Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630
The Puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to "purify" the Church of England from what they viewed as Catholic practices and corruption. They believed in direct access to God through the Bible, rather than through church hierarchy and officials.
By the early 1600s, facing persecution and frustrated by the pace of reform in England, many Puritans decided to leave for the New World. Some were Separatists who wanted to break completely from the Church of England—these were the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620.
Ten years after the Mayflower, in 1630, a much larger group of Puritans led by John Winthrop established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Unlike the Pilgrims, these Puritans remained loyal to the Church of England but believed they could "purify" it from within by creating a model Christian community in America.
As they sailed across the Atlantic, Puritan leaders gave sermons about their mission and their vision for this new society. Today, you'll read two of these sermons to understand the Puritans' beliefs and intentions.
Source: John Winthrop (1588–1649), lawyer and leader of the 1630 migration of English Puritans to Massachusetts Bay Colony, delivered this famous sermon aboard the Arbella to settlers traveling to New England.
Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others’ necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, "may the Lord make it like that of New England." For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God's sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going. And to shut this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30. "Beloved, there is now set before us life and death, good and evil," in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his ordinance and his laws, and the articles of our Covenant with Him, that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it. But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it. Therefore let us choose life,that we and our seed may live, by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity.
Source: Puritan leader John Cotton gave the following sermon to members of his congregation who were immigrating to America in 1630. Cotton became a respected and influential clergyman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more [11 Sam. 7:10]. . . .
The placing of a people in this or that country is from the appointment of the Lord. . .
Quest. Wherein doth this work of God stand in appointing a place for a people?
Answ. First, when God espies or discovers a land for a people, as in Ezek. 20:6: “He brought them into a land that He had espied for them.” And, that is, when either He gives them to discover it themselves, or hears of it discovered by others, and fitting them.
Second, after He hath espied it, when He carrieth them along to it, so that they plainly see a providence of God leading them from one country to another, as in Ex. 19:4: “You have seen how I have borne you as on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself.” So that though they met with many difficulties, yet He carried them high above them all, like an eagle, flying over seas and rocks, and all hindrances.
Third, when He makes room for a people to dwell there, as in Ps. 80:9: “Thou preparedst room for them.…”
Now, God makes room for a people three ways:
First, when He casts out the enemies of a people before them by lawful war with the inhabitants, which God calls them unto, as in Ps. 44:2: “Thou didst drive out theheathen before them.” But this course of warring against others and driving them out without provocation depends upon special commission from God, or else it is not imitable.
Second, when He gives a foreign people favor in the eyes of any native people to come and sit down with them, either by way of purchase, as Abraham did obtain the field of Machpelah; or else when they give it in courtesy, as Pharaoh did the land of Goshen unto the sons of Jacob.
Third, when He makes a country, though not altogether void of inhabitants, yet void in that place where they reside. Where there is a vacant place, there is liberty for the sons of Adam or Noah to come and inhabit, though they neither buy it nor ask their leaves.… So that it is free from that common grant for any totake possession of vacant countries. Indeed, no nation is to drive out another without special commission from Heaven, such as the Israelites had, unless the natives do unjustly wrong them, and will not recompense the wrongs done in a peaceable fort [manner]. And then they may right themselves by lawful war and subdue the country unto themselves.…
This may teach us all, where we now dwell or where after we may dwell: Be sure you look at every place appointed to you from the hand of God. We may not rush into any place and never say to God, “By Your leave.” But we must discern how God appoints us this place. There is poor comfort in sitting down in any place that you cannot say, “This place is appointed me of God.” Canst thou say that God made room for thee, and there hath settled thee above all hindrances? Didst thou find that God made room for thee either by lawful descent, or purchase, or gift, or other warrantable right? Why, then, this is the place God hath appointed thee; here He hath made room for thee, He hath placed thee in Rehoboth, in a peaceable place. This we must discern or else we are but intruders upon God. And when we do withal discern that God giveth us these outward blessings from His love in Christ, and maketh comfortable provision as well for our soul as for our bodies by the means of grace, then do we enjoy our present possession as well by gracious promise as by the common, and just, and bountiful providence of the Lord. Or, if a man do remove, he mustsee that God hath espied out such a country for him.…
Quest. But how shall I know whether God hath appointed me such a place, if I be well where I am, what may warrant my removal?
Answ. There be four or five good things, for procurement of any of which I may remove. Second, there be some evil things, for avoiding of any of which we may transplant ourselves. Third, if withal we find some special providence of God concurring in either of both concerning ourselves, and applying general grounds of removal to our personal estate.
First, we may remove for the gaining of knowledge.…
Second, some remove and travail for merchandise and gainsake: “Daily bread may be sought from far” (Prov. 31:41).…
Third, to plant a colony, that is, a company that agree together to remove out of their own country, and settle a city or commonwealth elsewhere. Of such a colony, we read in Acts 16:12, which God blessed and prospered exceedingly, and made it a glorious church.…
Fourth, God alloweth a man to remove when he may employ his talents and gift better elsewhere.…
Fifth, for the liberty of the ordinances.… This case was of seasonable use to our fathers in the days of Queen Mary, who removed to France and Germany in the beginning of her reign, upon proclamation of alteration of religion, before any persecution began.… There be evils to be avoided that may warrant removal: First, when some grievous sins overspread a country that threaten desolation.… Second, if men be overburdened with debts and miseries.… Third, in case of persecution.… As these general cases, where any of them do fall out, do warrant removal in general; so there be some special providences or particular cases which may give warrant unto such or such a person to transplant himself, and which apply the former general grounds to particular persons; first, if sovereign authority command and encourage suchplantations by giving way to subjects to transplant themselves and set up a new commonwealth. This is a lawful and expedient case for such particular persons as be designed and sent: Matt. 8:9: “And for such as they who are sent have power to command.” Second, when some special providence of God leads a man unto such a course.
Corroboration means comparing multiple sources to understand different perspectives on the same event or question. By examining both Winthrop's and Cotton's sermons, we can develop a more complete understanding of Puritan beliefs and motivations.
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