The Puritan culture of the New England colonies of the seventeenth century was influenced by Calvinist theology, which believed in a "just, almighty God,"[1] and a lifestyle of pious, consecrated actions.
Puritan ministers most commonly used exegesis to preach on passages of scripture, meaning they strove to base their beliefs and theology directly on the Bible.
[1] Some prominent leaders whose sermons are still extant include Cotton Mather, John Davenport, and Jonathan Edwards.
[1] Some Puritans wrote from those personal records to provide accounts of events, with an emphasis on God's intervention in human affairs.
According to the anthology America's Musical Life by Dr. Richard Crawford, up until the late 16th century, the Puritans picked up the use of The Whole Bookie of Psalmed, Collected into Englisher Meter as hymns to complement the sermons.
[1] When this sort of "psalm singing" was brought to the Americas, general historians believe it provided a basis for an "indigenous musical life" for the New World.
Aside from embellishments on buildings and small decorations in the home, however, paintings also surfaced during the era that the Puritans occupied the land.
[6] The Puritans placed significant emphasis on the value of work and saw it as a duty to the Lord as his chosen people to spend all time productively.
[9] Scholars recorded in the Stadion journal that as Puritan theology evolved, its understanding of the body shifted from an inherently sinful entity to a "neutral" quality of life.