John Winthrop's A Model Christian Charity

Edmund Burke once said “Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing”. In John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” he explains charity as something that will always happen if your a good believing christian. The charity in America hasn't been the same as in John Winthrop's “A Model of Christian Charity”, because of the Hippocratic ideas that have developed in the later years of America. Charity in America can't be what it supposed to be because of hypocrisy, corruption ,and ideas that do not work.

Winthrop “A Model of Christian Charity” was a use of metaphor because he was trying to give the puritans a demonstration on how

Being the first two well-known places in which the English would set out to colonize in 1607 and 1620, Jamestown, Virginia and Plymouth, Massachusetts hold very separate set of beliefs, standards, and outlooks on life then and the future to come. While paving the way for things such as slavery, taxes, ownership of land, inclusion of women, tobacco and government assemblies, John Smith and the people of Jamestown became a classical foundation for new life and economic growth for the new world that is, the United States. On the other hand, William Bradford and his people began to realize the intentions of the Church of England were unholy and had strayed away from God’s teachings from the Bible. With this in mind, the Pilgrims set on a voyage to the new world to seek religious freedom. As we know it, the Pilgrims sought for peace and a new way of living that was fair, just and free from religious corruptions.

Moving into the colony, John Winthrop’s ideals of a utopian Christian society revolves around the people of the colony having the same beliefs about Christianity as the government and John Winthrop. The government, or the ministers and John Winthrop, believe that in order to be assured you must do good deeds and Anne Hutchinson believes that you have to partake in a joyous life to get into heaven. This is the existing conflict. Anne is brought to trial about her opinions and holding bible studies of large crowds of men and women preaching these “strange” ideals. At the beginning of the trial, Winthrop says, “you are called here for troubling the peace of the commonwealth and the churches here.”

In my opinion, I believe that John Winthrop is trying to explain that inequality is a fact of nature that should be accepted by all. I say this because when reading "A Model of Christian Charity" he is always explaining no matter what class or if this person is an enemy we should be treating them with respect and taking care of them if they are in need. This goes for the wealthy helping with the poor and vice versa. He portrays in his writing that at any time someone might need help from another being, and this will keep people closer together no matter what status. I do feel that these views are applicable in America today especially with what the world is going through with race today.

In 1630 John Winthrop led a group of intrepid settlers to America inspiring the immigrants to create a new society based upon the values of mercy and justice. However, Winthrop’s vision of America lacks two fundamental aspects of modern American society that makes it a shining example to the world: religious tolerance and social

The New Englanders took religion seriously, making unitary laws according to Puritan standards. John Winthrop, later chosen as the first Massachusetts Bay Colony governor, was seeking religious freedom. Wishing to inspire the colonists to dwell in brotherly unity, he summoned them together to remind them “that if we [colonists] 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.” On the other hand, those in the Chesapeake region came for the wealth that America promised. They were there to become prosperous or die trying.

The values that early American writers considered most important were piety, courage, and industry. They were highly honored by the large Puritan population, and these values helped them survive the beginning of the colonies. Overtime, however, different values were stressed more than others. For example, in “Of Plymouth Plantation,” written around 1620, Bradford chooses to write about the piety, courage, and industry of all the settlers in his settlement. In 1630, Winthrop gave his sermon “A Model of Christian Charity,” and in it he motivates his audience using piety and industry as reasons to succeed.

The text Winthrop incorporates seems to support that in the Puritan’s belief, the Church goes above the law and everything concerning legal rights is carried out by the Church. Winthrop states that “the church, with one consent, cast (Hutchinson) out” (118). This text helps support why the Puritans believed that Hutchinson’s claim was against God and satanic. Because Hutchinson followed and preached the doctrine of the Inner light, which did not heed the law of the Church, the Puritans believed she was committing crime against the Church as well. The Puritans believed any religious beliefs that did not heed to the Church’s law is ultimately satanic and against God.

John Winthrop, a non-separating Puritan, was a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony that described the goal of this colony in his City Upon a Hill speech in which he says, “We must consider that we shall be as a city

In the original sermon, Winthrop delivered this speech to the puritans aboard the Arbella, before they disembarked in Massachusetts.

Jamestown and Plymouth were the first two successful English on the north side. In this essay will be talking about Jamestown and Plymouth, the ones that made history. That’s why we are talking about them right now or any day. Jamestown was established in 1607 and Plymouth in 1620. These two colonies were different, yet had a number striking similarities in government's, reasons for settlements, and differing economic activities.

In colonial America, written documents were one of the few primary sources of this time. All the way back to John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity’’ in the 1630’s. Winthrop’s sermon shows how the only way their colony will succeed is through God. Jonathan Edwards sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” shows people how powerful God is and what he capable of doing. George Washington shows that honesty, respect, and self-discipline are all values that colonial people live off of to survive in their new environment.

The Mayflower Compact and the Arbella Covenant. During the 1600’s many people had standards of how one should act to be seen as godly. Both the Pilgrims and Puritans had their own set of ideologies of what was seen as good and what was seen as bad. The New World was a chance for spiritual freedom and new opportunities.

Essentially, Puritans are expected to follow a strict set of religious and moral guidelines from which their actions and morality are derived. According to Hall’s A Reforming People, these moral expectations first introduced by the pilgrims were the driving force behind the power that the Puritan ministry had over society: “Ministers and laypeople looked first to congregations as the place where love, mutuality, and righteousness would flourish, and second to civil society. …Alongside love, mutuality, and righteousness they placed another set of values summed up in the word “equity.” Employed in a broad array of contexts, the concept of equity conveyed the colonists’ hopes for justice and fairness in their social world.”