[To THE EDITOR Or THE "SPECTATOR. " ] SIR,—Mr. Stone curiously misunderstands
my letter, which was not meant as a defence of Puritanism, nor to demonstrate that its tenets and practice are in accordance with the mind of Christ. It was an attempt to state the Puritan position, and to protest against the prevalent habit in discussion of giving one label to all sorts of contradictory opinions that one happens to agree with or to dislike,and then to say, asa sufficient mark of approval or disapproval, that such and such a thing is Socialism, Atheism, or Christianity. I fully agree with Mr. Stonein thinking that a good deal of Puritanism is essentially anti-Christian and, what is, to me, more important, contrary to fundamental morality. At the same time, Puritanism does lay stress on two very important things which are apt to be forgotten in these days, viz., the essential weakness of man and the positive active existence of sin. What was it (according to the Christian creed) but the weakness of man and the power of sin which made Christ come to live amongst men and to be crucified P St. Paul and the great saints (both of the world and the Church) continually think of themselves as miserable sinners. The ordinary man very rarely (if ever) does so, and there is a taint of unreality when in confession he says "there is no health in us." What in Puritanism may be called practical Atheism is its refusal to recognize the good things which God has placed in this world, its denial of happiness which would naturally follow a belief in a powerful and good God, and its belief that this world is a mere painful mistake in the universe. Puritanism is essentially humble : its aim is to help others towards righteousness ; it has no belief in the concep- tion of the superman, and yet it is certainly true that it does impose on its adherents and (as far as it can) on the world a certain austere stoicism and self-denial—a great virtue, but Pagan rather than Christian.—I am, Sir, &c.,
AUSTIN H. JOHNSON.
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