What are the literal and figurative threats to Winthrop’s community as expressed in “A Model of Christian Charity”? In what ways are they like and unlike those noted by Bradford? What sorts of language and images does Winthrop use in his journal to illustrate these threats?
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There seemed to be a lot of religious fluff in this piece. But in an attempt to get to the bottom of the message and its contexts, I believe he outlined the following threats to his community. First, he outlines slightly more figuratively the very broad hopes that God continues to regenerate characteristics of love, mercy and kindness in the rich, ‘superior’ folk and a sense of faith and obedience in the poor, ‘inferior’ people. He continues down this more figurative religious path and cites many references to the bible, before beginning to more concretely tie his argument back to his community at hand. When it comes to his community, he states that his first main goal is to have and cultivate the right people, with ample amounts of love and unity within the community. He describes the people of God and/or his community as one body, tied together by the ligaments of love. Secondly, that these people will share in the burden of the work they have to do and that they will continue to place the good of the community above their own. Finally, that they will remain very faithful to the mission of their God. Since these are his main goals, one can imagine that a threat to the success of his community would be a lack of any of these three pillars. If his group of people lacks unity and bickers, if they become selfish and unwilling to work for the good of the community, and if his group loses faith. When it comes to addressing religion, Winthrop does have a lot in common with Bradford. They both seem to believe that there are no accidents and that God is a micro-manager. This idea is evidenced in Wintrhop when he explains (if I am interpreting his words correctly) that all men are equal but for the differences god bestows upon them (like wealth, power, strength of character, etc.) Therefore God is choosing the wealthy and successful people. He also mentions that if his people fail to follow the goals he outlined – which stem from what God wants – then they will not be treated well and will not be successful in this new world.
In my opinion, the main difference between Winthrop and Bradford was where they perceived the biggest threat to their communities. Bradford was most worried about outside threats that could potentially influence the puritans. While Winthrop, was more concerned with internal threats to the theocratic community. Winthrop feared that people would lose faith in the almighty and that if their colony failed they would be to blame for the overall failure of the new world. While Bradford spent a lot of time keeping his community safe from outside influences that would corrupt them and displease God. Winthrop was threatened by the idea of trouble makers within the community like Anne Hutchinson who’s meetings that attracted many men and women disputed what Boston ministers were preaching. “One Mrs, Hutchinson, a member of the church of Boston, woman of a ready wit and bold spirit, brought over with her two dangerous errors: 1. That the person of the Holy Ghost dwells in justified person. 2. That no sanctification can help to evidence to us our justification.” In a theocratic society, there is no room for the questioning of the spiritual leaders. Bradford seemed to me to be a more proactive type out of fear of angering God. While Winthrop was more reactive, taking action when problems arose.
I was pleasantly surprised to find Winthrop’s tone to be not nearly as aggressive as Bradford’s. Bradford, as we discussed, was often dark in his perceptions of why something had occurred. If a man got sick Bradford believed it was God creating a punishment for something the man had done wrong. Bradford believed the storms they passengers faced on the voyage to America was God testing their strength. On the contrary, Winthrop relies on faith. In “A Model of Christian Charity” he lays out the premises for being a good Christian. He strongly believes God and the Bible have created the do’s and don’t of life and it is up to God’s people to follow the guideline. Bradford also believes that some things happen by chance. When Mrs. Hutchinson is in prayer when an earthquake hits he does not take this to believe God is trying to shake sense into her, but rather he says she “happened to be at prayer”.
Winthrop’s tone is relaxed and what you would have expected from ‘a religious figure’. He stays true to his faith but is not dark in enforcing punishment. This can be seen in comparing how Bradford deals with Morton, the ruffian to Winthrop and Mrs. Hutchinson, the radical. Morton lets Bradford anger him severely and to cause him great stress while Winthrop treats his situation professionally with a protocol he sees to be proper.
In conclusion, while Winthrop’s biggest threat is non-believers and people not following the clear ways of the bible, Bradford feels most threatened by God. It is as though he is never quite confident that God is on his side. Winthrop says, “Now the only way to avoid shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Michah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man.”
In reading Winthrop’s work it seems there are many different types of threats his community would be susceptible to as Winthrop outlines a perfect society. Winthrop has many hopes for this new Puritan society and with such ideas of grandeur, it would seem that he is setting himself up for failure. In terms of figurative threats, Winthrop sets up a society that is made up in God’s image, as he writes, “First of all, true Christians are of one body in Christ (1 Cor. 12). Ye are the body of Christ and members of their part. All the parts of this body being thus united are made so contiguous in a special relation as they must needs partake of each other’s strength and infirmity; joy and sorrow, weal and woe. If one member suffers, all suffer with it, if one be in honor, all rejoice with it.” By equating this community and the actions of the individuals to Christ, Winthrop is asserting that ultimately if the society does not run in the aforementioned manner then dissolution of the community can be expected. Through this notion a figurative threat would be that the society would be destroyed or plagued through some godly manner as seen in Bradford’s work when the unjust sailor’s mysteriously died due to their harassment of the Christ-like Puritans.
The literal threats are even more numerous than the figurative as it would seem that the former are way more tangible. One of the tangible threats is when he speaks of the success of the New England. Winthrop believes that if the Puritans are successful then they will receive praise from around the world cementing the Puritans as a group to be revered; yet if they fail they will be blamed for the failure of New England and this shall only be another nail in the coffin of the Puritans’ reputation.
John Winthrop’s biggest concern seems to be theological. Not only was this Massachusetts Bay Colony a theocracy, but it which functioned under an incredibly rigid theology. Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams voiced different interpretations of scripture and, when they refused to back down, were completely cast out of society. While William Bradford was also concerned with threats to his small Christian society, most of those threats came from outside of his community. Winthrop, however, was battling internal theological battles. When he is not quoting scripture, he is using intensely theological vocabulary. “Such is the liberty of the church…His yoke is so easy and sweet to her as bride’s ornaments” and “That no sanctification can help to evidence to us our justification”. Winthrop sees no separation between church and state and is tying the two intensely together – even using the court system to excommunicate those who theologically disagree.