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"But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other Gods, our pleasure and 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,

by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him,

for He is our life and our prosperity."

Elesha Coffman is managing editor of Christian History magazine.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

More Christian History, including a list of events that occurred this week in the church's past, is available at ChristianHistory.net. Subscriptions to the quarterly print magazine are also available.

For more on Winthrop and other American Puritans, see Christian Historyissue 41.

The full text of "A Modell of Christian Charity" appears at the Winthrop Society Web site.

Philip Yancey, a columnist for Christianity Today, recently explored a similar topic (he called it the "Baywatch syndrome") in "Why Do They Hate Us?"

Christian History Corner appears every Friday at ChristianityToday.com. Previous editions include:

Easter Eloquence | The holiday has inspired great words from some of history's greatest preachers. (March 22, 2002)

The Other Holy Day | In the rush toward Good Friday and Easter, don't forget Maundy Thursday. (March 22, 2002)

The Politics of Patrick | In the field of Irish history, every turn of phrase hints at the author's spin. (March 15, 2002)

Don't Touch That Dial | Could a bitter debate among religious broadcasters really cause a "full-scale split in evangelicalism"? (Mar. 8, 2002)

Translation Wars | Sharp as debate over the TNIV may be, the version's translators are getting off easy compared to John Wycliffe and William Tyndale. (March 1, 2002)

The Cremation Question | Firm belief in resurrection hasn't kept Christians from caring-and arguing-about what happens to the bodies of the dead. (Feb. 22, 2002)

Citius, Altius, Sanctus | The modern Olympics, though hardly Christian, hail from an era when athleticism was next to godliness. (Feb. 15, 2002)

Alternative Religions | Many non- and semi-Christian groups laid claim to the West, but none more successfully than the Mormons. (Feb. 8, 2002)

Zion Haste | Does the passion of a few nineteenth-century Chicagoans still influence American policy in the Middle East? (Feb. 2, 2002)

Final Solution, Part II | The Nazis planned to obliterate Christianity, too, according to newly published Nuremberg documents. (Jan. 25, 2002)

Tell Me a Story | The most helpful church history scholarship is both broad and narrative. (Jan. 18, 2002)

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April (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46