Preserving Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” said Jesus in his sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5:9.  Though peace had been ratified with the Pilgrims’ closest neighbors and their great king, Massasoit, due to past injuries by the English, and also due to the challenge of…

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The Return of the Mayflower to England

William Bradford wrote under the title of “Anno 1621”: “They now began to dispatch the ship away which brought them over, which lay till about this time, or the beginning of April.”  Though there are practical reasons Bradford states as to why the Mayflower had stayed so long through the winter of 1620-21, even after…

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The 400th Anniversary of the Departure of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England

The persecution, hardships, suffering and discouragement that accompanied the Pilgrims before they even began their journey has caused many to wonder how their conviction to continue remained so constant.  Consider first, not all of the congregation could depart in 1620, so a remnant had to volunteer.  Second, the change in their contract was a huge…

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The Pilgrims and the Defense of Liberty

George Henry Boughton’s (1833-1905) painting Pilgrims Going to Church in 1867 was originally called The Early Puritans of New England Going to Church.  Boughton was known as the “painter of New England Puritanism” and here portrayed the Pilgrim Church of men, women and children walking to the meetinghouse on guard in defense of their liberty. …

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The Economics of the Pilgrims

Before the Pilgrims could navigate the waters of the Atlantic, they had to navigate the economic challenges of raising funds.  They sought God at every turn in the face of financial obstacles.  Though the 1606 Charter of James I for exploration had a mission of “propagating (the) Christian Religion,” it took God’s intervention to allow…

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Why They Came: Pilgrim Character

What kind of character did the Pilgrim Church embrace?  It is apparent that Pastor Robinson and William Brewster did embrace and teach good character.  In addition it is clear that they demonstrated it as an example as well. When the Pilgrim Church emigrated from Amsterdam to Leyden, they had to ask permission from the civil…

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