ENG BC3179
Fall 2009
Gordis

READING JOHN WINTHROP

The Norton Anthology introduction explains that John Winthrop preached A Model of Christian Charity on board the Arbella, either as a group of Massachusetts Bay settlers prepared to leave England or at some point during the voyage. (Recent scholarship has raised some questions about this, but we’ll bracket those for now.) Winthrop was not a minister, though his university education gave him some of the same training that ministers had. You may want to consider the interpenetration of the secular and the religious here, though. What are the implications of having a governor deliver a sermon like this to a community?

As you read, pay attention to the issues and themes that Winthrop stresses. How does he envision this community? What kinds of metaphors does he use to describe it?  Consider the range of his metaphors. Is it surprising or jarring to have metaphors about clock mechanics juxtaposed against metaphors about the body and marriage? How might this juxtaposition reflect Winthrop’s views of the relationship between law and love?

Consider this text in the context of some of the issues that we’ve been discussing over the last few weeks. How similar is Winthrop’s discussion of the community as a body to Bradford’s? Also, consider the metaphors of love and marriage that Winthrop uses. See, for example, the discussion of the soul’s relationship to other souls compared to Adam and Eve, on page 154 (213 in the sixth edition). For comparison, I’ve asked you to read part of an excerpt from Winthrop’s Journal that follows in the Norton (pp. 164-167 in the seventh edition, or pp. 223-35 in the sixth edition).  Here, Winthrop includes the text of a speech that he delivered in 1645, when he felt that his authority was being challenged. Does his approach seem to have changed here? Does he use marriage metaphors differently in this passage?

In the final section of his sermon, Winthrop spells out concrete implications for the community. Note that he emphasizes the covenant between God and people of Massachusetts Bay. A covenant is a mutual agreement and commitment requiring the consent of both parties. How does Winthrop understand God’s role in this agreement? And what is the danger if the covenant is broken?

Finally, note the famous “city upon a hill” passage on page 158 (216 in the fifth edition). Often, this phrase is cited to suggest that the Massachusetts Bay settlers believed that they would be a bright shining example. Does this seem to be what Winthrop is saying? If we think about this as Winthrop’s attempt to create an origin story for Massachusetts Bay, what are the implications of his announcing in advance that the eyes of the world are upon this colony? What response might he envision from his audience?