what are the 3 main ideas discussed in winthrop's speech

A Model of Christian Charity (City on a Hill)

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One of the most important speeches/sermons, in American history, “A Model of Christian Charity,” was written and read by Massachusetts Bay Colony governor John Winthrop either before or during their transatlantic crossing to Massachusetts in 1630. Winthrop was trying to prepare his people for the challenges of establishing a new community in a strange and foreign land that would allow them the religious freedom they lacked in Europe.

This sermon, with its famous reference to a “city upon a hill,” has had a profound effect on the way we understand the Puritan mission in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It has been quoted by multiple presidents–most famously John F. Kennedy in 1961 and Ronald Reagan in 1988 –to promote the idea of national unity, global leadership, and the notion that the U.S. is on a mission sanctioned by divine providence.

It is striking for its attention to the messages of love, respect, and togetherness–that they will either succeed or fail together.

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A Model of Christian Charity

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A Model of Christian Charity

42 pages • 1 hour read

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Summary: “a model of christian charity”.

“A Modell of Christian Charity” is a sermon written by John Winthrop , a Puritan lawyer who served as the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, an English colonial settlement around present-day Boston, and the second settlement in New England. A sermon is a speech on a religious subject, usually used for those delivered by clergy in Christian church services. The sermon’s epigraph (a short, introductory quotation or informational text) tells us Winthrop wrote on board The Arbella , a ship bearing Winthrop and colonists to New England in 1630. The sermon focuses upon how Christian communities should practice charitable action toward each other, and how this will help New England become a prosperous society blessed by God. The sermon is a foundational political and religious document of the United States, often quoted by politicians and referenced in histories of the nation.

This study guide uses the open access edition of Winthrop’s “A Modell of Christian Charity” published within the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1838, Series 3, Volume 7, Pages 33-48. This document is accessible electronically via https://history.hanover.edu/texts/winthmod.html.

The sermon begins giving three reasons God has made some people rich and some poor. First, this shows God’s glory in the variation of creatures. Second, it inspires the rich and poor to work together to manifest the Grace of God in different ways, the rich in mercy and temperance, the poor in faith and obedience. Third, creating wealth variation ensures all men need each other, and therefore must produce between them “bonds of brotherly affection” (34). From these bonds, men will see that their wealth is not a reflection of themselves, but God’s glory, in that all property truly belongs to God.

Winthrop gives two rules men should observe to create and foster these bonds of affection: Justice and Mercy. These are divinely sanctioned acts, and respectively represent “the lawe of nature and the lawe of grace, or the morrall lawe and the lawe of the gospel” (34). The moral law is concerned with dealings between men, and commands man to love his neighbour as himself. Man received this law “in the estate of innocency” (35), or at the time of his creation. The law of the Gospel (or the law of Grace) differs from this law as man received it in an estate of regeneracy, or at the time of Christ’s arrival, to regenerate humanity toward God. Therefore the law of the Gospel commands Christians to “Doe good to all, especially to the household of faith,” treating fellow Christians with unique levels of mercy and deference. This law of the Gospel also propounds “a difference of seasons and occasions” (35). This means that at different historical periods, the Christian community must either give more or give less in service to the Church. In short, charity is a necessary act in the eyes of God, is especially important between Christians, and helps to regenerate Christians toward God.

The next portion of Winthrop’s sermon deals with exercising the law of mercy through giving, lending, and forgiving. Framed as a sequence of rhetorical questions , and answers with frequent Biblical citations, Winthrop outlines specific frameworks by which Christians should engage in charitable acts.

First, people should give to others in measure of the abundance they have. Those that have more should give more, and if times are extraordinarily difficult, this should inspire people to give in extraordinary measure. This giving, however, is in proportion to the needs of one’s own family, as “it is without question, that he is worse than an infidell who through his owne sloathe and voluptuousness shall neglect to provide for his family” (36). This should not however lead to the excessive stockpiling of goods; these goods should go to the community. “ Lay not upp for yourselves Treasures upon Earth .” Though we do this for fear of thieves and losses, we must give to protect others from these dangers. When we stockpile to provide for our family, we should remember that all Christians are one family: “John 1. he whoe hath this world's goodes and seeth his brother to neede and shutts upp his compassion from him, how dwelleth the loue of God in him?” (37).

When lending we must practice mercy, and if someone does not have the money to repay you, you must still offer what they need. If they do have the money to repay you, view it not as mercy, but a matter of commerce and govern the act by the rule of justice. If people can’t repay things given to them in mercy, we must forgive debts. Also, if there’s no repayment in commerce, we should also forgive—unless there is a surety or lawful pledge between us.

If our community is in peril, we should practice even more graciousness. Winthrop reminds that in the early Church, Christians gave away all their possessions, and in scripture there is no limit to how much one should give. However, scripture curses those that do not help God and his people.

Winthrop moves from discussion of giving, lending, and receiving to focus on the meaning of love between Christians. God places love in the soul as the motivation which finds its outward expression in giving, just as the chiming of a clock takes place not by striking on its chimes directly, but through its inner workings: “when wee bid one make the clocke strike, he doth not lay hand on the hammer, which is the immediate instrument of the sound, but setts on worke the first mouer or maine wheele; knoweing that will certainely produce the sound which he intends” (39).

In scripture, “love is the bond of perfection” (40). Winthrop compares it to a ligament that unites all the parts of the body together. In this comparison, Christ and his church represent a single body. Because of Christ, this body (the Christian community) moves as one form. The ligament is Christ, or his love (since Christ is love). From this Winthrop concludes that all Christians are a single body, and must work together to preserve each other, just as a body functions as one. It is this selflessness for the larger whole that caused Christ to lay down his body for the good of Christianity, and for many saints to do the same.

Winthrop next discusses love’s inspiration in Christians. God created Adam as the perfect model of mankind, and the love which he possessed was perfect. However, Adam’s fall caused the love of mankind to be a love that seeks for oneself only, not the community. This required Christ to come. Christ took possession of the human soul and re-fused it with love of God and our brother. This pure love regenerates humanity to the original, unfallen state of Adam, acting “like the Spirit upon the drie bones.. . It gathers together the scattered bones, or perfect old man Adam, and knitts them into one body againe in Christ, whereby a man is become againe a living soule” (42). In other words, allowing the love of Christ into oneself and expressing this love through charity redeems the human soul to a state of innocence and one-ness with God.

Winthrop argues that love naturally occurs when we recognize some likeness between ourselves and another. Lack of love, in turn, arises from contrariness in our inner nature. Therefore those joined together in Christ cannot help but to see likeness between themselves, and therefore must treat each other with love. This discovery of likeness in others is a delight for the soul, and causes people to wish to be as one body. Therefore, “among the members of the same body, loue and affection are reciprocall in a most equall and sweete kinde of commerce” (43). To “love and live beloved” (44) is paradise on Earth.

This leads Winthrop to four conclusions. First, love among Christians “is a reall thing, not imaginarie.” (44). Second, this love is integral to the Christian life, or the maintenance of “the being of the body of Christ, as the sinews and other ligaments of a naturall body are to the being of that body” (44). Third, this love is divine and above all other value. Fourth, this love rests in the care of Christians, who must keep it and allow it to knit them together.

Winthrop then draws out some applications to the colonial project, focusing on takeaways for the people, their work, the end of that work, and the means of that work. For people, “we are a company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ” (44). Christian colonists knit themselves together by love even though they’re distant geographically. They live in exercise of this love, and take comfort in their closeness to Christ due to it. For the work at hand, the Church of Christ consents for them to seek out a place of cohabitation under a civil and ecclesiastical form of government, and in this society the care of the public must trump the private, a law which Christians should enshrine in both conscience and policy. The end of this project is for Christians to excel for themselves, their community, and in the service of Christ, therefore improving the world. In means, Christians must conform their work to the pursuit of the above end. They must love each other dutifully, and care for their brethren as themselves. They must recognize that they have entered a covenant with God to do this work, and are under his commission to fulfill it or receive punishment for failing.

The only way to avoid this “shipwracke” (47), or punishment by God, is to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God. To do this Christians must work together in all things. Doing this, Christians will see much more of God’s wisdom and greatness than they have ever seen in their lifetimes. Finding God among them, they will be able to defend against a thousand enemies with 10 men, and be as “a citty upon a hill” (47), or a shining example for other societies:

Wee shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when hee shall make us a prayse and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, "the Lord make it likely that of New England (47).

The sermon closes with a quotation of Moses to the Israelites before entering the Promise Land, exhorting them to keep their covenant with God or face destruction: “Therefore lett us choose life / that wee, and our seede / may liue, by obeyeing His / voyce and cleaveing to Him, / for Hee is our life and / our prosperity” (48).

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John winthrop dreams of a city on a hill, 1630.

John Winthrop delivered the following sermon before he and his fellow settlers reached New England . The sermon is famous largely for its use of the phrase “a city on a hill,” used to describe the expectation that the Massachusetts Bay colony would shine like an example to the world. But Winthrop’s sermon also reveals how he expected Massachusetts to differ from the rest of the world.

A Modell Hereof

God Almighty in his most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity; others mean and in subjection.

The Reason hereof:

1st Reason.

First to hold conformity with the rest of His world, being delighted to show forth the glory of his wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures, and the glory of His power in ordering all these differences for the preservation and good of the whole, and the glory of His greatness, that as it is the glory of princes to have many officers, so this great king will have many stewards, counting himself more honored in dispensing his gifts to man by man, than if he did it by his own immediate hands.

2nd Reason.

Secondly, that He might have the more occasion to manifest the work of his Spirit: first upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them, so that the rich and mighty should not eat up the poor, nor the poor and despised rise up against and shake off their yoke. Secondly, in the regenerate, in exercising His graces in them, as in the great ones, their love, mercy, gentleness, temperance etc., and in the poor and inferior sort, their faith, patience, obedience etc.

3rd Reason.

Thirdly, that every man might have need of others, and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together in the bonds of brotherly affection. From hence it appears plainly that no man is made more honorable than another or more wealthy etc., out of any particular and singular respect to himself, but for the glory of his Creator and the common good of the creature, Man. Therefore God still reserves the property of these gifts to Himself as Ezek. 16:17, He there calls wealth, His gold and His silver, and Prov. 3:9, He claims their service as His due, “Honor the Lord with thy riches,” etc. — All men being thus (by divine providence) ranked into two sorts, rich and poor; under the first are comprehended all such as are able to live comfortably by their own means duly improved; and all others are poor according to the former distribution….

Question: What rule must we observe and walk by in cause of community of peril?

The same as before, but with more enlargement towards others and less respect towards ourselves and our own right. Hence it was that in the primitive Church they sold all, had all things in common, neither did any man say that which he possessed was his own. Likewise in their return out of the captivity, because the work was great for the restoring of the church and the danger of enemies was common to all, Nehemiah directs the Jews to liberality and readiness in remitting their debts to their brethren, and disposing liberally to such as wanted, and stand not upon their own dues which they might have demanded of them. Thus did some of our forefathers in times of persecution in England, and so did many of the faithful of other churches, whereof we keep an honorable remembrance of them; and it is to be observed that both in Scriptures and latter stories of the churches that such as have been most bountiful to the poor saints, especially in those extraordinary times and occasions, God hath left them highly commended to posterity…

Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into covenant with Him for this work. We have taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles. We have professed to enterprise these and those accounts, upon these and those ends. We have hereupon besought Him of favor and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it; but if we shall neglect the observation of these articles which are the ends we have propounded, and, dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions, seeking great things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, and be revenged of such a people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant.

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others’ necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, “may the Lord make it like that of New England.” For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God’s sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going.

And to shut this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30. “Beloved, there is now set before us life and death, good and evil,” in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his ordinance and his laws, and the articles of our Covenant with Him, that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it. But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it.

Therefore let us choose life,

that we and our seed may live,

by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him,

for He is our life and our prosperity.

John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity,” in A Library of American Literature: Early Colonial Literature, 1607-1675 , Edmund Clarence Stedman and Ellen Mackay Hutchinson, eds. (New York: 1892) , 304-307.

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History Cooperative

John Winthrop: Life, Achievements, Beliefs, and More!

John Winthrop played an important role in shaping what would become the United States.

His life, marked by deep religious beliefs, leadership, and a vision of a “city upon a hill,” continues to be a subject of fascination.

As the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop’s influence extended far beyond his own time.

Table of Contents

Early Life and Belief: A Model of Christian Charity

John Winthrop was born in 1588 in Suffolk, England. Growing up, John was part of a well-off family . His dad owned lands and properties, which meant John could get a good education. He went to school at Trinity College, which is a big deal because not everyone got to go to college back then. This education helped him a lot later in life.

READ MORE: Who Invented School? The Story Behind Monday Mornings

As a young man, John became very interested in religion. Those were times when what you believed could get you in trouble, and John’s beliefs were part of a group called the Puritans. The Puritans wanted to change the Church of England to be more in line with their ideas. John really believed in this, and it shaped a lot of what he would do later.

John’s early years were not just about school and religion, though. He also learned how to manage lands and deal with legislation because he trained to be a lawyer. This was pretty common for people from wealthy families. Being a lawyer taught him how to argue and defend his beliefs, skills that were super useful when he led people to a new world later on.

Winthrop’s religious beliefs were deeply influenced by the Puritan movement, which sought to purify the Church of England from within. His conviction that God’s worthy servants were called to create a godly community in the New World drove him to become a leading figure in the Massachusetts Bay Company. In 1630, as Winthrop led the first large wave of immigrants from England to America, his vision for a new society was encapsulated in his seminal sermon, “A Modell of Christian Charity.”

In “ A Modell of Christian Charity ,” Winthrop outlined his vision for the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a community bound by mutual love, respect, and godly commonwealth. He famously envisioned the colony as a “city upon a hill,” a beacon of religious and moral purity that the world would look upon as an example. This concept not only guided the colony’s internal governance but also laid the groundwork for the idea of American exceptionalism.

Winthrop’s sermon emphasized the importance of community and the belief that every member of the society was part of the “same body,” urging colonists to uphold a sense of brotherly affection and collective responsibility.

John Wintrop’s Achievements

John Winthrop’s leadership and vision had a profound impact on the early development of New England and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. As the first governor of the colony, his achievements were not only political but also deeply ingrained in the social fabric of the community he helped to build.

One of his most significant accomplishments was his role in the Great Migration, where, under his guidance, thousands of Puritan settlers moved to New England, seeking religious freedom and a new life. This movement significantly increased the population of the colony, leading to the establishment of numerous towns and a thriving Puritan society.

Winthrop’s vision of a “ city upon a hill ” deeply influenced the colony’s ideology and policies. His famous sermon, which articulated this vision, inspired the settlers to live in a close-knit community bound by mutual support and accountability. Real-life accounts of Winthrop’s time show a leader who was not only concerned with the spiritual well-being of his colonists but also with their physical and economic survival.

He was known for his fair distribution of land, efforts to ensure food security for all settlers, and policies that encouraged familiar commerce among the colonists, fostering a strong sense of community and mutual dependence that was crucial for the survival and growth of the colony.

Moreover, Winthrop’s achievements extended to establishing a colonial government that, despite its theocratic underpinnings, laid the groundwork for the development of democratic principles in America. He advocated for a balance between natural liberty and moral governance, emphasizing the importance of laws and order for the prosperity of the community. Under his leadership, the Massachusetts Bay Colony flourished, becoming a beacon of religious freedom and economic opportunity in North America.

Founding of Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was established in 1630, marking a crucial moment in the early history of North America.

The journey to founding Massachusetts began with a group of Puritan settlers led by John Winthrop, who sought a new life away from the religious persecution they faced in England. Their aim was to create a community that lived in strict accordance with their religious beliefs, free from the constraints imposed by the English church and government.

The Massachusetts Bay Company, initially a venture for trade and profit, became the vehicle through which Winthrop and his fellow Puritans would realize their vision. After obtaining a royal charter, the company was reorganized to allow for the establishment of a new colony in New England. Winthrop, elected as the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, led a fleet of ships carrying over a thousand colonists to their new home.

Upon arrival, the settlers faced the daunting task of building a new society from scratch. Under Winthrop’s leadership, they founded Boston, which became the capital of the colony and a central hub for the region. The Massachusetts Bay Colony quickly grew, attracting more settlers with its promise of religious freedom and opportunity. This influx of colonists helped to establish the colony as a major center of trade, religion, and governance in New England.

The establishment of Massachusetts under Winthrop’s leadership was not just about fleeing religious persecution in England; it was about creating a new society that reflected the Puritans’ vision of a godly commonwealth. 

The Great Migration and Expansion

The Great Migration significantly influenced the economic landscape of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and its surrounding areas. With the influx of skilled laborers, craftsmen, and farmers, the colony experienced a surge in agricultural productivity and the development of various industries. This economic growth was further bolstered by the establishment of trade networks with both the indigenous populations and other European colonies.

The Puritans’ industrious nature and their emphasis on community welfare led to a relatively prosperous economy that attracted even more settlers seeking better living conditions and opportunities. The economic policies implemented during this time , including land grants and the encouragement of small-scale industries, played a critical role in shaping the economic framework of New England.

Moreover, the Great Migration had a lasting impact on the cultural identity of the region. The Puritans brought with them a distinct set of beliefs and practices that deeply influenced the social fabric of the colony. Their focus on education, for instance, led to the establishment of schools and colleges, most notably Harvard College in 1636, to ensure an educated ministry and lay leadership.

This emphasis on learning and literacy contributed to the high literacy rates in New England compared to other colonies. The Puritan ethic, which underscored moral rigor, community responsibility, and a strong work ethic, became ingrained in the cultural ethos of Massachusetts and the broader New England area.

The relationship between the Puritans and the indigenous peoples of New England was profoundly affected by the Great Migration. As the English settlers expanded their territories, conflicts over land and resources became inevitable. The Puritans’ attempts to convert the indigenous populations to Christianity further strained these relationships, leading to a series of conflicts known as the Pequot War and, later, King Philip’s War.

READ MORE: How Did Christianity Spread: Origins, Expansion, and Impact 

These wars resulted in significant loss of life and displacement among the indigenous populations, marking a dark chapter in the history of colonial expansion. The Great Migration, therefore, played an important role in altering the demographic and cultural landscape of New England, with long-lasting effects on its indigenous peoples.

The legal and governmental structures established during the Great Migration had a profound influence on the political development of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and, subsequently, the United States. The Puritans implemented a theocratic system where church members held political power, which led to the development of a unique form of self-governance in the New World.

READ MORE: US History Timeline: The Dates of America’s Journey and Who Discovered America: The First People Who Reached the Americas

The Mayflower Compact, though predating the Great Migration, set a precedent for the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s legal framework, emphasizing community consent and the rule of law. This early form of democracy, with town meetings and elected officials, became a foundational element of American political culture.

Finally, the environmental impact of the Great Migration and the subsequent expansion of the Massachusetts Bay Colony cannot be overlooked. The clearing of vast tracts of land for farming and settlement disrupted local ecosystems and altered the landscape significantly. This transformation had long-term ecological consequences, including soil depletion and deforestation, which affected the region’s sustainability. The Puritans’ management of their environment reflected their utilitarian approach to nature, viewing it as a resource to be cultivated and controlled for human benefit. This attitude towards land use and environmental management would influence American environmental policies for centuries to come.

Governance and Conflict

John Winthrop’s governance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was characterized by a firm adherence to Puritan ethics and a strict legal framework. As governor, Winthrop sought to create a “ godly commonwealth ” that reflected the Puritan vision of a moral society.

His leadership emphasized obedience to religious laws and the importance of community welfare, which played a crucial role in the colony’s development. However, Winthrop’s approach to governance also led to internal conflicts, particularly with individuals and groups that challenged the Puritan orthodoxy.

Conflicts within the colony often arose from religious and ideological differences. Figures such as Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson posed significant challenges to Winthrop’s authority, advocating for religious tolerance and questioning the Puritan’s strict interpretation of the Bible. 

These disputes underscored the tension between individual liberty and communal conformity, leading to banishments and the establishment of new settlements like Rhode Island, which became havens for those seeking greater religious freedom.

Winthrop’s governance style, deeply rooted in Puritan ethics and theocratic principles, presents a stark contrast to modern democratic governance. In Winthrop’s era, the intertwining of religious beliefs with the legal and political framework of the colony was a given, reflecting a worldview where secular governance was inseparable from divine will.

This theocratic approach meant that laws and governance were heavily influenced by religious doctrine, and leaders like Winthrop were seen not just as political figures but as spiritual leaders. In contrast, modern governance systems, particularly in the United States, are founded on the principle of separation of church and state, emphasizing individual rights and freedoms, pluralism, and secularism in public affairs.

The idea of a government official dictating legal and social norms based on a singular religious perspective is fundamentally at odds with contemporary values of religious freedom and democratic governance.

Had Winthrop’s style of governance been applied in a modern context, the implications would be significantly different. The Puritan emphasis on communal welfare and moral conformity could potentially clash with today’s emphasis on individual rights and freedoms. For instance, the Puritan practice of expelling dissenters from the colony for challenging the prevailing religious orthodoxy would be untenable in a society that values free speech and religious tolerance.

Furthermore, Winthrop’s approach to dealing with Native American tribes, while attempting to balance expansion with rights, would likely face criticism for not fully respecting the sovereignty and rights of indigenous peoples by modern standards.

Winthrop’s governance also encountered challenges in dealing with neighboring Native American tribes. The expansion of the colony and the settlers’ increasing demand for land led to tensions and sometimes violent confrontations. Winthrop’s policies aimed at striking a balance between Puritan expansion and the rights of Native Americans, but the pressures of colonization often exacerbated conflicts.

John Winthrop’s Dreams of a City on a Hill

John Winthrop’s vision of a “city upon a hill” carried a powerful message of moral responsibility and exemplary living. The message of Winthrop’s city upon a hill was clear: to create a society that would serve as a beacon of religious freedom, moral integrity, and communal harmony to the world.

In his famous speech, Winthrop articulated three main ideas: the importance of mutual love and respect among the colonists, the necessity of adhering to a strict moral code as outlined by Puritan religious beliefs, and the concept of the community as a whole being watched by the world, thus needing to live up to its high standards.

Winthrop’s vision emphasized the idea that the society they were building in the New England Massachusetts Bay Colony should exemplify the best qualities of mankind, underpinned by Christian charity and a strong sense of community. This was not just about establishing a new colony; it was about creating a model society that would inspire others and set a standard for future generations.

Relating Winthrop’s vision to the modern context, it’s clear that the idea of a society being a model for others has enduring relevance. Today, this concept can be seen in the way nations and communities strive to lead by example in areas such as democracy, civil liberty, and human rights. The principle of being “a city upon a hill” resonates with the modern idea of soft power, where influencing others through positive example is as crucial as economic or military might. In a world increasingly connected by globalization and digital media, the idea that the world is watching and learning from each other’s successes and failures is more pertinent than ever.

However, achieving Winthrop’s ideal in the modern era also presents challenges. The diversity of beliefs, values, and priorities in today’s societies can make it difficult to define what constitutes a model society.

Moreover, the scrutiny provided by instant global communication means that failures and shortcomings are as visible as successes, requiring a level of transparency and accountability that Winthrop’s colony could not have imagined.

Yet, this visibility also offers an opportunity for societies to learn from each other, striving towards a global “city upon a hill” where mutual respect, religious freedom, and a commitment to the common good are universally valued.

Indian Policy and Pequot War

John Winthrop’s tenure as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was marked by complex relationships with Native American tribes, culminating in the Pequot War (1636-1637). This conflict has been a point of reflection on the early colonial attitudes toward Native Americans and the lasting impact of these policies on U.S. history.

The Pequot War was a result of escalating tensions between the Pequot tribe and the English settlers, including those of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The war began due to disputes over trade with the Dutch in New Netherland and the increasing demand of the English settlers for more land.

Under Winthrop’s governance, the colony adopted policies that were aimed at expanding English territories, often at the expense of Native American lands.

These policies, combined with the colonists’ desire to punish the Pequots for the alleged murder of an English trader, led to a brutal conflict.

Winthrop’s role in the Pequot War, while more of a strategic overseer, reflected the colonial government’s stance towards Native Americans during this period. The war itself was marked by the Mystic Massacre, where English settlers and their Narragansett and Mohegan allies attacked a Pequot village, resulting in the death of hundreds of Pequot men, women, and children.

This event is a stark illustration of the complexities and often the inhumanity of colonial-Native relations during Winthrop’s governorship.

The aftermath of the Pequot War had a profound impact on the colonial and Native American dynamics in New England. The war decimated the Pequot tribe and served as a warning to other Native American tribes about the potential consequences of resistance against English expansion.

It also solidified the English settlers’ dominance in New England, paving the way for further expansion and settlement. The policies and attitudes that led to the Pequot War would echo through subsequent conflicts between Native Americans and European settlers across North America.

The legacy of Winthrop’s policies and the Pequot War extends into the broader narrative of U.S. history, highlighting the dark aspects of colonial expansion and its impact on Native American communities. This period underscored the beginning of a long history of displacement, violence, and treaties that would shape the relationship between the United States and Native American tribes for centuries to come.

John Winthrop was a leader who played a big role in the early days of America. He was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and had a dream about creating a special community that others would look up to, which he called a “city upon a hill.” Winthrop wanted this place to be an example of how people could live together, sharing and caring for each other, all while following their religious beliefs.

Winthrop’s work back then still touches our lives today. He showed us how important it is for a community to work together and help each other out. The idea of having a place where everyone tries to do what’s right and looks out for their neighbors is something that many people and places in America still strive for. His thoughts on government and how people should be treated have influenced the way America thinks about leadership and taking care of its citizens.

Freeman, M. (1995). Puritans and Pequots: The Question of Genocide. The New England Quarterly , 68 (2), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.2307/366259

Seidman, A. B. (1945). Church and State in the Early Years of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The New England Quarterly , 18 (2), 211–233. https://doi.org/10.2307/361286

Edgar A. J. Johnson. (1930). Economic Ideas of John Winthrop. The New England Quarterly , 3 (2), 235–250. https://doi.org/10.2307/359696

Morgan, E. S. (1987). John Winthrop’s “Modell of Christian Charity” in a Wider Context. Huntington Library Quarterly , 50 (2), 145–151. https://doi.org/10.2307/3817255

Dunn, R. S. (1984). John Winthrop Writes His Journal. The William and Mary Quarterly , 41 (2), 186–212. https://doi.org/10.2307/1919049

Fitz, E. E. (2023). The Literatures of Spanish America and Brazil: From Their Origins through the Nineteenth Century . University of Virginia Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.4688128

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Our past matters today

“The City upon a Hill” by John Winthrop: what is it about?

The “City upon a Hill” section of the essay called “A Model of Christian Charity” was written in 1630 by the Puritan leader John Winthrop while the first group of Puritan emigrants was still onboard their ship, the Arbella , waiting to disembark and create their first settlement in what would become New England. The “City” section of this essay was pulled out by later readers–in the 19th century–as a crystallization of the Puritan mission in the New World.

Of course, as with any topic touching on the Puritans, there’s some myth-busting to be done. By now, the “City upon a Hill” excerpt has come to represent irritating Puritan pridefulness—they thought they were perfect, a city on a hill that everyone else would admire and want to emulate. In reality, the excerpt is far from a back-patting exercise. It is a gauntlet laid down to the already weary would-be settlers. Let’s go through it:

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck and to provide for our posterity is to follow the Counsel of Micah, to do Justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God :

The “shipwreck” Winthrop refers to is the wrath of God that falls on peoples or nations who fail to do God’s will. Earlier in the essay, Winthrop has been at once warning the people that they must not fail in their efforts to set up a godly state in the new World and reassuring them that this does not mean they can never make a mistake. God is with them, and will suffer small failings. But if, like the government and church of England, the Puritans forsake their mission to create a truly godly society, they will suffer the wrath of God. This is the shipwreck to be avoided.

…for this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly Affection, we must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities, we must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality, we must delight in each other, make others Conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labour, and suffer together, always having before our eyes our Commission and Community in the work, our Community as members of the same body, so shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as his own people and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways…:

This is a beautiful passage, reminiscent of the Sermon on the Mount in its focus on mercy, kindness, sharing, and other selfless qualities. The Puritans will not succeed by harrying out the sinner or otherwise smiting evil, but by loving each other, caring for each other, and “abridging our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities” (that is, there will be equality of wealth, with no one living in luxury while others starve). They will delight in each other,  making others’ conditions their own, and they will do all this to create a natural community of faith. The point here is that religious faith will not be mandated or policed or forced on anyone. It will be generated naturally by the hope and love and faith of the people themselves. It will be an effect, not a cause. The Quakers would try to live out this same philosophy decades later.

…so that we shall see much more of his wisdom power goodness and truth than formerly we have been acquainted with :

And how. That’s an understatement. The projected society would be almost unequalled anywhere in the known world.

…we shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when he shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations: the lord make it like that of New England:

Here comes the crux of the excerpt. Why will later settlers hope their societies will be like New England? Because of the love and comradeship, care and goodwill in New England. Notice that so far Winthrop has been urging his people to be caring and loving and selfless. He isn’t saying they already are all those things. He isn’t boasting about a pre-existing condition. He is urging them to become caring and loving and selfless, in the name of their godly mission, so that they will truly succeed. If—and it’s a big if—they succeed in becoming all those good things, their society will be admired. It’s not really that the Puritans will be admired so much as their society will be admired. There’s no self in this for Winthrop; it’s all about serving God as a society, and not about individuals becoming famous for their virtue. To him, there’s a difference. Fame may come as a result of serving God, but it’s the serving of God that matters.

…for we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the way of God and all professors for God’s sake; we shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether wee are going:

First, we see what “city on a hill” really means: it doesn’t mean perfect, it means visible. They will be under a microscope, unable to hide their failures from all the eyes trained on them. No one wants to live in a city on a hill, because all of your faults and failings are in plain view.

Second, Winthrop wasn’t just speculating. This fate of becoming a byword for failure had already befallen every English colony in North America by 1630. Roanoake had disappeared , and Jamestown was so well-known in England for the horrors its unprepared settlers suffered that by the time the Puritans sailed their main goal was to avoid Jamestown’s very well-publicized failures. Among the many reasons the Puritans did not want to settle in Virginia was to avoid contamination with Jamestown’s perpetual bad luck (which the Puritans put down in large part to the colony’s lack of a commission from God). Even Plimoth Plantation, founded by Separatists just 10 years earlier, wasn’t exactly thriving. The Puritans settled far from the Pilgrims. So there was evidence, to Winthrop, that God had already withdrawn his support from all previous English settlements. The stakes were high.

…And to shut up this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israel [in] Deut. 30. Beloved there is now set before us life, and good, death and evil in that we are Commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandements and his Ordinance, and his laws, and the Articles of our Covenant with him that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it:

In closing (“to shut up this discourse”), Winthrop dramatically positions his group on the very edge of life and death, good and evil; they have never been more free to choose which way they will go. It’s all up for grabs. If Winthrop was sure that it would be easy for the Puritan to make the right choice, because they were so much better than everyone else in the world, he wouldn’t have hammered this point home. He wouldn’t have had to show them how high the stakes were, and he wouldn’t have supposed there was even a choice to be made. Since he was a realist, albeit a compassionate one, Winthrop reiterated the fact that the Puritans too, like everyone else, had to choose good over evil.

… But if our hearts shall turn away so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced and worship other Gods, our pleasures, and profits, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good Land whither we pass over this vast Sea to possess it :

Again, high stakes. The important thing to note here is what Winthrop considers to be the threat: “our pleasures and profits”. Colonies were founded to make money. Everyone knew that. And even the Puritans would have to repay their investors. They were business people, many of them London merchants, and they would set about creating industry in New England. They were also normal people who loved dancing, music, alcohol, sex, and love, and they would enjoy all those things in their new land. Being a Puritan was not about denial. It was about balance. Enjoy without attachment, enjoy without letting pleasure become your master—this was the Puritan ideal (it’s also very Buddhist—see The Bhagavad Gita ).

Therefore let us choose life, that we, and our Seed, may live; by obeying his voice, and cleaving to him, for he is our life, and our prosperity:

Let us choose life: it’s a very positive, very idealistic, beatific closing to the excerpt and the sermon. Winthrop even wrote it out in verse (I didn’t do that here for space reasons). Choose life that we may live, choose God for God is life. This sermon must have truly inspired the Puritans who heard it, in part because it did not confirm their virtue but challenged it. It is an exhortation to do better than they normally would, to try harder, to aim higher. It is not a smug confirmation that they are the best people in the world and that whatever they do will be better than what anyone else does. It is a call to virtue and effort, love and compassion, sharing and helping that does Winthrop and his group credit. In that sense, it is the first of many other great American calls to idealism and justice, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation.

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20 thoughts on “ “The City upon a Hill” by John Winthrop: what is it about? ”

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thanks great stuff here. Will bookmark so I can find it easy another time

Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for my life

I am a Christian the son of Christians born of the Puritans descendent

How do you know for sure you’re from the Puritans lineage?

Hello Danilo; what do you mean?

Short and informative. I liked.

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Reblogged this on HillCities Blog and commented: The Covenant People of God should hold in their hearts and efforts this vision of ” a city on a hill.”

Way to long lol 😊😃😊😊😚😚😜😒😒😒😃😞😞😒😌😌😛😁📱💻🔦💣🔫💵💴💵💵💴📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📝📄📝📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📄📝📃📃📃📑📑📑📑📑📑📊📊📉📉📜✏️✏️📐📆📇📇📅📅📑📐📕📕✂️📏✏️✏️✏️✏️📂✏️📋📃📋📋📂📋📅📑

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what is the the hook of this book

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AP US History : Identity, Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture 1608–1754

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ap us history, all ap us history resources, example questions, example question #1 : 1608–1754.

Passage adapted from John Winthrop's "A Modell of Christian Charity" (1630)

The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as his own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of his wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when he shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, “the Lord make it like that of  New England .” For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God.

John Winthrop's speech is representative of the ideas and beliefs associated with which of the following groups?

Separatists

John Winthrop was the leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which in 1630 settled Boston Harbor as a refuge for Puritans. Puritans believed that the Anglican church, which was the state church of England, was horribly corrupt on a number of levels and needed to be thoroughly cleansed and purified. Winthrop's speech "A Modell of Christian Charity" was given aboard the ship Arabella before going ashore to remind his followers of their religious duties.

Example Question #2 : 1608–1754

John Winthrop gave the above speech to the original colonists of which North American British colony?

Massachusetts Bay

Connecticut

John Winthrop was a leader among the radical reforming group known as the Puritans, and was chosen to lead a group of Puritans to form a new colony in the Americas as a safe haven for the group. Winthrop intentionally went north of the colonies of Virginia to Massachusetts Bay, which placed him closer to the similarly minded Plymouth Colony. Eventually, Massachusetts would overrun the Plymouth Colony and through divisions spawn Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire.

Example Question #3 : 1608–1754

The idea expressed in Winthrop's speech of a "city upon a hill" echoes what later idea in American society and politics?

American Exceptionalism

Isolationism

Manifest Destiny

The phrase "city upon a hill" is the most lasting echo of Winthrop's speech, and it has been used by many politicians into the twenty first century. The idea, that New England would stand as a beacon to the rest of the world about how to construct a society, would get adapted to referring to the United States of America as a nation. This idea, that America stands apart as a shining example for others due to its unique goodness, is known as American exceptionalism.

Example Question #1 : Ap Us History

"At last they brought him to [Werowocomoco], where was Powhatan their Emperor. Here more then two hundred of those grim Courtiers stood wondering at him, as he had been a monster; till Powhatan and his train had put themselves in their greatest braveries. Before a fire upon a seat like a bedstead, he sat covered with a great robe, made of Rarowcun [raccoon] skins, and all the tails hanging by. At his entrance before the King, all the people gave a great shout. 

Having feasted him after their best barbarous manner they could, a long consultation was held, but the conclusion was, two great stones were brought before Powhatan: then as many as could laid hands on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and being ready with their clubs, to beat out his brains, Pocahontas the Kings dearest daughter, when no intreaty could prevail, got his head in her arms, and laid her own upon his to save him from death."

- John Smith, the General History of Virginia, 1624

In this story, Pocahontas' role can be compared to which of the following women?

Dolly Madison

Susan B. Anthony

Jane Addams

Amelia Earhart

In the context of this story, Pocahontas' work as a peace-maker can best be compared to Jane Addams. In addition to being a pioneering social worker, Addams was a vocal peace advocate and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Example Question #5 : 1608–1754

Cotton Mather was a Boston minister who followed in the footsteps of his father, Increase Mather, serving as the pastor of Boston’s Old North Church and then the Second Church. He was a steadfast defender of the Puritan orthodoxy to the extent that he persuaded Elihu Yale, a London merchant and Anglican, to endow Yale University in 1703 as the training ground for Puritanism. Mather believed that Harvard University had become too liberal to suit his Puritan beliefs and decided a new educational base for Puritan training was needed. Mather also denounced witchcraft, a belief he would recant after reviewing the records of the Salem trials. Later in his life, he deviated further from condemning witchcraft when he encouraged his congregation to forgo any belief in the supernatural. He wrote prolifically during his lifetime. His writings were varied. He wrote on social, political and religious issues. He also wrote on the “New Sciences” and medical theories. Many of his writings were controversial for his time. Nonetheless, his writings are considered the best of early Enlightenment thinking in Colonial America.

Which of the following topics of Mather’s writings are noted for leading to extensive discussion, controversy, and change in New England thinking?

the need for liberty from England in America

The creation of universities in all of the colonies to maintain Puritan ideas

societal changes to allow more freedom to women

the continuing power of the King of England in the colonies

immunization against smallpox

Cotton Mather had a strong interest in the “New Sciences” and medical theories of his day. He studied theology and medicine while at Harvard. During 1721, Boston experienced a smallpox epidemic. At this time a debate began regarding the benefits of inoculations against the disease. It was observed that those who survived smallpox were immune to the disease in the future. Mather learned about smallpox inoculations from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, which awarded him the F.R.S. in 1713 for his writings on inoculations. He inoculated his son and that action combined with his writings and sermons on smallpox inoculation began a long debate. Many felt that inoculations would lead to a spread of the disease. This belief was based on the fact that a “live” version of the virus would be given in the inoculation. Mather stated that inoculations were a gift from God and to oppose inoculation was to oppose the word of God. He believed it was possible to reconcile science with Scripture. Mather, working with Dr. Zabdiel Boylston, convinced many people that religion and clinical medicine could work together to save lives. As a result, hundreds were inoculated against smallpox.

Example Question #6 : 1608–1754

Benjamin Franklin’s woodcut from May 9, 1754.

The image displayed a snake cut up into eight pieces. The snake’s detached head was labeled "N.E." for “New England,” while the trailing seven sections were tagged with letters representing the colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

What is the main political goal supported by this cartoon?

the movement to seek help from England

the resignation of the current ruling legislators of the United States

the movement to force the Indian Confederacy to join the colonists

the joining of the colonies into a unified state

In 1754, Benjamin Franklin suggested a plan to unify the colonies of the time. More than twenty representatives of several colonies had gathered to plan their defense related to the French and Indian War. The plan represented one of multiple early attempts at unification.

Image is in the public domain:  The Pennsylvania Gazette , 9 May 1754. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Franklin_-_Join_or_Die.jpg

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Summary of John Winthrop's "Model of Christian Charity"

• Diversity among people allows for a variety of ways in which God may be honored.
• Acts of kindness by the rich toward the poor - and a spirit of obedience by the poor toward the rich - further manifest the spirit of ideal public life.
• Common need among individuals with different qualities - shared struggles from different stations in life - is necessary to society.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

14 John Winthrop (1588-1649)

Sonya Parrish

Introduction

John winthrop.

Born to an affluent family in Suffolk County, England, John Winthrop was educated at home by private tutors before attending Trinity College for two years. This is where Winthrop was first exposed to Puritan doctrines, which would shape the course of his life and the lives of many others in colonial New England. After leaving college and marrying at the age of 17, he became Lord of the Manor for his family home in Groton, was appointed county commissioner, and began practicing law. His experience in law and his family connections helped cement his future, and in October 1629 he was elected governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Following a three month voyage across the Atlantic, he arrived in Salem, MA in June of 1630 with 700 fellow immigrants who were dispersed to Boston and the surrounding area within the year. Elected in 1630, he served as governor or deputy governor to the colony until his death in 1649. Winthrop, called “the Father of New England” by Cotton Mather, is best remembered as a leading colonial authority figure during New England’s early decades.

As a colonial civil and religious leader, Winthrop believed in a strong hierarchical structure in all areas of social and private life, ideally led by a benevolent, Puritan upper-class. His involvement in the Antinomian Controversy (1634-35) solidified his belief that the colony itself should be a place for orthodox Puritans, not a space for the varieties of religious dissenters that were cropping up across England and the rest of seventeenth century Europe. During this year of dissent and religious strife in New England, Winthrop gave speeches and published lectures on established Puritan doctrine in an effort to counter the influence of Antinomian supporters in the colony and justify the trial and eventual exile of the woman seen as the leader of these dissenters, Anne Hutchinson. In the aftermath, this crisis in colonial government and religion reinforced Winthrop’s position regarding the need for orthodox Puritan supremacy, strict social structures, and theocratic government in the new world.

His strong adherence to Puritanism and hierarchy caused him to be a reformer, but not a separatists – he believed the protestant Christian church, The Church of England included, could and should be reformed of its similarities to Catholicism and united again. This, in many ways, put him at odds with other religious leaders in early Puritan New England society such as John Cotton and Thomas Shepard, who advocated a less moderate stance against what they viewed as the sins of the Church of England. Winthrop was by no means a supporter of the Church of England, and he was a strict Puritan; however, he did see the value of moderation in some degree when considering the benefits of the theocratic model established in England. While religion and civil government went together in New England at this time, Winthrop’s writing also includes historical concerns and the day-to-day life of New Englanders in the early seventeenth century. His journals, published in two volumes in 1825-1826 under the title History of New England , is still today the basis for much of what we know about life in the first few decades of Puritan New England.

“A Modell of Christian Charity,” presented here, is his most enduring literary work, although it was not published until 1838. Believed to be delivered either right before sailing from England or during the passage across the Atlantic, Winthrop’s speech provides a purpose for the Puritan utopia he wished to establish in the New World – a shining “city upon a hill” to serve as an example of good Christian community and enterprise which the rest of the world could soon follow. Much like the work of William Bradford presented earlier in this anthology, Winthrop’s text details actual historical events, religious doctrine, and the general mindset of the early Puritan settlers. Outlining religious, social, and economic ideals using a rhetorical formula influenced by his legal background, Winthrop poses questions, gives answers, and offers objections and rebuttals to his ideas. His main thesis – the concept of charity and mutual community as a Christian imperative within a firmly established economic and social hierarchy – underscores the authoritarian paradox of the early Puritans. They believed in free will and an individual’s right to an unfettered and equal relationship with God while simultaneously attempting to reinforce hierarchical social and religious structures that mandated strict roles for community members based on factors such as wealth, education, gender, race, and sexuality. “A Modell of Christian Charity” not only offers us a glimpse into the avowed religious purpose and influence for the Puritan errand into the wilderness of North America, but also exposes the political, social, and economic mindset of these early immigrants to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

“A Modell of Christian Charity”

Full Text:  https://history.hanover.edu/texts/winthmod.html

CHRISTIAN CHARITIE

A Modell hereof .

GOD ALMIGHTY in his most holy and wise providence, hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity; others mean and in submission.

The Reason hereof

1  Reas . First to hold conformity with the rest of his world, being delighted to show forth the glory of His wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures, and the glory of His power in ordering all these differences for the preservation and good of the whole; and the glory of His greatness, that as it is the glory of princes to have many officers, so this Great King will have many stewards, counting Himself more honored in dispensing His gifts to man by man, than if He did it by His own immediate hands.

2  Reas.  Secondly that He might have the more occasion to manifest the work of his Spirit: first upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them: so that the rich and mighty should not eat up the poor nor the poor and despised rise up against and shake off their yoke. Secondly, in the regenerate, in exercising His graces in them, as in the grate ones, their love, mercy, gentleness, temperance, etc., in the poor and inferior sort, their faith, patience, obedience &c.

3  Reas . Thirdly, that every man might have need of others, and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together in the bonds of brotherly affection. From hence it appears plainly that no man is made more honorable than another or more wealthy etc., out of any particular and singular respect to himself, but for the glory of his creator and the common good of the creature, man. Therefore God still reserves the property of these gifts to himself as Ezek. 16.17. He there calls wealth,  his gold and his silver , and Prov. 3.9. he claims their service as his due,  honor the Lord with thy riches  etc.–All men being thus (by divine providence) ranked into two sorts, rich and poor; under the first are comprehended all such as are able to live comfortably by their own means duly improved; and all others are poor according to the former distribution. There are two rules whereby we are to walk one towards another: justice and mercy. These are always distinguished in their act and in their object, yet may they both concur in the same subject in each respect; as sometimes there may be an occasion of showing mercy to a rich man in some sudden danger or distress, and also doing of mere justice to a poor man in regard of some particular contract etc. There is likewise a double law by which we are regulated in our conversation towards another; in both the former respects, the law of nature and the law of grace, or the moral law or the law of the gospel, to omit the rule of justice as not properly belonging to this purpose otherwise than it may fall into consideration in some particular cases. By the first of these laws man as he was enabled so withal is commanded to love his neighbor as himself. Upon this ground stands all the precepts of the moral law, which concerns our dealings with men. To apply this to the works of mercy; this law requires two things. First that every man afford his help to another in every want or distress. Secondly, that he perform this out of the same affection which makes him careful of his own goods, according to that of our Savior. Matthew:  Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you . This was practiced by Abraham and Lot in entertaining the angels and the old man of Gibea. The law of Grace or of the Gospel hath some difference from the former; as in these respects: First the law of nature was given to man in the estate of innocence; this of the Gospel in the estate of regeneracy. Secondly, the former propounds one man to another, as the same flesh and image of God; this as a brother in Christ also, and in the communion of the same Spirit, and so teacheth to put a difference between Christians and others.  Do good to all, especially to the household of faith ; upon this ground the Israelites were to put a difference between the brethren of such as were strangers though not of the Canaanites.

Thirdly, the law of nature would give no rules for dealing with enemies, for all are to be considered as friends in the state of innocence, but the Gospel commands love to an enemy. Proof.  If thine Enemy hunger, feed him; Love your Enemies, do good to them that hate you.  Math. 5.44.

This law of the Gospel propounds likewise a difference of seasons and occasions. There is a time when a Christian must sell all and give to the poor, as they did in the Apostles times. There is a time also when Christians (though they give not all yet) must give beyond their ability, as they of Macedonia, Cor. 2.6. Likewise community of perils calls for extraordinary liberality, and so doth community in some special service for the church. Lastly, when there is no other means whereby our Christian brother may be relieved in his distress, we must help him beyond our ability rather than tempt God in putting him upon help by miraculous or extraordinary means.

This duty of mercy is exercised in the kinds: Giving, lending, and forgiving.–

Quest.  What rule shall a man observe in giving in respect of the measure?

Ans . If the time and occasion be ordinary he is to give out of his abundance.  Let him lay aside as God hath blessed him . If the time and occasion be extraordinary, he must be ruled by them; taking this withal, that then a man cannot likely do too much, especially if he may leave himself and his family under probable means of comfortable subsistence.

Object . A man must lay up for posterity, the fathers lay up for posterity and children, and  he is worse than an infidel that provideth not for his own.

Ans.  For the first, it is plain that it being spoken by way of comparison, it must be meant of the ordinary and usual course of fathers, and cannot extend to times and occasions extraordinary. For the other place the Apostle speaks against such as walked inordinately, and it is without question, that he is worse than an infidel who through his own sloth and voluptuousness shall neglect to provide for his family.

Object. The wise man’s Eyes are in his head,  saith Solomon,  and foreseeth the plague;  therefore he must forecast and lay up against evil times when he or his may stand in need of all he can gather.

Ans . This very argument Solomon used to persuade to liberality, Eccle.:  Cast thy bread upon the waters , and  for thou knows not what evil may come upon the land . Luke 26.  Make you friends of the riches of iniquity;  you will ask how this shall be? very well. For first he that gives to the poor, lends to the Lord and He will repay him even in this life a hundredfold to him or his —  The righteous is ever merciful and lendeth and his seed enjoyeth the blessing;  and besides we know what advantage it will be to us in the day of account when many such witnesses shall stand forth for us to witness the improvement of our talent. And I would know of those who plead so much for laying up for time to come, whether they hold that to be Gospel, Math. 16.19.  Lay not up for yourselves Treasures upon Earth etc. If they acknowledge it, what extent will they allow it? if only to those primitive times, let them consider the reason whereupon our Savior grounds it. The first is that they are subject to the moth, the rust, the thief. Secondly, they will steal away the heart;  where the treasure is there will ye heart be also.  The reasons are of like force at all times. Therefore the exhortation must be general and perpetual, with always in respect of the love and affection to riches and in regard of the things themselves when any special service for the church or particular distress of our brother do call for the use of them; otherwise it is not only lawful but necessary to lay up as Joseph did to have ready upon such occasions, as the Lord (whose stewards we are of them) shall call for them from us; Christ gives us an instance of the first, when he sent his disciples for the ass, and bids them answer the owner thus, the Lord hath need of him: so when the Tabernacle was to be built, he sends to his people to call for their silver and gold, etc.; and yields no other reason but that it was for his work. When Elisha comes to the widow of Sareptah and finds her preparing to make ready her pittance for herself and family, he bids her first provide for him, he challenged first God’s part which she must first give before she must serve her own family. All these teach us that the Lord looks that when he is pleased to call for his right in anything we have, our own interest we have, must stand aside till his turn be served. For the other, we need look no further then to that of John 1.  He who hath this world’s goods and seeth his brother to need and shuts up his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him,  which comes punctually to this conclusion; if thy brother be in want and thou canst help him, thou needs not make doubt, what thou shouldst do; if thou love God thou must help him.

Quest.  What rule must we observe in lending?

Ans . Thou must observe whether thy brother hath present or probable or possible means of repaying thee, if there be none of those, thou must give him according to his necessity, rather than lend him as he requires; if he hath present means of repaying thee, thou art to look at him not as an act of mercy, but by way of commerce, wherein thou are to walk by the rule of justice; but if his means of repaying thee be only probable or possible, then is he an object of thy mercy, thou must lend him, though there be danger of losing it, Deut. 15.7.  If any of thy brethren be poor  &c.,  thou shalt lend him sufficient.  That men might not shift off this duty by the apparent hazard, he tells them that though the year of jubilee were at hand (when he must remit it, if he were not able to repay it before) yet he must lend him and that cheerfully.  It may not grieve thee to give him  (saith he) and because some might object, why so I should soon impoverish myself and my family, he adds with all thy work etc.; for our Savior, Math. 5. 42.  From him that would borrow of thee turn not away.

Quest.  What rule must we observe in forgiving?

Ans . Whether thou didst lend by way of commerce or in mercy, if he hath nothing to pay thee, must forgive (except in cause where thou hast a surety or a lawful pledge) Deut. 15.2. Every seventh year the creditor was to quit that which he lent to his brother if he were poor as appears ver. 8.  Save when there shall be no poor with thee . In all these and like cases, Christ was a general rule, Math. 7.22.  Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do yee the same to them also.

Quest . What rule must we observe and walk by in cause of community of peril?

Ans . The same as before, but with more enlargement towards others and less respect towards ourselves and our own right. Hence it was that in the primitive Church they sold all, had all things in common, neither did any man say that which he possessed was his own. Likewise in their return out of the captivity, because the work was great for the restoring of the church and the danger of enemies was common to all, Nehemiah directs the Jews to liberality and readiness in remitting their debts to their brethren, and disposing liberally to such as wanted, and stand not upon their own dues which they might have demanded of them. Thus did some of our forefathers in times of persecution in England, and so did many of the faithful of other churches, whereof we keep an honorable remembrance of them; and it is to be observed that both in Scriptures and latter stories of the churches that such as have been most bountiful to the poor saints, especially in those extraordinary times and occasions, God hath left them highly commended to posterity, as Zacheus, Cornelius, Dorcas, Bishop Hooper, the Cuttler of Brussells and divers others. Observe again that the Scripture gives no caution to restrain any from being over liberal this way; but all men to the liberal and cheerful practise hereof by the sweeter promises; as to instance one for many, Isaiah 58.6.  Is not this the fast I have chosen to loose the bonds of wickedness, to take off the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke, to deal thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poor that wander into thy house, when thou sees the naked to cover them; and then shall thy light brake forth as the morning and thy health shall grow speedily, thy righteousness shall go before God, and the glory of the Lord shalt embrace thee; then thou shall call and the Lord shall answer thee  etc. Ch. 2.10:  If thou power out thy soul to the hungry, then shall thy light spring out in darkness, and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in draught, and make fat thy bones, thou shalt be like a watered garden, and they shalt be of thee that shall build the old waste places  etc. On the contrary most heavy curses are laid upon such as are straightened towards the Lord and His people. Judg. 5.  Curse the Meroshe because he came not to help the Lord; Prov. 21.13. He who shutteth his ears from hearing the cry of the poor, he shall cry and shall not be heard;  Math. 25.  Go ye cursed into everlasting fire etc. I was hungry and ye fed me not ; 2 Cor. 9.6. He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly. Having already set forth the practice of mercy according to the rule of God’s law, it will be useful to lay open the grounds of it also, being the other part of the Commandment and that is the affection from which this exercise of mercy must arise, the Apostle tells us that this  love is the fulfilling of the law , not that it is enough to love our brother and so no further; but in regard of the excellency of his parts giving any motion to the other as the soul to the body and the power it hath to set all the faculties on work in the outward exercise of this duty; as when we bid one make the clock strike, he doth not lay hand on the hammer, which is the immediate instrument of the sound, but sets on work the first mower or main wheel; knowing that will certainly produce the sound which he intends. So the way to draw men to the works of mercy, is not by force of argument from the goodness or necessity of the work; for though this cause may enforce, a rational mind to some present act of mercy, as is frequent in experience, yet it cannot work such a habit in a soul, as shall make it prompt upon all occasions to produce the same effect, but by framing these affections of love in the heart which will as naturally bring forth the other, as any cause doth produce the effect.

The definition which the Scripture gives us of love is this.  Love is the bond of perfection , first it is a bond or ligament. Secondly it makes the work perfect. There is no body but consists of parts and that which knits these parts together, gives the body its perfection, because it makes each part so contiguous to others as thereby they do mutually participate with each other, both in strength and infirmity, in pleasure and pain. To instance in the most perfect of all bodies; Christ and his Church make one body; the several parts of this body considered a part before they were united, were as disproportionate and as much disordering as so many contrary qualities or elements, but when Christ comes, and by His spirit and love knits all these parts to himself and each to other, it is become the most perfect and best proportioned body in the world, Eph. 4.16.  Christ, by whom all the body being knit together by every joint for the furniture thereof, according to the effectual power which is in the measure of every perfection of parts, a glorious body without spot or wrinkle;  the ligaments hereof being Christ, or His love, for Christ is love, 1 John 4.8. So this definition is right:  Love is the bond of perfection.

From hence we may frame these conclusions. First of all, true Christians are of one body in Christ, 1 Cor. 12.12:  Ye are the body of Christ and members of their part . All the parts of this body being thus united are made so contiguous in a special relation as they must needs partake of each other’s strength and infirmity; joy and sorrow, wale and woe. 1 Cor. 12. 27:  If one member suffers, all suffer with it, if one be in honor, all rejoice with it.  Secondly, the ligaments of this body which knit together are love. Thirdly, nobody can be perfect which wants its proper ligament. Fourthly, this sensibleness and sympathy of each other’s conditions will necessarily infuse into each part a native desire and endeavor to strengthen, defend, preserve, and comfort the other. To insist a little on this conclusion being the product of all the former, the truth hereof will appear both by precept and pattern. 1 John 3.10:  Yee ought to lay down your lives for the brethren.  Gal. 6.2:  bear ye one another’s burthen’s and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For patterns we have that first of our Savior who out of His good will in obedience to His Father, becoming a part of this body and being knit with it in the bond of love, found such a native sensibleness of our infirmities and sorrows as He willingly yielded Himself to death to ease the infirmities of the rest of His body, and so healed their sorrows. From the like sympathy of parts did the Apostles and many thousands of the Saintes lay down their lives for Christ. Again the like we may see in the members of this body among themselves. 1 Rom. 9. Paul could have been contented to have been separated from Christ, that the Jews might not be cut off from the body. It is very observable what he professed of his affectionate partaking with every member;  who is weak (saith he)  and I am not weak? who is offended and I burn not;  and again, 2 Cor. 7.13:  therefore we are comforted because ye were comforted . Of Epaphroditus he speaketh, Phil. 2.30,  that he regarded not his own life to do him service.  So Phebe and others are called  the servants of the church.  Now it is apparent that they served not for wages, or by constraint, but out of love. The like we shall find in the histories of the church, in all ages; the sweet sympathy of affections which was in the members of this body one towards another; their cheerfulness in serving and suffering together; how liberal they were without repining, harbors without grudging, and helpful without reproaching; and all from hence, because they had fervent love amongst them; which only makes the practice of mercy constant and easy.

The next consideration is how this love comes to be wrought. Adam in his first estate was a perfect model of mankind in all their generations, and in him this love was perfected in regard of the habit. But Adam, rent himself from his Creator, rent all his posterity also one from another; whence it comes that every man is born with this principle in him to love and seek himself only, and thus a man continues till Christ comes and takes possession of the soul and infuses another principle, love to God and our brother, and this latter having continual supply from Christ, as the head and root by which he is united, gets the predomining in the soul, so by little and little expels the former. 1 John 4.7:  love cometh of God and every one that loves is borne of God,  so that this love is the fruit of the new birth, and none can have it but the new creature. Now when this quality is thus formed in the souls of men, it works like the Spirit upon the dry bones. Ezek. 39:  bone came to bone.  It gathers together the scattered bones, or perfect old man Adam, and knits them into one body again in Christ, whereby a man is become again a living soul.

The third consideration is concerning the exercise of this love, which is twofold, inward or outward. The outward hath been handled in the former preface of this discourse. From unfolding the other we must take in our way that maxim of philosophy.  Simile simili gaudet,  or like will to like; for as of things which are turned with disaffection to each other, the ground of it is from a dissimilitude or arising from the contrary or different nature of the things themselves; for the ground of love is an apprehension of some resemblance in the things loved to that which affects it. This is the cause why the Lord loves the creature, so far as it has any of His image in it; He loves His elect because they are like Himself, He beholds them in His beloved Son. So a mother loves her child, because she thoroughly conceives a resemblance of herself in it. Thus it is between the members of Christ; each discerns, by the work of the Spirit, his own Image and resemblance in another, and therefore cannot but love him as he loves himself. Now when the soul, which is of a sociable nature, finds anything like to itself, it is like Adam when Eve was brought to him. She must be one with himself.  This is flesh of my flesh  (saith he)  and bone of my bone . So the soul conceives a great delight in it; therefore she desires nearness and familiarity with it. She hath a great propensity to do it good and receives such content in it, as fearing the miscarriage of her beloved, she bestows it in the inmost closet of her heart. She will not endure that it shall want any good which she can give it. If by occasion she be withdrawn from the company of it, she is still looking towards the place where she left her beloved. If she heard it groan, she is with it presently. If she finds it sad and disconsolate, she sighs and moans with it. She hath no such joy as to see her beloved merry and thriving. If she sees it wronged, she cannot hear it without passion. She sets no bounds to her affections, nor hath any thought of reward. She finds recompense enough in the exercise of her love towards it. We may see this acted to life in Jonathan and David. Jonathan a valiant man endued with the spirit of love, so soon as he discovered the same spirit in David had presently his heart knit to him by this ligament of love; so that it is said he loved him as his own soul, he takes so great pleasure in him, that he strips himself to adorn his beloved. His father’s kingdom was not so precious to him as his beloved David, David shall have it with all his heart. Himself desires no more but that he may be near to him to rejoice in his good. He chooses to converse with him in the wilderness even to the hazard of his own life, rather than with the great courtiers in his father’s palace. When he sees danger towards him, he spares neither rare pains nor peril to direct it. When injury was offered his beloved David, he would not bear it, though from his own father. And when they must part for a season only, they thought their hearts would have broken for sorrow, had not their affections found vent by abundance of tears. Other instances might be brought to show the nature of this affection; as of Ruth and Naomi, and many others; but this truth is cleared enough.

If any shall object that it is not possible that love shall be bred or upheld without hope of requital, it is granted; but that is not our cause; for this love is always under reward. It never gives, but it always receives with advantage; First in regard that among the members of the same body, love and affection are reciprocal in a most equal and sweet kind of commerce. Secondly, in regard of the pleasure and content that the exercise of love carries with it, as we may see in the natural body. The mouth is at all the pains to receive and mince the food which serves for the nourishment of all the other parts of the body; yet it hath no cause to complain; for first the other parts send back by several passages, a due proportion of the same nourishment, in a better form for the strengthening and comforting the mouth. Secondly the labor of the mouth is accompanied with such pleasure and content as far exceeds the pains it takes. So is it in all the labor of love among Christians. The party loving, reaps love again, as was showed before, which the soul covets more than all the wealth in the world. Thirdly, nothing yields more pleasure and content to the soul then when it finds that which it may love fervently; for to love and live beloved is the soul’s paradise both here and in heaven. In the state of wedlock there be many comforts to learn out of the troubles of that condition; but let such as have tried the most, say if there be any sweetness in that condition comparable to the exercise of mutual love.

From the former considerations arise these conclusions. —

First, this love among Christians is a real thing, not imaginary.

Secondly, this love is as absolutely necessary to the being of the body of Christ, as the sinews and other ligaments of a natural body are to the being of that body.

Thirdly, this love is a divine, spiritual nature; free, active, strong, courageous, permanent; undervaluing all things beneath its proper object and of all the graces, this makes us nearer to resemble the virtues of our Heavenly Father.

Fourthly, it rests in the love and welfare of its beloved. For the full certain knowledge of those truths concerning the nature, use, and excellency of this grace, that which the Holy Ghost hath left recorded, 1 Cor. 13, may give full satisfaction, which is needful for every true member of this lovely body of the Lord Jesus, to work upon their hearts by prayer, meditation continual exercise at least of the special influence of this grace, till Christ be formed in them and they in Him, all in each other, knit together by this bond of love.

It rests now to make some application of this discourse, by the present design, which gave the occasion of writing of it. Herein are 4 things to be propounded; first the persons, secondly the work, thirdly the end, fourthly the means.

First, for  the persons . We are a company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ, in which respect only though we were absent from each other many miles, and had our employments as far distant, yet we ought to account ourselves knit together by this bond of love, and, live in the exercise of it, if we would have comfort of our being in Christ. This was notorious in the practice of the Christians in former times; as is testified of the Waldenses, from the mouth of one of the adversaries  Aeneas Sylvius  “mutuo ament pere antequam norunt,” they use to love any of their own religion even before they were acquainted with them.

Secondly, for the  work  we have in hand. It is by a mutual consent, through a special overvaluing providence and a more than an ordinary approbation of the Churches of Christ, to seek out a place of cohabitation and consortship under a due form of government both civil and ecclesiastical. In such cases as this, the care of the public must oversway all private respects, by which, not only conscience, but also civil policy, does bind us. For it is a true rule that particular estates cannot subsist in the ruin of the public.

Thirdly, the  end  is to improve our lives to do more service to the Lord; the comfort and increase of the body of Christ, whereof we are members; that ourselves and posterity may be the better preserved from the common corruptions of this evil world, to serve the Lord and work out our salvation under the power and purity of His holy ordinances.

Fourthly, for the  means  whereby this must be effected. They are twofold, a conformity with the work and end we aim at. These we see are extraordinary, therefore we must not content ourselves with usual ordinary means. Whatsoever we did, or ought to have done, when we lived in England, the same must we do, and more also, where we go. That which the most in their churches maintain as truth in profession only, we must bring into familiar and constant practice; as in this duty of love, we must love brotherly without dissimulation, we must love one another with a pure heart fervently. We must bear one another’s burthens. We must not look only on our own things, but also on the things of our brethren. Neither must we think that the Lord will bear with such failings at our hands as he does from those among whom we have lived; and that for these 3 Reasons. First, in regard of the more near bond of marriage between him and us, wherein he hath taken us to be his, after a most strict and peculiar manner, which will make them the more jealous of our love and obedience. So he tells the people of Israel,  you only have I known of all the families of the Earth, therefore will I punish you for your Transgressions.  Secondly, because  the Lord will be sanctified in them that come near him.  We know that there were many that corrupted the service of the Lord; some setting up altars before his own; others offering both strange fire and strange sacrifices also; yet there came no fire from heaven, or other sudden judgement upon them, as did upon Nadab and Abihu, who yet we may think did not sin presumptuously. Thirdly, when God gives a special commission He looks to have it strictly observed in every article; When He gave Saul a commission to destroy Amaleck, He indented with him upon certain articles, and because he failed in one of the least, and that upon a faire pretense, it lost him the kingdom, which should have been his reward, if he had observed his commission. Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into covenant with Him for this work. We have taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles. We have professed to enterprise these and those accounts, upon these and those ends. We have hereupon besought Him of favor and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it; but if we shall neglect the observation of these articles which are the ends we have propounded, and, dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions, seeking great things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us; be revenged of such a sinful people and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant.

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah,  to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God.  For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of other’s necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other; make other’s conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we  keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.  The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways. So that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, “the Lord make it likely that of  New England .” For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God’s sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a going.

I shall shut up this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30:  Beloved there is now set before us life and good, Death and evil, in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Ordinance and his laws,  and the articles of our Covenant with Him, that  we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whither we go to possess it. But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship and serve other Gods,  our pleasure and profits,  and serve them . It is propounded unto us this day,  we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we passé over this vast sea to possess it.

Therefore let us choose life that we, and our seed may live, by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity. 

Open Anthology of Earlier American Literature Copyright © by Sonya Parrish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Journey to america.

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John Winthrop

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John Winthrop (born January 22 [January 12, Old Style], 1588, Edwardstone, Suffolk , England—died April 5 [March 26], 1649, Boston , Massachusetts Bay Colony [U.S.]) was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the chief figure among the Puritan founders of New England .

Winthrop’s father was a newly risen country gentleman whose 500-acre (200-hectare) estate, Groton Manor , had been bought from Henry VIII at the time of the Reformation . Winthrop thus belonged to a class—the gentry—that became the dominant force in English society between 1540 and 1640, and he early assumed the habit of command appropriate to a member of the ruling class in a highly stratified society.

At age 15 he entered Trinity College , Cambridge . At age 17 he married the first of his four wives—Mary Forth, daughter of an Essex squire—and the next year the first of his 16 children was born. Like many members of his class, Winthrop studied law, served as justice of the peace , and obtained a government office; from 1627 to 1629 he was an attorney at the Court of Wards and Liveries. For more than 20 years Winthrop was primarily a country squire at Groton, with no discernible interest in overseas colonization.

He was an ardently religious person. From his early teens Winthrop threw himself into scriptural study and prayers, and gradually he trained himself into a full-fledged Puritan, convinced that God had elected him to salvation—or, in Puritan terms, to “sainthood.” His religious experience reinforced his elitist outlook, but it also made him a social activist. Like other prominent Puritans, Winthrop dedicated himself to remaking, as far as possible, the wicked world as he saw it, arguing that “the life which is most exercised with tryalls and temptations is the sweetest, and will prove the safeste.”

During the late 1620s, Winthrop felt increasingly trapped by the economic slump that reduced his landed income and by Charles I ’s belligerent anti-Puritan policy, which cost him his court post in 1629. When, in 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Company obtained a royal charter to plant a colony in New England, Winthrop joined the company, pledging to sell his English estate and take his family to Massachusetts if the company government and charter were also transferred to America. The other members agreed to these terms and elected him governor (October 20).

As Winthrop sailed west on the Arbella in the spring of 1630, he composed a lay sermon, “ A Modell of Christian Charity,” in which he pictured the Massachusetts colonists in covenant with God and with each other, divinely ordained to build “a Citty upon a Hill” in New England, with “the eyes of all people” on them:

If we deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world; we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all believers in God; we shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us, till we are forced out of the new land where we are going.

Some critics have seen Winthrop as a visionary utopian while others have seen him as a social reactionary, but most obviously he was urging his fellow colonists to adopt the combination of group discipline and individual responsibility that gave Massachusetts such immediate and lasting success as a social experiment.

For the remaining 19 years of his life, Winthrop lived in the New England wilderness, a father figure among the colonists. In the annual Massachusetts elections he was chosen governor 12 times between 1631 and 1648, and during the intervening years he sat on the court of assistants or colony council. His American career passed through three distinct phases. On first arrival, in the early 1630s, he did his most creative work, guiding the colonists as they laid out a network of tightly organized towns, each with its church of self-professed saints. Winthrop himself settled at Boston, which quickly became the capital and chief port of Massachusetts. His new farm on the Mystic River was much inferior to his former estate at Groton, but Winthrop never regretted the move, because he was free at last to build a godly commonwealth.

Opposition against him built up after a few years, however, as dissidents kept challenging Winthrop’s system in the mid- and late 1630s. He was nettled when the freemen (voters) insisted in 1634 on electing a representative assembly to share in decision making . He found Roger Williams ’s criticism of church-state relations intolerable, though he secretly helped Williams to flee to Rhode Island in 1636. And he took it as a personal affront when numerous colonists chose to migrate from Massachusetts to Connecticut .

John Winthrop

“A Model of Christian Charity”

Introduction

John Winthrop delivered his sermon “A Model of Christian Charity” aboard the Arbella, which set sail for New England in 1630. Winthrop was a lawyer, and his legal background is evident throughout the text. He carefully builds his argument with questions, answers, and “conclusions” that he wants drawn from the evidence he presents. He also emphasizes the Puritan’s “ covenant ” with God, which is essentially a divine contract. Winthrop also utilizes key images and phrases, such as the “city upon a hill.” Keeping track of these images and how they are used may also help you to understand the argument he is constructing. As you read, consider some of the points raised in the “Utopian Promises” video, and think about how his sermon might be heard and understood by people getting ready to embark on an entirely new way of life in a new world.

Discussion Questions

• How does Winthrop seem to be defining the ideal Puritan? What does he suggest is an ideal Puritan community?
• What purpose might Winthrop have for delivering this sermon-speech in this way, at this time? Which elements of that speech might be especially important for people to hear before they land in the “New World”?
• Take some time to identify phrases or images that seem prominent, like Winthrop’s use of the “body” metaphor or his reference to the “city upon a hill.” What do these images and phrases convey? How or why might they be important to his message?
• How does Winthrop’s ideas about the “New World” compare to William Bradford’s? To Thomas Morton or Roger Williams?

CHRISTIAN CHARITIE

A modell hereof..

GOD ALMIGHTY in his most holy and wise providence, hath soe disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poore, some high and eminent in power and dignitie; others mean and in submission.

The Reason hereof

1  Reas . First to hold conformity with the rest of his world, being delighted to show forth the glory of his wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures, and the glory of his power in ordering all these differences for the preservation and good of the whole; and the glory of his greatness,’that as it is the glory of princes to have many officers, soe this great king will haue many stewards, counting himself more honoured in dispensing his gifts to man by man, than if he did it by his owne immediate hands

2  Reas.  Secondly that he might haue the more occasion to manifest the work of his Spirit: first upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them: soe that the riche and mighty should not eate upp the poore nor the poore and dispised rise upp against and shake off theire yoake. 2ly In the regenerate, in exerciseing his graces in them, as in the grate ones, theire love, mercy, gentleness, temper- ance &c., in the poore and inferior sorte, theire faithe, patience, obedience &c.

3  Reas . Thirdly, that every man might have need of others, and from hence they might be all knitt more nearly together in the Bonds of brotherly affection. From hence it appears plainly that noe man is made more honourable than another or more wealthy &c., out of any particular and singular respect to himselfe, but for the glory of his creator and the common good of the creature, man. There- fore God still reserves the propperty of these gifts to him- self as Ezek. 16. 17. he there calls wealthe, his gold and his silver, and Prov. 3. 9. he claims theire service as his due, honor the Lord with thy riches &c.—All men being thus (by divine providence) ranked into two sorts, riche and poore; under the first are comprehended all such as are able to live comfortably by their own meanes duely improved; and all others are poore according to the former distribution. There are two rules whereby we are to walk one towards another: Justice and Mercy. These are always distinguished in their act and in their object, yet may they both concurre in the same subject in eache respect; as sometimes there may be an occasion of showing mercy to a rich man in some sudden danger or distresse, and alsoe doeing of meere justice to a poor man in regard of some perticular contract &c. There is like- wise a double Lawe by which wee are regulated in our conversation towardes another; in both the former respects, the lawe of nature and the lawe of grace, or the morrall lawe or the lawe of the gospell, to omitt the rule ofjustice as not propperly belonging to this purpose otherwise than it may fall into consideration in some perticular cases. By the first of these lawes man as he was enabled soe withall is commanded to love his neighbour as himself. Upon this ground stands all the precepts of the morrall lawe, which concernes our dealings with men. To apply this to the works of mercy; this lawe requires two things. First that every man afford his help to another in every want or distresse. Secondly, that hee performe this out of the same affection which makes him carefull of his owne goods, according to that of our Savior, (Math.) What- soever ye would that men should do to you. This was practised by Abraham and Lot in entertaining the angells and the old man of Gibea. The lawe of Grace or of the Gospell hath some difference from the former; as in these respects, First the lawe of nature was given to man in the estate of innocency; this of the Gospell in the estate of regeneracy. 21y, the former propounds one man to another, as the same flesh and image of God; this as a brother in Christ allsoe, and in the communion of the same Spirit, and soe teacheth to put a difference between christians and others. Doe good to all, especially to the household of faith; upon this ground the Israelites were to putt a difference betweene the brethren of such as were strangers though not of the Canaanites.

3ly, The Lawe of nature would give no rules for dealing with enemies, for all are to be considered as friends in the state of innocency, but the Gospell commands loue to an enemy. Proofe. If thine Enemy hunger, feed him; Loue your Enemies, doe good to them that hate you. Math. 5. 44.

This lawe of the Gospell propounds likewise a difference of seasons and occasions. There is a time when a chris- tian must sell all and give to the poor, as they did in the Apostles times. There is a time allsoe when christians (though they give not all yet) must give beyond their abillity, as they of Macedonia, Cor. 2, 6. Likewise com- munity ofperills calls for extraordinary liberality, and soe doth community in some speciall service for the churche. Lastly, when there is no other means whereby our christian brother may be relieved in his distress, we must help him beyond our ability rather than tempt God in putting him upon help by miraculous or extraordinary meanes.

This duty of mercy is exercised in the kinds, Giueving, lending and forgiving.—

Quest.   What rule shall a man observe in giueving in respect of the measure?

Ans . If the time and occasion be ordinary he is to giue out of his abundance. Let him lay aside as God hath blessed him . If the time and occasion be extraordinary,  he must be ruled by them; taking this withall, that then a man cannot likely doe too much, especially if he may leave himselfe and his family under probable means of comfortable subsistence.

Object . A man must lay upp for posterity, the fathers lay upp for posterity and children, and he is worse than an infidell that pronideth not for his owne. 

Ans.  For the first, it is plaine that it being spoken by way of comparison, it must be meant of the ordinary and usuall course of fathers, and cannot extend to times and occasions extraordinary. For the other place the Apostle speaks against such as walked inordinately, and it is with- out question, that he is worse than an infidell who through his owne sloathe and voluptuousness shall neglect to provide for his family.—

Object. The wise man’s Eies are in his head, saith Solomon, and foreseeth the plague; therefore he must forecast and lay upp against evill times when hee or his may stand in need of all he can gather.

Ans . This very Argument Solomon useth to persuade to liberallity, Eccle.: Cast thy bread upon the waters, and for thou knowest not what evill may come upon the land. Luke 26. Make you friends of the riches of iniquity; you will ask how this shall be ? very well. For first he that giues to the poore, lends to the lord and he will repay him even in this life an hundredfold to him or his.— The righteous is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed enjoyeth the blessing; and besides wee know what advantage it will be to us in the day of account when many such witnesses shall stand forth for us to witnesse the improvement of our tallent. And I would know of those whoe pleade soe much for laying up for time to come, whether they holde that to be Gospell, Math. 16. 19. Lay not upp for your- selves Treasures upon Earth &c . If they acknowledge it, what extent will theyallowe it? if only to those primitive times, let them consider the reason whereopon our Saviour groundes it. The first is that they are subject to the moathe, the rust, the theife. Secondly, They will steale away the hearte; where the treasure is there will ye heart be allsoe . The reasons are of like force at all times. Therefore the exhortation must be generall and perpetuall, withallwayes in respect of the love and affection to riches and in regard of the things themselves when any speciall seruice for the churche or perticular Distresse of our brother doe call for the use of them; otherwise it is not only lawfull but necessary to lay upp as Joseph did to haue ready uppon such occasions, as the Lord (whose stewards wee are of them) shall call for them from us; Christ giues us an Instance of the first, when hee sent his disciples for the Ass, and bidds them answer the owner thus, the Lord hath need of him : soe when the Tabernacle was to be built, he sends to his people to call for their silver and gold, &c; and yeildes noe other reason but that it was for his worke. When Elisha comes to the widow of Sareptah and findes her preparing to make ready her pittance for herselfe and family, he bids her first provide for him, he challengeth first God’s parte which she must first give before shee must serve her owne family. All these teache us that the Lord lookesthat when hee is pleased to call for his right in any thing wee haue, our owne interest wee haue, must stand aside till his turne be served. For the other, wee need looke noe further then to that of John 1. he whoe hath this world’s goodes and seeth his brother to neede and shutts upp his compassion from him, how dwelleth the hue of God in him , which comes punctually to this conclusion; if thy brother be in want and thou canst help him, thou needst not make doubt, what thou shouldst doe; if thou louest God thou must help him.

Quest.  What rule must wee observe in lending?

Ans . Thou must observe whether thy brother hath present or probable or possible means of repaying thee, if there be none of those, thou must give him according to his necessity, rather than lend him as he requires; if he hath present means of repaying thee, thou art to look at him not as an act of mercy, but by way of commerce, wherein thou are to walk by the rule of justice; but if his means of repaying thee be only probable or possible, then is he an object of thy mercy, thou must lend him, though there be danger of losing it, Deut. 15.7.  If any of thy brethren be poor  &c.,  thou shalt lend him sufficient.  That men might not shift off this duty by the apparent hazard, he tells them that though the year of jubilee were at hand (when he must remit it, if he were not able to repay it before) yet he must lend him and that cheerfully.  It may not grieve thee to give him  (saith he) and because some might object, why so I should soon impoverish myself and my family, he adds with all thy work etc.; for our Savior, Math. 5. 42.  From him that would borrow of thee turn not away.

Quest.  What rule must we observe in forgiuing ?

Ans . Whether thou didst lend by way of commerce or in mercy, if he hath nothing to pay thee, must forgive, (except in cause where thou hast a surety or a lawfull pleadge) Deut. 15. 2. Every seaventh yeare the Creditor was to quitt that which he lent to his brother if he were poore as appears ver. 8.  Save when there shall be no poore with thee . In all these and like cases, Christ was a generall rule, Math. 7. 22. Whatsoever ye would that men should doe to you, doe yee the same to them allsoe.

Quest . What rule must wee observe and walke by in cause of community of perill?

Ans . The same as before, but with more enlargement towards others and lesse respect towards ourselves and our owne right. Hence it was that in the primitive Churche they sold all, had all things in common, neither did any man say that which he possessed was his owne. Likewise in theire returne out of the captivity, because the worke was greate for the restoring of the church and the danger of enemies was common to all, Nehemiah directs the Jews to liberallity and readiness in remitting theire debts to theire brethren, and disposing liberally to such as wanted, and stand not upon their owne dues which they might have demanded of them. Thus did some of our Forefathers in times of persecution in England, and soe did many of the faithful of other churches, whereof wee keepe an honorable remembrance of them; and it is to be observed that both in Scriptures and latter stories of the churches that such as have beene most bountifull to the poore saintes, especially in those extraordinary times and occasions, God hath left them highly commended to posterity, as Zacheus, Cornelius, Dorcas, Bishop Hooper, the Cuttler of Brussells and divers others. Observe againe that the Scripture gives noe caussion to restraine any from being over liberall this way; but all men to the liberall and cherefull practise hereof by the sweeter promises; as to instance one for many, Isaiah 58. 6. Is not this the fast I have chosen to loose the bonds of wickedness, to take off the heavy burdens, to lett the oppressed go free and to breake every yoake, to deale thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poore that wander into thy house, when thou seest the naked to cover them; and then shall thy light brake forth as the morning and thy healthe shall growe speedily, thy righteousness shall goe before God, and the glory of the Lord shall embrace thee; then thou shall call and the Lord shall answer’ thee &c. , Ch. 2. 10. If thou power out thy soule to the hungry, then shall thy light spring out in darkness, and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfie thy soule in draught, and make fait thy bones, thou shalt be like a watered garden, and they shalt be of thee that shall build the old wast places &c . On the contrary most heavy cursses are layed upon such as are straightened towards the Lord and his people, Judg. 5. Cursse the Meroshe because he came not to help the Lord. Hee whoe shutteth his eares from hearing the cry of the poore, he shall cry and shall not be heard; Math. 25. Goe ye curssed into everlasting fire &c. I was hungry and ye fedd mee not, Cor. 2. 9. 16. He that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly. Haveing already sett forth the practice of mercy according to the rule of God’s lawe, it will be useful to lay open the groundes of it allsoe, being the other parte of the Commandment and that is the affection from which this exercise of mercy must arise, the Apostle tells us that this love is the fulfilling of the lawe , not that it is enough to loue our brother and soe noe further; but in regard of the excellency of his partes giueing any motion to the other as the soule to the body and the power it hath to sett all the faculties on worke in the outward exercise of this duty; as when wee bid one make the clocke strike, he doth not lay hand on the hammer, which is the immediate instrument of the sound, but setts on worke the first mouer or maine wheele; knoweing that will certainely produce the sound which he intends. Soe the way to drawe men to the workes of mercy, is not by force of Argument from the goodness or necessity of the worke; for though this cause may enforce, a rationall minde to some present act of mercy, as is frequent in experience, yet it cannot worke such a habit in a soule, as shall make it prompt upon all occasions to produce the same effect, but by frameing these affections of loue in the hearte which will as naturally bring forthe the other, as any cause doth produce the effect.

The deffinition which the Scripture giues us of loue is this. Love is the bond of perfection , first it is a bond or ligament. 2ly it makes the worke perfect. There is noe body but consists of partes and that which knitts these partes together, giues the body its perfection, because it makes eache parte soe contiguous to others as thereby they doe mutually participate with each other, both in strengthe and infirmity, in pleasure and paine. To in stance in the most perfect of all bodies; Christ and his Church make one body; the severall partes of this body considered a parte before they were united, were as disproportionate and as much disordering as soe many contrary quallities or elements, but when Christ comes, and by his spirit and loue knitts all these partes to himselfe and each to other, it is become the most perfect and best proportioned body in the world, Eph. 4. 16.  Christ, by whome all the body being knitt together by every joint for the furniture thereof, according to the effectuall power which is in the measure of every perfection of partes, a glorious body without spott or wrinkle ; the ligaments hereof being Christ, or his love, for Christ is love, 1 John 4. 8. Soe this definition is right. Love is the bond of perfection.

From hence we may frame these conclusions. 1. First| of all, true Christians are of one body in Christ, 1 Cor. 12. 12. 13. 17. Ye are the body of Christ and members ‘of their parte . All the partes of this body being thus vnited are made soe contiguous in a speciall relation as they must needes partake of each other’s strength and in firmity; joy and sorrowe, weale and woe. 1 Cor. 12. 26.  If one member suffers, all suffer with it, if one be in honor, all rejoyce with it . 2ly. The ligaments of this body which knitt together are loue. 3ly. Noe body can be perfect which wants its proper ligament. 5ly. This sensibleness and sympathy of each other’s conditions will necessarily infuse into each parte a native desire and endeavour, to strengthen, defend, preserve and comfort the other. To insist a little on this conclusion being the product of all the former, the truthe hereof will appeare both by preceptand patterne. 1 John 3. 10. Yee ought to lay doune your lives for the brethren. Gal. 6. 2. beare ye one another’s burthen’s and soe fulfill the lawe of Christ. For patterns wee haue that first of our Saviour whoe out of his good will in obedience to his father, becomeing a parte of this body and being knitt with it in the bond of loue, found such a natiue sensibleness of our infirmities and sorrowes as he willingly yielded himselfe to deathe to ease the infirmities of the rest of his body, and soe healed theire sorrowes. From the like sympathy of partes did the Apostles and many thousands of the Saintes lay doune theire lives for Christ. Againe the like wee may see in the members of this body among themselves. 1 Rom. 9. Paule could have been contented to have been separated from Christ, that the Jewes might not be cutt off from the body. It is very observable what hee professeth of his affectionate partaking with every member; whoe is weake (saith hee) and I am not weake ? whoe is offended and I burne not ; and againe, 2 Cor. 7. 13. therefore wee are comforted because yee were comforted. Of Epaphroditus he speaketh, Phil. 2. 30.  that he regarded not his owne life to do him service. Soe Phebe and others are called the servants of the churche . Now it is apparent that they served not for wages, or by constrainte, but out of loue. The like we shall finde in the histories of the churche in all ages; the sweete sympathie of affections which was in the members of this body one towards another; theire chearfullness in serueing and suffering together; how liberall they were without repineing, harbourers without grudgeing, and helpfull without reproaching; and all from hence, because they had feruent loue amongst them; which onely makes the practise of mercy constant and easie.

The next consideration is how this loue comes to be wrought. Adam in his first estate was a perfect modell of mankinde in all their generations, and in him this loue was perfected in regard of the habit. But Adam, rent him selfe from his Creator, rent all his posterity allsoe one from another; whence it comes that every man is borne with this principle in him to loue and seeke himselfe onely, and thus a man continueth till Christ comes and takes possession of the soule and infuseth another principle, loue to God and our brother, and this latter haueing continuall supply from Christ, as the head and roote by which he is vnited, gets the predomining in the soule, soe by little and little expells the former. 1 John 4. 7. loue cometh of God and every one that loueth is borne of God , soe that this loue is the fruite of the new birthe, and none can have it but the new creature. Now when this quallity is thus formed in the soules of men, it workes like the Spirit upon the drie bones. Ezek. 39. bone came to bone . It gathers together the scattered bones, or perfect old man Adam, and knitts them into one body againe in Christ, whereby a man is be come againe a living soule.

The third consideration is concerning the exercise of this loue, which is twofold, inward or outward. The outward hath beene handled in the former preface of this discourse. From unfolding the other wee must take in our way that maxime of philosophy. Simile simili gaudet, or like will to like; for as of things which are turned with disaffection to eache other, the ground of it is from a dissimilitude or ariseing from the contrary or different nature of the things themselves; for the ground of loue is an apprehension of some resemblance in the things loued to that which affects it. This is the cause why -the Lord loues the creature, soe farre as it hathe any of his Image in it; he loues his elect because they are like himselfe, he beholds them in his beloued sonne. So a mother loues her childe, because shee throughly conceives a resemblance of herselfe in it. Thus it is betweene the members of Christ; eache discernes, by the worke of the Spirit, his oune Image and resemblance in another, and therefore cannot but loue him as he loues himself. Now when the soule, which is of a sociable nature, findes anything like to itselfe, it is like Adam when Eve was brought to him. She must be one with himselfe. This is flesh of my flesh (saith he) and bone of my bone . Soe the soule conceives a greate delighte in it; therefore shee desires nearness and familiarity with it. Shee hath a greate propensity to doe it good and receiues such content in it, as fearing the miscarriage of her be loved, shee bestowes it in the inmost closett of her heart. Shee will not endure that it shall want any good which shee can giue it. If by occasion shee be withdrawne from the company of it, shee is still looking towardes the place where shee left her beloved, if shee heard it groane, shee is with it presently. groane, shee is with it presently. If shee finde it sadd and disconsolate, shee sighes and moanes with it. Shee hath noe such joy as to see her beloved merry and thriving. If shee see it wronged, shee cannot hear it without passion. Shee setts noe boundes to her affections, nor hath any thought of reward. Shee findes recompense enough in the exercise of her loue towardes it. Wee may see this acted to life in Jonathan and David. Jonathan a valiant man endued with the spirit of love, soe soone as he discovered the same spirit in David had presently his hearte knitt to him by this ligament of loue; soe that it is said he loued him as his owne soule, he takes soe great pleasure in him, that hee stripps himselfe to adorne his beloved. His father’s kingdome was not soe precious to him as his beloved David, David shall haue it with all his hearte. Himself desires noe more but that hee may be neare to him to rejoyce in his good. Hee chooseth to converse with him in the wildernesse even to the hazzard of his oune life, rather than with the greate Courtiers in his father’s Pallace. When hee sees danger towards him, hee spares neither rare paines nor perill to direct it. When injury was offered his beloued David, hee would not beare it, though from his oune father. And when they must parte for a season onely, they thought theire heartes would have broake for sorrowe, had not theire affections found vent by abundance of teares. Other instances might be brought to showe the nature of this affection; as of Ruthe and Naomi, and many others; but this truthe is cleared enough. If any shall object that it is not possible that loue shall be bred or upheld without hope of requitall, it is graunted; but that is not our cause; for this loue is alluayes vnder reward. It never giues, but it alluayes receives with advantage; First in regard that among the members of the same body, loue and affection are reciprocall in a most equall and sweete kinde of com merce.

2nly. In regard of the pleasure and content that the exercise of loue carries with it, as wee may see in the naturall body. The mouth is at all the paines to receive and mince the foode which serves for the nourishment of all the other partes of the body; yet it hath noe cause to complaine; for first the other partes send backe, by severall passages, a due proportion of the same nourishment, in a better formefor the strengthening and comforting the mouthe. 21y the laboure of the mouthe is accompanied with such pleasure and content as farre exceedes the paines it takes. Soe is it in all the labour of love among Christians. The partie louing, reapes loue again, as was showed before, which the soule covetts more then all the wealthe in the world. 31y. Nothing yeildes more pleasure and content to the soule then when it findes that which it may loue fervently; for to love and live beloved is the soule’s paradise both here and in heaven. In the State of wedlock there be many comforts to learne out of the troubles of that Condition; but let such as have tryed the most, say if there be any sweetness in that Condition comparable to the exercise of mutuall loue.

From the former Considerations arise these Conclusions.—

1. First, This loue among Christians is a reall thing, not imaginarie.

21y. This loue is as absolutely necessary to the being of the body of Christ, as the sinews and other ligaments of a naturall body are to the being of that body.

31y. This loue is a divine, spiritual!, nature; free, active, strong, couragious, permanent; undervaluing all things beneathe its propper object and of all the graces, this makes us nearer to resemble the virtues of our heavenly father.

4thly It rests in the loue and wellfare of its beloued. For the full certain knowledge of those truthes concerning the nature, use, and excellency of this grace, that which the holy ghost hath left recorded, 1 Cor. 13, may give full satisfaction, which is needful for every true member of this louely body of the Lord Jesus, to worke upon theire heartes by prayer, meditation continuall exercise at least of the speciall [influence] of this grace, till Christ be formed in them and they in him, all in eache other, knitt together by this bond of loue.

It rests now to make some application of this discourse, by the present designe, which gaue the occasion of writing of it. Herein are 4 things to be propounded; first the persons, 21y the worke, 31y the end, 4thly the meanes.

1. For the persons . Wee are a company professing our selves fellow members of Christ, in which respect onely though wee were absent from each other many miles, and had our imployments as farre distant, yet wee ought to account ourselves knitt together by this bond of loue, and, live in the exercise of it, if wee .would have comforte of our being in Christ. This was notorious in the practise of the Christians in former times; as is testified of the Waldenses, from the mouth of one of the adversaries Eneas Sylvius “mutuo ament pere antequam norunt,” they use to loue any of theire owne religion even before they were acquainted with them.

2nly for the worke wee have in hand. It is by a mutuall consent, through a speciall overvaluing providence and a more than an or dinary approbation of the Churches of Christ, to seeke out a place of cohabitation and Consorteshipp under a due forme of Government both ciuill and ecclesiasticall. In such cases as this, the care of the publique must oversway all private respects, by which, not only conscience, but meare civill pollicy, dothe binde us. For it is a true rule that particular Estates cannot subsist in the ruin of the publique.

3ly The end is to improve our lives to doe more service to the Lord; the comforte and encrease of the body of Christe, whereof we are members; that our selves and posterity may be the better preserved from the common corruptions of this evill world, to serve the Lord and worke out our Salvation under the power and purity of his holy ordinances.

4thly for the meanes whereby this must be effected. They are twofold, a conformity with the worke and end wee aime at. These wee see are extraordinary, therefore wee must not content ourselves with usuall ordinary meanes. Whatsoever wee did, or ought to have done, when wee liued in England, the same must wee doe, and more allsoe, where wee goe. That which the most in theire churches mainetaine as truthe in profession onely, wee must bring into familiar and constant practise; as in this duty of loue, wee must loue brotherly without dissimulation, wee must loue one another with a pure hearte fervently. Wee must beare one anothers burthens. We must not looke onely on our owne things, but allsoe on the things of our brethren.

Neither must wee thinke that the Lord will beare with such faileings at our hands as he dothe from those among whome wee have lived; and that for these 3 Reasons;

1. In regard of the more neare bond of mariage between him and us, wherein hee hath taken us to be his, after a moststrickt and peculiar manner, which will make them the more jealous of our loue and obedience. Soe he tells the people of Israeli, you onely have I knowne of all the families of the Earthe, therefore will Ipunishe you for your Transgressions.

2ly, because the Lord will be sanctified in them that come neare him . We know that there were many that corrupted the service of the Lord; some setting upp altars before his owne; others offering both strange fire and strange sacrifices allsoe; yet there came noe fire from heaven, or other sudden judgement upon them, as did upon Nadab and Abihu, whoe yet wee may think did not sinne presumptuously.

3ly When God gives a speciall commission he lookes to have it strictly observed in every article, When he gave Saule a commission to destroy Amaleck, Hee indented with him upon certain articles, and because hee failed in one of the least, and that upon a faire pretense, it lost him the kingdom, which should have beene his reward, if hee had observed his commission. Thus stands the cause betweene God and us. We are entered into Covenant with Him for this worke. Wee haue taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to drawe our own articles. Wee haue professed to enterprise these and those accounts, upon these and those ends. Wee have hereupon besought Him of favour and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to heare us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath hee ratified this covenant and sealed our Commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it; but if wee shall neglect the observation of these articles which are the ends wee have propounded, and, dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnall intentions, seeking greate things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely breake out in wrathe against us; be revenged of such a [sinful] people and make us knowe the price of the breache of such a covenant.

Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke, and to provide for ourposterity, is to followe the counsell of Micah, to doe justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, wee must be knitt together, in this worke, as one man. Wee must enter taine each other in brotherly affection. Wee must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of other’s necessities. Wee must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekeness, gentlenes, patience and liberality. Wee must delight in eache other; make other’s conditions our oune; rejoice together, mourne together, labour and suffer together, allwayes haueving before our eyes our commission and community in the worke, as members of the same body. Soe shall wee keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as his oune people, and will command a bless ing upon us in all our wayes. Soe that wee shall see much more of his wisdome, power, goodness and truthe, than formerly wee haue been acquainted with. Wee shall finde that the God of Israeli is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when hee shall make us a prayse and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ” the Lord make it likely that of New England .” For wee must consider that wee shall be as a citty upon a hill. The eies of all people are uppon us. Soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our God in this worke wee haue undertaken, and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. Wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the wayes of God, and all professors for God’s sake. Wee shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into curses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whither wee are a goeing.

I shall shutt upp this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithfull servant of the Lord, in his last fare well to Israeli, Deut. 30. Beloued there is now sett before us life and good, Death and evill, in that wee are commanded this day to loue the Lord our God, and to loue one another, to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commandements and his Ordinance and his lawes, and the articles of our Covenant with him, that wee may Hue and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whither wee goe to possesse it. But if our heartes shall turne away, soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worshipp and serue other Gods, our pleasure and proffitts, and serue them; it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good land, whither wee passe over this vast sea to possesse it;

Therefore lett us choose life that wee, and our seede may Hue, by obeyeing His voyee and cleaveing to Him, for Hee is our life and our prosperity.

A Model of Christian Charity by John Winthrop is produced by the HathiTrust Digital Library and released under a public domain license.

Open Anthology of American Literature Copyright © 2021 by Farrah Cato is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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John winthrop, a model of christian charity, introduction: john winthrop (1588-1649).

John Winthrop was born into a prosperous family in Groton, England, and followed the path of many such prosperous gentlemen by studying at Cambridge University. Though he practiced law at the Inner Temple, he soon shifted paths when he became a Puritan, devoted to purifying the Anglican Church from within and eschewing lingering Catholic practices and rituals. When Charles I ascended the throne, Puritans such as Winthrop faced being ruled by a monarch with clear and expressed sympathies for Catholicism. To avoid losing his earthly possessions to the throne, Winthrop joined a group of Puritans who obtained permission from the king to leave England for America. They gained a charter from the Council for New England and formed themselves as “The Company of Massachusetts Bay in New England,” free to found a religious colony beyond the king’s rule. Their colony would in time become New England’s chief colony.

In 1629, Winthrop was chosen governor, a position he would hold for twenty years. The initial group of colonists left England on April 8, 1630, sailing on the  Arbella . Either before embarkation or early in the voyage itself, Winthrop gave his sermon  A Model of Christian Charity  which envisaged a harmonious Puritan community that would serve as guide and model for future emigrants. Preparing the colonists to face adversity and temptation, the sermon also prepared for their future society’s being built on and guided by Christian principles. As governor of the colony, Winthrop himself modeled these principles through his steadfast morality and selfless concern for others.

A Model of Christian Charity  speaks plainly and clearly of an earthly life in the wilderness guiding towards God’s heavenly city, the new Jerusalem.

A Model of Christian Charity – Excerpt (1630)

A Modell hereof .

God Almighty in his most holy and wise providence, hath soe disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poore, some high and eminent in power and dignitie; others mean and in submission.

The Reason hereof.

1  Reas . First to hold conformity with the rest of his world, being delighted to show forth the glory of his wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures, and the glory of his power in ordering all these differences for the preservation and good of the whole; and the glory of his greatness, that as it is the glory of princes to have many officers, soe this great king will haue many stewards, counting himself more honoured in dispensing his gifts to man by man, than if he did it by his owne immediate hands.

2  Reas . Secondly that he might haue the more occasion to manifest the work of his Spirit: first upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them: soe that the riche and mighty should not eate upp the poore nor the poore and dispised rise upp against and shake off theire yoake. 2ly In the regenerate, in exerciseing his graces in them, as in the grate ones, theire love, mercy, gentleness, temperance &c., in the poore and inferior sorte, theire faithe, patience, obedience &c.

3  Reas . Thirdly, that every man might have need of others, and from hence they might be all knitt more nearly together in the Bonds of brotherly affection. From hence it appears plainly that noe man is made more honourable than another or more wealthy &c., out of any particular and singular respect to himselfe, but for the glory of his creator and the common good of the creature, man. Therefore God still reserves the propperty of these gifts to himself as Ezek. 16. 17. he there calls wealthe, his gold and his silver, and Prov. 3. 9. he claims theire service as his due, honor the Lord with thy riches &c.—All men being thus (by divine providence) ranked into two sorts, riche and poore; under the first are comprehended all such as are able to live comfortably by their own meanes duely improved; and all others are poore according to the former distribution. There are two rules whereby we are to walk one towards another: Justice and Mercy. These are always distinguished in their act and in their object, yet may they both concurre in the same subject in eache respect; as sometimes there may be an occasion of showing mercy to a rich man in some sudden danger or distresse, and alsoe doeing of meere justice to a poor man in regard of some perticular contract &c. There is likewise a double Lawe by which wee are regulated in our conversation towardes another; in both the former respects, the lawe of nature and the lawe of grace, or the morrall lawe or the lawe of the gospell, to omitt the rule of justice as not propperly belonging to this purpose otherwise than it may fall into consideration in some perticular cases. By the first of these lawes man as he was enabled soe withall is commanded to love his neighbour as himself. Upon this ground stands all the precepts of the morrall lawe, which concernes our dealings with men. To apply this to the works of mercy; this lawe requires two things. First that every man afford his help to another in every want or distresse. Secondly, that hee performe this out of the same affection which makes him carefull of his owne goods, according to that of our Savior, (Math.) Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you. This was practised by Abraham and Lot in entertaining the angells and the old man of Gibea. The lawe of Grace or of the Gospell hath some difference from the former; as in these respects, First the lawe of nature was given to man in the estate of innocency; this of the Gospell in the estate of regeneracy. 2ly, the former propounds one man to another, as the same flesh and image of God; this as a brother in Christ allsoe, and in the communion of the same Spirit, and soe teacheth to put a difference between christians and others. Doe good to all, especially to the household of faith; upon this ground the Israelites were to putt a difference betweene the brethren of such as were strangers though not of the Canaanites.

3ly. The Lawe of nature would give no rules for dealing with enemies, for all are to be considered as friends in the state of innocency, but the Gospell commands loue to an enemy. Proofe.  If thine Enemy hunger, feed him; Love your Enemies, doe good to them that hate you.  Math. 5. 44.

This lawe of the Gospell propounds likewise a difference of seasons and occasions. There is a time when a christian must sell all and give to the poor, as they did in the Apostles times. There is a time allsoe when christians (though they give not all yet) must give beyond their abillity, as they of Macedonia, Cor. 2, 6. Likewise community of perills calls for extraordinary liberality, and soe doth community in some speciall service for the churche. Lastly, when there is no other means whereby our christian brother may be relieved in his distress, we must help him beyond our ability rather than tempt God in putting him upon help by miraculous or extraordinary meanes.

This duty of mercy is exercised in the kinds, Giueving, lending and forgiving.—

Quest. What rule shall a man observe in giueving in respect of the measure?

Ans. If the time and occasion be ordinary he is to giue out of his abundance. Let him lay aside as God hath blessed him. If the time and occasion be extraordinary, he must be ruled by them; taking this withall, that then a man cannot likely doe too much, especially if he may leave himselfe and his family under probable means of comfortable subsistence.

Object. A man must lay upp for posterity, the fathers lay upp for posterity and children, and he is worse than an infidell that pronideth not for his owne.

Ans. For the first, it is plaine that it being spoken by way of comparison, it must be meant of the ordinary and usuall course of fathers, and cannot extend to times and occasions extraordinary. For the other place the Apostle speaks against such as walked inordinately, and it is without question, that he is worse than an infidell who through his owne sloathe and voluptuousness shall neglect to provide for his family.—

Object. The wise man’s Eies are in his head, saith Solomon, and foreseeth the plague; therefore he must forecast and lay upp against evill times when hee or his may stand in need of all he can gather.

Ans. This very Argument Solomon useth to persuade to liberallity, Eccle.: Cast thy bread upon the waters, and for thou knowest not what evill may come upon the land. Luke 26. Make you friends of the riches of iniquity; you will ask how this shall be? very well. For first he that giues to the poore, lends to the lord and he will repay him even in this life an hundredfold to him or his.—The righteous is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed enjoyeth the blessing; and besides wee know what advantage it will be to us in the day of account when many such witnesses shall stand forth for us to witnesse the improvement of our tallent. And I would know of those whoe pleade soe much for laying up for time to come, whether they holde that to be Gospell, Math. 16. 19. Lay not upp for yourselves Treasures upon Earth &c. If they acknowledge it, what extent will they allowe it? if only to those primitive times, let them consider the reason whereopon our Saviour groundes it. The first is that they are subject to the moathe, the rust, the theife. Secondly, They will steale away the hearte; where the treasure is there will ye heart be allsoe. The reasons are of like force at all times. Therefore the exhortation must be generall and perpetuall, withallwayes in respect of the love and affection to riches and in regard of the things themselves when any speciall seruice for the churche or perticular Distresse of our brother doe call for the use of them; otherwise it is not only lawfull but necessary to lay upp as Joseph did to haue ready uppon such occasions, as the Lord (whose stewards wee are of them) shall call for them from us; Christ giues us an Instance of the first, when hee sent his disciples for the Ass, and bidds them answer the owner thus, the Lord hath need of him: soe when the Tabernacle was to be built, he sends to his people to call for their silver and gold, &c; and yeildes noe other reason but that it was for his worke. When Elisha comes to the widow of Sareptah and findes her preparing to make ready her pittance for herselfe and family, he bids her first provide for him, he challengeth first God’s parte which she must first give before shee must serve her owne family. All these teache us that the Lord lookes that when hee is pleased to call for his right in any thing wee haue, our owne interest wee haue, must stand aside till his turne be served. For the other, wee need looke noe further then to that of John 1. he whoe hath this world’s goodes and seeth his brother to neede and shutts upp his compassion from him, how dwelleth the loue of God in him, which comes punctually to this conclusion; if thy brother be in want and thou canst help him, thou needst not make doubt, what thou shouldst doe; if thou louest God thou must help him.

Quest. What rule must wee observe in lending?

Ans. Thou must observe whether thy brother hath present or probable or possible means of repaying thee, if there be none of those, thou must give him according to his necessity, rather then lend him as he requires; if he hath present means of repaying thee, thou art to look at him not as an act of mercy, but by way of Commerce, wherein thou arte to walk by the rule of justice; but if his means of repaying thee be only probable or possible, then is hee an object of thy mercy, thou must lend him, though there be danger of losing it, Deut. 15. 7. If any of thy brethren be poore &c., thou shalt lend him sufficient. That men might not shift off this duty by the apparent hazzard, he tells them that though the yeare of Jubile were at hand (when he must remitt it, if hee were not able to repay it before) yet he must lend him and that chearefully. It may not greive thee to giue him (saith hee) and because some might object, why soe I should soone impoverishe myself and my family, he adds with all thy worke &c; for our Saviour, Math. 5. 42. From him that would borrow of thee turne not away.

Quest. What rule must we observe in forgiuing?

Ans. Whether thou didst lend by way of commerce or in mercy, if he hath nothing to pay thee, must forgive, (except in cause where thou hast a surety or a lawfull pleadge) Deut. 15. 2. Every seaventh yeare the Creditor was to quitt that which he lent to his brother if he were poore as appears ver. 8. Save when there shall be no poore with thee. In all these and like cases, Christ was a generall rule, Math. 7. 22.  Whatsoever ye would that men should doe to you, doe yee the same to them allsoe .

Quest. What rule must wee observe and walke by in cause of community of perill?

Ans. The same as before, but with more enlargement towards others and lesse respect towards ourselves and our owne right. Hence it was that in the primitive Churche they sold all, had all things in common, neither did any man say that which he possessed was his owne. Likewise in theire returne out of the captivity, because the worke was greate for the restoring of the church and the danger of enemies was common to all, Nehemiah directs the Jews to liberallity and readiness in remitting theire debts to theire brethren, and disposing liberally to such as wanted, and stand not upon their owne dues which they might have demanded of them. Thus did some of our Forefathers in times of persecution in England, and soe did many of the faithful of other churches, whereof wee keepe an honorable remembrance of them; and it is to be observed that both in Scriptures and latter stories of the churches that such as have beene most bountifull to the poore saintes, especially in those extraordinary times and occasions, God hath left them highly commended to posterity, as Zacheus, Cornelius, Dorcas, Bishop Hooper, the Cuttler of Brussells and divers others. Observe againe that the Scripture gives noe caussion to restraine any from being over liberall this way; but all men to the liberall and cherefull practise hereof by the sweeter promises; as to instance one for many, Isaiah 58. 6. Is not this the fast I have chosen to loose the bonds of wickedness, to take off the heavy burdens, to lett the oppressed go free and to breake every yoake, to deale thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poore that wander into thy house, when thou seest the naked to cover them; and then shall thy light brake forth as the morning and thy healthe shall growe speedily, thy righteousness shall goe before God, and the glory of the Lord shall embrace thee; then thou shall call and the Lord shall answer thee &c., Ch. 2. 10. If thou power out thy soule to the hungry, then shall thy light spring out in darkness, and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfie thy soule in draught, and make falt thy bones, thou shalt be like a watered garden, and they shalt be of thee that shall build the old wast places &c. On the contrary most heavy cursses are layed upon such as are straightened towards the Lord and his people, Judg. 5. Cursse the Meroshe because he came not to help the Lord. Hee whoe shutteth his eares from hearing the cry of the poore, he shall cry and shall not be heard; Math. 25. Goe ye curssed into everlasting fire &c. I was hungry and ye fedd mee not, Cor. 2. 9. 16. He that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly. Haveing already sett forth the practice of mercy according to the rule of God’s lawe, it will be useful to lay open the groundes of it allsoe, being the other parte of the Commandment and that is the affection from which this exercise of mercy must arise, the Apostle tells us that this love is the fullfilling of the lawe, not that it is enough to loue our brother and soe noe further; but in regard of the excellency of his partes giueing any motion to the other as the soule to the body and the power it hath to sett all the faculties on worke in the outward exercise of this duty; as when wee bid one make the clocke strike, he doth not lay hand on the hammer, which is the immediate instrument of the sound, but setts on worke the first mouer or maine wheele; knoweing that will certainely produce the sound which he intends. Soe the way to drawe men to the workes of mercy, is not by force of Argument from the goodness or necessity of the worke; for though this cause may enforce, a rationall minde to some present act of mercy, as is frequent in experience, yet it cannot worke such a habit in a soule, as shall make it prompt upon all occasions to produce the same effect, but by frameing these affections of loue in the hearte which will as naturally bring forthe the other, as any cause doth produce the effect.

The deffinition which the Scripture giues us of loue is this. Love is the bond of perfection, first it is a bond or ligament. 2ly it makes the worke perfect. There is noe body but consists of partes and that which knitts these partes together, giues the body its perfection, because it makes eache parte soe contiguous to others as thereby they doe mutually participate with each other, both in strengthe and infirmity, in pleasure and paine. To instance in the most perfect of all bodies; Christ and his Church make one body; the severall partes of this body considered a parte before they were united, were as disproportionate and as much disordering as soe many contrary quallities or elements, but when Christ comes, and by his spirit and loue knitts all these partes to himselfe and each to other, it is become the most perfect and best proportioned body in the world, Eph. 4. 16. Christ, by whome all the body being knitt together by every joint for the furniture thereof, according to the effectuall power which is in the measure of every perfection of partes, a glorious body without spott or wrinkle; the ligaments hereof being Christ, or his love, for Christ is love, 1 John 4. 8. Soe this definition is right. Love is the bond of perfection.

From hence we may frame these conclusions. 1. First of all, true Christians are of one body in Christ, 1 Cor. 12. 12. 13. 17. Ye are the body of Christ and members of their parte. All the partes of this body being thus vnited are made soe contiguous in a speciall relation as they must needes partake of each other’s strength and infirmity; joy and sorrowe, weale and woe. 1 Cor. 12. 26. If one member suffers, all suffer with it, if one be in honor, all rejoyce with it. 2ly. The ligaments of this body which knitt together are loue. 3ly. Noe body can be perfect which wants its propar ligament. 5ly. This sensibleness and sympathy of each other’s conditions will necessarily infuse into each parte a native desire and endeavour, to strengthen, defend, preserve and comfort the other. To insist a little on this conclusion being the product of all the former, the truthe hereof will appeare both by precept and patterne. 1 John 3. 10. Yee ought to lay doune your lives for the brethren. Gal. 6. 2. beare ye one another’s burthen’s and soe fulfill the lawe of Christ. For patterns wee haue that first of our Saviour whoe out of his good will in obedience to his father, becomeing a parte of this body and being knitt with it in the bond of loue, found such a natiue sensibleness of our infirmities and sorrowes as he willingly yielded himselfe to deathe to ease the infirmities of the rest of his body, and soe healed theire sorrowes. From the like sympathy of partes did the Apostles and many thousands of the Saintes lay doune theire lives for Christ. Againe the like wee may see in the members of this body among themselves. 1 Rom. 9. Paule could have been contented to have been separated from Christ, that the Jewes might not be cutt off from the body. It is very observable what hee professeth of his affectionate partaking with every member; whoe is weake (saith hee) and I am not weake? whoe is offended and I burne not; and againe, 2 Cor. 7. 13. therefore wee are comforted because yee were comforted. Of Epaphroditus he speaketh, Phil. 2. 30. that he regarded not his owne life to do him service. Soe Phebe and others are called the servants of the churche. Now it is apparent that they served not for wages, or by constrainte, but out of loue. The like we shall finde in the histories of the churche, in all ages; the sweete sympathie of affections which was in the members of this body one towards another; theire chearfullness in serueing and suffering together; how liberall they were without repineing, harbourers without grudgeing, and helpfull without reproaching; and all from hence, because they had feruent loue amongst them; which onely makes the practise of mercy constant and easie.

The next consideration is how this loue comes to be wrought. Adam in his first estate was a perfect modell of mankinde in all their generations, and in him this loue was perfected in regard of the habit. But Adam, rent himselfe from his Creator, rent all his posterity allsoe one from another; whence it comes that every man is borne with this principle in him to loue and seeke himselfe onely, and thus a man continueth till Christ comes and takes possession of the soule and infuseth another principle, loue to God and our brother, and this latter haueing continuall supply from Christ, as the head and roote by which he is vnited, gets the predomining in the soule, soe by little and little expells the former. 1 John 4. 7. loue cometh of God and every one that loueth is borne of God, soe that this loue is the fruite of the new birthe, and none can have it but the new creature. Now when this quallity is thus formed in the soules of men, it workes like the Spirit upon the drie bones. Ezek. 39. bone came to bone. It gathers together the scattered bones, or perfect old man Adam, and knitts them into one body againe in Christ, whereby a man is become againe a living soule.

The third consideration is concerning the exercise of this loue, which is twofold, inward or outward. The outward hath beene handled in the former preface of this discourse. From unfolding the other wee must take in our way that maxime of philosophy. Simile simili gaudet, or like will to like; for as of things which are turned with disaffection to eache other, the ground of it is from a dissimilitude or ariseing from the contrary or different nature of the things themselves; for the ground of loue is an apprehension of some resemblance in the things loued to that which affects it. This is the cause why the Lord loues the creature, soe farre as it hathe any of his Image in it; he loues his elect because they are like himselfe, he beholds them in his beloued sonne. So a mother loues her childe, because shee throughly conceives a resemblance of herselfe in it. Thus it is betweene the members of Christ; eache discernes, by the worke of the Spirit, his oune Image and resemblance in another, and therefore cannot but loue him as he loues himself. Now when the soule, which is of a sociable nature, findes anything like to itselfe, it is like Adam when Eve was brought to him. She must be one with himselfe. This is flesh of my flesh (saith he) and bone of my bone. Soe the soule conceives a greate delighte in it; therefore shee desires nearness and familiarity with it. Shee hath a greate propensity to doe it good and receiues such content in it, as fearing the miscarriage of her beloved, shee bestowes it in the inmost closett of her heart. Shee will not endure that it shall want any good which shee can giue it. If by occasion shee be withdrawne from the company of it, shee is still looking towardes the place where shee left her beloved. If shee heard it groane, shee is with it presently. If shee finde it sadd and disconsolate, shee sighes and moanes with it. Shee hath noe such joy as to see her beloved merry and thriving. If shee see it wronged, shee cannot hear it without passion. Shee setts noe boundes to her affections, nor hath any thought of reward. Shee findes recompense enough in the exercise of her loue towardes it. Wee may see this acted to life in Jonathan and David. Jonathan a valiant man endued with the spirit of love, soe soone as he discovered the same spirit in David had presently his hearte knitt to him by this ligament of loue; soe that it is said he loued him as his owne soule, he takes soe great pleasure in him, that hee stripps himselfe to adorne his beloved. His father’s kingdome was not soe precious to him as his beloved David, David shall haue it with all his hearte. Himself desires noe more but that hee may be neare to him to rejoyce in his good. Hee chooseth to converse with him in the wildernesse even to the hazzard of his oune life, rather than with the greate Courtiers in his father’s Pallace. When hee sees danger towards him, hee spares neither rare paines nor perill to direct it. When injury was offered his beloued David, hee would not beare it, though from his oune father. And when they must parte for a season onely, they thought theire heartes would have broake for sorrowe, had not theire affections found vent by abundance of teares. Other instances might be brought to showe the nature of this affection; as of Ruthe and Naomi, and many others; but this truthe is cleared enough. If any shall object that it is not possible that loue shall be bred or upheld without hope of requitall, it is graunted; but that is not our cause; for this loue is alluayes vnder reward. It never giues, but it alluayes receives with advantage; First in regard that among the members of the same body, loue and affection are reciprocall in a most equall and sweete kinde of commerce.

2nly. In regard of the pleasure and content that the exercise of loue carries with it, as wee may see in the naturall body. The mouth is at all the paines to receive and mince the foode which serves for the nourishment of all the other partes of the body; yet it hath noe cause to complaine; for first the other partes send backe, by severall passages, a due proportion of the same nourishment, in a better forme for the strengthening and comforting the mouthe. 2ly the laboure of the mouthe is accompanied with such pleasure and content as farre exceedes the paines it takes. Soe is it in all the labour of love among Christians. The partie louing, reapes loue again, as was showed before, which the soule covetts more then all the wealthe in the world. 3ly. Nothing yeildes more pleasure and content to the soule then when it findes that which it may loue fervently; for to love and live beloved is the soule’s paradise both here and in heaven. In the State of wedlock there be many comforts to learne out of the troubles of that Condition; but let such as have tryed the most, say if there be any sweetness in that Condition comparable to the exercise of mutuall loue.

From the former Considerations arise these Conclusions.—1. First, This loue among Christians is a reall thing, not imaginarie. 2ly. This loue is as absolutely necessary to the being of the body of Christ, as the sinews and other ligaments of a naturall body are to the being of that body. 3ly. This loue is a divine, spirituall, nature; free, active, strong, couragious, permanent; undervaluing all things beneathe its propper object and of all the graces, this makes us nearer to resemble the virtues of our heavenly father. 4thly It rests in the loue and wellfare of its beloued. For the full certain knowledge of those truthes concerning the nature, use, and excellency of this grace, that which the holy ghost hath left recorded, 1 Cor. 13, may give full satisfaction, which is needful for every true member of this louely body of the Lord Jesus, to worke upon theire heartes by prayer, meditation continuall exercise at least of the speciall [influence] of this grace, till Christ be formed in them and they in him, all in eache other, knitt together by this bond of loue.

It rests now to make some application of this discourse, by the present designe, which gaue the occasion of writing of it. Herein are 4 things to he propounded; first the persons, 2ly the worke, 3ly the end, 4thly the meanes. 1. For the persons. Wee are a company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ, in which respect onely though wee were absent from each other many miles, and had our imployments as farre distant, yet wee ought to account ourselves knitt together by this bond of loue, and, live in the exercise of it, if wee would have comforte of our being in Christ. This was notorious in the practise of the Christians in former times; as is testified of the Waldenses, from the mouth of one of the adversaries Æneas Sylvius “mutuo ament pere antequam norunt,” they use to loue any of theire owne religion even before they were acquainted with them. 2nly for the worke wee have in hand. It is by a mutuall consent, through a speciall overvaluing providence and a more than an ordinary approbation of the Churches of Christ, to seeke out a place of cohabitation and Consorteshipp under a due forme of Government both ciuill and ecclesiasticall. In such cases as this, the care of the publique must oversway all private respects, by which, not only conscience, but meare civill pollicy, dothe binde us. For it is a true rule that particular Estates cannot subsist in the ruin of the publique. 3ly The end is to improve our lives to doe more service to the Lord; the comforte and encrease of the body of Christe, whereof we are members; that ourselves and posterity may be the better preserved from the common corruptions of this evill world, to serve the Lord and worke out our Salvation under the power and purity of his holy ordinances. 4thly for the meanes whereby this must be effected. They are twofold, a conformity with the worke and end wee aime at. These wee see are extraordinary, therefore wee must not content ourselves with usuall ordinary meanes. Whatsoever wee did, or ought to have, done, when wee liued in England, the same must wee doe, and more allsoe, where wee goe. That which the most in theire churches mainetaine as truthe in profession onely, wee must bring into familiar and constant practise; as in this duty of loue, wee must loue brotherly without dissimulation, wee must loue one another with a pure hearte fervently. Wee must beare one anothers burthens. We must not looke onely on our owne things, but allsoe on the things of our brethren. Neither must wee thinke that the Lord will beare with such faileings at our hands as he dothe from those among whome wee have lived; and that for these 3 Reasons; 1. In regard of the more neare bond of mariage between him and us, wherein hee hath taken us to be his, after a most strickt and peculiar manner, which will make them the more jealous of our loue and obedience. Soe he tells the people of Israell, you onely have I knowne of all the families of the Earthe, therefore will I punishe you for your Transgressions. 2ly, because the Lord will be sanctified in them that come neare him. We know that there were many that corrupted the service of the Lord; some setting upp altars before his owne; others offering both strange fire and strange sacrifices allsoe; yet there came noe fire from heaven, or other sudden judgement upon them, as did upon Nadab and Abihu, whoe yet wee may think did not sinne presumptuously. 3ly When God gives a speciall commission he lookes to have it strictly observed in every article, When he gave Saule a commission to destroy Amaleck, Hee indented with him upon certain articles, and because hee failed in one of the least, and that upon a faire pretense, it lost him the kingdom, which should have beene his reward, if hee had observed his commission. Thus stands the cause betweene God and us. We are entered into Covenant with Him for this worke. Wee haue taken out a commission. The Lord hath given us leave to drawe our own articles. Wee haue professed to enterprise these and those accounts, upon these and those ends. Wee have hereupon besought Him of favour and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to heare us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath hee ratified this covenant and sealed our Commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it; but if wee shall neglect the observation of these articles which are the ends wee have propounded, and, dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnall intentions, seeking greate things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely breake out in wrathe against us; be revenged of such a [sinful] people and make us knowe the price of the breache of such a covenant.

Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke, and to provide for our posterity, is to followe the counsell of Micah, to doe justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, wee must be knitt together, in this worke, as one man. Wee must entertaine each other in brotherly affection. Wee must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of other’s necessities. Wee must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekeness, gentlenes, patience and liberality. Wee must delight in eache other; make other’s conditions our oune; rejoice together, mourne together, labour and suffer together, allwayes haueving before our eyes our commission and community in the worke, as members of the same body. Soe shall wee keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as his oune people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our wayes. Soe that wee shall see much more of his wisdome, power, goodness and truthe, than formerly wee haue been acquainted with. Wee shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when hee shall make us a prayse and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, “the Lord make it likely that of New England.” For wee must consider that wee shall be as a citty upon a hill. The eies of all people are uppon us. Soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our God in this worke wee haue undertaken, and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. Wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the wayes of God, and all professors for God’s sake. Wee shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into curses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whither wee are a goeing.

I shall shutt upp this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithfull servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israell, Deut. 30. Beloued there is now sett before us life and good, Death and evill, in that wee are commanded this day to loue the Lord our God, and to loue one another, to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commandements and his Ordinance and his lawes, and the articles of our Covenant with him, that wee may liue and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whither wee goe to possesse it. But if our heartes shall turne away, soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worshipp and serue other Gods, our pleasure and proffitts, and serue them; it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good land whither wee passe over this vast sea to possesse it;

Therefore lett us choose life that wee, and our seede may liue, by obeyeing His voyce and cleaveing to Him, for Hee is our life and our prosperity.

questions to consider

• In what ways, if any, is A Model of Christian Charity a vindication of divine goodness in the face of existing evil, justifying the ways of God to man? Why? How do you know?
• What temptations, if any, does Winthrop believe the Puritans will face in America? Why does he view them as temptations rather than opportunities?
• According to Winthrop, what causes social distinctions, or inequalities? What does he think counters or answers them? Why?
• Why does Winthrop believe that the Massachusetts Bay Colony should be seen as a city on a hill? What is he cautioning against through this allusion? What is he promising?
• John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity. Authored by : Susan Oaks. Project : American Literature 1600-1865. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• Introduction text and image from Becoming America. Authored by : Wendy Kurant. Provided by : University of North Georgia. Located at : https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Book%3A_Becoming_America_-_An_Exploration_of_American_Literature_from_Precolonial_to_Post-Revolution/02%3A_Seventeenth_Century_English/2.03%3A_John_Winthrop . Project : Becoming America: An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution, sourced from GALILEO Open Learning Materials. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• A Model of Christian Charity, from Becoming America. Authored by : Wendy Kurant. Provided by : University of North Georgia. Located at : https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Book%3A_Becoming_America_-_An_Exploration_of_American_Literature_from_Precolonial_to_Post-Revolution/02%3A_Seventeenth_Century_English/2.03%3A_John_Winthrop/2.3.01%3A_A_Model_of_Christian_Charity . Project : Becoming America - An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution, sourced from GALILEO Open Learning Materials. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• video [American Literature] John Winthrop - A Model of Christian Charity. Authored by : Mr. McDorman. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY7NXyx3i5I . License : Other . License Terms : YouTube video
• Questions adapted from Becoming America. Authored by : Wendy Kurant. Provided by : University of North Georgia. Located at : https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Book%3A_Becoming_America_-_An_Exploration_of_American_Literature_from_Precolonial_to_Post-Revolution/02%3A_Seventeenth_Century_English/2.03%3A_John_Winthrop/2.3.02%3A_Reading_and_Review_Questions . Project : Becoming America: An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution, sourced from GALILEO Open Learning Materials. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

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