Hooker's Doctrine of Assurance: A Critical Phase in New England Spiritual Thought

Abstract

OF the leading Puritan divines who sailed to New England between 1629 and 1635, Thomas Hooker had the most to say about the process of redemption-a topic on which he preached with unusual knowledge and skill. He had, moreover, the ability to define each phase of the process with extraordinary care, so that if sinners could not discern the moment of saving grace they would certainly know the manner in which it could be achieved. No other Puritan divine so con-