Why They Came: Betrayal

Almost immediately after their conversion, the Pilgrims were persecuted by “the profane multitude.”  Bradford then writes “Seeing themselves thus molested, and that there was no hope of their continuance there, by a joint consent they resolved to go into the Low Countries, where they heard was freedom of religion for all men.”  Persecution, and eventually…

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The Pilgrim Church Service

The Pilgrim or Separatist church began in the home but focused on the exaltation and presence of Christ.  The revival of “hearth and home” in England was nurtured by families who had access to own the Geneva translation of the Bible in their own tongue.  Fathers would read from the Scriptures in the morning and…

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Why They Came: Rhetoric Matters

The doctrine of discovery was built on pride, aggression, and disrespect of others.  It condoned methods of aggression for the “end” of “conversion.”  But there was another movement, a remnant, born of true revival, that was arising as well.  In that movement, true conversion was sought, one from the heart and voluntary.  Though not as…

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Why They Came: Church by Coercion

What makes the Pilgrim movement so unique is that it stands in such contrast to the coercion practiced by the State Church of England?  The State (in this case King James) was the head of the Church and thus there was little religious liberty.  Richard Clyfton had such pressure when pastoring in Babworth, England where…

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Why They Came: Let us not Forget

Consider for a moment the year 1820 at the two hundredth anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims.  Daniel Webster came to Plymouth, Massachusetts and on Forefathers Day declared: …let us not forget the religious character of our origin.  Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion.  They journeyed by…

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Why They Came: Conversion

Conversion, or spiritual liberty, was the origin and root of why the Pilgrims came to the shores of New England.  Conversion is an act of God whereby He regenerates the heart and puts His Spirit into the believer.  It is an act of surrender on our part, choosing to follow the risen Lord Jesus Christ…

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The British Surrender at Yorktown

The British surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781 was a miracle of providential timing and intervention.  It involved at least four major ingredients that had to come together in the face of potential disaster.  The disasters included worthless paper money and the lack of an ability to support the troops.  In addition, troops outside…

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