During America’s Colonial Period, there were two groups of people, Puritans and non-Puritans. Puritans were the writers that founded America. During this era of time, many writers disagreed on attitudes toward freedom, religion, and the way to live a daily life. The main people who contributed to these beliefs were: Jonathan Edwards, William Bradford Anne Bradstreet. Anne Bradstreet says in her poem, Upon the Burning of Our House, “Yet, by His gift, is made thine own” (handout), this is an example of Irresistible grace. She is simply saying that he loves you and his love is unconditional. He [God] has gifts and he loves you so much that he wants to share them with you. Irresistible grace is when people can be saved only through God’s grace, God’s works cannot earn you salvation. William Bradford claims that he believes in predestination, he writes in the book “...they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all …show more content…
Two main ones are original sin, and limited atonement. In the book it says,” Thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted states, if you continue in it; the infinite might, and majesty [God], and terribleness of strengths of your torments”(90). This says that that God doesn’t have mercy on just one person. Limited Atonement roughly means that Jesus didn’t die to save everyone’s sin, just for some people. He [Edwards] also believes in original sin. Original sin is where all people are born with sin, an example of a sin could be pride. Their [Puritans] definitions of pride is an act to try and be like God himself. In the book, Edwards says “Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weights and pressure towards Hell…”(88). This is saying that they [people] are trying so hard to be like God, that it’s wicked and that they are going to go to Hell for this