Miller, Perry. Errand Into the Wilderness. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976.
Perry Miller described his book, Errand Into the Wilderness, as “a compilation of pieces.” While each chapter had a different subject and argument, Miller focused this religious history on the defining Puritan beliefs and the effect these beliefs had on society. The book consisted of a preface and ten chapters, the time period ranging from 1670 to the end of the Second World War. Miller covered topics such as politics, literature, Puritanism, the Great Awakening, and nature, and how they relate to American religion. In Errand Into the Wilderness, Miller did a great job of highlighting religion as a purpose and cause, rather than just a set of beliefs.
One thing that is important to note about the book is the commentary that appears before each chapter. Because many of the chapters were articles Miller had written for other purposes, he begins each chapter by acknowledging the problems in the chapter and the things he would have done differently. Miller remains relatively objective throughout most of the book, but his favor for Jonathan Edwards begins to peek through towards the later chapters.
Chapter one is entitled “Errand Into the Wilderness” and introduces the theme that is carried out throughout the book–the errand itself. Miller begins by examining the purpose of the Puritans’ pilgrimage to America. Miller argues that the Puritans saw their expedition as the upholding of their end of a covenant with God, and therefore had no other choice but to establish their “city on a hill.” Chapters two and four are related; Miller discusses politics and government in both chapters, in chapter two the Connecticut colony (chapter two) and in chapter four, the Virginia colony (chapter four). In chapter two, Miller compares the Connecticut colony with the Massachusetts Bay colony and states that the Connecticut colony under Thomas Hooker experienced slightly more democracy than the Massachusetts Bay colony. When discussing the Virginian colony, Miller makes the argument that while the Virginian colony was founded mainly for economic purposes, religion was involved in the establishment and first governments of the colony.
Similar to chapters two and four, chapters three and five are also connected. Chapter three, “The Marrow of Puritan Divinity,” discusses different beliefs of the Puritans, while chapter five, “The Puritan State and Puritan Society” considers the impacts of these beliefs on Puritan state and society. Miller compares Puritanism with Calvinism in chapter three. He argues that while Puritans and Calvinists foundationally believed much of the same things, Puritans were not influenced by John Calvin himself– “New England leaders did not stem directly from Calvin; they learned the Calbinist technology only after it had been improved, embellished, and in many respects transformed by a host of hard-thinking expounders and critics” (Miller, 50). In chapter five Miller contrasts the Puritan view of religion with the new denominations' views of religion. While new evangelical denominations, influenced by the Renaissance and Reformation, began to focus on spiritual experiences on an individual level, Miller argues that “for the Puritan mind it was not possible to segregate a man’s spiritual life from his communal life” (Miller, 152).
The next three chapters all discuss Jonathan Edwards in some way. Chapter six, “Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening” discusses Edwards’ role in the Great Awakening, chapter seven “The Rhetoric of Sensation,” considers John Locke’s influences on Edwards’ beliefs and writings, and chapter eight, “From Edwards to Emerson,” compares the two men’s beliefs. Miller argues in chapter six that Jonathan Edwards was an “acute definer of the terms on which the revival was conducted” (Miller, 155). In chapter seven, Miller states that the different philosophical ideas surrounding language influenced the reasoning behind many of Jonathan Edwards’ sermons. In “From Edwards to Emerson,” Miller considers the differences between seeing God in the universe (Edwards) and seeing God as the universe (Emerson). He argues that the only difference in the ideas of these two men is Edwards’ refusal to see God as the universe, and Emerson’s refusal to see God in the universe.
Chapters nine and ten both characterize an impending sense of doom and are the first chapters to be about wilderness first and religion second, rather than the other way around. In chapter nine, “Nature and the National Ego,” Miller argues that although the zeitgeist was relatively optimistic concerning religion, Americans were stricken by a fear of nature and wilderness succumbing to the rapid and ugly spread of civilization, also known as becoming more like Europe. Chapter ten, “The End of the World,” discusses Puritan views on the Day of Judgment. Miller argues that despite the intrinsically horrifying nature of the apocalypse, the Puritans rejoiced in the concept and looked forward to the day.
Although every chapter is its own individual essay, Miller does an exemplary job connecting and organizing each chapter to fit the theme of the book. Each chapter’s thesis is stated and proven efficiently with evidence and analysis. Not only is Errand Into the Wilderness informative and well-written, it is an essential part of Puritan historiography. Miller’s book has been used as a source in many publications and cited numerous times. Errand Into the Wilderness contributed immensely to other scholarship on Puritans. For the time period it was written in, Errand Into the Wilderness offered new thought and analysis into Puritan beliefs and the effect those beliefs had on their government and society.