A Modell of Christian Charity. Written on board the “Arrabella”, on the Attlantick Ocean. By the Honorable John Winthrop Esq. 1630 – “Зразок християнської доброчинності”

Future America as “New Jerusalem”. Entering into Covenant with God

T E X T S

An English country squire, lawyer, and lord of the manor at Groton, Suffolk, England, John Winthrop (1588-1649) became a Puritan while studying at Cambridge University. He helped organize the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629 and was chosen its first governor. He wrote and preached "A Modell of Christian Charity" on board the Arabella, the flagship of the great Puritan emigration to Massachusetts in 1630. Winthrop kept a journal of occurrences primarily as notes for an intended history of New England. His journal is the most informative single document of the Bay Colony's early years. The journal reveals a man of great compassion who stoutly believes in the pervasive aristocratic social system but who is constantly forced to change by what he clearly regards as foolish leveling principles. At the same time, Winthrop attempts to read the will of God in every action, even the most insignificant natural event.

His "Modell of Christian Charity" classically expresses the hope that America will be "a beacon upon a hill" for other peoples. Winthrop primarily meant that the New England Puritans would be the model for other colonists and other Puritans. The New England Puritans would establish a religious way of life and lead the world into the millennium. That strain of solipsistic idealism (which naturally developed into a nationalistic political mission) characterizes many later American attitudes. Winthrop said that the Puritans had "entered into Covenant" with God for the work, and if God "ratified this Covenant" by bringing them safely to America, then God "will expect a strict performance of the Articles contained in it." Winthrop claimed that New England would be a community of love, where everyone would "delight in each other," identify with one another, "rejoyce together, mourn together, labor and suffer together," and pray together. The sermon also reveals Winthrop's fundamental belief in the great chain of being as a model for the hierarchic system that underlay his aristocratic social beliefs.

Thus stands the cause betweene God and us. We are entered into Covenant with him for this worke. Wee have taken out a Commission, the Lord hath given us leave to drawe our own Articles. Wee have professed to enterprise these Actions, 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 wee 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, seekeing greate things for our selves and our posterity, the Lord will surely breake out in wrathe against us; be revenged of such a perjured 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 walke humbly with our God. For this end, wee must be knitt together in this work as one man. Wee must entertaine each other in brotherly Affection, 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 liberality. Wee must delight in cache other, make other's conditions 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 command 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 been acquainted with. Wee shall finde that the God is Israeli 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 plantations, "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 with-drawe 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 professours for God's sake. Wee shall shame the faces of many of god's worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into Cursses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whither wee are a goeing.

And to shutt upp this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithfull servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israeli, Deut. 30. Beloved, there is now sett before us life and good, Death and evill, in that wee are Commanded this day lo love the Lord our God, and to love 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 live 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 other Gods, our pleasures and proffitts, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perishe out of the good Land whither wee passe over this vast sea to possesse it.

Therefore left 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.

(An Early American Reader, Washington, D.C., p.13; 23-24)

Дата добавления: 2015-06-27