As a City on a Hill

     When Ronald Reagan was president, he liked to refer to the United States as a “city on a hill.”  In a July 4, 1986, speech at the Statue of Liberty celebration, President Reagan told the audience that John Winthrop preached to his fellow Puritans “that they must not forsake the mission that God had sent them on, and they must be a light unto the nations of all the world--a shining city upon a hill.”

     Not quite.

     Winthrop’s sermon, “A Modell of Christian Charity,” was delivered on board the Arbella before the Puritans landed.  In these days when selfishness is celebrated, when greed is enshrined, when compassion is mocked, and when empathy is derided, Winthrop’s sermon remains as a summons to love one another and help one another. 

     Near the end of the sermon, he talks about the Covenant the Puritans have made with God.  He says if they break the Covenant, they will suffer a “shipwracke.”  Remember that he is on board a ship when he delivers the sermon.  To do Winthrop justice I must quote him at some length. I will not change his spelling.  Here is the operative paragraph of one of the most beautiful calls to love and mutual aid in American history.

     “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 walke 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 Affeccion, wee must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities, wee must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekenes, gentlenes, patience and liberality, wee must delight in each other, make others Condicions our owne, rejoyce together, mourne together, labour, and suffer together, allwayes having before our eyes our Commission and Community in the worke, our Community as members of the same body, soe wee keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace....”

     Winthrop continues that if his followers will heed this advice, God will dwell among them, but he also provides a warning.  He tells his flock, “we shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us....” He warns that if we don’t live up to our ideals, the entire world will recognize our failure and curse us.