John Winthrop OF LIBERTY AND AUTHORITY - Demands Obedience
I AM unwilling to stay you from your urgent
affairs, yet give me leave (upon this special occasion) to speak a
little more to this assembly. It may be of some good use, to inform
and rectify the judgments of some of the people, and may prevent such
distempers as have arisen amongst us. The great questions that have
troubled the country, are about the authority of the magistrates and
the liberty of the people. It is yourselves who have called us to
this office, and being called by you, we have our authority from God,
in way of an ordinance, such as hath the image of God eminently
stamped upon it, the contempt and violation whereof hath been
vindicated with examples of divine vengeance. I entreat you to
consider, that when you choose magistrates, you take them from among
yourselves, men subject to like passions as you are. Therefore when
you see infirmities in us, you should reflect upon your own, and that
would make you bear the more with us, and not be severe censurers of
the failings of vour magistrates, when you have continual experience
of the like infirmities in yourselves and others. We account him a
good servant, who breaks not his covenant. 'The covenant beween you
and us is the oath you have taken of us, which is to this purpose,
that we shall govern you and judge your causes by the rules of God's
laws and our own, according to our best skill. When you agree with a
workman to build you a ship or house, etc., he undertakes as well for
his skill as for his faithfulness, for it is his profession, and you
pay him for both. But when you call one to be a magistrate, he doth
not profess nor undertake to have sufficient skill for that office,
nor can you furnish him with giflts, etc., therefore you must run the
hazard of his skill and ability. But if he fail in faithfulness,
which by his oath he is bound unto, that he must answer for. If it
fall out that the case be clear to common apprehension, and the rule
clear also, if he transgress here, the error is not in the skill, but
in the evil of the will: it must be required of him. But if the case
be doubtful, or the rule doubtful, to men of such understanding and
parts as your magistrates are, if your magistrates should err here,
yourselves must bear it. For the other point concerning liberty, I
observe a great mistake in the country about that. There is a twofold
liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or
federal. The first is common to man with beasts and other creatures.
By this, man, as he stands in relation to man simply, hath liberty to do what he lists;
it is a liberty to evil as well as to good. This liberty is incompatible and inconsistent
with authority, and cannot endure the least restraint of the most
just authority. The exercise and maintaining of this liberty
makes men grow more evil, and in time to be worse than brute beasts:
omnes sumus licentia deteriores. This is that great enemy of
truth
and peace, that wild beast, which all the ordinances of God are bent
against, to restrain and subdue it. The other kind of liberty I call
civil or
federal, it may also be termed moral, in reference to
the covenant between God and man, in the moral law, and the politic
covenants and constitutions, amongst men themselves. This liberty is
the proper end and object of authority, and cannot subsist without
it; and it is a liberty to that only which is good, just, and honest.
This liberty you are to stand for,
with the hazard (not only of your goods, but) of your lives, if need
be. Whatsoever crosseth this, is not authority,
but a distemper thereof. 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. The woman's own choice makes such a man her
husband; yet being so chosen, he is her lord, and she is to be
subject to him, yet in a way of liberty, not of bondage; and a true
wife accounts her subjection her honor and freedom, and would not
think her condition safe and free, but in her subjection to her
husband's authority. Such is the liberty of the church under the
authority of Christ, her king and husband; his yoke is so easy and
sweet to her as a bride's ornaments; and if through frowardness or
wantonness, etc., she shake it off, at any time, she is at no rest in
her spirit, until she take it up again; and whether her lord smiles
upon her, and embraceth her in his arms, or whether he frowns, or
rebukes, or smites her, she apprehends the sweetness of his love in
all, and is refreshed, supported, and instructed by every such
dispensation of his authority over her. On the other side, ye know
who they are that complain of this yoke and say, let us break their
bands, etc., we will not have this man to rule over us. Even so,
brethren, it will be between you and your magistrates. If you stand
for your natural corrupt liberties, and will do what is good in your
own eyes, you will not endure the least weight of authority, but will
murmur, and oppose, and be always striving to shake off that yoke;
but if you will be satisfied
to enjoy such civil and lawful liberties, such as Christ allows you, then will you quietly and cheerfully submit
unto that authority which is set over you, in all the administrations
of it, for your good. Wherein, if we fail at any time, we hope we
shall be willing (by God's assistance) to hearken to good advice from
any of you, or in any other way of God; so shall your liberties be
preserved, in upholding the honor and power of authority amongst
you. 