New Shun 1730

The first version of the city on the hill was destroyed.

The subsequent religious revival, the return of moralism, the first great "awakening", the reshaping of faith in God, the reconstruction of the city on the hill - or, in other words, the reconstruction of the second version of the city on the hill under the new economic foundation and productivity level.

Joseph Warren really found it difficult to accept what John Hancock relayed.

The population can be restricted, but it must be in the name of religion and faith; it cannot be in the name of reason and experience. Although the result is actually the same meaning, the statement is intolerable.

This includes the fact that Britain's later attitude towards North America was so tough, and there was also a large part of religious reasons.

This group of people in North America clearly said: [In fact, tolerance of religion and sects is the abandonment of true faith].

People from sects such as Anglicans, Quakers, and Episcopalians were persecuted in Massachusetts.

Until the charter of 1691, the British government warned Massachusetts with an unprecedented tough attitude: lift the persecution of other sects and do not restrict the members of the state assembly by the membership of the Congregational Church.

By coincidence, or not so coincidence but intentional, in 1692, the second year of the new charter and the prohibition of persecution, the Salem witch trials led by the Puritan Congregational Church took place.

Under the fanatical religious sentiment, Joseph Warren's attitude towards Hancock inevitably gave rise to a mentality of "preventing friends from being bewitched by demons and pagans."

Joseph Warren was a doctor.

John Hancock was a businessman, and a big businessman.

The former, from his class identity, liked the idea of ​​the first edition of City on the Hill very much. Get rich through hard work, wisdom, labor, and skills.

The latter, from his class identity, had the idea of ​​the first edition of City on the Hill... I can only say that we are all Puritans, so I just believe it.

The first edition of 1630, the second edition of 1775, the third edition of 1865, and the fourth edition of 1980 are different.

Of course, Warren could not understand some of the differences between him and Hancock from the perspectives of material, ownership, productivity and production relations.

So he characterized the problem as Hancock may have been bewitched by atheist heresy, sowing some unspeakable seeds.

As a friend, he had the obligation to pull Hancock out of the edge of the wrong path.

So, Warren held back his dissatisfaction and anger at those relayed words, suppressed his mood as much as possible, and said: "I don't know what else those people said, but I can tell you clearly that the words you heard are far from the truth, and even run counter to it."

"Maybe, in some details, it is correct. But in the essential truth, it is completely wrong. You have to know that Satan is originally an angel, and the devil is the most capable of using God's words to bewitch people."

These religious words were what Hancock heard since he was a child. Under the influence of what he saw and heard, although these things sounded like nonsense to the people of Dashun, they were different to Hancock.

"Yes, you are right. But what is the real truth? How can we get closer to these real truths?"

Warren smiled and made a simple analogy.

"My dear friend."

"The highest wisdom and truth are like the cleanest water we want to absorb. These cleanest water can flow directly into our souls and hearts."

"Then, it's like a wooden barrel."

"Can a dirty, dusty, and stained wooden barrel hold these cleanest water?"

"If it can hold, we can only judge whether the water is clean by the water in the wooden barrel. But if the wooden barrel is dirty, how can we judge whether the water is clean?"

"Wash yourself, purify yourself, and cleanse your soul and heart first. Then you can judge whether the water flowing into the wooden barrel is the clean water of the highest wisdom and truth; or the dirty water of heresy."

At this time, the phrase "brain disease" is wrong, because the things that hold thoughts and ideas at this time are the soul and heart.

Warren's meaning is still very simple: you have to clean your heart first before you can judge whether what you hear is the truth or heresy.

Just like a bucket, you let water into the bucket to observe whether the water is dirty or clean. After that, your bucket itself is not clean, so you can't judge whether the water is dirty or clean.

These words are full of temptation for young people who are deeply in the era of change and believe in religion.

In fact, the brief contact with the traders on the Dashun side brought a huge impact on Hancock's thinking.

The thinking methods of both sides are completely different.

Regarding the views on smuggling and trade, Hancock and the trade ambassadors on the Dashun side basically agreed on the conclusions - innocent, innocent, and good.

However, the differences between the two sides on why it is innocent, why it is innocent, and why it is good are basically talking at cross purposes.

It's like people don't eat pork much in the desert.

On one hand, they said that, logically speaking, pigs may have parasites, and it is not suitable to feed pigs in the desert because of insufficient food, and pig pens need water to clean, etc., so it is right not to eat pork.

On the other hand, they said that they look strange, have evil natures, are dirty, lazy...

The conclusion is the same.

But the two sides are talking at cross purposes.

Hancock did not have much contact with the Dashun people for a long time.

But the Dashun people, even the missionaries, were only characterized as "superstitious atheists".

The pure new learning system of the trade ambassadors has cultivated a set of methodologies and three views that seem completely weird at this time. This kind of thing has been marinated and will be unconsciously revealed in the communication.

In a word, the trade ambassador's view is that nothing is sacred. This is true for smuggling, tariffs, trade, and your Anglo-Saxon tradition.

Smuggling and trade are just a simple matter of who makes the money. You want to make this money, and the British also want to make this money. What traditions, laws, sacredness, and human rights given by God are all bullshit.

Moreover, the words of the trade ambassador are often inadvertently full of sarcasm.

Especially when Hancock mentioned the issue of paper money in New England, the trade ambassador bared his teeth and asked Hancock disdainfully: Why is the South not so dissatisfied with the issue of paper money? Because the plantation products in the southern states are needed by Europe, they are involved in European trade and have a currency cycle; while the northern states are a group of people who grow grain, do handicrafts, and sell their own products. You don’t produce silver and gold, and precious metals are concentrated in the hands of big businessmen. The common people lack gold and silver in circulation, so they are naturally more sensitive to the monetary system.

What does this have to do with the fact that the southern states are servile, have no human souls, no self-awareness, and the lazy environment that has shaped their degeneration and loss of freedom?

Under this ideological hedge, Hancock’s mind was a mess after just a brief contact.

At this time, North America was still a cultural desert. Compared with France and even Britain, the depth of thinking about some things is still a lot worse.

The words from Dashun were like several big bombs, directly stuffed into Hancock’s head.

In the chaos and confusion, Warren pointed out a clear way for him: he must first cleanse his soul and purify his heart before he can distinguish which are the whispers of the devil and which are the supreme truth.

This undoubtedly made Hancock very interested.

It was no secret that Warren was a member of the Freemasons.

At this time, Freemasonry was still a fashionable thing in North America, and it was a bit like a "cool" thing. It was loved by people who had no worries about food and clothing and were bored.

It was high-class and mysterious, and those who joined were all celebrities.

For example, Franklin was the warden of the Freemasons at the beginning, and then became the Grand Master of Pennsylvania.

If you enter such a small circle, your taste will be improved, your level will be improved, and your heart will be satisfied.

When Hancock heard what Warren said, he asked tentatively: "So, how can I cleanse my soul and explore the true supreme truth?"

Warren smiled and showed his ring.

"In fact, before you followed your uncle to sea, a fellow student had proposed to invite you to join, and it was approved."

The Freemasons in Massachusetts originated from the Scottish area, where the introduction system for joining was different from that in other places: elsewhere, one black ball directly vetoed, while in Scotland, more than three black balls were required to veto joining.

People in the society will constantly look for new members and make proposals.

Warren did not lie. Indeed, before Hancock went to sea, the proposal to recruit Hancock had been approved.

After all, it was not a big place. Everyone in the small circle knew each other. Moreover, many of them were Harvard classmates, and Hancock's family was engaged in big business.

Warren said again: "I, on behalf of myself and the brothers of Freemasonry, formally invite you."

"Now, you ask me how to cleanse my soul and prepare to accommodate His truth."

"I can only say: God will help people, I personally cannot help you."

"What God gives you is the help that Freemasonry has the right to give. He will give us the method to help you, and give you the right to accept this gift through Freemasonry."

After saying this tongue twister, Warren said: "My friend, before taking the test, you need to reflect on your soul at home."

"You are young, you are rich, and you will inherit hundreds of thousands of pounds of wealth and business from your family."

"But you have all this wealth, what have you done for your career?"

"Look at your life. In your rich life, you get everything from society, but you don't contribute anything to it."

"Have you chosen a direction that can benefit others on this road?"

"Do you believe that it is feasible for people to work together for the purpose of supporting each other on the way to virtue?"

"Are you really willing to cleanse your soul and accommodate the light of His wisdom?"

Warren stared into Hancock's eyes and said in a serious tone that Hancock had never seen before: "Please think about these issues carefully when you go back and wait for the blessing to come."