congregation and the broader perspective of Puritan family hierarchy.^77 Therefore,
while no one would deny that patriarchy was firmly ensconced within Puritan culture
there was greater flexibility and freedom for women than commonly assumed.^78 In
fact, Willen concludes that, “godliness [among Puritan wives] tempered patriarchy”
and that normal gender roles were more conditioned by specific structure or order in a
given situation than by the gender of a person.^79 Further, Peters citing Gouge asserts
that men could actually forfeit their authority as the head of the family due to
drunkenness, card playing, or illicit sex.^80
Isaac Ambrose follows a similar pattern in his teaching on godly marriage in
his exploration of the roles of husband and wife in Media. He begins with a general
summary of mutual responsibilities. Husbands and wives should offer “[a] sweet,
loving, and tender-hearted pouring out of their hearts, with much affectionate
dearness into each others bosoms. This mutual-melting-heartedness, being preserved
fresh and fruitful, will infinitely sweeten and beautifie the marriage state.” Further,
he encourages couples to “resemble and imitate...the compassionate and melting
compellations which Christ and his Spouse exchange in the Canticles.”^81
Significantly spiritual marriage is able to guide godly marriage. Next he addresses
(^77) Peters, Patterns of Piety (^) , 314 (^) - 6. cf. Fletcher, “Protestant Idea of Marriage,” 167-
- 78
Limitations of space prevent a more detailed treatment of this expanding study of
patriarchy. For further exploration see Richardson, England, 107-9; Lake, “Feminine Piety and Personal Potency”; Porterfield, Puritanism in North-West
“Women’s Attraction to Puritanism”; Porterfield, Feminine Spirituality in America,
esp. 3-39; Willen, “Godly Women in Early Modern England”; Willen, “Construction
of the Feminine”; Godbeer, “Performing Patriarchy”; and Longfellow, Women and
Religious Writing 79 , esp. 1-41.
Willen, “Godly Women in Early Modern England,” 580 and Godbeer, “Performing
Patriarchy,” 293. 80
81 Peters, Ambrose, Patterns of PietyMedia (1657), 323., 317.^