God almighty in His most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of
                    the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor,
                    some high and eminent in power and dignity, others mean and in
                    subjection.

                    Reason: First, to hold conformity with the rest 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 preservation and good of the whole.

                    Reason: Secondly, that He might have the more occasion 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 rise up against their superiors and shake off
                    their yoke. Secondly, in the regenerate in exercising His graces in them,
                    as in the great ones, their love, mercy, gentleness, temperance, etc., in
                    the poor and inferior sort, their faith, patience, obedience, etc.

                    Reason: Thirdly, that every man might have need of other, and from
                    hence they might all be knit more nearly together in the bond of brotherly
                    affection. From hence it appears plainly that no man is made more
                    honorable than another, or more wealthy, etc., out of any particular and
                    singular respect to himself, but for the glory of his creator and the
                    common good of the creature, man.

                    Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into
                    covenant with Him for this work, we have taken out a commission, the
                    Lord hath given 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 bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified
                    this covenant and sealed our commission, [and] will expect a strict
                    performance 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 fall 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 wrath against us, be
                    revenged of such a perjured people, and make us know the price of the
                    breach of such a covenant.

                    Now the only way to avoid 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 together in this work
                    as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must
                    be willing to abridge 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 together, mourn together,
                    labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission
                    and community in the work, our community as members of the same
                    body 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 acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among
                    us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies,
                    when He shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of
                    succeeding plantations, the Lord make it like that of New England. 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 falsely with our God in this
                    work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help
                    from us, we shall be made a story and byword throughout the world, we
                    shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and
                    all professors for God's sake, we shall shame the faces of many of God's
                    worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon
                    us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going. And to
                    shut up this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant
                    of the Lord in His last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30., Beloved there is now
                    set before us life and good, death 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 live 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 serve 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 let 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.

                         From Winthrop Papers: Volume II, 1623-1630 (The
                         Massachusetts Historical Society, 1931).