Pastoral and Practical Theology

Abstract

Chapter 5 focuses on how, in the 1620s and 1630s, the themes of prayer and preaching in his devotional work, Ancilla Pietatis, and collection of seventy sermons, Clavis Mystica, were complementary rather than contradictory. It also builds on several of the major themes of the work by examining how pastoral and polemical motivations were at the heart of these works, how Featley continued to be an active opponent—rather than a passive bystander and victim—of Laudianism, and how he positioned himself politically to avoid being reprimanded by an increasingly hostile Laudian regime. An examination of Featley’s political and pastoral sensibilities throughout the 1630s reveals that he endeavored to provide for the perceived pastoral needs of his readers and positioned himself to avoid being reprimanded by an increasingly hostile Laudian regime. His strategic utilization of these tactical maneuvers and survival strategies throughout the 1630s allowed him to navigate the landscape.