City Upon the Hill

The City upon the Hill

John Winthrop founded the colony of Massachusetts Bay in 1630, where he was the first Governor of the colony, a position he held for twenty years. In April, 1630, aboard the ship Arbella, he led a large party from England for the new world to establish a pure Christian based colony. "They hoped to establish communities of pure Christians who collectively swore a covenant with God that would they work for his ends, knowing that in return, He would watch over them".

John Winthrop was born in Edwardstone, Suffolk, England, on January 22, 1588, and died in Boston, Massachusetts on March 26, 1649. He was the only child of Adam Winthrop and his wife, Anne Brown. Winthrop briefly attended Trinity College in Cambridge, studied law at Gray's Inn, and in the 1620s became an attorney at the Court of Wards in London. John Winthrop was a man who held Christianity to be above all churches.

Winthrop had decided to leave England to found a godly community in the new world. Like most Puritans, Winthrop was extremely religious and subscribed fervently to the Puritan belief that the Anglican Church had to be cleansed of Catholic ritual. Winthrop was convinced that God was going to punish the English Puritans for its heresy against God. As the leader of the party heading for the new world he believed in creating a society based on a moral code that was rooted in the bible. Winthrop and the other Puritans hoped to establish in the new world a pure church that would offer a model for the churches in England, thus purifying the Anglican Church from within. "They sought homogeneity, not diversity, and believed that the good of the community outweighed protecting the rights of its individual members".

Beyond being the first governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop is most famous for his "City Upon the Hill" sermon, entitled "A Model of Christian Charity", of 1630. This sermon is believed to have been given abound ship in route to the New World. This sermon was inspiring to the Puritans, giving them a sense of holy duty that would be crucial if they wanted to increase their chances of survival in the new world.

The "A Model of Christian Charity" sermon is based on Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden" , in which John Winthrop warned the puritan colonists that their new community in New England would be a "city upon a hill", watched by the world. Winthrop stated "For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us". This entire sermon is a clear statement of the special purpose, instilled by Winthrop, which helped motivate the colonists in route to the new world, establishing a covenant with God, with strict adherence to Puritan religious beliefs.

The section of the sermon that compares the new colony with a city upon hill starts out with instruction to follow the council of Micah. This council that Winthrop refers too is the Old Testament Book of Micah. Micah was an Old Testament Prophet, who in the middle of his oracles of judgment, revels the Lord's wonderful promise of a glorious future. Verse 6:18 of Micah states "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you. But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God". This verse speaks of the underlying attitudes that must accompany all true worship; it states that God seeks certain characteristics of true worship from his people, to do justly, love mercy and to walk humbly. These phrases summarize biblical piety in true worship. Winthrop is stating that the people of Israel had violated each of these standards, and had faced judgment. Winthrop is saying that in order to be the city upon the hill, with all eyes upon them, they must do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. By following the council of Micah, the Great Commission, and Winthrop's fundamental belief that men and women can come together in brotherly affection, they would be able to form communities for the benefit of all,

The "A Model of Christian Charity" sermon, delivered by John Winthrop, is an example of the deeply religious Puritans that settled in Boston. They felt they had a convent with God to live a righteous life, a life that put God commandments and the community first. The puritans were very concerned with proper behavior – theirs and others. The settlers of Boston were pious Puritans who regularly reassessed the state of their souls. By living this righteous life, the Puritans believed the Massachusetts Bay Colony was the "City upon the Hill" and they would be the light of the world. John Winthrop stated in the closing statement of his sermon how deeply the Puritans walked with God.
Therefore lett us choose life, that wee, and our seede, may live, by obeyeing his voice, and cleaving to him, for hee is our life, and our prosperity.