Puritans And Moral Liberty

In the early seventeenth century, a group of English Protestants also known as the Puritans came to America to search for liberty. Puritans were trying to seek for the right to worship and govern themselves in the Christian manner. In 1645, Governor John Winthrop made a famous speech for the concept of freedom for the Puritans to the Massachusetts legislature. John Winthrop pointed out two different liberties, which were “natural liberty” and “moral liberty”. He had addressed that natural liberty is what man as he wants to, and moral liberty is what as a citizen we will do only what is good. John Winthrop clearly drew a distinction between these two types of liberty, and supported the moral liberty as the liberty that we should follow. According …show more content…
The concept of this liberty is about the covenant between God and humanity. “It is yourselves who have called us to this office, and being called by you, we have our authority from God” (Winthrop 30). Moral liberty motivates an individual to act on what is right. Respect the rule of law and the authority demonstrated the overall point of moral liberty. The community elected the magistrates who presented the majority interest, and rule based on the God’s law. We the people who created our government that presenting our community interest. The foundation of the government is based on our faith in their ability and skill to unite the community. “This liberty is maintained and exercised in a way of subjection to authority; it is of the same kind of liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Winthrop 31). Differ form nature liberty, moral liberty is more about the authority and the law, which prevent the selfish of a man who acts on his list. This liberty is good and honest, and even if we fail we still can listen to other advice or any other way of God. Winthrop supported moral liberty because it presented his believe as a Puritan in religious freedom as well as freedom of