John Winthrop and Thomas Paine each hold a notable place in early American history and strove to establish freedom in the British colonies. John Winthrop, dying nearly a century before Paine's birth, led Reformed Protestants to the New World, carrying out a "desert mission." He was focused on religious freedom. In A Model of Christian Charity, a definitive moral code was established for how settlers would remain faithful to God by living in close-knit communities. On the other hand, Thomas Paine, although descended from a British Quaker family, was secretly a deist. Although he was not Christian like his readers, he used the Bible when necessary to his advantage in an attempt to galvanize them into an all-out revolution against the British crown. In Common Sense, Paine quotes passages from the Old Testament to call citizens of the colonies to action. John Winthrop and Thomas Paine both use the Bible to support their ideas of freedom, but Winthrop cites the Bible much more frequently than Paine. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay John Winthrop and his colony came to America to practice Reformed Protestantism in freedom from the king's oppression. This group already knew each other well from having practiced in England, and everyone agreed on what their mission in the colony was. They were to be a “city on a hill,” a community that functioned solely to properly worship and love God, setting an example for all. Winthrop's thesis for A Model of Christian Charity is that God allows some to be rich and powerful, but others poor and submissive. He begins the essay by outlining three reasons for this: first, that he is “pleased to show the glory of his wisdom in the variety and difference of creatures,” second, to “have greater opportunity of manifesting the work of his Spirit ” to balance the classes and, finally, to form a community so that “every man may have need of others, and consequently all may be bound more closely together in the bonds of brotherly affection.” In the third reason, he begins with quotes from the Scriptures. Winthrop states that man is enriched only for the glory of God and the common good, and should share the gifts He has given them. He quotes the Book of Ezekiel, writing, “God still reserves ownership of these gifts for himself.” He also emphasizes the need to lend to your neighbor, quoting the Book of Deuteronomy 15:7, "if he has present means to repay you, you must consider it not as an act of mercy, but as an act of commerce, in which you must walk according to the rule of justice; but if his means of repaying you are only probable or possible, then he is the object of your mercy. Winthrop points out that through this type of community one is more formed to love God in the development of virtue answers à la Summa Theologica, quoting the Bible everywhere. He begins to focus on love and community as the body of Christ. He writes: “Love is the bond of perfection... Christ and his Church form one body.. . Eph. 4:16: Christ, through whom the whole body is joined together at every joint... its ligaments are Christ... Christ is love, 1 John 4:8". What he indicates to his people is that the love of Christ binds them all together as so many parts of a single functioning body, which is their colony; they must live in union with one another so that their lives “render more service to the Lord; the comfort and growth of the body of Christ." Winthrop as a Puritan believes that humanity is inherently depraved, and expresses it very seriouslythat if people do not follow this outlined covenant, they will be condemned: “if we neglect the observance of these articles… the Lord will surely burst into wrath against us.” Winthrop concludes his essay by exhorting the people: “Let us therefore choose life.” Ultimately, he is extremely motivated to develop a colony with full allegiance to God, and his power in helping him persuade his people to obey the colony's commission is religion mixed with an overwhelming dose of fear. Thomas Paine has a different view on the use of Scripture within his writings. It focuses more on philosophy, rather than religion and fear, to convince the colonists to fight for freedom from the British crown. As mentioned above, Paine was a different kind of man than most colonists: secretly a non-Christian, a deist. But he knew his audience would be more motivated by sprinkling portions of Scripture, so he made sure to do so. His audience was different from Winthrop's in that there were multiple denominations of Christianity in the Thirteen Colonies at that time, but he knew that by quoting the Scriptures he could unite the colonists under their common devotion to Christ. Paine begins Common Sense with a deep dive into the “origin and rise of government.” He writes that it is “a mode made necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here too there is the plan and purpose of the government, that is, freedom and security”. Paine and Winthrop actually find common ground here as they both realize that humans are imperfect. Paine acknowledges that for this reason government must be necessary, but also points out that governments can also be corrupt, particularly that of the crown of England, which he considers too complex. Paine begins referring to the Bible in the “On Monarchy” section with strong language. He writes sensationally of the evils of monarchical government: “The government of kings was first introduced into the world by the heathen, from whom the children of Israel copied the custom. It was the most prosperous invention the Devil ever set foot in to promote idolatry.” He further explains that monarchy violates the power of heaven over the people. Paine, for example, delves into Samuel's story. He, albeit sensationally, tells the story of Samuel trying to reason with his people by telling them that they did not need a human king, who would steal their land and enslave the people, ultimately stealing their freedom. And, if they had accepted a human king, God would not have heard their cries, for they had rejected Him by choosing another to rule over them. This passage was used consciously, because Paine knew that he could instill in people the fear that by not joining the revolution they would be offending God, and also to show them that their liberties would continue to be plundered and worsened unless they rose up for the revolution. After his improved retelling of the Old Testament stories, he gives rise to passionate anti-British sentiments, ranging from the colonists' descent from English families meaning nothing, to no benefits given to the colonists by them, to the distance between the lands , declaring it “is a strong and natural proof that the authority of one over the other was never a plan of Heaven.” He mentions God only when he wants to give strength to his words, because he knows that his readers will follow him, especially in his conclusion. Concluding his essay, he writes that God placed merciless feelings against Great Britain in the hearts of the colonists, as “guardians of his image,” and these feelings “move us to justice.” Reading between the lines of the entire essay, one can understand that he is not Christian by his method of. 2018).