distortion and there was always some blurring of boundaries both within and between
these two methods. Nonetheless, first the role of Scripture was essential in shaping
Puritan meditation though less influential for Roman Catholics. However, the
influence of devotio moderna certainly inspired the Roman Catholic recovery of
Scripture. Second, Roman Catholics usually placed a greater overall emphasis upon
the suffering and passion of Jesus lingering on his crucifixion. However, Puritan
writings on sacramental meditation tended to recover more of this from a Protestant
perspective, but not to the degree of those from Rome. Next, both groups were
conscious of Ignatian imagination but within the native soil of Roman Catholicism
there tended to be a greater desire to stimulate the imagination through the senses to
recreate vivid details of the Gospel events. Puritans did not stir up the senses to the
same degree as Ignatius but their meditation on heaven strongly encouraged the use of
imagination.^63 Fourth, Roman Catholics focused on the Christian year through the
observances of feasts and fasts while the Puritans measured time according to the
Lord’s Day or Sunday. Fifth, regarding topics the Puritans emphasized meditation on
creation, hell, and heaven. In particular, hell was meditated upon to deepen the
person’s love for God and not intimidation. Neither creation nor heaven occupied the
same prominence for Roman Catholics as they did for Puritans, but the focus on hell
was directly related to the need for penance. Closely related is the sixth theme of
assurance. While Puritan manuals exuded optimism and reassurance the message of
Roman Catholic manuals warned of the need for continual spiritual struggle and of
eternal damnation with little hope of assurance. Seventh, regarding the nature of
experience Roman Catholics were encouraged to recreate the actual experience, in
(^) American Pietism of Cotton Mather, (^114) - 23; Roston, “Donne and Meditative
Tradition”; and Williams, “Puritan Enjoyment of God,” 303 63 - 4, 313-4.
Be God See Benedict, , 106. Christ’s Churches Purely Reformed, 530 and Cornick, Letting God