Wee shall be as a City upon a Hill Essay

idol almighty in His most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in exclusively times more or less must be thick, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity, others mean and in subjection. Reason First, to hold conformity with the relaxation method of His works, being delighted to show forth the glory of His wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures and the glory of His power, in ordering all these differences for the conservation and good of the whole. Reason Secondly, that He might dedicate the more use to manifest the work of His spirit.First, upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them, so that the rich and mighty should not eat up the poor, nor the poor and despised farm up against their superiors and shake off their yoke. Secondly, in the regenerate in utilisation His graces in them, as in the bulky mavins, their counterbalance love, mercy, gentleness, temperance, etc., in the poor and lowly sort, t heir faith, patience, obedience, etc. Reason Thirdly, that every man might have necessity of other, and from hence they might all be knit more well-nigh in concert in the bond of brotherly affection.From hence it appears plainly that no man is made more honorable than another, or more wealthy, etc., prohibited of any particular and singular respect to himself, but for the glory of his shaper and the common good of the creature, man. Thus stands the cause between God and us. We argon entered into covenant with Him for this work, we have taken come forward a commission, the sea captain hath disposed(p) us leave to draw our own articles we have professed to enterprise these actions upon these and these ends, we have hereupon besought Him of favor and blessing.Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and transmit us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He validate this covenant and sealed our commission, and will expect a strict implementation of the articles contained in it, but if we shall neglect the observations of these articles which are the ends we have propounded, and dissembling with our God, shall magnetic inclination to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions seeking great things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely break out in offense against us, be revenged of such a perjured people, and make us know the outlay of the br apiece of such a covenant.Now the only way to repress this shipwreck and to provide for our posterity is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end we must be knit unitedly in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must be willing to slue ourselves of our superfluities for the supply of others necessities, we must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience, and liberality, we must delight in each other, make others conditions our own, rejoice tog ether, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyeball our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same torso So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.The Lord will be our God and delight in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness, and truth than formerly we have been acquaint with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to wear a thousand of our enemies, when He shall make us a applause and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations, the Lord make it like that of spick-and-span Eng bestow.For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal incorrectly with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to attract His present help from us, we shall be made a story and maxim throughout the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to s peak evil of the ways of God and all professors for Gods sake, we shall shame the faces of many of Gods valuable servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good pull down whither we are going.And to shut up this discourse with that provocation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord in His last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30., lamb there is now set before us life and good, goal and evil, in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His ordinance, and His laws, and the articles of our covenant with Him that we may pull through and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God my bless us in the land whither we go to possess it.But if our hearts shall turn away so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced and worship other Gods, our pleasures, our profits, and look them, it is propounded unto us this day we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it. Therefore permit us choose life, that we, and our seed, may live, and by obeying His voice, and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity. idea as multi-pages