Why Is Edward Taylor Considered A Protestant?

In 1517, Martin Luther took a stand against the power of the Catholic Church and hammered the famous 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church, changing the course of history. Luther’s act spawned the Protestant Reformation, creating a hostile environment for anyone who did not identify as Catholic and created a lasting effect that impacted Protestants for years to come. For centuries, anybody who labeled themselves as a Protestant would be shunned or targeted by the government. The kingdom constructed acts and laws that would make it impossible for anyone who did not devote themselves to Catholicism to keep or land a career. Consequently, some Protestants took the targets on their backs as a reason to flee and migrate to America. They sought
For example, Edward Taylor, a devout Protestant, fled to America in order to practice his religion out in the open. The ability to freely speak his mind and his beliefs led him to become a phenomenal poet. Furthermore, Taylor wrote about the religion’s interpretations of God and his work. He was one of the only poets of the 1700s to give insight on the beliefs of the Puritans without becoming too emotionally vulnerable. Edward Taylor used his metaphysical writing style to enforce the Puritan beliefs through symbolism in “Huswifery,” “Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children,” and “Upon a Spider Catching a Fly.” Taylor was born in Sketchley, Leicestershire, England to his farmer parents William and Margaret Taylor in the year 1642. Before he turned eighteen, both of Taylor’s parents passed away; his mother in 1657 and his father a year later in 1658. With very little record of his years in between, it was discovered that Taylor later became a teacher. During the early
He was one of the only poets to give an insight into the lifestyle of the Puritans during the 1600s. His poem “Huswifery” exposed the Puritans desperation to be a child of God. They were so eager to let God take control of their lives and based everything off of his approval towards them. Secondly, “Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children” goes into the struggles in which people doubt God. The poem allows people to understand that everything happens for a reason. Taylor used his own experiences to show that he too doubted the power of God at times; however, he knew that if deferred from God that more terrible things would have continued to happen. Along the lines of doubting God, he wrote “Upon a Spider Catching a Fly.” He writes about how straying from God would only result in the inability to survive. However, even when distancing oneself from him, he would always help out. The fly was saved by the power of God. Taylor wrote about how God was the savior of everything. His poems gave an insight to why the Puritans felt the need to give their entire lives to God. Taylor got his recognition decades later as Historians began to study the ideas of Puritanism. His poetry gave a detailed insight to the ins and outs of Puritans and how they dealt with prevailing issues. Without Taylor’s poetry there would not be a thorough understanding of Puritanism