Comparison Of Plymouth Plantation And A Model Christian Charity

The two selections that give me the most complete picture of this historical period are Olaudah Equiano and William Bradford's. Olaudah shares his atrocities suffered by African slaves at the hands of the slave traders and the slave owners. William Bradford's narrative is defined as a source of strength and unity by chronicling faith as the reason for Plymouth Plantation and uniting the members of the colony as the cultural characteristics of self-sacrifice.

In early American literature, religion is one of the more consistent as well as prevalent themes. This is primarily due to the fact that early settlers of the American colonies were seeking to escape religious persecution, as well as to find a place to freely develop and expand their religious convictions. Despite sharing common English heritage as well as branching from the Anglican and Catholic church, religious views on liturgy and deontological ethics differed greatly amongst the settlers. This can be seen in the works of John Winthrop and Roger Williams. While both men’s religious beliefs stemmed from the same roots, each held different opinions on how rigid religion and liturgy should be held throughout the community.

John Winthrop and Mary Rowlandson were both puritans that went through different situations. They both believed in God’s mercy despite the situation where they found themselves.

One reason for the Colonial Americans’ growth in faith is the fact the era was abundant with religious figures who strove to lead people to God and created guidelines for them to live by. The people of Colonial America were blessed to abide in an “enchanted world of wonders.” These wonders were no doubt brought on by the hand of God, and the recognition of this fact caused new religious leaders to rise up and help people focus on living Godly lives despite the secular distractions that they were presented with. One Puritan leader, John Winthrop, stated, “That which the most in their Churches maintain as a truth in profession only, we must bring into familiar and constant practice, as in this duty of love we must love brotherly without dissimulation, we must love one another with a pure heart fervently we must bear one another’s burdens…” Winthrop not only wanted each individual person to maintain a stronger focus on faith in daily life, he also wanted them to use their faith to unite together, and his Model of Christian Charity showed the people how to accomplish that. Many people tried to abide by these teachings and pass them onto their children before they made their own way in the changing, confusing world because many parents feared their children would “Fall un’wares in Fowler’s snare.”

According to Bradford, the lusty seaman dying of a horrible disease is not merely a random but just occurrence. It had divine origins and intentions. Prescribing divine purpose to a disease is reflective of the general pre-scientific thought on which the puritan religion was based. The scriptures were not only a moral code and a theological explanation of man’s purpose and origin, but also an explanation for phenomena like weather, disasters, and disease. This allows Bradford to fill in the gaps in his understanding with God’s unknowable will. Bradford again shows his views on how God exacts His will when the pilgrims send out the first exploring party under Captain Standish. “And here is to be noted a special providence of God, and a great mercy to this poor people, that here they got seed to plant them corn the next year” (Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation). The pilgrims took the seed from the homes of Native Americans, who happened to be absent at the time.

One Puritan belief is visible signs of grace. According to Puritans, if one is successful in life the they are approved by God. In the book “Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford there are tons of examples of visible signs of grace. There was a sickness arising the men but seven men were on God's side and did not get sick. “Two of the seven were Mr. William Brewster, their reverend elder, and Myles Standish, their captain and military commander…And yet the lord so upheld these persons, as in this general calamity they were not at all infected with either sickness or lameness.” (Bradford 77) These men were two out of the few people who did not get sick. In the story they are called worthy to be remembered because it was rare for them to make it out alive. Being the few lucky ones to live are visible signs of grace that show they are approved by God. “..... and his life saved; and though he was somthing ill with it yet he

Religion plays a major role in the day to day lives of the early settlers in America. So much so, that early colonial writers use it as a form of literary persuasion. John Smith and William Bradford were two such writers.

The call of John Winthrop for the Massachusetts Bay colony to be a “City on a Hill” literally meant for the members of the colony to be a spiritual example and guide for others, but also implies the ontological statement of exceptionalism through capital gain. In this paper, the reader will discover the connection between John Winthrop and mercantilism, which is a branch of capitalism that focuses on merchants trading using the government to help regulate the expansion of capital. In addition, the content of this paper will extrapolate on the pragmatic implications of this economic system and its effects on the people involved. John Winthrop’s sermon, “On the Model of Christian Charity,” establishes a pre-capitalist ideology through the presupposition of Winthrop’s personal/political beliefs, Puritan thought, and the manifestation of these thoughts actualized in the marginalization of Native Americans.

Throughout William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation”, his attachment to his religion was very strong and very verbally shown throughout his work. Bradford was between the age of twelve and thirteen when he had first heard his first sermon by a minister named Richard Clyfton and he later joined with Clyfton in the year 1606. Bradford begins with “…some godly and zealous preachers, and God’s blessings on their labors…” God is already being praised in the first few sentences of this work to bless the labor of their works and throughout the land. The goal of this paper is to bring into light three different sections throughout the work, where Bradford uses his religion to prove a point and to show how his religious faith is freely expressed by leaving England.

In of Plymouth Plantation William Bradford talks about how the Puritans left England to relish in their own religion beliefs and how things should be handled. While doing so they went through tough

John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity” is one of the first examples of early “American exceptionalism”. (Noll, 2012) In his sermon, Winthrop (1630) talks about how the citizens in colonial America should set a good example for others, and obey God, as they are looked up to by non-Americans. This concept of America being chosen, or somehow unique in a divine manner was the fundamental meaning of American exceptionalism to Puritan society.

According to Alice Morse Earle: “From the hour when the Puritan baby opened his eyes in bleak New England, he had a Spartan struggle for life.” Harsh rules, based on Biblical laws and major punishments for little misdeeds had been putting restrictions on Puritans’ actions. In addition to an enormous set of church and government regulations, citizens of New England were forced to reject the importance of secular life and focus on honoring God. The pattern of negotiation of material values and concentration on praying provided a strict discipline in the religious society. By showing various Puritan values, the poems of Anna Bradstreet and Edward Taylor demonstrate a realization of social norms by focusing on worshipping God and rejecting materialism.

A Model of Christian Charity is a sermon by John Winthrop. He gives this sermon aboard the Arbella in 1630. John Winthrop began his and his Christian's journey with words for guidance and inspiration. He starts his sermon by stating that God created the rich and the poor. He created them for different reasons, in order to manifest his exertion in the areas of mercy, love, gentleness, faith, patience and obedience. Religion is used as a way of connecting with the Puritans. He also uses references from the bible to prove his points. He talks about how God has created the three laws, and how if you follow them you will be

In Bradford’s diary “Of Plymouth Plantation” we learn of the thousands of miles the Puritans would encompass, encountering dangerous weather and frightfully rugged terrain. We see Bradford's intellectual writing styles and also learn of the persecution that the Puritans faced. Filled with suffering, triumph and new beginnings Bradford paints ur a picture of the lengths the Puritans went to workshop the one true God; freely. With their minds made up and their eyes to Lord, William Bradford and the Puritans journeyed to a new world with the righteous wish to start a

John Winthrop and Jonathan Edwards were both religious leaders that lived centuries before the present time. They shared the same goal in persuading people into Christianity, yet differed greatly in the way they chose to develop their sermons. Winthrop, a Puritan who wrote based on new religious and social ideals, composed the famous sermon “A Model of Christian Charity.”