"the soule's paradise"

"to love and live beloved is the soule's paradise both here and in heaven" (model of christian charity).
so proclaimed john winthrop in his now famous address about the colonial venture in the new world. a few weeks ago, i commented on francis bremer's john winthrop: america's forgotten founding father. this afternoon, i finished my relaxed read of this wonderful volume. echoing my previous post, i wholeheartedly recommend bremer's book. he does a masterful job portraying the early modern world, as well as winthrop's place in it. plus, he tells a great story.

bremer ended his account of winthrop's life with a appeal for the significance of the on-again/off-again governor of the massachusetts bay colony. the following sentence in the epilogue particularly grabbed my attention, seeming especially appropriate to my reflections on life in american evangelicalism. "Zealous, but not a zealot, he strove always to include as many as possible in his journey toward a better world, and to teach them to love one another" (john winthrop, 385). winthrop's significance, in my opinion, extends beyond the scope of american history to include the contemporary american religious scene.