What was the puritans definition of hell?

Answer 1

Hell was a terrifying place in the Puritans' minds, especially as nobody could do anything about it. The Puritans were Calvinists who believed in double predestination and unconditional election: in other words, instead of believing that Christ died for all men, in their minds, Christ only died for the elect, and God has predestined some for hell, and there is nothing you can do about it. Their lifestyle was so rigorous as they believed that a moral life, while not changing God's decision (you couldn't) but it showed that you were one of the saved. This is why the early protestants in America killed the Indians left and right (unlike the Catholics who preached and tried to convert them) - the Puritans believed that the Indians were not among the elect, the saved. The following is from the book The Sinfulness of Sin from Puritan Press by Ralph Venning:

On Hell 'The torments themselves will be universal. It will not be merely one or two torments but all torments united. Hell is the place of torment itself (Luke 16.28). It is the centre of all punishments, sorrow and pain, wrath and vengeance, fire and darkness'

The Puritans on Hell and How to Avoid it:

http://lexloiz.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/the-puritans-on-hell-and-how-to-avoid-it/

Answer 2

The Puritans believed that hell was a place of eternal punishment and torment for those who did not repent and accept Christ as their savior. They viewed hell as a real and literal place where sinners would be separated from God for eternity. The concept of hell was an important aspect of Puritan theology, emphasizing the consequences of sin and the need for salvation.