The 1600s were times of great change and discovery for Europe, as well as the rest of the world. The early decades brought the first production of Hamlet, the Gunpowder Plot to blow up British Parliament, and the discovery of the New World. This discovery allowed escape for the English Protestants being persecuted under the heavily Catholic hand of King Charles I. These Puritans emigrated from England to the Americas, despite difficulty and eventually adjusted. Much in the same vein, the 1700s brought the Great Awakening, in which personal religious experiences were emphasized to an exponential degree. Preachers of this time were forceful, convincing their congregations of their unworthiness and absolute sinful nature.
During both of these time periods, there were exceptional leaders. In 1637, John Winthrop delivered “A Model of Christian Charity,” inspiring and leading the Puritans to their new home and religious freedom in America. In 1741, Jonathan Edwards delivered “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” a sermon that essentially sparked the Great Awakening single-handedly. The rhetoric and arguments put forth by these men in their preachings proved to influence entire societies in their respective times. Despite this major similarity, however, the events and environments in which the men existed affected the tactics they used to communicate their points.
When John Winthrop delivered his “A Model of Christian Charity,” it seemed to him that his followers were struggling with the difficulties of immigration. He needed an avenue through which he could re-spark the fire of their eyes and, more importantly, their faith. This sermon was intended as a rallying of the troops, as a way to remind the Puritans that predestination was in play and God gave each what He saw fit to give. “God Almighty, in His most holy and wise providence, hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity; others mean and in subjection” (Norton Anthology 147). Winthrop preached that the perils of a new world would be trying, but ultimately survivable, if one only held onto his faith. In question-answer format, Winthrop takes a head-on approach to addressing the concerns his followers had on their treatment of neighbors, on the event of this journey. He asks, “What rule must we observe in forgiving?” and answers with,
Whether thou didst lend by way of commerce or in mercy, if he have nothing to pay thee, [you] must forgive…Deuteronomy: 15.2. Every seventh year the creditor was to quit that which he lent to his brother if he were poor as appears-verse 8: “Save when there shall be no poor with thee.” In all these and like cases, Christ was a general rule, Matthew: 7.12: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye the same to them also.”
Through this format, Winthrop is attempting to set up some form of structure for society. The answers to these questions, which he also offers arguments against, would provide his followers with basic guidelines under which to live in their new world.
Also inspiring the people was Winthrop's use of metaphor. Towards the end of his sermon, he introduces the image of the city upon a hill mentioned in the Matthew 5. 14-15. Winthrop says, “The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world” (Norton Anthology 158). Through this use of biblical metaphor, Winthrop hoped to convince the Puritans that they were an example for all of the world, and that their actions would be watched closely, so they must behave in a manner that fully represented their faith.
The culture in which the emigrating Puritans existed had a heavy influence on the delivery of John Winthrop's “A Model of Christian Charity.” Those traveling to the New World with Winthrop found him to possess the characteristics of a good leader and elected him governor of their colony-the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This placed a great weight and responsibility on Winthrop, which undoubtedly influenced him in the writing of his sermon. The establishment of a new home led many to be discouraged and require the uplifting only a leader like Winthrop could provide. Were he to preach fire and brimstone, many of his followers would have surrendered to the harsh conditions they were to face.
By the 1700s, the passion Puritans had once possessed for their faith had all but flickered out. The colonists attended church routinely and listened to mundane sermons, seemingly unconcerned with their salvation. Jonathan Edwards witnessed this dispassion and became infuriated. Where had the all-consuming fire of Christ gone in his people? They'd crossed an ocean in the name of God, and now they seemed bored by Him. Leading with Deuteronomy 32.35: “In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them” (King James Bible), Edwards delivered a sermon that inspired what could be considered a religious revolution. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” brought the Puritans face-to-face with their sins and promised the wrath of a vengeful, pitiless God.
