Our first century . rn even in Connect-icut. While no mans right to a voice in the govern-ment of the community was denied by reason of hisreligious views or his lack of churchmembership, there was still intoleranceparticularly in the matter of a rigid Sab-batarianism. There had gradually come however anew and a nobler movement toward per-fect religious liberty. The Rev. RogerWiUiams was pastor of the church inSalem, Massachusetts. He was a manof broad and most liberal mind and ofthe utmost daring in the assertion of histhought. He preached—first of all men—that everyman born into this world h
Our first century . rn even in Connect-icut. While no mans right to a voice in the govern-ment of the community was denied by reason of hisreligious views or his lack of churchmembership, there was still intoleranceparticularly in the matter of a rigid Sab-batarianism. There had gradually come however anew and a nobler movement toward per-fect religious liberty. The Rev. RogerWiUiams was pastor of the church inSalem, Massachusetts. He was a manof broad and most liberal mind and ofthe utmost daring in the assertion of histhought. He preached—first of all men—that everyman born into this world has a right to worship any Godhe pleases in any way that shall seem good to him. Hecontended that no man had, or could have, a right tolimit this liberty of worship. He protested that no gov-ernment on earth could justly restrict men in this be-half. This doctrine, which Roger Williams afterwards called» soul liberty, was deemed by the authorities of Massa-chusetts exceedingly revolutionary and dangerous. In all. Puritan of themiddle class. MIGRATIONS FROM MASSACHUSETTS 93 ages of the world authority has been quick to scent dan-ger in any preachment of Uberty. Roger WilHams went even further than this and taughtthat this country belonged to the Indians and that nodiscovery by John Cabot or anybody else could give toany English king the right to give away lands here thatdid not belong to him. * These were exceedingly revolutionary doctrines and inthat time it was not the custom to let men alone whotaught, revolutionary doctrines. It was the custom in-stead to suppress them or to drive them out of thecommunity whose institutions their teachings in 1636 the authorities of Massachusettsordered Roger Williams—greatly good and pious manthat he was—to quit the colony and return to Englandat once. He quitted the colony but he did not returnto England. Instead of that, at risk of his life, and witha certainty of encountering fearful hardship, he set offthrou
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