John Winthrop wrote his essay “Christian Charity, A Model Hereof” before leaving for New England and used it as a guide for the intentions of the voyage. Winthrop uses Christian Charity as a way to explain the necessity of community. Winthrop begins his essay by rationalizing the discrepancy between the rich and poor. He suggests that God uses this hierarchy to enable different forms of his spirit at work. Basically God’s spirit acts to monitor the rich against acts corruption, exhibits grace to the devote, and enables faith and patience among the poor. Winthrop also notes that the varying social levels promote community in the sense that each level of society depends upon the others. Winthrop creates an odd paradox between his defense of social classes and his calling for a community under the eyes of God. Also, the fact that Winthrop rationalizes this social structure then moves to form a community in New England largely homogeneous remains ironic. Much like we have discussed in class, Winthrop’s essay truly relays the idea the Puritans were moving to New England because there they would be able to form this society of God without the impendence of the English Church.
Winthrop then spends a deal of time discussing the necessity of community, and how through this structure humans can best serve God. He wrote, “When there is no other means whereby our Christian brother may be relieved in this distress, we must help him beyond our ability rather than tempt God, in putting him upon help by miraculous or extraordinary means” (166-167). Essentially humans cannot afford to rely on divine intervention from God, but must work together to create a better society. Winthrop moves on to define love, which he quotes the bible by saying love is “the bond of perfection” and attributes this to the bond between humans through the presence of the church and community.
Winthrop concludes his essay by reiterating the importance and the new precedence with which they will colonize New England. Famously, he wrote, “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” (169). Clearly Winthrop does not see this colonial as one of the many forming in the Americas, but rather a new standard of community.
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