Scottish Puritanism, 1590-1638, is a portrait of Protestantism in the two generations leading to the National Covenant of 1638. This book investigates the construction of a puritan community embracing 'godly' ministers along with significant numbers of lay men and women willing to engage in the practice of a piety which confronted the inner person and the external world, seeking the reformation of both. Topics include attitudes towards the Bible and the sacraments, the nature of the Christian life, the place of the feminine in Scottish divinity, and the development of ideas about predestination, covenanting, and the relationship between church and state. The book addresses the tensions inherent in puritanism, such as those associated with the nature of the church and the extent of freedom, and provides a perspective on the relationship between Scottish and English religious developments.

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David George Mullan is an Associate Professor, History and Religious Studies at University College of Cape Breton.

'a major contribution to our understanding of this movement' Evangelical Times, October 2001

'this book is a comprehensive, systematic introduction to puritan thought' Evangelical Times, October 2001

'an extensive review primarily of works of divinity, presenting an intellectual history of Protestantism in the two centuries leading tot the National Covenant of 1638' Northern History, XXXVIII

'a magnificent portrait of a movement that, more than any other, shaped the contours of the historic Scottish church' Evangelical Times, October 2001

'In 1986, Mullan produced an excellent work on Scottish Episcopacy. His reputation as an authority on Scottish Protestantism is well earned and greatly increased by his newest book, which serves as a useful companion to the earlier work.' Northern Scotland, vol. 21

'magnificent' Evangelical Times, October 2001

'Significant comparisons arise in the text about English and Scottish religious developments.' Northern History, XXXVIII