Puritanism and the Pursuit of Happiness

Reveals a much neglected strand of puritan theology which emphasised the importance of inner happiness and personal piety. The traditional view of puritans is that they were killjoys - serious, austere, gloomy people who closed theatres and abolished Christmas. This book, based on extensive original research, presents a different view. Focusing on both the writings of the leading Independent divine, Ralph Venning, and also on his pastoral work in the 1640s and 1650s when he was successively chap