 |  |
| | 
| |
|
|
| | | | |
The Puritan leader John Winthrop was the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. As he sailed towards the New World on the "Arbella" in the spring
of 1630, he composed a sermon, in which he exhorted the colonists to form a community based on the Christian values of love and kindness, in order to
fulfil their divinely ordered destiny to build "a Citty upon a Hill" in New England. | | |
... 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
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 eache 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 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 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 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 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. ...
home ·
apocalypticism ·
book of revelation ·
antichrist ·
chronology ·
roundtable ·
primary sources ·
discussion
readings ·
video ·
glossary ·
links ·
synopsis
web site copyright WGBH educational foundation
|
|
