John Winthrop can be considered to have been a colonist with human face. He appeared to have been quite religious compared to other colonist of his time and he believed that colonist mission in the world was sanctioned by God and had a particular mission. Through his famous sermon given on board the flagship that was going to establish a masterly colony in Massachusetts, he questioned the morality of colonization and believed that it was God given mission. To Winthrop, there was morality question of the relationship between the rich and the poor, which he believed had to be addressed. Winthrop believed that God had particular reason while creating the rich and the poor, because he wanted them to be close knit together and form a perfect society where everyone lives in designed spaced. Although his sermon can be considered to have been meant to justify the existence of rich and poor, which by any standard amounts to inequality, it is a sermon that carried with it a lot of weight on Winthrop's moral through of the role of church in colonialism.
Although Winthrop exuded confidence on the relationship that would be created between colonist and those they were going to colonize, there were some fears that were evident in his sermon. He summed up his sermon in reference to establishment of the colony in regard to four things including persons, work, end and the means. For persons, Winthrop considered colonist as a company that professed themselves as fellow member of Christ. This implied that colonist had to be bound together by bond of love and live to exercise that love. Winthrop's fear was that upon establishing the colonies, colonists would forget the love that bound that and each start pursuing their own agenda. This would lead to loss of mission and perhaps fail to create a close knit community. In reference to work, Winthrop thought that establishing of the colony entailed a special work that must be for public good rather than private good. Winthrop argued that care of the public should always go over the privates respects. His fears were that once the colonists had reached Massachusetts they would be indulged in fulfilling their private life and forget about the good they have to do for the public. To Winthrop, the public, including those were to be colonized was most important than the private good.
On the cause, Winthrop believed that their mission had been sent by God. They have been chosen by God to go and fulfill a specific mission. His fear was that colonists would forget this noble goal they had been called for and instead pursue their private good. This would anger God and Lord would surely break out wrath against the colonist. He believed that there was a covenant between God and colonists, that of doing public good and had to be guarded. Winthrop also shows that he had great expectation with establishment of the new colony that all people will be looking upon the colony and what it will do with what it had. He feared that colonists would fail to recognize the needs of other people and pursue a lavish life while those colonized lived a poor life. To this end, Winthrop believed that they would be harshly judged by the society and God would also not hesitate to punish them.
Therefore, it is evident that Winthrop's hopes and fears concerned his believed on cordial living of mankind. He hoped good life for the colony but he feared that the good cause that had been sanctioned by God would not come to pass if the colonists failed to honor the covenant with God. Although Winthrop appears too religious, there is profound impact of his sermon on how colonies were to be managed.
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