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A
MODELL OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY
John
Winthrop for the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630
A
MODELL HEREOF
God
Almightie in his most holy and wise providence hath soe
disposed of the Condicion of mankinde, as in all times some
must be rich, some poore, some highe and eminent in power
and dignitie others meane and in subjeccion.
THE
REASON HEREOF
1.
Reason: First, to hold conformity with the rest of his workes
being delighted to shewe forthe the glory of his wisdome
in the variety and differance of the Creatures and the glory
of his power in ordering all these differences for the preservacion
and good of the whole; and the glory of his greatnes that
as it is the glory of princes to have many officers, soe
this great King will have many Stewards, counting himselfe
more honoured in dispenceing his gifts to man by man, than
if tree did it by his owne immediate hand.
2.
Reason: Secondly, That he might have the more occasion to
manifest the worke of his Spirit: first, upon the wicked
in moderateing and restraineing them: soe that the riche
and mighty should not eate upp the poore, nor the poore
and dispised rise upp against their superiours and shake
off thiere yoake; secondly in the regenerate in exerciseing
his graces in them, as in the greate ones, their love, mercy,
gentlenes, temperance, etc., in the poore and inferiour
sorte, theire faithe, patience, obedience, etc.
3.
Reason: Thirdly, That every man might have need of other,
and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together
in the Bond of brotherly affeccion: from hence it appeares
plainely that noe man is made more honourable than another
or more wealthy etc., out of any perticuler and singuler
respect to himselfe but for the glory of his Creator and
the Common good of the Creature, Man, Therefore God still
reserves the propperty of these gifts to himselfe as Ezek:
16.17. he there calls
wealthe
his gold and his silver, etc. Prov: 3.9 he claimes theire
service as his due, honour the Lord with thy riches, etc.
All men being thus (by divine providence) ranked into two
sortes, riche and poore; under the first, are comprehended
all such as are able to live comfortably by theire owne
meanes duely improved; and all others are poore according
to the former distribution. There are two rules whereby
wee are to walke one towards another: JUSTICE and MERCY.
These are allwayes distinguished in theire Act and in theire
object, yet may they both concurre in the same Subject in
eache respect; as sometimes there may be an occasion of
shewing mercy to a rich man, in some sudden danger of distresse,
and allsoe doeing of meere Justice to a poor man in regard
of some perticuler contract, etc. There is likewise a double
Lawe by which wee are regulated in our conversacion one
towardes another: in both the former respects, the lawe
of nature and the lawe of
grace,
or the morrall lawe or the lawe of the gospel!, to omit
the rule of Justice as not propperly belonging to this purpose
otherwise than it may fall into consideraction in some perticuler
Cases: By the first of these lawes man as he was enabled
soe withall [is] commanded to love his neighbour as himselfe.
Upon this ground stands all the precepts of the morrall
lawe, which concernes our dealings with men. To apply this
to the works of mercy this lawe requires two things: first,
that every man afford his help to another in every want
or distress. Secondly, That hee performe this out of the
same affeccion which makes him careful! of his owne good
according to that of our Saviour, Math: [7.12] Whatsoever
ye would that men should doe to you. This was practiced
by Abraham and Lott in entertaineing the Angells and the
old man of Gibea.
The
Lawe of Grace or the Gospell hath some differance from the
former as in these respects: first, the lawe of nature was
given to man in the estate of innocency; this of the gospell
in the estate of regeneracy. Secondly, the former propounds
one man to another, as the same fleshe and Image of god;
this as a brother in Christ allsoe, and in the Communion
of the same spirit and soe teacheth us to put a diflference
betweene Christians and others. Doe good to all, especially
to the household of faith; upon this ground the Israelites
were to putt a difference betweene the brethren of such
as were strangers though not of the Canaanites. Thirdly,
the Lawe of nature could give noe rules for dealing with
enemies, for all are to be considered as friends in the
estate of innocency, but the Gospell commands love to an
enemy.
Proofe:
If thine Enemie hunger feede him; Love your Enemies, doe
good to them that hate you Math: 5.44.
This
Lawe of the Gospell propoundes likewise a difference of
seasons and occasions. There is a tyme when a Christian
must sell all and give to the poore, as they did in the
Apostles times. There is a tyme allsoe when a Christian
(though they give not all yet) must give beyond theire ability,
as they of Macedonia. Cor: 2.6.
Likewise
community of perills calls for extraordinary liberallity
and soe cloth Community in some special! service for the
Churche. Lastly, when there is noe other meanes whereby
our Christian brother may be relieved in this distresse,
wee must help him beyond our ability, rather than tempt
God, in putting him upon help by miraculous or extraordinary
meanest.
It
rests now to make some application of this discourse by
the present designe which gave the occasion of writeing
of in Herein are four things to be propounded: first, the
persons; secondly, the worke; thirdly, the end; fourthly,
the meanest
1.
For the persons, wee are a Company professing our selves
fellow members of Christ, in which respect onely though
wee were absent from eache other many miles, and had our
imploymentes as farre distant, yet wee ought to account
our selves knits together by this bond of love, and live
in the exercise of it, if wee would have comforte of our
being in Christ. This was notorious in the practice of the
Christians in former times, as is testified of the Waldenses
from the mouth of one of the adversaries Aeneas Sylvius,
mutuo [solent amare] pene antequam norint. They use to love
any of theire own religion even before they were acquainted
with them.
2.
For the worke wee have in hand, it is by a mutuall consent
through a special overruleing providence, and a more than
an ordinary approbation of the Churches of Christ to seeke
out a place of Cohabitation and Consorteshipp under a due
forme of Government both civill and ecclesiastical!. In
such cases as this the care of the publique must oversway
all private respects, by which not onely conscience, but
meare Civill pollicy cloth binde us; for it is a true rule
that perticuler estates cannott
subsist
in the ruine of the publique.
3.
The end is to improve our lives, to doe more service to
the Lord, the comforte and encrease of the body of Christ
whereof wee are members, that our selves and posterity may
be the better preserved from the Common corrupcions of this
evill world, to serve the Lord and worke out our Salvacion
under the power and purity of his holy Ordinances.
4.
For the meanes whereby this must bee effected, they are
twofold, a Conformity with the worke and end wee aime at;
these wee see are extraordinary, therefore wee must not
content our selves with usuall ordinary meanest Whatsoever
wee did or ought to have done when wee lived in England,
the same must wee doe and more allsoe where wee goe: That
which the most in theire Churches mainteine as a truthe
in profession onely, wee must bring into familiar and constant
practice, as in
this
duty of love wee must love brotherly without dissimulation,
wee must love one another with a pure hearse fervently,
wee must beare one anothers burthens, wee must not looke
onely on our owne things but allsoe on the things of our
brethren, neither must wee think that the lord will beare
with such faileings at our hands as tree clothe from those
among whome wee have lived.
Thus
stands the cause betweene God and us. Wee are entered into
Covenant with him for this worke, wee have taken out a Commission
the Lord hath given us leave to draw our owne Articles,
wee have professed to enterprise these Accions upon these
and these ends, wee have hereupon besought him of favour
and blessing: Now if the Lord shall please to heare us,
and bring us in peace to the place wee desire. Then hath
tree ratified this Covenant and sealed our Commission [and]
will expect a strickt performance of the Articles contained
in it, but if wee shall neglect the observacion of these
Articles which are the ends wee have propounded, and dissembling
with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and
prosecute our carnall intencions seekeing grease things
for our selves and our posterity, the Lord will surely breake
out in wrathe against us, be revenged of such a perjured
people and make us knowe the price of the breache of such
a Covenant.
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 walke humbly with our God. For
this end, wee must be knit together in this worke as one
man, wee must entertaine each other in brotherly Affeccion,
wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfiuities,
for the supply of others necessities, wee must uphold a
familiar Commerce together in all meeknes, gentlenes, patience
and
liberallity,
wee must delight in each other, make others Condicions 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 than
formerly wee have beene acquainted with. Wee shall finde
that the God of Israell is among us, when ten 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
plantacions: 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 shame the faces of many
of gods 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 goeing: And to shut upp this
discourse with that exhortacion of Moses, that faithful!
servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israell, Deut.
30. Beloved there is now sett before us life, and good,
deathe and evill in
that
wee are Commaunded this day to love the Lord our God, and
to love one another, to walke in his wayes and to keepe
his Commaundements and his Ordinance, and his lawes, and
the Articles of our Covenant with him that wee may live
and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may blesse
us in the land whither we goe to possesse it: But if our
hearses shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but
shall be seduced and worship . . . other Gods, our pleasures,
and proffitts, and serve them; it is propounded unto us
this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land
whither wee passe over this vast Sea to possesse it; Therefore
lett us choose life, that wee, and our Seede, may live;
by obeyeing his voyce, and cleaveing to him, for hee is
our life, and our prosperity.
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