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November 24,
2004
Why
Did Ye Pilgrims Come?
"If
God preserves my life, I will cause a boy that driveth a plow to know
more of the Scriptures than the pope," vowed William Tyndale who
spent much of his life in exile, translating the Bible from the original
languages to make it available for the common man. An angry King Henry
VIII had him burned at the stake.
But that was before
the King decided to divorce himself from his wife. Since the Church did
not recognize divorce, the King simply set up his own Church of England
and appointed himself its Pope. As a PR campaign, he encouraged
the reading of Tyndale’s Bible. Such is life under capricious Kings!
Evil men do
not good ministers make, and many of the King’s subjects soon saw need
for "purifying" the church. When Henry died in 1547 his son
Edward actually encouraged these reformers, but he only lasted six
years. Then his sister Mary ascended to the throne and everything
changed. Thousands of "Puritans" fled for their lives. Others
she had burned at the stake—286 of them in a mere five years. Most of
those who fled went to Geneva. Calvin had already been there; under his
influence the city had become one of the most educationally and
religiously advanced in the world. There these wonderful Puritans came
to better understand the Biblical principles of civil liberty.
Elizabeth, who was
next to reign in England, was at first more tolerant and many reformers
returned—with new energy for promoting Bible reading and reforming
corruption. Soon Elizabeth called a halt with her 1562 Articles of
Religion which prohibited further church reform.
Now, had you been a
"reformer," believing your church to be corrupt and
unbiblical, what would you have done? What confidence could you have in
a church founded by a philandering king? There were two possibilities
for those English saints: some would wait for opportunities to promote
changes that would return the church to "purity;" others would
separate from the Church altogether.
Those Puritans who would
work for reform would become the second group to settle in
Massachusetts, just 10 years behind. They would come with the intention
of setting up the Church of England, reformed, as a shining example to
the world. They would still hold to the idea of a state church,
but they would soon learn that men must be free to worship according to
the dictates of their own conscience. Their descendants would write into
the Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof…" guaranteeing that the government would not try to
control churches. (That’s freedom OF religion, not FROM
religion. The Founders would tell you that a lack of attention to
religious principles would destroy a nation. Book of Mormon prophets
would say so too.)
Meanwhile, those
Puritans who would not tolerate corruption in the church eventually
separated. By 1580 the "Separatist" movement was well
established.
Many of the
Separatists gathered in the little town of Scrooby in northern England.
In 1606 they wrote a covenant, the first to affirm self-government for a
church. William Brewster, who would become their pastor in America, and
William Bradford, who would be their governor for 33 years, were among
them.
Soon persecution
intensified, making their former afflictions "but as fleabitings in
comparison." Safety in Holland was a 14-day voyage away, but
getting there was a great problem "for though it was made
intolerable for them to stay, they were not allowed to go; the ports
were shut against them, so that they had to seek secret means of
conveyance, to bribe the captains of ships, and give extraordinary rates
for their passages.
"Often they were
betrayed, their goods intercepted, and thereby were put to great trouble
and expense."
On one occasion a
captain loaded everyone on board at night, then stole their possessions
and put them off the ship to be imprisoned for a month.
On another occasion a ship was secured
and the women and children were sent to meet it on a smaller boat while
the men traveled by land. The small boat was grounded, in sight of the
ship. While awaiting the tide to free the boat, the ship
captain sent his own boat to pick
up the first group of men, who had arrived on the shore. Then "the
captain espied a large body of horse and foot, armed with bills and guns
and other weapons,—for the country side had turned out to capture
them." He "weighed anchor, hoist sail, and away! The poor men
already aboard were in great distress for their wives and children left
thus to be captured..."
Once in Holland the
Separatists were well treated, though city life was difficult for these
men who were farmers by nature. There were few converts to their church.
"But of all the sorrows most heavy to be borne, was that many of
the children, influenced by…the great licentiousness of the young
people of the country, and the many temptations of the city, were led by
evil example into dangerous courses, getting the reins off their necks
and leaving their parents." After a decade in Holland, these good
people became Pilgrims to spread the gospel to the new world and, even
more, to save their children!
You know the rest of
the story — a 66 day voyage "in a space no larger than a
volleyball court." The Mayflower Compact. A harsh winter which only
half survived. Providential help from friendly Indians. The ship
embarking for England in April without a single Pilgrim aboard.
The welcomed arrival of new settlers, and the consequential second
starvation winter. The First Thanksgiving. The founding of a new
nation. And through it all
"they
found ye Lord to be with them in all their ways, and to blesse their
outgoings & incomings, for which let his holy name have ye praise
for ever, to all posteritie."
And
may ye Lord bless ye this Thanksgiving and for ever as ye make
sacrifices for the love of ye posteritie.
PRINTS
OF THE ABOVE PICTURES
Thanks to subscriber Judith Reed who informs us that "The
first painting, The First Thanksgiving, (in foreground, mother rocking a
baby in a cradle) was found at allposters.com. The
print may be ordered with or without a frame. The second painting,
First Thanksgiving, was found at catalog.loc.gov/. A glass black
and white 8 x 10 negative is what is available for a copy."
Oct 2005
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