Winthrop A Model Of Christian Charity Summary

John Winthrop was one of the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay plantation in 1630. He delivered a sermon called A Model of Christian Charity, while aboard the ship taking these Puritans to the New World “which outlined the principles by which the new colony should be run” (Mulford 237). He uses Bible scripture to reinforce his idea of how their community should be created. As the Bible is the foundation for these Puritans, it is important to see how he uses scripture to create their perfect plantation, or what he describes as a “city upon a hill” (Mulford 244). Winthrop seems to see his plantation’s colonists as the new chosen people and uses the Bible as proof of this. His vision for the community is that their plantation would be looked
at as the perfect model for all future plantations. Through his rules of justice and mercy, the laws of nature and grace, and the unifying bond of love, Winthrop sets the boundaries for how their plantation shall be run.
First, Winthrop talks about the laws of nature and grace in regards to what is commonly known as the Golden Rule. This is known as to treat others as one would want to be treated. Winthrop quotes Matthew: 7.12, “‘Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you’” (Mulford 239). This comes from one of the ten commandments of the Bible where one is “commanded to love his neighbor as himself” (Mulford 238). This is important as it sets up how Winthrop feels his community should treat one another. He doesn’t want to see his Puritans as coming to this new world just in search of fortune or only a better life for each individual. Winthrop’s justification for a better life lies in his conviction that “The end is to improve our lives to do more service to the Lord” (Mulford 243). If his plantation is successful financially, it is only because God blesses them so that they might do more service to God when they don’t have to worry about financial hardship, or even just plain survival.
What is interesting is that Winthrop indicates how each person should treat any other person as they would want to be treated, but he also puts a special emphasis on how one should really treat other Christians even better than any other type of person.
“…And so teacheth us to put a difference between Christians and others. Do good to all, especially to the household of faith” (Mulford 239). Here he seems to believe Christians are superior to others, basically teaching that although one should be kind to everyone, one should be especially kind to one’s fellow Christians. This all goes back to Winthrop’s idea that Massachusetts Bay will be the perfect model for other future plantations. “We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ‘the Lord make it like that of New England.’ For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill” (Mulford 244). Thus, if Massachusetts Bay is the model for all succeeding plantations, and one should treat other Christians with even more respect than one does anyone else, then their Christian religion is superior and they are God’s chosen
people.
Next, Winthrop discusses the duty of mercy in regards to giving, lending, and forgiving debt. He believes a man should “give out of his abundance” (Mulford 239). He wants the people of his community to help each other out in all ways, whether by giving money, goods, or services. A dissenting opinion might be that if a man gives away all of his extra money and goods, he will not have enough to provide for his family if there is some future calamity. Winthrop easily counters this viewpoint by turning to scripture, “Matthew: 6.19: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth’” (Mulford 239). He uses the argument that if a man gives to the needy, that man will be blessed by God, so it is not necessary to hoard his treasures. “For first he that gives to the poor, lends to the Lord and He will repay him even in this life an hundred fold to him or his” (Mulford 239). Winthrop uses this formula of raising an objection and then countering it with scripture from the Bible many times to create this perfect model community.
When Winthrop discusses lending, he uses scripture from Deuteronomy to back up his opinion that a man should always lend to another man in the community, whether he can repay him or not. “Deuteronomy: 15.7: ‘If any of thy brethren be poor,’ etc., ‘thou shalt lend him sufficient’” (Mulford 240). Winthrop is not completely devoid of business sense though as he suggests, “If he hath present means of repaying thee, thou art to look at him not as an act of mercy, but by way of commerce” (Mulford 240). He does see that the act of lending can be a business transaction, but he quickly qualifies this remark by saying, “…but if his means of repaying thee be only probable or possible, then is he an object of thy mercy, thou must lend him, though there be danger of losing it” (Mulford 240). In this way, Winthrop sets up his model community as of being one of self-sacrifice, making sure the needs of the community are put before the needs of the individual. Similarly, Winthrop states that a member of the community should always forgive debts that cannot be paid, “Whether thou didst lend by way of commerce or in mercy, if he have nothing to pay thee, [you] must forgive” (Mulford 240).
Finally, Winthrop discusses love as being the bond that ties the community together and he again uses scripture to back up his opinion. “The definition which the Scripture gives us of love is this: ‘Love is the bond of perfection.’ First it is a bond or ligament…Ephesians: 4.16: ‘Christ, by whom all the body being knit together by every joint for the furniture thereof, according to the effectual power which is the measure of every perfection of parts,’…the ligaments hereof being Christ, or His love, for Christ is love” (Mulford 241). Winthrop uses these verses from the Bible to create an analogy of the community being like a body. Each ligament (bond) that connects the different parts of the body is love. If there isn’t love in the community then the different parts of the body won’t move or work properly. And if one body part is not working, then the whole body, or community, is not whole and functional. Thus, if Christ is love, then a member of the community who does not have Christ in their life will not function in their society. Therefore, if someone in their community does not practice their Puritan beliefs, they cannot be a productive member of that society. In Winthrop’s journal, he discusses how certain people were banished from Massachusetts Bay for having other religious beliefs, such as Anne Hutchinson (Mulford 246). He can justify the banishment of Anne Hutchinson by these Bible scriptures as God’s will for the community.
In conclusion, John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity,” is a lengthy discourse on how the perfect Christian community should be run. By using the Bible as the foundation for the Massachusetts Bay colony he is able to create and therefore justify the ideal community as a “city upon a hill.” Using the two rules of justice and mercy, the laws of nature and grace, and the idea of love being the bond that keeps the community unified, Winthrop has envisioned a plantation that all future plantations can strive to become.

Works Cited
Mulford, Carla, Angela Vietto, and Amy E. Winans. Early American Writings.
New York: Oxford UP, 2002. Print.