Puritan Letter

September 12th, 1664 Dearest William, Back in the year sixteen hundred and thirty two, my pilgrim brothers and I began our long journey from the motherland, England, to the distant Americas all the way to a place we call Massachutes Bay. As we traveled our great leader, John Winthrop, gave us a wonderful sermon called "A Modell of Christian Charity." It was our goal to become, what he termed, "a City upon a Hill." This sermon …

…ourselves not to care about God and our Community but just for ourselves and our stupid thirst for wealth. What good does that money do me know? I lay here with only a few days to live. I am rich but I know I shall not be saved and will instead be forced to atone for my sins for the rest of time. Good-bye, my friend. I hope you will fair better than I did.