experience that has been frequently seen by scholars in the past as a central feature of
mysticism. That treatment which fits more directly with the contemplative biography
of Isaac Ambrose will be examined in chapter 3. McGinn has provided a great
service to the academy and the Church in expanding the horizons for both Roman
Catholic and Protestant scholars thereby creating the framework for discovering the
broader richness of the “mystical element” within Christianity. Therefore, by
adapting McGinn’s schema the goal of this thesis is not to prove whether or not
mysticism existed in Puritanism since that would be anachronistic but rather whether
there was a “mystical element” in Puritanism. Further, by employing other categories
of McGinn’s treatment of mysticism did the Puritans in general, and Isaac Ambrose in
particular, employ a mystical language or vocabulary, mystical theology, write
mystical texts, and record mystical experiences?
Defining Puritanism
Puritanism, like mysticism, is another challenging term to define.^32 John
Coffey provides a succinct and excellent summary of the nature of this long running
debate including the significant scholars and issues surrounding the word “Puritan.”^33
Patrick Collinson accurately reminds readers that the word “[p]uritan was never a
term of ecclesiological or confessional precision.”^34 More accurately it was a
pejorative word of slander or rebuke and the Puritans themselves often preferred the
(^32) The literature surrounding this debate is massive. The best writings for tracing this
are: Coffey, “Puritanism, Evangelicalism and Protestant Tradition,” 255-61; Coffey
and Lim, Cambridge Companion to Puritanism, 1-7; Kapic and Gleason, Devoted
Life, 16-8; Spurr, English Puritanism, 3-8; Durston and Eales, Culture of English
Puritanism, 1-31; Collinson, “Puritans” s.v., 3:364-70; Lake, “Defining Puritanism---
again?”; David Hall, “Narrating Puritanism”; and Como, Blown by the Spirit, 1-32.
Older but still valuable is Finlayson, “Puritanism and Puritans,” 201 33 - 23.
34 Coffey, “Puritanism, Evangelicalism and Protestant Tradition,” 255 Collinson, “Puritans.” s.v., 3:364. - 61.^