Black Clouds John Edwards Analysis

The second, a classic form of separatism, arose most spectacularly in the person of Roger Williams, who thought it necessary for the members of a congregation to "make a public declaration of their repentance for having communion with the churches of England, while they lived there." Thus it was sufficient in his eyes to have banished that Church's errors from Puritan congregations; it was even necessary to renounce the Church. Winthrop understood the danger of Williams's ideas, that they might/must lead one to keep withdrawing further and further from the world and burrowing deeper into oneself, in the ultimately mistaken belief that only one's own vision of God's truth is pure.

Upon examining the Book of Micah, there are many similar themes which Winthrop draws from in his speech. In the Book of Micah, God punishes the Israelites for breaking their religious covenant with their “lack of justice and honesty”. Micah then speaks with God to find out how they may gain God’s trust and love again to which God demands “to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” which Winthrop quotes directly. Winthrop is acknowledging the failures of previous Christians suggesting that they themselves are vulnerable to God’s wrath if they behave inappropriately, evidence that Winthrop does not believe his Puritans are perfect.

Adapting a Puritan lifestyle drastically affected Winthrop’s perspective on the world and his role in it. He knew that he could not completely disconnect himself from it “as monks and hermits do” (Morgan 6) so he had to adapt to the struggle of finding a balance of his role of worshiping God and “lending his hand to shape [the world]” (Morgan 14).

One reason for the Colonial Americans’ growth in faith is the fact the era was abundant with religious figures who strove to lead people to God and created guidelines for them to live by. The people of Colonial America were blessed to abide in an “enchanted world of wonders.” These wonders were no doubt brought on by the hand of God, and the recognition of this fact caused new religious leaders to rise up and help people focus on living Godly lives despite the secular distractions that they were presented with. One Puritan leader, John Winthrop, stated, “That which the most in their Churches maintain as a truth in profession only, we must bring into familiar and constant practice, as in this duty of love we must love brotherly without dissimulation, we must love one another with a pure heart fervently we must bear one another’s burdens…” Winthrop not only wanted each individual person to maintain a stronger focus on faith in daily life, he also wanted them to use their faith to unite together, and his Model of Christian Charity showed the people how to accomplish that. Many people tried to abide by these teachings and pass them onto their children before they made their own way in the changing, confusing world because many parents feared their children would “Fall un’wares in Fowler’s snare.”

Lastly, Roger Williams is a strong supporter of religious liberty. Religious liberty is another example on how Williams believed the people should be able to practice their own religion, not have it decided by the government. He protests that “civil authority should be limited to civil matters and that magistrates had no jurisdiction over the soul” (174). Meaning that the government does not have the right to enforce religious duties on people, to let them believe on their own. Williams put it as wanting to “build a wall of separation between state and church in order to keep the holy and pure religion of Jesus Christ from contamination by the slightest taint of earthly support” (Miller 174). This was the main argument of Williams that caused him to become unwelcome in both Plymouth and Boston. John Winthrop did not oppose to dissent just that there needed to be limits set. He worried that if dissent was not kept within bounds, it would undermine the community and that integrity of the community demanded religious conformity. Winthrop believes challenges to religious authority could undermine the political

John Winthrop's dream was for the Massachusetts colony to be respected by the world for how its people give to others in need and for the relationships people in the community had with each other. The Pilgrims and Puritans came to america to practice their own religion. When the Pilgrims arrived in America; they were supposed to be in Virginia. A storm set them off course and they ended up in Cape Cod. The Pilgrims decided to call the area Plymouth, and because there was no government there; they created a new government known as the Mayflower Compact. When the Puritans came 10 years later with John Winthrop. He wanted to make a government that was based around God and one that would be a good example for other colonies to follow in the future.

In Edmund S. Morgan’s, The Puritan Dilemma, it was evident that John Winthrop focused his entire life around glorifying God, in turn creating a government that did the same. This ideology translated into the way he shaped and structured Puritan society. Winthrop first focused on the formation of a community of unity and harmony, then built a government that fostered it. All of the governmental structures in place were supporting one main focus of the Puritan society being “a city on a hill.” Citation Further, Puritan society was to act as an example for the surrounding colonies of godly living. Harmony was backed by their ideals of

Winthrop’s political theory developed from an early age. As a religious man, one would expect him to be a preacher, but he found his calling through law and leadership. Because he was such a devout Puritan, he was chosen to spearhead the project of establishing the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was originally purposed for economic uses. This changed when the group elected him as governor, which altered the purpose of the colony to be more religious in nature. As a result, this group of Christians made an “exodus” from the old world with the mindset of establishing a “true Christian society”, much like the Jews fleeing from Egypt, as described in the first testament, book of Exodus in the Bible. They felt it was not only a privilege but a duty of God, and as the metaphorical and literal hands of God, to uphold the values of a true Puritan society. This cemented in him a purpose to erect a community that would be that “Citty on a Hill” that is so famously quoted.

John Winthrop in 1630 gave his sermon to the settlers before they landed in New England to keep the Puritan believes strong. This sermon was trying to show that there would be struggles in New England but that with the help of God that they could get through it and that they needed to keep their faith strong. He stated that everything that is done in New England is for the glory of God and that they were going there because God had sent them there, he unintentionally may have stated the expand of Puritan believes in New England. John Winthrop had no argument in this document and no evidence is found within the document, but through research it is known that it wasn’t given much attention when it was delivered and that it was accurate as

Dependent upon the clemency of God, the Puritans use their faith to ensure success in a new, foreign land. Ultimately, Winthrop implies that if the colonists genuinely dedicate themselves to Christ, their lives will be improved, in that God will help them in their endeavors: "The end is to improve our lives to do more service to the Lord...that ourselves and posterity may be the better preserved from the common corruptions of this evil world, to serve the Lord and work out our salvation under the power and purity of His holy ordinances" (215). By using the phrase "corruption of this evil world," Winthrop suggests that the only way to attain a virtuous and upright character is through spirituality and trust in God, who can help His followers to lead moral, meaningful lives. Winthrop insinuates that the Puritans have an obligation to God; they must leave their native land and establish a community abroad where God's people can live freely, strengthening their spiritual lives. If this is accomplished, then God too will aid the Puritans and bring mercy upon them: "When God gives a special commission He looks to have it strictly observed in the every article. When he gave Saul a commission to destroy Amaleck, He indented with him upon certain articles, and because he failed in one of the least, and that upon a fair pretense, it lost him the kingdom which should have been his reward if he had observed his commission"

“Seek out your enemies relentlessly.” (Surah 4:104) How different from what Christ taught: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven… (found here and here and here in the Bible)

God is known only to hate one thing, sin. When

In Psalms, we see the author mention “Those who hate me without reason.” talking about Jesus. Psalms 35:19 says, “Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.” This shows a parallel to the Old Testament vision on how things are to be seen, and we see this being referenced and brought up by Jesus (New Interpreter’s Bible 765). Even though Jesus broke no laws, in the laws of those of the world, they are still to hate Him, being the world’s laws. There is no substance to the argument of hating Him, yet it occurs for those on Earth.

I 'm certainly not going to solve it in a few short paragraphs. Some scholars even question whether the question relates to what comes afterward and suggest that it refers to the previous verse talking about making an enemy of God.

Throughout the Old Testament, there are many clear examples that show God’s benevolent nature and portray him as a life giving force. For example, in Exodus 3:7-10, the LORD says that he has “heard the affliction of the Israelites” and will “deliver them from the oppression of Egypt through Moses.” God also says that he will “lead them up from that land(Egypt) into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites,...etc.” This presents a God that wants to redeem his people and bring them back to a position of prosperity. From this, the reader can conclude that God doesn’t want his people to suffer. In addition to this example, the Bible shows the reader other instances of God’s loving nature.