 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
The Soon Coming Judgment Of God Upon America and How To Escape It 77
[They labored] to have the right worship of God and discipline of Christ
established in the church, according to the simplicity of the gospel, without the
mixture of men’s inventions; and to have and be ruled by the laws of God’s Word,
dispensed in those offices, and by those officers of Pastors, Teachers and Elders,
etc., according to the Scriptures. (p. 6)
In accordance with the above purpose, which the pilgrims had individually and jointly
declared, the original group of faithful believing Christians from Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire,
and Yorkshire established a covenant relationship with God, just as the Israelites had done.
Before departing fro America, Bradford wrote, “…as the Lord's free people joined themselves
(by a covenant of the Lord) into a church estate, in the fellowship of the gospel, to walk in all His
ways made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavors,
whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them.”(p. 9)
107
It would cost the pilgrims dearly. What God called them to do was not easy at all, he
asked them to leave family and all the comforts of civilization to start a new colony in a new
world. They were not embarking on a journey were they would be unable to order food or
supplies when needed. They would be dependent on what they could make and produce with the
aid of God’s grace. Not only did they have to sell all they owned and leave all they knew behind
but 47 would die the first winter in the new land, nearly one-half. But as God had called them, he
had made provisions for them before their arrival and it is because of God's provisions that more
than half of them survived.
The Mayflower had sailed nearly 100 miles off course to the North. When they tried to
sail South to the Hudson River they faced very strong headwinds. The pilgrims decided that it
was God's leading that they had arrived at their present position and in accordance with this, they
decided to find a place nearby to settle. They located a perfect area. It was about 20 acres of
cleared land; it had good soil, good drainage, four spring fed creeks with sweet water and the
area was well suited for defense purposes. As it turned out, this was the former home of the
Patuxets, one of most fierce tribes on the East coast but they had all died of a plague a few years
before. The remaining local Indians were headed by Chief Massasoit, he welcomed the pilgrims
as friends. He was probably the only friendly chief on the northeast coast of America. The only
surviving Patuxet was Squanto; he was a Joseph of sorts.
Squanto had been abducted by English explorer in 1605 and taken to England to learn
English. Squanto spent nine years in England and was then returned to his home. He was then
abducted and taken to Spain to be sold as a slave. This actually preserved his life because he
would be gone during the plague. He was purchased by Munks who sought to give him his
freedom. He became a Christian and returned to England with a wealthy merchant with whom he
lived until he returned to New England again in 1614. He arrived only 6-months before the
pilgrims. His tribe was gone. He later joined the pilgrims and taught them how to catch eels, fish,
plant corn and taught them many other things about the new world. Because of Squanto many
lives were preserved the first year. And God provided in a very unique way.
108
The hardships the pilgrims went through that first year and later was like a purifying fire
that brought them closer to God and knit them closer to one and other. God would use the
 |