Samuel Willard was a prominent figure during the Salem witch trials in the late 17th century. He was a Puritan minister, theologian, and scholar, known for his involvement in the trials and his writings on the subject. During the Salem witch trials, a wave of hysteria swept through the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Many people were accused of witchcraft, and several were put on trial and executed. Samuel Willard was the minister of the Third Church in Boston and was called upon to provide guidance and support during this challenging time. Willard was a strong believer in the reality of witchcraft and its dangers.
Samuel Willard
Written By Dave Hendrick
In evaluating those Puritan ministers involved in the Salem witch trials, we would certainly have to regard the Rev. Samuel Willard of Boston as one of the virtuous clergymen, as he was opposed to the trials and tried to influence public opinion against them in 1692. Undoubtedly, great things had long been expected of Willard, as his family lineage bespeaks that of a man destined to make an impact upon the community.
Willard was born in the town Concord, Massachusetts Bay in 1640. His place among the town's leaders was virtually assured from birth, as his father, Simon Willard, was the founder of Concord. Willard soon set out on the familiar course for young aspiring ministers, enrolling at Harvard where he would study long enough to receive his Master's Degree in 1659. Indeed, Samuel Willard could very well be remembered solely for his fiery devotion to the Puritan church, as he was well known for his vicious denunciations of any attempts to water down the Puritan tenets of predestination, irresistible grace, total depravity, and perseverance of the saints. Willard was also known for his staunch support for the continued marriage between church and state, and held strong opposition to the creeping Quaker and Baptist influences in the community. In these ways, Willard's sermons were heavily influential to men who would take up the Puritan cause after his death, Jonathan Edwards in particular. Nevertheless, it is Willard's role in the witch trials that concerns us here.
Willard's past experience seems to make him a fine candidate to speak out about the trials of the 1690s, as he played a crucial role in heading off a potential outbreak of hysteria some twenty years prior to the Salem episode. In 1671, while ministering in the frontier town of Groton, Massachusetts Bay, Willard was witness to a number of strange acts that befell one of his servants, a young girl of sixteen by the name of Elizabeth Knapp. Knapp seems to have exhibited a number of the symptoms that would be made famous by the "afflicted" girls of Salem village twenty years later. Indeed, Knapp was observed to act in a "strange and unwonten" manner, and often fell into violent fits and complained of being attacked. When Knapp eventually accused the specter of a neighbor of attacking her, Willard insisted she put an end to such accusations at once, for the neighbor was a person of "sincere uprightness before God." Also, Willard seems to have exercised good judgment in being hesitant to believe that the devil afflicted the girl, writing that "Whither shee has covenanted with the Devill or noe, I think this is a case unanswerable, her declarations have been soe contradictorye. . . . ". Although Willard was yet to denounce the idea of Satan using a person's image or specter to attack another person, here he seems to have used impeccable judgment in not rushing to conclusions about why his young woman appeared afflicted.
Willard's role in Salem also presents a man concerned that innocent people must be protected from the misinformed and vicious elements in the Puritan society. When Governor William Phips sought guidance from some of the learned clergy in the area, Willard was one of the several who signed "The Return of Several Ministers." This document acknowledged that while the devil might be responsible for the afflictions found in Salem, it urged the court to exercise great caution to prevent the innocent from being convicted. The ministers further discounted the reliability of spectral evidence by asserting that the devil could impersonate the likeness of any person, even an "innocent" without that person's permission. Although the court in Salem ignored this caution, spectral evidence was eventually called into question the trials lost their theological foundation. The work of Willard and his like minded colleagues also shows that to whatever extent clergymen in Salem may have contributed to the witchcraft outbreak, Willard and other Boston ministers tried to quell its spread.
A level-headed moderate concerning witchcraft, Willard is thought to have written a sixteen page fictional dialogue between two ministers who hold opposed points of view on the Salem trials. One minister represented the views of the Salem clergy, the other represented the Boston ministers. The dialogue, entitled "Some Miscellany Observations on our present debates respecting Witchcrafts: A Dialogue between 'S' and 'B'" is clearly the work of one who saw great injustice in the theological and legal aspects of the trials. Among Willard's chief complaints is the fact that so often a confession coupled with further accusations resulted in an acquittal, while a denial of guilt virtually guaranteed one's conviction. Among the Boston minister's key arguments in the dialogue is that "witches" who ultimately confess and accuse other witches are not to be trusted, because, after all, they're witches! When the Salem clergyman decries using too much caution, allowing many witches to go free, Boston replies that "the more horrid the crime is, the more cautious we ought to be in making any guilty of it." Boston's point being that relying on the suspect spectral evidence was no basis from which to ruin men and women's lives and cast a permanent stigma upon their family name.
Samuel Willard continued to be a tireless anti-trial activist well after the trials had passed. In 1694, he pushed for a reconciliation between the pro and anti-Samuel Parris factions within Salem village. Willard was also known to ask, in public ceremony and sermon, for God to forgive the atrocities that had taken place in Salem at the hands of overzealous townsfolk.
Bibliography
Peterson, Mark. "Ordinary Preaching and the Interpretation of the Salem Witchcraft Crisis by the Boston Clergy," Essex Institute Historical Collections.
Robbins, Stephen. "Samuel Willard and the Specters of God's Wrathful Lions," The New England Quarterly.
Samuel Willard (1640-1707)
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“The Covenant of Redemption is only applied by grace to all the redeemed, and only they are to receive its benefits.”
Willard was a strong believer in the reality of witchcraft and its dangers. He preached sermons and wrote extensively on the subject, urging caution and vigilance in detecting and punishing witches. He argued that the devil was actively working to corrupt and deceive the faithful and that it was essential to root out and eliminate any sources of evil in society.
Biography of Samuel Willard (1640-1707):
Samuel Willard (1640-1707) was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and has been deemed “the last puritan.” However, on two accounts this would be untrue. First, puritanism surrounds those nonconformist ministers who remained in the Church of England in order to “purify it.” Secondly, those ministers who left the Church of England were called pilgrims, not puritans. Certainly Willard’s doctrine was in accordance with Puritanism, and the Reformed Theology of the day (as was Jonathan Edwards later), but strictly speaking, it would be better to deem Mr. Willard a reformed Preacher of the Gospel, than “a puritan.”
Willard attended Harvard and graduated in 1659, studying divinity after his conversion to the Gospel. After graduating from Harvard, he was ordained a minister in Groton, Massachusetts in 1664, where he served as pastor until 1676 (until the town was attacked by Indians in 1676, during King Philip’s War). He was then called to the Old South Church in Boston, and became the second most important preacher of the New England Calvinistic Church of the day, after Increase Mather (1639-1723). John Dunton (1659-1733), an English bookseller, said, “He’s a man of profound notions, can say what he will, and prove what he says,” commenting on Willard’s scholarly abilities with Scripture. He had a keen ability for preaching with excellent delivery. For example, his son-in-law, Rev. Samuel Neal, preached for him in the Old South church one Lord’s Day, and the sermon being considered very poor, the congregation requested that he should not be invited to fill the pulpit again. Mr. Willard borrowed the identical sermon and read it to the same congregation, which immediately requested a copy for publication.
Willard strenuously opposed the Salem witchcraft trials, and tried to influence public opinion against them.
When Increase Mather retired from the presidency of Harvard, Mr. Willard, being vice-president, succeeded to the government of that college, serving in 1701 until 1707.
In keeping with a Reformed emphasis on the Gospel, Willard’s preaching centered on the doctrine of the covenant (of which the work “The Doctrine of the Covenant of Redemption,” masterfully demonstrates). He opposed Arminianism by preaching the Reformed doctrines of predestination, total depravity, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints as standards of Gospel truth, consistently magnifying the sovereignty of God’s divine grace through Jesus Christ’s redemptive work.
Willard opposed Antinominanism by writing and preaching vigorously on the historic Reformed emphases of revelation, justification, and sanctification. Throughout his ministry he propagated and defended New England’s biblical and orthodox stance on infant baptism, an educated pastorate, and the alliance of church and state in religion (opposing both Baptist and Quaker theology).
However, as the trials progressed, Willard became increasingly skeptical of the methods being used to determine guilt or innocence. He criticized the reliance on spectral evidence, which was based on the testimony of alleged victims who claimed to see the accused as spirits or specters tormenting them. Willard argued that such evidence was unreliable and prone to manipulation. Despite his reservations, Willard did not openly denounce the trials or their proceedings. Instead, he offered more cautious and nuanced interpretations of the evidence and urged the courts to exercise caution in their judgments. He advised against haste and encouraged a considered approach to each case. Willard's writings on witchcraft during this period were influential and widely read. His book "Some Miscellany Observations" was published in 1692 and discussed various aspects of witchcraft, including its causes, symptoms, and remedies. It provided a theological and intellectual justification for the actions being taken against accused witches, while also acknowledging the need for a careful and fair examination of the evidence. Ultimately, the Salem witch trials came to an end, and the colony recognized the flawed and unjust nature of the proceedings. Samuel Willard's role in the trials was complex, as he expressed both support and skepticism regarding the controversial practices. He provided guidance and theological arguments for the persecution of witches, but also urged caution and a fair examination of the evidence. His writings on the subject continue to be studied and analyzed, offering insights into the beliefs and mindset of the time..
Reviews for "The Impact of Samuel Willard's Preaching on the Public Perception of the Salem Witch Trials"
1. Linda - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Samuel Willard Salem Witch Trials" as I am a fan of historical fiction. However, I was disappointed with the book. The storytelling was disjointed and the characters felt flat and one-dimensional. The author failed to fully immerse me in the world of Salem during the witch trials, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. Overall, a missed opportunity to explore a fascinating period in history.
2. Mark - 1 star - "Samuel Willard Salem Witch Trials" was a complete letdown. The writing was amateurish, filled with clichés and predictable plot twists. The author failed to do justice to the complexity and nuances of the Salem witch trials, instead reducing it to a simplistic and melodramatic tale. The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult to empathize or connect with any of them. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a meaningful exploration of this historical event.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - I was hoping for an immersive and gripping account of the Salem witch trials in "Samuel Willard Salem Witch Trials," but unfortunately, it fell short. The pacing was slow, and the plot seemed disjointed, leading to a lackluster reading experience. The characters were forgettable, and I struggled to maintain interest in their journeys. Additionally, the writing style was mediocre, lacking depth and nuance. Overall, this book failed to capture the essence of the Salem witch trials, leaving me disappointed and unfulfilled.
4. Michael - 1 star - "Samuel Willard Salem Witch Trials" was an absolute bore. The writing was dry, and the pacing was agonizingly slow. The author failed to create any sense of suspense or tension throughout the entire book, making it a struggle to finish. The characters were forgettable and lacked any depth or development. I was hoping for an engaging and informative read about the Salem witch trials, but instead, I got an uninspired and tedious narrative. I cannot recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting exploration of this historical event.