WinthropsCityuponaHill.pdf

© 2013 The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
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John Winthrop’s “City upon a Hill,” 1630

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. Wee must uphold a familiar commerce together in all
meekeness, gentlenes, patience and liberality. Wee must delight in eache other; make other’s
conditions our oune; rejoice together, mourne together, labour and suffer together, allwayes
haueving before our eyes our commission and community in the worke, as members of the
same body. Soe shall wee keepe the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be
our God, and delight to dwell among us, as his oune people, and will command a blessing upon
us in all our wayes. Soe that wee shall see much more of his wisdome, power, goodness and
truthe, than formerly wee have been acquainted with. Wee shall finde that the God of Israell is
among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when hee shall
make us a prayse and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, “the Lord make it like
that of New England.” For wee must consider that wee shall be as a citty upon a hill. The eies of
all people are upon us. Soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our God in this worke wee have
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 evill
of the ways of God, and all professors for God’s sake. Wee shall shame the faces of many of
God’s worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into curses upon us till wee be
consumed out of the good land whither wee are a goeing.
I shall shutt upp this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithfull servant of
the Lord, in his last farewell to Israell, Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life and
good, Death and evill, in that wee are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to
love one another, to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commandements and his Ordinance
and his lawes, and the articles of our Covenant with him, that wee may live and be multiplied,
and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whither wee goe to possesse it. But if our
heartes shall turne away, soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worshipp and
serve other Gods, our pleasure and proffitts, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day,
wee shall surely perishe out of the good land whither wee passe over this vast sea to possesse
it; Therefore let us choose life that wee, and our seede may live, by obeyeing His voyce and
cleaveing to Him, for Hee is our life and our prosperity.

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