Compare And Contrast The Selling Of Joseph And A Model Of Christian Charity

The Notion of Justice Over the past years, many Americans referred to slavery as an abnormal institution, yet historically it was not abnormal. On the contrary, it is a virtually universal characteristic of human history. Defenders of slavery argued that slavery had existed throughout history and was the natural state of mankind. In The Selling of Joseph by Samuel Sewall and A Model of Christian Charity by John Winthrop, have different viewpoints regarding slavery and the notion of justice. According to Plato, justice is the bond that holds society together. “Justice is the right of all and uncertain things are owed to a man simply because he exists as a man” (Younkins 129). But even so, the notion justice Winthrop sought to create a strictly …show more content…
Justice in every instance is different, and so it can never be defined especially throughout God. According to Ivy Schweitzer, Winthrop states his understanding of Christian Charity, “a most equal and sweete kinde of Commerence, based in the recognition of spiritual resemblance, which produces mutual sympathy and boundless affection” (Schweitzer 458). This exert is a reasonable point of departure in examining justice in the American context. In the text, Winthrop explains the reasoning behind the Puritans ' unwillingness to accept the need for state and church separation. Winthrop acknowledged that a natural separation exists between social classes, he believed that God created this separation for a reason, to bring racial classes closer together through love and need for each other and that’s fine, but Winthrop establishes conscious points regarding the notion of justice that I personally think is wrong. Winthrop’s methods in “The Selling of Joseph” would not be acceptable. Winthrop’s idea of “showing mercy to a rich man in some sudden danger of distress,” due to God’s separation of classes is distinctively injustice. In “The Selling of Joseph” Sewall mentions, “The Nigers are brought out of a Pagan Country, into places where the Gospel is preached,” (Sewall 3) meaning bringing them closer to God with resisting. Even though Sewall’s taught of bringing slaves …show more content…
I believe righteousness is more general, and morality is more personal. In Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” he believes that righteousness will guide them to a New World by following Gods order. He states this idea by mentioning the deep bond that the Puritans have with God; he is not only binding them together, but he is also showing the higher purpose that God intends to have. Winthrop’s idea of Gods order, “The poor should be loyal and honest in their service to their betters and to authorities. The rich and powerful should honestly and loyally dispense with justice and mercy to the poor” (Winthrop 68). At that point the righteous may risk their own wellbeing to oppose or help the other escape injustice. This idea of righteousness of what your society or your religion dictates is right which defines half of what the notion of justice means. The other half is morality. “The Selling of Joseph” Samuel Sewall wrote: “And yet ‘tis to be feared, we have no other title to our Nigers. “These Ethiopians, as black as they are; seeing they are the Sons and Daughters of Fist Adam, the Brethren and Sister of the Last Adam, and the Offspring of GOD; They ought to be treated with respect agreeable” (Sewall 4). Following, Sewall’s idea of the notion of justice seems to be more personal towards justification of slavery. In addition, Sewall believed that