Today, December 21, is Forefather’s Day, a little known, under-celebrated, but very important commemoration of the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. After many treacherous days of traveling on the rough, open sea aboard the Mayflower, they arrived at Plymouth on December 21, 1620.
Why did these 103 adventurers leave Europe to come to the American continent? Most people think they came over to escape religious persecution, but this is not true. There were other reasons that drove them to the New World. What were these reasons? William Bradford gives us the answer in his stirring eyewitness account of their adventures, a book called
Of Plymouth Plantation.
In chapter IV, Governor Bradford gives four reasons for their daring voyage and settlement:
#1: They faced extreme economic hardships in Holland.
#2: These hardships were causing many to age before their time, and they saw potential dangers coming in the future if they stayed in Holland. Bradford says, “Therefore, according to the divine proverb (Proverbs 22:3), that a wise man seeth the plague when it cometh, and hideth himself; they, like skillful and hardened soldiers, were wary of being surrounded by their enemies, so that they could neither fight nor flee, and thought it wiser to dislodge betimes to some place of better advantage and less danger, if any such could be found.” (page 20)
#3: Their youth were being wrongly influenced by the youth of Holland. Peer pressure is not unique to our modern generations; it has always been a problem. However, instead of shrugging their shoulders and just hoping for the best, the Pilgrims took drastic action to protect their children from ungodly influences. Wise parents today ought to do the same. How about pulling the plug on secular entertainment? Is anyone so daring that they might attempt this boldness?
#4: The Pilgrims wanted to evangelize the American natives. The Pilgrim’s came over as missionaries, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Whatever one might think of the Pilgrims, I believe we would do well to study their example. Let’s see what truths we might glean for our generation and those generations to come.
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