John Winthrop's Role In A Christian Society

John Winthrop was a Puritan who had every advantage in life. He was born into a wealthy family that was able to provide him with everything needed to succeed. His family was a part of the gentry class, which was the dominant force in English society during his time. He attended Trinity College at the age of 14 where he studied law. His faith was always apparent in his actions. He was extremely ardent in his religious studies. He possessed an elitist outlook about himself, and this outlook led him to believe that he was elected for salvation. His main goal was to “reform the national church from within” (165). However, when Charles I, a king who was sympathetic to Roman Catholicism, ascended to the throne, he knew that he could never openly

He related this to the way a human body functions. In this reading, Winthrop states, “There is no body but consists of parts and that with which knits these parts together gives the body its perfection” (171). This embellishes his view of how in a Christian society, everyone needs to work together in order for the society to be successful, and how if one person is in need everyone else should help this person. It is exactly like how the human body is able to function. If there is one part of the human body that does not work correctly, then the rest of the body needs to unite and pick up the slack until this body part is able to complete its job. This analogy shows how Winthrop believed that in order to reach perfection every person needs to fulfill their duties and help one another in times of need. It was a tedious task to fulfill, but with the work ethic the Puritans had, it would not be too daunting of a task. If their society were able to become unified like this and stay steadfast in their covenant, then they would prosper in this new world. However, the bond that would be needed in order to be unified was much more complex than the bonds of a human