Last Name 1

Last Name, First Name Ms. Rhude AP Eng Lang, Period 5 14 October 2010

Alexander Whitakers Good Newes from Virginia ~The Value of Diligence and Generosity in the Name of God~

Biography: Alexander Whitaker was born in Cambridge, U.K. in 1585 and was the son of Reverend William Whitaker, the distinguished leader of St. Johns College. Alexander Whitaker received his degrees from Trinity College, and Cambridge in 1604. He had his own promising church in northern England but gave it up to become a missionary in Virginia. He came to the colony in 1611 with Sir Thomas Dale. He was the leading minister of Virginia and he belonged to the early Puritan section of the Church of England. He was known as the Apostle to Virginia and while some sources say that he was responsible for marrying John Rolfe and Pocahontas, he conclusively was responsible for baptizing Pocahontas and converting her to Rebecca Rolfe (The Virginia Magazine). Good Newes from Virginia was one of the first publications to come out of Virginia, and it was published in London in 1613 to encourage investors to see the potential profit, both monetary and religious, of the Virginia colony. Key Terms/Concepts: Providence = care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction; Apostle = first, best-known Christian missionary in a particular region; Liberality = generous provision of time, money, or another asset; Virginia Company = English joint stock companies chartered by James I in 1606 to establish settlements on the eastern coast of North America Summary: The excerpt begins with Ecclesiastes 11.1: Cast thy bread upon the waters: for after many days you shall find it. To paraphrase, the bread that you have earned, if invested and shared with others, will return to you in the future, even if it is far off. For Whitaker, if the bread has been earned in the name of God, then it should be invested to do Gods work in Virginia. He offers a vision of Virginia that will persuade the Virginia Company to lay their helping hands to it, either with their purse, persons, or prayers (Cherry 30). Whitaker calls upon divine providence as a rationale for the miraculous survival of the mariners sent to Chesapeake Bay who were lucky to have made it to shore. As the chosen ones who set out to create a New England, Whitaker and the other Adventurers in the Sea Venture had made it through the Bermudas thanks to God, and they were able to escape from the many sinners from back home. He reaffirms that all the success achieved in Virginia could not have occurred without Gods efforts, the only true worker here (Cherry 31).Whitaker then shifts his focus to the devils naked slaves, or the Native Americans, and the immoral behavior of these heathens. He compares their idolatry to that of witches and he fervently expresses his role as a missionary to do the work of God and convert the natives. While he acknowledges the skills and abilities of the natives, he makes no mistake that he discredits their religious practices, stating that their priests are a generation of vipers even of Satans own brood (Cherry 33). The government of the natives has some positive aspects (honoring elders, property, and neighbors), thus proving all the more that they must be converted to know the true God and his laws.

While Whitaker establishes a similar religious ethos to other early American voices like Winthrop, Whitaker precedes Winthrops city upon a hill because of his audience as a

Last Name 2

benefactor. Whitaker returns to his central purpose of asking for the Virginia Company to share their bread with the newfound colony. He guilts the wealthy investors into thinking about their frivolous spending and beseeches that they instead put money into Gods work in Virginia: Bestow somewhat to the raising up of Christs kingdom, and maintenance of so holy and heavenly an action as this is, God of his goodness that hath given you ability to perform it, make you willing to help it forward with the best of your power (Cherry 34). His sermon reaches its peak with its ability to persuade the investors to uphold the real church of England by converting the heathens and spreading the Christian word and faith. And even if the investors do not see a return right away, it is Gods plan to reward those who show him patience and trust. Whitaker concludes with his undying faith in God who kept promises to such biblical figures as Abraham and Solomon, and urges the Virginia Company investors to have faith and to continue their work under the banner of Jesus Christ (Cherry 36). Guiding Discussion Questions: Recall

What does Whitaker mean by liberality? What does Whitaker ask the Adventurers of Virginia to do in the name of God? What religious morals does Whitaker present in the text?

Analysis

How does Whitakers use of figurative language enhance his description of the arrival in Virginia? (Cherry 31)

How does Whitaker employ Ecclesiastes 11.1 to reveal his thesis in the excerpt? What is the function of the descriptions of the natives in regards to his thesis?

Application

Does Whitakers divine Providence remind you of any other early American colonial figures? Do they utilize their religious ethos for the same effect? (hint= William Bradford)

How does Whitakers text help to construct the foundations of colonists being the Chosen People?

Works Referenced Cherry, Conrad. God's New Israel; Religious Interpretations of American Destiny. Englewood

Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971. 25-36. Print. "Oremus Bible Browser : Ecclesiastes 11.1-10." Oremus Bible Browser : Ecclesiastes 11.1-10.

Web. 14 Jan. 2014. . The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 11. 1903. Google Books. Web. 13 Jan.

2014.