12 Church and State
3ly The end is to improve our lives to doe more service to the Lord;
the comforte and encrease of the body of Christe, whereof we are
members; that ourselves and posterity may be the better preserved
from the common corruptions of this evill world, to serve the Lord
and worke out our Salvation under the power and purity of his holy
ordinances.
4thly . . . That which the most in theire churches mainetaine as
truthe in profession onely, wee must bring into familiar and constant
practise; as in this duty of loue, wee must loue brotherly without dis-
simulation, wee must loue one another with a pure hearte fervently.
Wee must beare one anothers burthens. We must not looke onely on
our owne things, but allsoe on the things of our brethren. . . .
Thus stands the cause betweene God and us. We are entered into
Covenant with Him for this worke. Wee haue taken out a commis-
sion. The Lord hath given us leave to drawe our own articles. Wee
haue professed to enterprise these and those accounts, upon these
and those ends. Wee have hereupon besought Him of favour and
blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to heare us, and bring us in
peace to the place we desire, then hath hee ratified this covenant
and sealed our Commission, and will expect a strict performance of
the articles contained in it; but if wee shall neglect the observation
of these articles which are the ends wee have propounded, and, dis-
sembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and
prosecute our carnall intentions, seeking greate things for ourselves
and our posterity, the Lord will surely breake out in wrathe against
us; be revenged of such a [sinful] people and make us knowe the
price of the breache of such a covenant.4
Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke, and to provide for
our posterity, is to followe the counsell of Micah, to doe justly, to love
mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, wee must be knitt
together, in this worke, as one man. Wee must entertaine each other
in brotherly affection. Wee must be willing to abridge ourselves of
our superfluities, for the supply of other’s necessities. . . . For wee
must consider that wee shall be as a citty upon a hill. The eies of all
people are uppon us. Soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our God
in this worke wee haue undertaken, and soe cause him to withdrawe
his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a by-word
through the world. Wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake
4
“I will be your God, you will be my peo-
ple.” The covenant is offered by God and
once in place cannot be broken. It is held
together by a series of commands enforced
by rewards and punishments. Winthrop
reminds the people that if they live faithfully
according to God’s law they will prosper,
but if they disobey God will punish them.
