The term "Puritan" began as an insult by the traditional Anglicans to those who criticized or wished to purify the Church of England. Puritans, refer to two distinct groups: "separating" Puritans, such as the Plymouth colonists, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that the true Christians must separate themselves from it; and non-separating Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in reform, but not separation. Puritans practice several beliefs. The first is their belief of predestination. They believed that belief in Jesus and participation in the sacraments could not alone affect one's salvation, because God is the only one with that privilege. Everything that has to do with salvation is determined by God's sovereignty, along with choosing those who will be saved and those who will receive God's blessings.
The concept of the covenant also provided a practical means of organizing churches. Since the state did not control the church, the Puritans reasoned, there must be an alternate method of establishing authority (Rohr, 62). For God's word to function freely, and for each member to feel an integral part of the church's operations, each congregation must be self- sufficient, containing within itself all the offices and power necessary for self regulation. New England's official apologist, John Cotton, termed this form of church government "Congregational", meaning that all authority would be located within particular congregations. Cotton's sermon at Salem in 1636, described the basic elements of this system in which people covenanting themselves to each other and pledging to obey the word of God might become a self-governing church (Rohr, 63).
The ultimate authority in both political and religious areas was God's word, but the commitments made to congregation and community through voluntary obedience to covenants ensured order and a functional system of religious and political governance.
