A Model of Christian Charity by John Winthrop and Excerpts from The Journal of John Winthrop

A Model of Christian Charity by John Winthrop and Excerpts from The Journal of John Winthrop

Main Blog Post by Kaylyn Fairchild

The text written by John Winthrop titled A Model of Christian Charity was published in 1838 by the Massachusetts Historical Society, according to The Norton Anthology: American Literature edited by Nina Baym and Robert Levine (166). The original manuscript was lost somewhere along the way, but a copy was found and later published. Winthrop was born in England, and grew up with good social and economic standing from growing up on a wealthy farm, raised by a lawyer—his father—and a tradesman’s daughter—his mother. When in college at Cambridge University, his faith was exposed to Puritan ideas, which caused him to be solidified in his belief that the Church needed to be purified and rid itself of the beliefs it had acquired from Rome. A great depression hit England in the 1620s, and that coupled with Charles I—a known Roman Catholicism sympathizer with little regard for Puritans—taking the throne, pushed Winthrop along with a group of Puritans to request permission to emigrate, which the group was granted in March of 1629. For the most of twenty-years Winthrop was elected Governor, starting in October of 1629. No one is sure of when Winthrop began writing his sermon, but they expect it to be sometime just before leaving England or while on his way there (Baym and Levine, 165-166). The excerpts from The Journal of John Winthrop are written during the Puritan’s time in New England and the struggled with religion they begin to face in the colony. The time that it is believed Winthrop wrote his sermon and the pieces in his journal is important because it was around the time that Puritans started to believe that God would punish England for their tainted faith, which caused the Puritans to want to start anew in an untainted land. They wished to spread the message of the Puritan faith without repercussion from Charles I, which is why they decided on emigrating to New England.

Chapter two of A Model of Christian Charity starts with Winthrop’s reasoning for leaving England and why he decided to write his sermon. He explains that the Puritans wanted to live closer to each other in order to share their love of Christ with one another. The second reason he brings up is that they wished to live somewhere under religious rule, where they could express their faith freely, and hold each other accountable for their actions. He also explains that they wish to improve their faith and relationship with the Lord and live in a community absent from evils. The next few paragraphs go on to explain their wish for a harmonious relationship with God and the way they should practice their faith in this new land (Baym and Levine, 175-177). The excerpts from The Journal of John Winthrop talk most about the problems the Puritans begin to face in regards to religion and obedience within the colony. The first person Winthrop mentions is Roger Williams. Roger Williams, who was a Separatist pastor, wrote a letter originally intended for Plymouth, explaining that he would not preach to churches that had not been separated from the Church of England. Because Williams had convinced other settlers of the same opinion, it was decided that he would be shipped back to England as soon as possible, but when they went looking for him, he had left his home before they arrived there (Baym and Levine, 178-179).

The second person Winthrop writes about is Anne Hutchinson, a woman who developed religious beliefs not aligned with Puritan views. Anne Hutchinson believed that the righteous people saved by God were already chosen, and that the people who held themselves to high moral standards and did righteous works were no sign of justification in God. She convinced many people of these beliefs, and for that the Puritans viewed her, like they viewed Roger Williams, as dangerous. There were many charges she faced: for lecturing on her faith in her home, preaching something other than free faith, preaching in contradiction to the Puritan’s view of the New Testament, etc. The court ordered the followers of Anne Hutchinson to be disarmed. Anne Hutchinson soon made her way to Roxbury, where she was again admonished for preaching her beliefs. It was not long after that Anne Hutchinson was banished. She gave birth to a child after being excommunicated. Mrs. Hutchinson’s death was upon her when she and the Dutch were killed by nearby Indians, which I believe the Puritans saw as the wrath of God showing that he was displeased with her beliefs. The final piece of reading explains that Mrs. Hutchinson’s daughter had been taken and raised by the Natives for around four years, and when she was returned, it was not of her own will (Baym and Levine, 179-186).

The sermon and journal entries written by John Winthrop display a certain mindset held by the Puritans and also show a contradiction to our general beliefs of colonists coming to America for religious freedom. The Puritans did travel here for religious freedom, yes, but it was the freedom to practice the Puritan religion and nothing else. Any belief you held in contradiction to what the Puritans believed could have you excommunicated from the colony. Another thing I think the text displays is the Puritans wish for a community united together by their faith in God and when people began developing different beliefs, if something bad happened to them, the Puritans viewed it as God showing his displeasure at their actions. I believe that is why Winthrop writes so much about the circumstances of Anne Hutchinson. He explains all of these opinions she holds in contradiction to their faith, and then explains the horrible circumstances of her death. He also mentions what happens to her daughter, and considering people of the time viewed Natives as “savages”, it is possible that he saw her daughter being raised by such “savage” peoples was punishment from God as well. In A Model of Christian Charity he speaks of the good and positive things that can come from having a pure relationship with God in a community bonded by their belief in Christ. Then in his journal entries he speaks of the people who begin to veer from the faith that the Puritans held and how they had to right these wrongs before they were spited by God. This led to the excommunication of Anne Hutchinson, who then died a violent death. So overall, I believe the text written by Winthrop has the purpose of displaying how a community should function and what they should believe religiously in order to live a long and prosperous life in the graces of God.