As the first generation of Massachusetts Bay settlers began to die off by the middle of the 17th century, the Congregational churches faced a membership crisis. "Full participation had been limited to the 'Visible Saints' those who had made a public affirmation of their faith and had been accepted into membership by a vote of the congregation," (Mulder 134). The second and third generation of Puritans did not have the same religious ambition their fathers had before them. Economic conditions had greatly improved, and individuals were paying increasingly less attention to the congregatio…
