Cosby, John Bunyan: The Journey of a Pilgrim (Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2009).

L ike most teenagers I know, I’ve struggled with early mornings. As I passed through my 20s and now into my 30s, I’m still not a morning person. But the dark colored, rich tasting, simmering hot, earthy smell of coffee in the morning awakens me to realize that coffee is a wonderful proof that God loves us. At least, that’s my take on it! Being energized after feeling lifeless has also been witnessed in the church at various times through its history. But spiritual vitality usually falls on the heels of lukewarm lethargy.
    In 1620 one hundred Separatists—those wanting to leave England mainly because of religious persecution—left for the New World on the Mayflower and landed in Massachusetts (they had intended on landing further south in Virginia). They quickly set up civil laws that required a close connection with God’s laws, to the point that only those converted to Christianity were allowed to vote!
    Several prominent people had qualms about this, including the Baptist Separatist, Roger Williams (1603-1683), who objected to the idea of civil judges enforcing religious beliefs. In 1635, they banished Williams from the colony and he travelled southwest to a little bay, which he bought from some local Native Americans and called it