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Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet, born 1612, died 1672, was not a preacher in the traditional sense but an English Puritan poet whose deeply religious writings reflected a preaching-like devotion to faith, making her a significant spiritual voice in early colonial America. Born Anne Dudley in Northampton, England, to Thomas Dudley, a steward for the Earl of Lincoln, and Dorothy Yorke, she was educated unusually well for a woman of her time, studying history, languages, and theology under her father’s tutelage. At 16, she married Simon Bradstreet in 1628, and in 1630, the couple sailed with her family on the Arbella to Massachusetts Bay Colony as part of the Puritan migration, seeking religious freedom. Settling in Ipswich and later Andover, she raised eight children while grappling with the harsh realities of colonial life. Though not ordained or preaching from a pulpit—roles reserved for men in Puritan society—Bradstreet’s poetry served as a form of spiritual exhortation, weaving biblical themes and personal faith into works like The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650), published without her consent by her brother-in-law in London. Poems such as “Upon the Burning of Our House” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband” reveal a preacherly meditation on God’s providence, submission, and eternal hope, resonating with Puritan sermons of her day. Her health declined after a bout with smallpox in 1656, and she died on September 16, 1672, in Andover, likely from tuberculosis or childbirth complications.
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Anne Bradstreet's sermon reflects on her deep trust in God amidst trials, acknowledging His presence in her life, the comfort she finds in Him, and the surpassing joy she experiences in His love. She expresses her dependence on God for strength, guidance, and the fulfillment of her deepest desires, including the return of her husband. Bradstreet's prayerful plea for a better heart to serve God faithfully highlights her commitment to honoring Him and giving Him the praise He deserves.
In My Solitary Hours in My Dear Husband His Absence
O Lord, Thou hear'st my daily moan And see'st my dropping tears. My troubles all are Thee before, My longings and my fears. Thou hitherto hast been my God; Thy help my soul hath found. Though loss and sickness me assailed, Through Thee I've kept my ground. And Thy abode Thou'st made with me; With Thee my soul can talk; In secret places Thee I find Where I do kneel or walk. Though husband dear be from me gone, Whom I do love so well, I have a more beloved one Whose comforts far excel. O stay my heart on Thee. my God, Uphold my fainting soul. And when I know not what to do, I'll on Thy mercies roll. My weakness. Thou dost know full well Of body and of mind; I in this world no comfort have, But what from Thee I find. Though children Thou has given me, And friends I have also, Yet if I see Thee not through them They are no joy, but woe. O shine upon me, blessed Lord, Ev'n for my Saviour's sake; In Thee alone is more than all, And there content I'll take. O hear me, Lord, in this request As Thou before hast done, Bring back my husband, I beseech, As Thou didst once my son. So shall I celebrate Thy praise Ev'n while my days shall last And talk to my beloved one Of all Thy goodness past. So both of us Thy kindness, Lord, With praises shall recount And serve Thee better than before Whose blessings thus surmount. But give me, Lord, a better heart, Then better shall I be, To pay the vows which I do owe Forever unto Thee. Unless Thou help, what can I do But still my frailty show? If Thou assist me, Lord, I shall Return Thee what I owe.
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Anne Bradstreet, born 1612, died 1672, was not a preacher in the traditional sense but an English Puritan poet whose deeply religious writings reflected a preaching-like devotion to faith, making her a significant spiritual voice in early colonial America. Born Anne Dudley in Northampton, England, to Thomas Dudley, a steward for the Earl of Lincoln, and Dorothy Yorke, she was educated unusually well for a woman of her time, studying history, languages, and theology under her father’s tutelage. At 16, she married Simon Bradstreet in 1628, and in 1630, the couple sailed with her family on the Arbella to Massachusetts Bay Colony as part of the Puritan migration, seeking religious freedom. Settling in Ipswich and later Andover, she raised eight children while grappling with the harsh realities of colonial life. Though not ordained or preaching from a pulpit—roles reserved for men in Puritan society—Bradstreet’s poetry served as a form of spiritual exhortation, weaving biblical themes and personal faith into works like The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650), published without her consent by her brother-in-law in London. Poems such as “Upon the Burning of Our House” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband” reveal a preacherly meditation on God’s providence, submission, and eternal hope, resonating with Puritan sermons of her day. Her health declined after a bout with smallpox in 1656, and she died on September 16, 1672, in Andover, likely from tuberculosis or childbirth complications.