Due Tuesday, January
29, 2013
While aboard the Arabella
in 1630 en route from England to North America, Governor John Winthrop of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony composed “A Model of Christian Charity.” This speech
became famous for it’s aspiration that Puritan New England would become a “City
Upon a Hill.” Read the excerpt below and answer the following questions. Write
a one paragraph response to each question (two paragraphs total).
1.
Based off this excerpt provide a description of
Puritan values.
2.
What do you think Winthrop meant by the phrase
“City Upon a Hill”?
Excerpt from John Winthrop's “Model of Christian Charity,” June
1630
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 walke
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 Affeccion, wee must be
willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others
necessities, wee must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekenes,
gentlenes, patience and liberallity, wee must delight in eache other, make
others Condicions our owne rejoyce together, mourne together, labour, and
suffer together, allwayes haveing before our eyes our Commission and Community
in the worke, our Community 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 owne people and will commaund a blessing upon
us in all our wayes, soe that wee shall see much more of his wisdome power
goodnes and truthe then formerly wee have beene acquainted with, wee shall
finde that the God of Israell is among us, when tenn 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 plantacions: the lord make it like 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 have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his
present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a byword through the world,
wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the wayes of god and
all professours for Gods sake; wee shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy
servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into Cursses upon us till wee
be consumed out of the good land whether wee are going:
And to shutt upp this
discourse with that exhortacion of Moses that faithfull servant of the Lord in
his last farewell to Israell Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us
life, and good, deathe and evill in that wee are Commaunded this day to love
the Lord our God, and to love one another to walke in his wayes and to keepe
his Commaundements and his Ordinance, and his lawes, and the Articles of our
Covenant with him that wee may live and be multiplyed, and that the Lord our
God may blesse us in the land whether wee goe to possesse it: But if our
heartes shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced and
worshipp other Gods our pleasures, and proffitts, and serve them, it is
propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land
whether wee passe over this vast Sea to possesse it;
Therefore lett us
choose life,
that wee, and our
Seede,
may live; by obeyeing
his
voyce, and cleaveing
to him,
for hee is our life,
and
our prosperity.
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