Asher Sisneros

Asher K. Sisneros

Dr. Gary North

American Literature

September 30, 2024

John Winthrop and John Cotton were two prominent voices during the Puritan emigration to the New World through the 1630s. Cotton was an influential pastor, and Winthrop was a lawyer and landlord. Both of them were staunch believers in the economic, but more importantly, religious and cultural potential in establishing a new colony in America. In their works—God’s Promise to His Plantation (1630), The Model of Christian Charity (1630), and Milk for Babes (1646)—both men make a direct connection between their new society and the Old Testament. 

The purpose of the expedition was to establish a new society. Unlike the Pilgrim Separatists in Plymouth who wished to retreat and “separate” from the world, the Puritans in Massachusetts had a far more militaristic mission statement. They were guided by a sincere desire to take cultural dominion over the world (Genesis 1:26) and to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). The Puritans understood this to be a divine command and a command that could not be fulfilled through separation. They were building a new society, and Winthrop said it would be a “city on a hill,” and that “the eyes of all people are upon us.”¹ In this respect, they viewed themselves as a metaphorical “new Israel,” that would be God’s people and follow His moral law. Winthrop, Cotton, and all the other Puritans understood the Old Testament civil law to still be binding on all Christians, and Cotton said it was just to colonize for the sake of obeying God’s lawful ordinances.² Fundamentally, the Puritan experiment was a religious experiment. Their ultimate goal was to submit to Christ in every sphere of their life. 

This new society—America—would be in a literal covenant with God, just like the nation of Israel. In Milk for Babes, Cotton says the church is “a congregation of saints, joined together in the bond of the covenant, to worship the Lord,” and they “accordingly walk themselves” to His covenant, and train “up their children in the way of His covenant.”³ Although Cotton made this statement broadly for the whole church, it does accurately depict the kind of philosophy the early Puritans had regarding their mission. They did believe their endeavor was a literal covenant between them and God, and that God would bless them for their righteousness. As John Winthrop said: 

Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into a covenant with Him for this work. We have taken out a commission. … We have hereupon besought Him of favor and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it; but if we shall neglect the observation of these articles, … the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, and be revenged of such a people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant.⁴ 

This covenant between the Puritans and God very much emulated the covenant God made with Old Testament Israel. Throughout the Mosaic law, the histories, and the prophets, God repeatedly said, “I will be your God, and you will be My people” to the children of Israel. It was a judicial covenant between Israel and God. To the extent that they worshiped Him exclusively and remained faithful in keeping His law, they would be safe and prosper. However, if they rebelled and worshiped other false gods, negative sanctions would fall upon them. Eventually, that is exactly what happened. Samaria (the ten northern tribes) were the first to fall into idolatry, become disinherited, and eventually get conquered by the Assyrian Empire. Judah and Benjamin lasted longer, but they also fell into idolatry and were eventually conquered. The prophets and historians are clear: Israel was judged because of their sin. This indicates that there is a continuity between a culture’s ethics and its survival. The Puritans understood this. They knew that to the extent they worshiped God, kept His commandments, and were diligent, prosperity would follow. However, as soon as apostasy entered their midst, God’s negative sanctions would fall on the people and the American colony would suffer God’s wrath. Winthrop makes that abundantly clear in the above-mentioned passage. 

To Cotton and Winthrop, their new colony in Boston was so much more than just a British trading outpost in the New World. It was so much more than an exciting business venture. To them, Massachusetts was the beginning of a movement to rebuild civilization in Christ’s name. What is remarkable is that they had no blueprint for doing this. They had no example of a prior colonization effort. The Puritan leadership had no idea what they would face in the New World or whether their company was prepared to deal with the coming trials. But they had faith, and their experiment worked remarkably well. Although they faced many difficulties and were far from perfect, their cause was just, and their reward was fruitful.

1.  John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity (1630), web. https://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/Winthrop-Model.pdf, pg. 13 ↩︎
2. John Cotton, God’s Promises to His Plantation (1630), web. https://ronpaulcurriculum.com/Cotton-Promise.pdf, pg. 9-10 ↩︎
3. John Cotton, Milk for Babes (1646), web. https://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/Cotton-Milk.pdf, pg. 10-11 ↩︎
4.  Winthrop, Charity, pg. 12 ↩︎