When the Massachusetts Bay Company obtained its charter, the King and his advisers did not prescribe a meeting place for the Company. The intelligent men that began the charter realized that by moving the meeting place of the company to the colony itself, the governor of the company could become the governor of the colony, and the general court of the company could become the legislative assembly of the colony. In doing this, the company could remove the colony from the control of the England.
There were many advantages to the Puritans to attempt such a move. The Puritans composed the majority of the membership of the Massachusetts Bay Company. If the Company moved to New England, it could become a self-governing common wealth with the power to justify everything it did. The Company would be able to enforce the laws of God and therefore its membership would be able to win the "divine favor of God." Winthrop believed as others did that, "England, for the moment, could not be saved in England, and perhaps not be saved at all. The only hope was to cross the water and to establish a government of Christ in exile.
In England, because of the current King, land was hard to come by and in America men could purchase hundreds of acres for what they would pay for one or two acres in England. Many that were not puritans wanted to make the trip because they felt they would prosper in this new land. Being the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company it was Winthrop privilege to reject any applicant whom he thought was unsuitable for the venture to America, but it was also his responsibility to ensure that the colony had its needs met with the necessary sawyer, cooper or surgeon. It was more desirable to have only godly settlers, but if none had the qualifications he needed, he would have to take others who were not of the same mind as the Puritans. Arrangements were made for others to pay the fares of the skilled, but poor in trade for a number of years of their service to repay the debt.