For his Religion, it was fit
To match his learning and his wit;
'Twas Presbyterian true blue;
For he was of that stubborn crew
Of errant saints, whom all men grant
To be the true Church Militant;
Such as do build their faith upon
The holy text of pike and gun;
Decide all controversies by
Infallible artillery;
And prove their doctrine orthodox
By apostolic blows and knocks;
Call fire and sword and desolation,
A godly thorough reformation,
Which always must be carried on,
And still be doing, never done;
As if religion were intended
For nothing else but to be mended. (Lines 189-206)

Basic set up:

This is an excerpt from Samuel Butler's poem Hudibras.

Samuel Butler is poking fun at Puritans in this poem. The Puritan is a "Church Militant" who decides "all controversies by/ Infallible artillery." These Puritans, in other words, like fighting. They're zealots. They can't leave religion along; they keep wanting to tinker and improve it.

Butler's attack on Puritans, and Puritanism, in the poem, reflects the attitude of the Restoration age toward Puritans. During this period there was a big backlash against Puritans. They were seen as responsible for plunging England into a state of chaos by playing a part in bringing an end to monarchy. The unflattering view of the Puritans in Butler's poem, then, reflects the popular view of Puritans during the time.

Butler's poem is written in rhyming couplets. It's full of irony and satire (those Restoration writers just loved satire). The Puritans "build their faith upon/ The holy text of pike and gun." Their faith, in other words, is built on violence. They "Call fire and sword and desolation,/ A godly thorough reformation."

Through this use of irony and satire, Butler paints a pretty ugly picture of the Puritans. He's saying that they're hypocrites, and ultra-violent to boot.