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© 1992 by Peter Marshall and by David Manuel

© 2011 by the estate of Peter Marshall and by David Manuel

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Previously published under the title The Light and the Glory for Children

Ebook edition created 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-3828-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

The material in this book has been carefully researched and is historically accurate, but specific scenes and conversations have been fictionalized to heighten the drama and foster readability. Direct quotations of historic personages are taken from the standard edition of The Light and the Glory, and the sources are footnoted there.

Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

The Light and the Glory for Young Readers reveals to youngsters ages 8 to 12 how God’s loving, guiding, and protecting hand has been upon our country from the very beginning. Both your children and you will enjoy following the exciting story of the birth and early growth of “one nation under God”—from Christopher Columbus’s voyage in 1492 to George Washington’s inauguration in 1789. They will witness the joys and triumphs of those who remained faithful to God and the sad outcome for those who compromised their faith for wealth and power in the New World.

With conversations that bring people and events to life, questions for discussion with answers provided, and a glossary, this book is both fun and informative. The Light and the Glory for Young Readers shows how God intervened time and again in the events of early American history to accomplish His grand plan for a very special place where His followers could worship freely.

Just as your children will enjoy The Light and the Glory for Young Readers, Sounding Forth the Trumpet for Young Readers, and From Sea to Shining Sea for Young Readers, you’re sure to appreciate the enlightening bestsellers on which they are based:

The Light and the Glory

Peter Marshall and David Manuel trace God’s plan for America from the fruition of Columbus’s dream to Washington’s inauguration. In this dynamic, enlightening volume, the authors challenge Americans to return to God and rediscover the destiny that was ours from the beginning.

From Sea to Shining Sea

Peter Marshall and David Manuel present a powerful sequel that chronicles God’s intervention in American history from Washington’s Presidency to 1837.

Sounding Forth the Trumpet

Peter Marshall and David Manuel continue the story of God’s hand in America’s past through the drama of the Mexican War, the rising conflict over slavery, and Lincoln’s election just before the eruption of the Civil War.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Summary

Epigraph

Reliving the Adventure

1: Christ-Bearer

2: If Gold Is Your Almighty

3: Martyrs for Jesus

4: The Lost Colony

5: Jamestown

6: To the Promised Land

7: “God Our Maker Doth Provide”

8: Thy Kingdom Come

9: The Puritan Way

10: King Philip’s War

11: The First Great Awakening

12: “No King but King Jesus!”

13: War!

14: The Birth of a Nation

15: The Dark Night of a Nation’s Soul

16: Building the House

Glossary

Study Questions

Answers to Study Questions

Back Ads

I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means.

– John Adams to Abigail Adams on the passing of the Declaration of Independence

Reliving the Adventure

The ability to imagine is a wonderful gift from God; before television, it was how everyone relived the adventures of the real-life heroes of history. It can still be done, whenever you read a book.

In this book, you can stand on the deck of the Santa Maria alongside Christopher Columbus, sailing farther and farther westward, going boldly where no man had ever gone before.

A century (and a few pages) later, you can journey with the great explorer-missionaries who opened vast reaches of the Southwest and the wilderness north of the Great Lakes. With Father Jacques Marquette, you can paddle down the mighty river that divides this continent, the one Native Americans called the Mississippi.

You can join the Pilgrims as they start their little colony in Plymouth and celebrate the first Thanksgiving in the New World with the Wampanoag tribe.

From the colony of Georgia to the colony of Massachusetts, you can ride on horseback with George Whitefield, the first evangelist to come to America. As he preaches, you can see whole towns become excited about living for God.

You can share the growing concern of the colonists as King George of England taxes them unfairly and punishes them if they object. And you can decide if you would have remained loyal to England or joined the Patriots in their struggle to keep the freedom that their ancestors had known for 150 years.

In July 1776, you can be present in Philadelphia for the great debate that resulted in America’s Declaration of Independence.

On Brooklyn Heights, you can wait in the trenches with the other Patriots, surrounded and outnumbered by the British—and then see the extraordinary fog that came and stayed, enabling you and the entire American army to escape to Manhattan. Even the British acknowledged the importance of that fog, which many Americans called a miracle.

In the cold winter of 1777–78 in Valley Forge, you can discover General Washington, alone and kneeling in the snow, praying.

You can return to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall in 1787, where once again the future of our country is at stake. Now the new States’ delegates are trying to agree on the form our government will take. But there is much more arguing than agreeing, until Benjamin Franklin gets to his feet. He reminds them that when they were up against the mightiest military power on earth, the only thing that saved them was reliance on God.

In this revised and expanded edition of the book there are even more adventures awaiting you than there were in the first edition. Now you can also come to North Carolina with John White as he searches for the Lost Colony of Roanoke; you can stand with the Patriots in Boston and watch the “Indians” throw the tea into Boston Harbor; you can listen with the other Virginia delegates to Patrick Henry’s powerful “Give me liberty or give me death” speech; you can ride with Caesar Rodney as he pushes through the thunder, lightning, and rain to cast the decisive vote that gave us the Declaration of Independence; and you can stand with Daniel Morgan’s Continental army on the banks of the Yadkin River and watch the rising water prevent Lord Cornwallis’s British army from pursuing and destroying them.

This book is full of heroes—real men and women who were not afraid to share their faith and let it guide them in all the things they did. It made the difference in their personal lives—just as it can in yours. Let their example inspire you to make sure our nation stays on course!

Peter Marshall

David Manuel

The Lord called Me from the womb. From the body of My mother He named Me. . . . I will make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

Isaiah 49:1, 6

In the year 1271, an Italian explorer named Marco Polo set out on a long and dangerous journey across land and sea. He traveled to countries far away to the East—India, China, and Japan. When he returned to Europe, Polo brought back samples of valuable goods such as spices, ivory, and silk.

The Europeans liked these things and wanted more of them. So they began to look for different trade routes to the Far Eastern countries, which they called the Indies, after the name India. But land travel from Europe to the Far East was long and treacherous. The only known sea route at that time was around the continent of Africa.

Christopher Columbus believed he could sail to the Far East by going west across the Atlantic Ocean and around the world. He discovered the continents of North and South America. Many historians think that he was only looking for a better trade route to the Indies, and that his discovery of America was an accident. But was that all there was to it? Or was something else involved?

As you will see, God Almighty was using Columbus to work out His plan.

———

Christopher Columbus grew up in the seaport town of Genoa, Italy, where his father owned a wool shop. In 1484, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal, to work with his brother Bartolomeo, who made maps for shipowners. At that time, Lisbon was the seafaring capital of the world. Many ships came and went from its ports. The Portuguese were great explorers. They already knew the earth was round. If only they could find a better way to get to the Indies.

A God-given love of the sea took Christopher out on the ocean many times. He learned how to plot the course of a ship and how to locate its position. This is called navigation. He gathered the newest geographical information. He studied the latest maps, and he began to think about a voyage of his own.

Columbus kept a journal. In it he wrote that God Himself had given him the idea to sail west into the Atlantic Ocean. “It was the Lord who put into my mind the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies,” he explained. “There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit.”

Columbus sensed God’s leading. He could sail across the Atlantic and discover another trade route. But he could do something more. He could take the Gospel message to distant lands. Columbus was going to be a missionary explorer and spread the Good News about Jesus.

The young sailor marked charts and plotted the course. Yes, it could be done. Now he had to find a country that would give him enough money to carry out the mission.

Columbus first presented his plan to the King of Portugal. He also sent his brother to talk to King Henry of England. Neither king liked the idea, and both turned him down. So Columbus approached the country of Spain.

Columbus waited over four years for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to give him an answer. They said no. It was 1490, and Spain was at war with the Moors. The country could not afford such an expedition. The King and Queen told Columbus to come back after the war.

That day Columbus left the court to return to La Rábida, the monastery where he often stayed. Columbus walked slowly down the road. He felt sad and lonely. Doubts filled his mind.

“Where did I go wrong?” he mumbled to himself. His eyes filled with tears. With a sigh, he placed his hands in the pockets of his pantaloons.

“Maybe I’ve been wrong from the start,” he mumbled. “Maybe this is not God’s vision after all. Maybe everyone is right—it’s not a good idea.”

The head of the La Rábida monastery was a wise old monk named Juan Peréz. He was a man of great spiritual wisdom. That night Columbus talked with Juan Peréz and another monk named Father Marchena. The monks listened carefully as Columbus poured out his disappointment at being turned down by the King and Queen. They asked Columbus if he was still sure God was calling him to carry the message of Christ across the ocean. When he said yes, the three men prayed together and asked God to make it happen.

That night at La Rábida marked a turning point in the story of Columbus. Father Peréz was a friend of Queen Isabella. The next morning he wrote to her that he believed God’s hand was upon Columbus. He asked her to consider the proposal again. And she did. She sent word for Columbus to meet her and King Ferdinand in the city of Santa Fé.

In Santa Fé, Spain was celebrating their defeat of the Moors. By the time Columbus reached the city, the Spanish monarchs were ready to accept his idea. They wanted a special way to thank God for giving them victory over the Moors. And Columbus’s plan was a wonderful way to do it. He proposed to discover new lands for the glory of God and for Spain and to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The King and Queen decided to send Columbus and to pay for the voyage.

Columbus had waited years for this moment! He stood straight and tall as the King spoke to him. But as he listened, his heart began to swell. He began to think about the riches and honor that would be his when he discovered these places.

“Your Majesty,” Columbus began, “I must thank you for this honor and for your faith in me. But I must request something else.”

“What is it?” King Ferdinand asked.

Pride filled the sailor’s voice. He spoke boldly.

“When I discover these lands,” Columbus said, “I want to be governor over them. I also want one-tenth of all the riches I find. And I want you to make me an admiral.”

The King and Queen stared at Columbus.

“This is too much!” the King replied angrily. “You’re dismissed at once!”

Columbus had let his sinful nature take control by asking for power and riches instead of trusting God to take care of him. And he almost lost his golden opportunity, but God was watching over him. The royal treasurer, a friend of Columbus’s named Luis de Santangel, persuaded the King and Queen to accept the proposal. Spain would finance the expedition after all.

———

Eight months later, three small ships called caravels, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria, set sail “in the name of Jesus.” It was August 3, 1492.

A tall, red-haired man stood on the deck of the Santa Maria. His clear, blue eyes looked out at the great ocean around him. His rugged, brown face showed a man who had spent many years of his life on the high seas. As the ship rolled with the waves, Columbus held the rail with steady hands. He shouted commands to the sailors and watched them obey.

Several months later, on October 9, 1492, Columbus’s ships had stopped sailing and were drifting side by side in a calm sea. Martin Pinzón and his brother, Vincent, were captains of the Pinta and the Niña. They had come to the Santa Maria for an emergency meeting with the commander, Columbus. As the Pinzón brothers climbed aboard the Santa Maria, tension filled the air.

Columbus welcomed the two captains into his private cabin. His smile disappeared when he saw their expressions. They did not look happy.

“Commander, things are not going well,” Martin Pinzón began. “Our men are tired. They are scared and grumbling. We have not seen land for thirty-one days. You do not even know if there is land ahead.”

“We are too far away from Spain, sir,” Vincent continued. “And we don’t know what lies ahead. You must turn the ships around.”

Columbus sighed. Was there anything except water ahead of them?

Silently, Columbus walked over to the window of his cabin. He gazed out at the golden sun as it began to set below the sparkling sea in front of them. The Pinzóns wanted him to cancel the voyage. They were asking him to give up all his hopes and dreams. This voyage was his mission in life. How could he quit now? He had waited eight long years to set sail. He had been rejected and called a fool. If he turned back now, everyone in Europe would laugh at him. He would not get another chance.

The Pinzón brothers were waiting for his answer. Should he stop the mission and turn back? The commander turned to face his two captains.

“I know we’ve been sailing for a long time,” he began. “We’ve been heading due west from the Canary Islands for thirty-one days. I realize the men can’t take much more. I’ve heard their talk.” Columbus stopped and swallowed hard.

“All right,” he whispered. “We’ll turn back.”

With a heavy heart, Columbus glanced out the porthole again.

“But before we do, I want three more days on this course —just three days. You can tell the men,” he continued, “that if we don’t sight land on October 12, we will head home.”

The Pinzón brothers agreed and returned to their ships. The ships resumed sailing, but Columbus remained alone in his cabin. He could hear the groaning masts of the Santa Maria. He could feel her steady movement through the smooth waters. How he loved the ocean! How he had dreamed about this voyage. But that did not seem to matter anymore. It was all over now. Columbus slumped down at his desk and began to scribble on paper. He wrote his name, Christopher . . . Christo-ferens. In Latin his name meant “Christ-bearer.”

What would happen over the next three days? To turn back meant defeat. Columbus felt defeated. Yet God was still God, and He always answered prayers. Humbly, the commander knelt in his cabin and prayed for God’s help.

Over the next several days, amazing things happened. First, the three ships began to speed through the water. In fact, strong winds blew them along so quickly that the sailors grew frightened because they were sailing even farther from home! Then on the second day, sailors on the Pinta saw a reed and a small piece of carved wood floating in the water. These were definite signs of land. Everyone grew excited.

At ten o’clock that night, Columbus and one of his sailors thought they spotted a tiny light far in the distance. Columbus took this as encouragement from the Lord. The ships pressed on.

Then at two o’clock in the morning, the lookout aboard the Pinta sighted a low, white cliff shining in the moonlight. “Land! Land!” he cried.

The Pinta fired its cannon to signal the others. With just four hours left until the dawn of the third day, they had discovered land! It was October 12, 1492.

Immediately, the three caravels turned south to avoid hitting the reefs near shore. They sailed until daybreak. As the sun rose, they reached the southern tip of the island. The coastline began to glow in the morning sun. The sailors stood on the decks of their ships and silently gazed across the clear, blue water to the shore. They knew this day was important. They had discovered an unknown land three thousand miles from home. It was a day no one would forget.

At noon, the landing party rowed ashore. Every officer had dressed in his best uniform. Columbus carried the Spanish flag. As the men waded toward shore, they addressed Columbus by his new title: “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” Their eyes filled with tears when they reached the beach. The sailors knelt in the sand and bowed their heads. The admiral prayed. He named the island San Salvador, which means “Holy Savior.” He and his men erected a huge cross on the beach in honor of the Savior. And then he thanked God for using them to proclaim His Holy Name in this part of the earth.

———

Short, dark-skinned people welcomed the explorers to San Salvador. These people believed the Spaniards were friendly white gods who had come down from heaven in canoes pulled by white clouds. They had never seen white men or sailing ships. Columbus called the natives “Indians” because he thought he had landed on an island in the Indies.

The Spaniards offered the Indians gifts of red hats and glass beads. Columbus wanted to treat them kindly, and he wanted to tell them about Jesus.

Since the natives did not speak Spanish, they used a type of sign language with the sailors. Columbus questioned them about the tiny gold ornaments worn around their necks. The Indians told him about the gold located south of San Salvador. The Spaniards got excited and decided to sail southwest in search of gold.

The three caravels set sail, stopping at many islands and putting up crosses in honor of the Lord Jesus. However, they did not find gold. When the Pinta turned off toward the island of Babeque, the Niña and the Santa Maria tried to follow. But bad weather forced the two vessels to another island. They named this one Española. And here, Columbus experienced a sea captain’s nightmare.

It was shortly after midnight on Christmas morning. The Santa Maria was floating calmly in a cove off the island. Everyone was asleep except a young ship’s boy, who was guarding the ship’s tiller. The boy did not notice the waves gently moving the ship toward shore. Suddenly the rudder under the ship became stuck. The boy cried out. Admiral Columbus ran topside to see what had happened. The Santa Maria had struck a reef! Disaster!

“Launch the longboat and carry the anchor astern!” Columbus yelled. “Maybe we can haul the ship off the reef before the tide goes out!”

The men hurried, but it was too late. The Santa Maria was stuck fast. As the tide went out, sharp rocks cut into the bottom of the ship. Water poured into her hull. The damaged vessel leaned over in the water. She would never sail again.

But at least the friendly natives from the island helped the seamen unload the ship’s cargo. And on Española the Spaniards finally found the gold they had been searching for. Here the admiral also set up the first European settlement in the New World. He called it La Navidad, which means “the Nativity.” Thirty-nine men volunteered to remain on Española as the first settlers.

Columbus boarded the Niña. It was time to return to Spain. The little caravel began to weave its way back through the islands. Three days out, she met the Pinta. The two ships sailed home together in the calm seas and sunny skies.

A steady wind pushed them through the waters of the Atlantic. For much of the voyage, the men thanked God for the good weather.

But then everything changed.

On the night of February 12, 1493, the Niña and the Pinta sailed into a huge storm. Great waves crashed down on the decks, tossing the ships to and fro. The winds howled. Heavy rains pounded the men as they labored against the waves. On the first night, the two little ships lost sight of each other.

Why? Columbus agonized as he prayed in his cabin. Why is this happening, Lord? Do You want us to sink? Don’t You want us to return to Spain with the good news about our discovery?

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored.

Job 22:23

Christopher Columbus had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered a great, unknown land. God had given him a vision, and he had carried it out. But just as he was almost back to Spain, he had to battle this terrible storm. Columbus knew God must have a reason. But what was it?

The answer lay deep within Columbus’s heart. God saw that the sailor was becoming very proud. Columbus deserved to be called admiral. He had discovered a new land and a new people. Soon the admiral would become rich and famous. God was concerned that he would let those things take priority in his life. He was concerned that Columbus would forget his true mission. God wanted Columbus to return to Spain in obedience and humility to Him. Such a bad storm should have warned Columbus to search his own heart and seek forgiveness.

Would Columbus hear God’s message? Would he return to Spain relying on the Almighty? Or would riches and power become his gods?

———

The storm raged on for nearly a week. When at last it came to an end, Columbus and the sailors sighed with relief.

And then, toward evening, a blessed sight appeared. Far away on the northeast horizon lay the Azores, a group of tiny islands off the coast of Portugal. The explorers had made it home. The date was Tuesday, February 19, 1493. Columbus and his men stopped at the islands to rest.

When the Niña set out again, she ran into another monster storm. The little ship once again battled fierce winds and rain. This time her sails blew away. For five days the storm pushed the ship through the water. Then on the sixth day, the crew spotted land. It was the coast of Portugal.

But now the winds were blowing the ship straight toward the rocky coast. If the ship hit the rocks they would all drown. Admiral Columbus knew they had only one slim chance. If he could steer the vessel into the nearby River of Lisbon, they would be safe. But to do this he had to turn the ship broadside into the wind. That was terribly dangerous, because the wind could blow her over. God would have to help them.

The admiral wiped the rain from his eyes. Could he do it?

“Lean her to starboard!” Columbus yelled to the helmsman. “Keep her to the right. Yes, that’s it. Now hold her there—steady, steady as she goes.”

The Niña slowly turned toward the coast. But the wind and waves kept pushing her closer and closer to the rocks.

“Hold her now,” Columbus shouted. “Don’t let go! We have to make it to the river.”

The ship keeled over so far that water came rushing over the starboard side.

“She’s tipping over!” the helmsman yelled.

“We’re going to drown!” another sailor screamed.

The nervous admiral held his breath. For a moment she held steady, and then, slowly but surely, the Niña began to straighten up as the storm howled around them. Just then a large wave pushed her directly into the mouth of the Lisbon River!

It was a miracle. They had made it. The sailors clapped and danced with joy. Columbus sighed with relief—God had been with them.

The storm continued for a few days and kept them from sailing home right away, but on March 15, 1493, Columbus and his sailors finally entered the harbor of Palos, Spain. Good news awaited them. The Pinta had been blown to the coast of Africa, but she was now on her way home! It was time for a great celebration.

Columbus traveled to Barcelona, the winter home of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The city was prepared for him. Colorful flags decorated the streets. Spanish capes hung on the sides of the buildings. Women threw rose petals from the balcony windows. People crowded the streets.

Columbus led the small procession on horseback. His officers, some cargo wagons, and two Indian interpreters who had come home with him followed along behind. The admiral sat tall and erect in his saddle. One hand held the reins. The other rested proudly on his hip. As the parade reached the palace, the crowd cheered. Columbus waved.

That evening, Columbus and his group entered the grand throne room, where marble columns glowed in the light of hundreds of candles. As Columbus approached the throne, the monarchs stood to greet him. The crowd was amazed—no one had ever seen them do that before.

Columbus knelt to kiss their hands, but they made him stand. And then they ordered a special chair to be brought for him. King Ferdinand began, “We are most anxious to hear about your voyage, Commander.”

The court listened as Columbus related his story. He told about the long journey across the Atlantic. He described San Salvador and the kind natives. He told them about Española and losing the Santa Maria. He introduced them to the Indians he had brought back with him. They were wearing their native clothes and carrying strange creatures that the King and Queen had never seen before—large jungle rats, brightly colored parrots, and dogs that could not bark.

Columbus next had a large oaken chest brought in and placed before Ferdinand and Isabella.

“Your Majesties,” he announced, “it is with great pleasure that I present this to you and to Spain.” And then Columbus threw open the lid.

Everyone’s eyes opened wide. The chest was filled with gold! There were masks and crowns of pure gold, and bright gold jewelry shone in the candlelight. The chest even held gold nuggets. Anyone who had doubted Columbus before did not doubt him now. He had made a great discovery—the Indies had gold!

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella stared at the contents of the oak chest. They both stood and then fell to their knees, lifting their faces toward heaven. In the throne room of Spain that night, everyone gave thanks to Almighty God.

Columbus was a hero. He had kept his promise to Spain by discovering a new land, a new people, and great riches. Now Spain would keep her promise to him. The king and queen officially titled Columbus “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” They pronounced him governor of the new land. And they gave him permission to receive one-tenth of all the riches.

Columbus had kept his promise to God, but something was changing deep within his heart. In appreciation for what he did, Spain gave the admiral 335,000 maravedis. This was a lot of money, but it was not enough for Columbus. He wanted more. He demanded the 10,000 maravedis that was to be paid every year to the first person that had sighted land on the voyage. The lookout aboard the Pinta had been the one that spotted land first, but Columbus stepped in and took the prize. The admiral was letting gold become his god.

———

The first voyage to the New World had been a success. On the second voyage across the Atlantic in 1493, seventeen ships and twelve hundred men accompanied Columbus. They dreamed of gold and adventure, but their dreams soon turned to nightmares.

When the ships arrived at the settlement of La Navidad, none of the settlers were there. The natives had killed all thirty-nine men! Columbus quickly found out what happened.

Soon after the Niña had sailed for Spain the year before, the settlers had started hurting the native women and stealing the Indians’ gold. The natives could not stop them. At last, the angry Indians ambushed the men, killing every one of them.

As governor of Española, Columbus now had some big problems. His men hated the natives for what they had done to the Spanish settlers. Also, they didn’t trust Columbus anymore. They no longer believed his stories of gentle natives and abundant gold. Columbus was losing his authority over them because he had lost their respect. How could he control them now?

The governor knew he had to do something, and he had to do it fast. But he did not think to get on his knees and pray. He did not think to ask his Heavenly Father to forgive him for his greed and selfishness. He tried to work things out by himself.

Gold, he thought to himself. I’ll start exploring for gold. That will make the men forget what has happened here.

So Columbus had the men search Española for gold. But everything went wrong. The heat spoiled their food. Disease-bearing mosquitoes plagued them, and many of the men became sick with terrible fevers. And no one found any gold.

Columbus had to come up with some gold, so he made the Indians pay a tax in gold. If they could not pay, the Spaniards punished them and treated them like slaves. Just fourteen years later, out of the original population of 300,000, there would only be 20,000 natives left. A massacre was taking place.

The governor decided to return home. He was worried about facing the King and Queen and telling them what was happening to the natives. Sure enough, when he arrived in Spain, he learned that the monarchs were very concerned about the Indians.

“Governor Columbus,” King Ferdinand began, “you must understand. We are responsible to God for the welfare of our people. And now these natives are also our people. This terrible treatment cannot continue. You must govern the Indians as we would govern them.”

Columbus sighed. He knew the King was right.

The King continued, “We must also talk about the gold. It’s true that we want you to find gold, because it would help our country. But we don’t want such riches at the expense of the Indians! Now see to it that our desires are carried out!”

The King and Queen knew they had to be firm with Columbus. He was a good explorer, but he was not proving to be a very good governor. He was proud and demanding. He spoke harshly and got mad easily. The people in the islands did not respect him. And he refused to take responsibility for what was happening. Yet, the monarchs let him return to the New World as soon as a small fleet of ships was ready.

After a long and terrible journey, the Spanish ships reached Española. Columbus discovered that rebellion had broken out among the men he had left on his earlier voyage. The settlers no longer wanted him to be governor, and he could not control the situation. Alarming reports went back to the King and Queen.

The Spanish monarchs had no choice but to replace Columbus as governor. They dispatched Francisco de Bobadilla, who carried a letter giving him authority to act as governor. When the new governor’s caravel arrived in Española, he discovered seven Spanish bodies dangling on ropes. Then he learned that five more were to be hanged the next morning. Immediately, Bobadilla installed himself as governor. But Columbus refused to honor the proclamation from the King and Queen.

“I am governor of these islands,” he informed Bobadilla. “This is my land. I discovered it. The King and Queen have no right to take away my authority!”

“Put this man in chains!” Bobadilla ordered. “I am sending him back to Spain for trial.”

Columbus remained in chains until he reported to the King and Queen in December of 1500. They were shocked and ordered the chains removed. But they did not appoint him governor again. Columbus begged them to send him back to the New World. A year later, they permitted him to go, but only to explore for gold.

Once again, Columbus was looking for gold. It had become the most important thing in his life. In Columbus’s heart, God now held second place.

Despite the King and Queen’s command that he not sail to Española, Columbus sailed directly for the island. The governor refused to let him enter, so he sailed to Cuba. Then he sailed southeast toward Central America. The trip usually took three or four days, but strong headwinds stretched the trip into thirty-eight days! God Himself seemed to be blocking the voyage. Yet Columbus never considered that he might not be doing God’s will.

The four caravels proceeded down the coast of what are now Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica in Central America. At last, in Costa Rica, Columbus struck gold. He discovered gold fields in which ore lay on top of the ground. His men could dig for gold with their bare hands!

Columbus decided to build a settlement near the gold fields. But once again he encountered trouble with the natives. Upon learning that the Indians were planning a raid, he attacked first. He took many hostages, including the Indians’ chief.

Not long after this, Columbus had a frightening experience. It happened one day when some of his crew sailed up a river to get water and supplies. The admiral remained behind with the other ships at the river’s mouth. That afternoon, he heard shouting upriver, followed by shooting. Then everything became strangely quiet. By nightfall, Columbus saw dead bodies floating down the river. They were the bodies of his crewmen.

Alone and frightened, the admiral did not know what to do. He climbed up the highest mast on the ship and frantically yelled, “Help me! Someone please help me!”

Columbus later fell asleep in his cabin. While he was sleeping, a Voice spoke to him!

“O foolish man,” the Voice said. “How slow you are to serve your God! He was watching over you since you were born. He gave you the Indies and the keys to the Ocean Sea. You have gained fame among all Christians. Turn back to Him. Admit your mistakes. His mercy is infinite.”

The Voice was kind and gentle. Columbus knew it was God, and that He spoke the truth. When he awoke, he cried. But sadly, Columbus did not ask God’s forgiveness. He continued searching for gold. It seemed gold was all that mattered to him.

Finally, Columbus returned to Spain. He was now fifty-three years old and in bad health. On Ascension Day 1506, Columbus received the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Then he went to be forever with the Savior whose name he carried.

———

Christopher Columbus had allowed gold to steal his heart. But God still used him to open the door for the Gospel to enter the New World. God’s plan for America was going forward. Now this new land needed to hear the message of Christ. It was time for God to send others.

And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:5

During the sixteenth century, many Spanish ships crossed the ocean to the New World. Though some monks came to spread the Gospel of Jesus, most of the early Spanish settlers sailed to Central and South America to conquer land and find riches. They cheated the Indians and stole from them. They raided the land and murdered many of its inhabitants.

Meanwhile, the North American continent also continued in darkness. It needed the Light of Christ to brighten it.

Where was God during this century? Had He forgotten His plan? How did He spread His light into this spiritually dark land?

As you will see, God was still present, and He had not forgotten His plan. God’s Holy Spirit was moving quietly through the New World. And He was using some very special people to help Him.

———

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers took Franciscan and Dominican monks with them to North America. The explorers brought them for encouragement and prayer. But these monks were very different from the Spanish crews and passengers. They were men of God. When the ships landed, they began to spread the Gospel of Jesus.

The monks were Christian men who had given up everything they owned to enter a religious order. The men lived in a special community called a monastery. They devoted themselves to prayer, study, and work. They separated themselves from ordinary life. Some had come from rich families. Others were from poor families. Some were well educated while others were not. In the monastery, they worked together as brothers in the Lord.

Monks had surrendered many things to become disciples of Jesus. Because of this, they were well suited to come to the New World. Satan could not easily tempt them with riches and glory. Their hearts were not weakened by pride or fear. God knew they would remain steadfast no matter what. He knew they would obey Him and follow His call. So He sent them to North America to bring the natives word of His Son.

After the monks arrived, they established mission towns where life was simple and peaceful. They set up churches and schools and built homes for orphans. Everything centered in the church. The Spaniards and Indians learned to live together. They learned to trust one another, and the Indians learned about the love of Jesus. The mission towns became dots of God’s light in the dark new land.

As these monks worked in the New World, they grew to love it. Riding on horseback, they traveled across the desert and enjoyed its beauty. They watched the desert change colors. It was so quiet that they found it easier to hear God’s voice there. They discovered new places, and their hearts yearned to see more. Some of them became very famous explorers.

The first Spaniard to explore North America was Friar Marcos de Niza. He traveled into what is now New Mexico in 1539. More missionaries followed after him. Hostile Indians killed some of them, but other missionaries soon took their place. By 1630, this area had twenty-five mission towns, and the friars had baptized eighty thousand Indians.

The monks continued exploring. They traveled up the West Coast of America. A Franciscan monk founded San Diego and San Francisco in California. The monks journeyed east. An Austrian missionary founded the first mission in the present state of Arizona. Slowly but surely, the light of Christ was penetrating the New World.

During this time, Spanish explorers also traveled to the eastern coast of North America. In 1513, Ponce de Leon sailed to Florida. The Spanish settled Saint Augustine. They tried to settle other areas too, but the extreme heat and the fierce Seminole Indians stopped them. God did not bless the Spanish explorers as they tried to settle along the eastern coast. God had different plans for that.

Soon missionaries from other European countries arrived in the New World. Jesuits from France journeyed to the northeast. These Jesuits were young scholars and disciples from an order called the Society of Jesus. They had vowed to follow the Lord Jesus. They had promised to remain faithful to one another as brothers in the Lord. The Jesuits were Christian “soldiers” who practiced strong discipline and had a heart for missions.

In 1534, a Jesuit navigator named Jacques Cartier discovered the Saint Lawrence River. This river flows eight hundred miles from west to east through Canada. Today, part of it forms a border between Canada and the United States. In the 1500s, the Algonquin and Iroquois Indians lived there.

Jacques Cartier’s canoe glided silently through the waters of the Saint Lawrence River. It was an early morning in the summer of 1535. A heavy mist hung over the water. The explorer could hear the crickets singing in the pine forests. Once in a while, he heard the hoot of an owl.

This is God’s country, he thought to himself. God Himself has created this beauty for His people to enjoy. Now He has sent me to bring news of His Son to the natives.

Cartier reached the end of the river. He entered a bay which he named the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and he pulled his canoe onto the grassy bank. Then he set out through the forest to find wood.

“I’m going to build a cross,” he said. “Yes, a great big cross. It will bring glory to the name of the Lord.”

Cartier built a large thirty-foot cross to proclaim the message of salvation. He ministered to the Indians along the river, talking with them about Jesus and sharing the Gospel.

The Jesuits traveled through what would become Maine and Nova Scotia. They journeyed to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley. Unlike the Spanish explorers, these men treated the Indians with respect. They honored their customs and spread the love of Jesus.

Jacques Marquette was another famous Jesuit missionary. In May 1673, he and Louis Joliet canoed down the mighty Mississippi River. The Mississippi is the longest river in the United States. It begins in Minnesota and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. In 1673, a number of Indian tribes lived along its borders. The Illinois Indians camped along the northern banks, and the Chickasaw and Natchez Indians lived along its southern banks.

Marquette worked and lived with the Illinois Indians. When he died, the Illinois were very sad because they had loved him a great deal. The Indians formed a parade of thirty canoes to carry his body back to the other Jesuits. They wanted to honor this great man of God.

Another famous Jesuit missionary was Jean de Brébeuf. For nineteen years he worked with the Huron Indians in Ontario, Canada. In 1649, the Iroquois Indians attacked one of the Huron towns.

The missionary was kneeling beside an injured Huron boy during the attack.

“Watch out, Father de Brébeuf!” one Huron yelled.

Father de Brébeuf looked behind him. Riding toward him on a black pony was an Iroquois warrior. He wore red and white paint on his face and held a tomahawk in his hand. The Indian was whooping and hollering. Father de Brébeuf stood up and faced the Indian. Then he looked toward heaven. The Indian leaned down and grabbed the priest, pulling him up onto the horse. The missionary had been captured.

The Iroquois Indians hated Father de Brébeuf, and they hated his religion. So they tortured him.

“This is your baptism,” one Iroquois cursed. “Can your Savior save you now?”

Father de Brébeuf kept silent.

“You must scream! We’ll make you scream!” the Iroquois yelled.

But he did not scream, and the Indians finally killed him.

Father de Brébeuf was a martyr for Jesus. He showed the Iroquois Indians he was willing to die for his faith. He made the Indians think about the true God, and Satan was not happy about it. Satan does not like Christian martyrs. They remind him of Christ, who was willing to die for others. They remind him of Jesus’s victory over him on the Cross. It is no wonder Satan had the Indians torture the missionary as they did. Satan wanted him to look weak, but Father de Brébeuf remained strong.

Another French Jesuit priest was Isaac Jogues, a friend and companion of Father de Brébeuf. In 1642, Father Jogues traveled to Quebec to get supplies. On his return, the Iroquois attacked his group. The priest escaped.

But then he thought: I cannot leave the Iroquois souls to be lost. I must go back and win them to Christ. If I suffer for the Lord Jesus, then I suffer. He died for me. I can do no less for Him. I will go back.

Father Jogues returned to his captors, and the Iroquois tortured him. A year later, he escaped again. He traveled back to France, where he became a national hero. But Father Jogues longed to return to the New World and serve the Iroquois, even though they had tortured him.

Father Jogues did return to America, where he founded the “Mission of Martyrs.” Later he, like Jean de Brébeuf, became a martyr for Jesus.

———

During the sixteenth century, many missionaries to America died for Jesus. These men brought God’s Light into a land dark with sin. They spread this Light into the Southwest and the Northeast. They lived their lives as witnesses to the love of Jesus. Many faced the darkness of unbelief, torture, and death. But this darkness did not overcome them. They remained faithful to God and to His call upon their lives.

The Light of Christ was beginning to shine in America, but it was still dim. Who would come next, and would they be as faithful to Jesus as the missionary martyrs?

If you do not obey the Lord your God . . . the Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.

Deuteronomy 28:15, 25

Sir Walter Raleigh was an English explorer and adventurer who for many years dreamed of planting a colony in the New World. Finally, in 1584 his close friend, Queen Elizabeth, granted him permission to make the attempt. So Raleigh put Arthur Barlowe and Philip Amadas in command of two ships and sent them on their way. As Columbus had done, they avoided the prevailing Westerly winds off the coast of Europe by sailing down to the Equator. There they picked up the trade winds, which blew them across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. Then they made their way up America’s East Coast until they arrived at the Outer Banks of what is today North Carolina.

After they gave thanks to God for their safe arrival, they rowed ashore through the sparkling waves, pulled the boats up on the gleaming white sand, and went exploring. They found deer and fowl, sweet red grapes, tall red cedars, and fragrant flowers. It seemed like a paradise to them.

The Native Americans watched the English for a few days and finally came to meet them. The Indians and the English found that even though they didn’t know each other’s languages they could communicate through sign language and gestures. The next day the Indians returned and brought with them Granganimeo, the brother of their chief, Wingina.

The sailors soon struck up a brisk trade with the Indians, exchanging beads and trinkets for animal skins which they could sell back in England. When the English indicated that they needed vegetables, the Indians loaded them up with melons, onions, walnuts, cucumbers, and peas. Barlowe said, “We found the people most gentle, loving and faithful.”

When it came time to go back home, Barlowe and Amadas forced two natives to come with them—Wanchese from Roanoke Island and Manteo from Croatoan Island. This was the first time in America that the English had taken prisoners from another race. It was the beginning of slavery.

The next English expedition to the New World was under the command of Sir Richard Grenville. When they reached Cape Fear off the Carolina coast, the pilot of the fleet’s flagship, Tiger, carelessly allowed his ship to run aground on a sandbar at the southern end of the Outer Banks. Unfortunately, all their provisions were stored in that ship, and the pounding waves soon pushed seawater through the hull and ruined the seed corn that was going to provide food for the colony. Now they were at the mercy of the natives. If they didn’t get food from the Indians, they might starve to death.

Grenville immediately led a party of sixty men ashore to find the Indians. To make sure that the English treated the Indians right, Grenville made strict rules that the English could not beat the natives, or force them to work, or enter their homes without permission.

The men were on their best behavior when they met the Pomeoic Indians, who received them gladly. Everything went smoothly until the English got back to their boats and Grenville noticed that his personal silver drinking cup was missing. Assuming that the Indians had stolen it, though he had no proof of this, he flew into a towering rage. And then he decided to do something that wiped out all the good feelings between the natives and the English. He ordered Amadas to go back to the Indians’ settlement, burn down their houses, and destroy their corn crops. This made the Indians very angry. As the word spread through the area about what the English had done, all the Indians began avoiding them.

Back at the beach, the English found that the Tiger had been repaired and was once again able to sail, so Sir Richard Grenville made plans to depart for England. Before he left, he got Granganimeo’s agreement for the English to build a small settlement on Roanoke Island. So they quickly constructed a fort, a few houses for the leaders, a church, a storehouse, and shacks for the rest of the settlers.

Sir Richard sailed away on August 25, leaving behind 107 settlers under the command of Ralph Lane, the acting governor. There was a problem, though, because almost half of the settlers were soldiers who knew nothing about building houses in the wilderness. Many of the others were from upper English society and they thought that digging and chopping down trees and planting was beneath their dignity, so they refused to do any work. The colony was not off to a good start.

Several weeks later Granganimeo’s brother, King Wingina, came to talk. He was suspicious of the English, not just because of what they had done to the Pomeoic, but because everywhere they went, after a few days the natives began to die. Though neither the Indians nor the colonists understood what was happening, the English were spreading measles and smallpox among the natives, and the Indians had no immunity to these diseases.

Lane and Harriot invited the Indians to come and join them in prayers for God’s help, which they did. Wingina invited the English to sing psalms in his village, and to pray for him when he thought (mistakenly) that he was dying. Thomas Harriot, who had learned to speak the Algonquin Indian language and could interpret for the English, brought a Bible into the Indians’ village. He told the Indians about Jesus in their own tongue. The Indians were confused, however, because they thought that the Bible itself was a source of power. So they grabbed it and rubbed it all over their bodies!

When winter came, the Indians shared their food with the colonists, but in the spring, the English demanded that the natives hand over their seed corn. This made Wingina mad, because without the seed corn there could be no harvest in the fall. He started talking with other chiefs about joining together to kill all the colonists. But later he changed his mind and decided to help them. He taught them how to trap fish in weir nets, and gave them several fields that he had planted with his own seed corn. Without Wingina’s help the little English colony wouldn’t have made it through the next winter.

But strangely, Wingina changed his mind once again. He tore up the colonists’ fishing weirs and began making plans to kill them. Before he could attack them, Sir Francis Drake arrived at Roanoke with a powerful fleet of 23 English warships that had just come from the Caribbean, where they had attacked Spanish settlements. Seeing the colonists’ need for help, Drake ordered his ships to give them supplies, but just as they started rowing things ashore a ferocious three-day storm blew in. Many of the ships were sunk, and with them much of the provisions.

This was the bitter end for Governor Lane—he decided that they should give up the colony and go home with Drake. But a few weeks after they sailed away Sir Richard Grenville arrived with six ships and 400 hundred soldiers. When he heard that Governor Lane had abandoned the colony he changed his plans and took everybody away except for fifteen men and enough provisions to last two years. But fifteen men weren’t enough to defend the little colony against an Indian attack. The future didn’t look good.

When Thomas Harriot reached England, he brought back a smelly weed the Indians smoked. They called it uppowac, which the Spaniards translated as tobacco. It became a big hit in London society. How soon could more ships go back to find more of it?

The following spring, as it turned out. But Sir Walter Raleigh had difficulty finding someone to lead the expedition. Finally he settled on the artist John White. And Manteo, who was made Governor of Roanoke, would go back to rule over all the local Indians. He would report directly to Queen Elizabeth.

The expedition sailed in May of 1587, and for the first time women came with the men. There were fourteen couples, including White’s daughter Eleanora and her husband, Ananias Dare. Eleanora was pregnant, and would have her baby after they got to America.

But getting there took a long time. When they finally arrived at Roanoke, White’s navigator-pilot, Simon Fernandez, insisted that all 112 colonists get off his ship there, instead of further north at Chesapeake Bay, which is where they had been headed. When they approached the fort, they were upset to find that it was in ruins. The houses were abandoned and overgrown with weeds, and there was no sign of the men Grenville had left behind the summer before.

They searched everywhere but found only the bones of one English settler. Had the Indians killed everyone? Finally, one of Manteo’s relatives told them that the Englishmen had indeed been ambushed by the natives. In a fierce fight, the English had lost two men, but the rest escaped to the Outer Banks. There they had disappeared. None of the Indians seemed to know what had happened to them.

It was still very dangerous for the settlers, however, because a few days later one of the men was murdered while hunting for crabs on the beach. White tried to conclude a peace treaty with local Indian chiefs, but they didn’t show up when they were supposed to. So John White got angry and decided to attack the Indians, which was a dreadful mistake. The Indians he chose to assault were perfectly innocent—they were Manteo’s kinsmen and probably the last friends the English had in the entire region. When the English realized their mistake, they called off the attack, asked the Indians’ forgiveness, and helped to bind up their wounds. But great harm had been done.

Soon, however, two happy events occurred which made everyone feel better. Manteo was baptized into the Christian faith and installed as Governor of Roanoke in a special ceremony. Five days after that Eleanora Dare gave birth to the first English child born in the New World, a baby girl they appropriately named Virginia.

Pilot Hernandez was still hanging around with his ship, the Lion, to see how things would turn out. When John White took a careful look at their provisions he found that they did not have enough food to last them until the next harvest. The colonists were worried and asked him to go back to England and tell Sir Walter Raleigh to send them more supplies.

Before White left he made the settlers promise that if they were to leave Roanoke for any reason, they would carve the name of the place where they were going on a tree trunk. If they were being forced to leave they were to carve a cross over the letters.

His daughter and baby granddaughter came down to the beach to see him off, and with a heavy heart White kissed them goodbye and got into the rowboat that would take him to the Lion and home to England. From the rowboat’s stern he waved to them all the way out to the ship.

When White got to England, he found Queen Elizabeth preparing for an expected invasion by King Phillip II of Spain, who was assembling a mighty fleet for this purpose. The Queen had decreed that all English ships were needed to fight the Spanish, so Raleigh couldn’t send a relief expedition to Roanoke.

England fought off Spain’s attempted invasion, but it wasn’t until March of 1590 that John White was able to sail for Roanoke—this time with two ships under the command of Captain Cocke. It had been two and a half years since he had left.

As they neared Roanoke Island White saw plumes of smoke. That meant there were people there! But when they finally came ashore, although White found Indian footprints in the sand, he saw no one.

“Sir, look at this!” one of the sailors cried out. The governor and the others rushed over to find three Roman letters carved into the trunk of a tree: C R O. But there was no cross. Perhaps they had been forced to leave in a hurry and never had the chance to finish carving the name of Croatoan Island, the place of Manteo’s village.

When the search party reached Roanoke Village, they found the buildings in ruins. “Nobody’s been around here in a long time,” muttered Captain Cocke. Near the entrance there was a tree whose bark had been stripped off. Someone had taken the time to carefully carve “CROATOAN” five feet above the ground, but there was no cross over it. The settlers must have gone there of their own will.

White also found trunks of his and other colonists that had been buried to hide them from the Indians. But they had been dug up and trashed. “Many of my things [were] spoiled and broken, and my books torn from the covers, the frames of some of my pictures and maps rotten and spoiled with rain,” White wrote later.

It was starting to rain. Captain Cocke was anxious to leave. If White wanted to do any further exploring, he would have to come back another time. As he stood on the shore waiting his turn to get into the rowboat that would take them back to the ship, he remembered that this was the same spot where he had said goodbye to his daughter and granddaughter two and a half years ago. Tears filled his eyes as he realized he would probably never see them again.

Sadly, he looked up at the darkening sky and prayed for them and the other settlers of the lost colony, asking for “the merciful help of the Almighty, whom I humbly beseech to help and comfort them.”

———

John White never came back to America, and the fate of the Roanoke settlers became a great mystery. George Percy, who came on the first English voyage to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, said that he had seen an Indian boy with yellow hair and rather white skin, so perhaps the lost colonists had intermarried with the Indians.

Captain John Smith claimed that Powhatan told him that the colonists had moved in with the Chesapeake Indians to the north. But if that is true, why was CROATOAN carved in the tree?

Powhatan supposedly also told Smith that shortly before the English arrived in 1607 his priests had prophesied that from the Chesapeake Bay area a nation would rise up and destroy his kingdom. If what Powhatan said was true, then perhaps out of fear he had ordered his warriors to kill all the Chesapeake and the English colonists before more English settlers could arrive and make the prophecy come true. English colonial secretary William Strachey believed it was true, and said that after his arrival at Jamestown in 1609 he had discovered that the Roanoke settlers had been slaughtered by Powhatan.

Some of the Roanoke settlers must have escaped, however, because rumors of survivors kept circulating in England, and a 1610 search party from Jamestown was told that “four men clothed” had originally come from Roanoke. Also, Strachey was told by an Indian named Machumps that Indians southwest of Chesapeake Bay had been taught by the English to build houses out of timber and stones. But no solid evidence to back up any of the rumors was ever found.

In 1701, a naturalist named John Lawson was told by Indians on the Outer Banks that “several of their ancestors were white people and could talk in a book [read] as we do; the truth of which is confirmed by gray eyes being found frequently amongst these Indians, and no others.” In the latter part of the nineteenth century, North Carolinians noticed that many Indians in the Outer Banks area of the state were light-skinned with pale eyes and bore last names matching some of the Roanoke colonists.

No definite information has come to light since then. The fate of the Lost Colony remains a mystery.

Obey My voice . . . that it may be well with you. . . . Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.

Jeremiah 7:23–24

Spain became the most powerful nation on earth during the 1500s. Her ships returned from the New World filled with gold. England, France, Portugal, and Holland jealously watched Spain fill her treasury.

By 1558, Spain had settled Mexico and Central America. Portugal had colonies in Brazil, and the French had gone deep into the interior of America and into Northeast Canada. No country had yet claimed the vast eastern coast of North America, although the Spanish had managed to plant temporary settlements on the Florida coast. When Elizabeth I became Queen of England, she determined that Great Britain would have its share of colonies in the New World too.

But after the failure of the Roanoke colony, it wasn’t until the spring of 1606 that interest arose for a new expedition to Virginia. By then Queen Elizabeth had died, and James I was the King of England. Investors, called Partners, formed the Virginia Company to raise money to buy the supplies. The King told the Company that the colonists should spread the Christian faith among the Native Americans, and the Partners agreed, saying that one of their main purposes was “to preach and baptize into Christian religion” as many of the Indians as they could. The colonists were supposed to be missionaries to the Native Americans. But would they do it? Would they listen to God’s guidance?

In December 1606, three ships set sail for North America with 104 men on board. They were supposed to plant a permanent colony in Virginia, but they brought no women with them. And as was true with the Roanoke colony, many of the men were Gentlemen who intended to get rich in America but thought it was beneath them to work with their hands. How could they grow enough food to feed the colony? Were these the kind of people that God could use to spread the Christian faith in the New World? It didn’t seem likely.

Two weeks after sailing, bad weather forced the ships to return to port. The colonists started squabbling and quarrelling among themselves. More winter storms delayed them for months. It appeared that God was not blessing their voyage.

Finally, after a stormy crossing under the command of Captain Christopher Newport, the three ships of the expedition arrived at the south shore of the Chesapeake Bay in late April 1607. It was springtime in Virginia, and the dogwood trees were in full bloom. After their rough voyage, it seemed to the men that they were in a beautiful paradise.

But where were the natives? They found out soon enough. When they went ashore they were suddenly attacked by Indians shooting arrows at them. Several men were wounded before they chased the Indians off with musket fire. Could these Indians have been sent by Powhatan to keep the prophecy from coming true? Whatever caused the Indians to attack, this was certainly not a good beginning for the colony.

When they retreated to their ships for protection, they decided that Captain Newport should open the sealed orders that contained the names of the seven-man council that would govern the colony. They were Captain Newport, Bartholomew Gosnold, Edward-Maria Wingfield, John Ratcliffe, John Martin, George Kendall, and a red-haired former soldier named John Smith.

But the council got off to a bad start. They argued with one another, creating ugly conflicts.

One of the leaders, an Anglican minister named Robert Hunt, was a true man of God. He exercised his spiritual authority and required everyone to remain on the ships for three days of prayer and repentance, asking God to forgive them for their quarrelling. But would it change their hearts?

On April 29, they went ashore and followed Robert Hunt to a wind-swept sand dune at a place they named Cape Henry, in honor of the King’s oldest son. There they planted a seven-foot, rough-hewn oak cross, which they had brought from England, and took possession of the land in the name of Christ and King James.

Now they had to find the place to build the colony. They sailed up the James River until they were about eighty miles from the ocean and landed on a small peninsula on May 14. But again they started arguing.

“This place is fine,” said Kendall. “Let’s build a settlement here.”

“No,” Gosnold replied, “we should look for higher ground. We need fresh water. The water is bad here. We’ve got to have open, clear land for planting. This place is surrounded with swamps.”

“You’re wrong, Gosnold,” John Martin cut in. “This is good enough. Besides, everybody is sick of being on the ships. Let’s stay here.”

They finally decided to stay where they were, and named the place Jamestown. But they should have listened to Gosnold and found a better place for the colony. While beautiful in May, Jamestown became hot and humid in summer. The nearby swamps harbored mosquitoes that carried diseases, and by July many of the men were sick. And this was just the beginning of their troubles.

The colonists soon had their first encounter with the local Indians, named the Paspahegh, and it wasn’t friendly. When an Indian was caught stealing an English hatchet, its owner hit him. Another warrior swung a wooden sword at the settler, and the English went for their guns. The Paspahegh ran away, angry. Now the English and the Indians had become enemies.

Another problem for these colonists was the Gentlemen’s unwillingness to work. They thought that chopping wood and planting corn were jobs for commoners. In fact, a Gentleman would rather die than work—and many of them did.

On Sundays, the Reverend Robert Hunt held outdoor services under an old sail. He nailed a plank between two trees for the altar. He celebrated Holy Communion and preached about trusting God. He called the proud Gentlemen to repentance.

“We are all laborers in the same vineyard,” Hunt preached. “Let us work together. God will provide. We must trust Him and let Him guide us.”

The Gentlemen did not like this. They were not laborers.

Hunt continued. “Let us remember that we are all brothers in Christ.”

And Hunt practiced what he preached. He did more than his share of physical work, helping to cut down trees to make a wall around the colony, called a palisade. He took charge of building Jamestown’s first grist mill for grinding corn. He cleaned and fed the sick and urged those that were dying to give their lives to Jesus.

Captain Newport took an exploring party up the James River, and it was on this expedition that George Percy saw what might have been a descendant of a Roanoke settler—an Indian boy with yellow hair and white skin.

But when the party returned to Jamestown they found that Indians had attacked the settlement, killing one man and wounding twelve or thirteen others. They were supposed to be leading the Indians to faith in Christ, but instead they were fighting with them. Further, they had not planted a corn crop that spring, and very soon their food supplies would run out. Then they would have nothing to eat except game and shellfish, unless they could somehow get food from the very Indians they were fighting with.

And then God intervened. The Indians came bearing gifts of food—venison, corn bread, fish, and squirrels! John Smith was amazed: “God . . . so changed the hearts of the savages that they brought plenty of their fruits and provisions.”

By late fall, Newport had sailed back to England, and the settlers’ food was again almost gone. So Captain Smith traded trinkets to the Indians in exchange for corn and oysters and bread. But when negotiations with the Indians took too long, he liked to draw his sword and take the food from them by force.

A few days after Christmas, Smith was off on another food expedition when he was ambushed and trapped by Indians. Thinking fast, he pulled a compass out of his pocket and showed it to their leader. “Here,” stammered Smith, “you see an instrument with great magical powers. The spirit inside this needle always seeks the North Star.”

Smith held up the compass. The Indian was fascinated and stared at the compass for a long moment. Finally, without saying a word, he motioned to his men to bring Smith along. The Indian, whose name was Opechancano, took Smith to his brother, Chief Powhatan.

It was an unusually warm December afternoon. The sun’s bright rays filtered through the tall fir trees. Powhatan sat on a raised platform at one end of a hut made of branches. The chief wore a coonskin coat and sat on big leather pillows. In front of him were ten warriors with fiercely painted faces and feathers in their hair, and at his side Indian maidens waited to carry out his every order.

Smith knew he was in trouble, so he spoke quickly.

“Chief Powhatan,” Smith said, “the world is round, and on the other side of it is the great chief who sent me here. He has many ships, which could fill the James River all the way to its mouth. Soon, one of these ships will come to look for me.”

Powhatan sat up higher on the cushions. Smith knew he was listening.

“He will send one of his warriors, Newport, who will arrive soon. And he will have mighty guns that roar and can knock down trees standing three fields away. It is not a good idea to kill me, Chief Powhatan.”

Powhatan leaned back. Smith knew that Powhatan had great authority over the Indians for many miles around. What he did not know was that Powhatan had already decided to kill him, to prevent the prophecy given to him by his elders from coming to pass. They had prophesied that white men would try three times to plant a colony there. The first two times they would fail, but the third time they would succeed, and the Indians would be conquered by them. Grenville’s and White’s expeditions at Roanoke had been the first and second attempts, and Jamestown was the third. But Powhatan was going to do everything he could to keep it from succeeding.

He told his warriors to tie Smith up and push his head down on a boulder. The Indians were about to bash Smith’s head in, but God intervened again! Smith later said that Powhatan’s favorite child, his lovely twelve-year-old daughter, Pocahontas, had run up to the kneeling Smith and laid her head on his. If her father was going to kill Smith, he would have to kill her first!

Powhatan was shocked. Only the Great Spirit could have made his daughter do this. For a long moment he said nothing. Then he announced that he was pardoning Smith and sent him back to Jamestown with a large gift of corn.

But Smith found only thirty-eight settlers alive, and every one was very hungry. He had brought the corn just in time. That fall Pocahontas arrived every four or five days with gifts of food. Had it not been for her kindness they might not have made it through that first winter. Smith said she was “a true proof of God’s love.”

Christopher Newport’s long-awaited return happened right after New Year’s Day 1608. He brought a hundred new settlers and provisions with him on the John and Francis, but an accidental fire on January 7 burned up most of the food supplies. Houses, tents, blankets, and clothes were also lost in the fire, so more men died from the winter cold before shelter could be erected.

The colony hobbled along, dependent on the generosity of the Indians, although some of the settlers who still had money were buying food from the sailors on board Newport’s ship. So a few men were eating well while the others were hungry almost all the time.

By April 1608, it was planting season once again, but while the Indians were planting corn the Jamestown colonists were more interested in other things—such as finding gold.

Captain Newport’s arrival from England had sparked fresh interest in gold. Five gold experts came with him, sent by the Virginia Company after the first sample of ore he had brought back to England turned out to be “fool’s gold.” In spite of that Newport himself had now become convinced that Jamestown rested on a foundation of gold! Smith said there was “no talk, no hope, no work, but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold.” Soon Newport sailed off with another cargo of ore, but this too proved to be worthless.

Another supply ship showed up with forty settlers and more food. When it sailed back to England it carried John Smith’s story of Jamestown’s first year, entitled True Relations. In it he was honest about the arguing and the fact that many of the settlers didn’t bother to plant corn. And his book, plus the letters and the stories that the returning sailors told, meant that the truth about the terrible conditions at Jamestown was spreading throughout England. The Virginia Company tried to counter the bad news by convincing some ministers to preach about the wonderful opportunities to share the Christian faith with the American Indians. They did print John Smith’s book, but they added a preface by Thomas Harriot, claiming that the hardest part of building a colony in Virginia was over. All that remained now was to glorify God by winning thousands of the natives to Christ.

But it was all just words. There would be no evangelizing of the Indians around Jamestown for a long time. And the colony’s darkest time was yet to come.

When Newport returned for the second time in the fall of 1608, he found that John Smith had been elected President, and he had put everyone to work, including the Gentlemen. The settlers had repaired storehouses and the palisade, and even planted a small corn crop. But rain had gotten into the casks of corn and ruined it. Worse, Newport had brought seventy new settlers with him, including the first two women at Jamestown—and no food.

The Virginia Company had ordered Newport to have a special ceremony and make Powhatan a king under King James. To help him accept being under King James’s authority, the English gave him presents, including a copper crown, some scarlet robes, a washbasin and pitcher, and silliest of all, a truly king-sized bed! Powhatan was enjoying wearing his new red robe, and everyone was having a good time until the moment came for Powhatan to kneel to receive his crown. He didn’t know what a crown was, but he understood perfectly well what kneeling meant, and he wasn’t about to kneel down to anybody.

Finally, Smith and Newport pushed hard on his shoulders and got him to stoop a little, and the crown was placed on his head. Someone fired a pistol as a signal and the ships fired their cannons in salute, which made Powhatan jump up in fear. But when he saw there was no danger, he relaxed.

And that is how it happened that King Powhatan was the only king ever crowned on American soil.

———

When the time came for Newport’s ship to go back to England, there was not even enough food in the colony to provision it. Trade with the Indians had dried up because the Indians were now demanding English weapons in exchange for food. So Smith took forty-six men and sailed upriver in the pinnace to see if he could resume trading with Powhatan.

The negotiations failed when Powhatan insisted that the English disarm themselves. “You do not need to come to me with guns and swords, Captain Smith,” Powhatan said. “I will trade with you.”

“This is good,” Smith replied. “I’ll return tomorrow to trade.”

But Smith had decided to kidnap Powhatan and exchange him for food. He arranged a secret signal with his men to attack the Indians and capture the chief. But Smith could not fool Powhatan. The wily old chief slipped away, leaving his warriors to fight against Smith and his men. The English barely escaped back to their ship anchored at the river bank.

That night Powhatan decided to end his problems with the English once and for all by sending his warriors to kill Smith and all his men. But here again, God intervened. Pochahontas came running through the woods to warn Smith that the Indians were coming. The English kept watch all night, and when morning came they slipped downriver to safety.

But they had brought back no food. So Smith launched raids against the Paspahegh and the Chickahominy Indians—burning villages, killing the Indians that resisted, and taking their food. They gathered so much food that they could finally outfit Newport’s ship, and he sailed home after Christmas.

For a few months that winter the fortunes of the little colony seemed to improve. They built houses, dug a well, repaired the church, and made weirs and nets to catch fish. But when corn planting time arrived and they went to check on their corn supply they found that rats had gotten into the casks and the rain had ruined what the rats had left. They were completely out of food!

Immediately, everyone left. Some moved to the oyster banks at the mouth of the James River to live on shellfish. Others journeyed upriver to hunt for acorns and berries. Some sought help from Powhatan, who took them in as long as they worked for their food. More than half of them died, including Reverend Hunt, the only true man of God among them.

Did God allow the rats to destroy their food because the English had raided Indian villages, killing people and stealing food? Perhaps He did.

One thing is certain: the Jamestown settlers did not seek the Lord’s direction. They had not listened to His guidance in locating the colony, but had settled next to swamps that bred disease-carrying mosquitoes. During their second year, nine out of ten men died. And when they got desperate for food they did not turn to God for help. Instead of working harder to plant their own crops, they found it easier to attack the Indians, burn their villages, and take their food supplies. Surely God wanted the English to evangelize the natives instead of terrorizing them, but these settlers were not men of God. They chose their own way, and they suffered for it.

———

Back in England, the Virginia Company reorganized. They obtained a new charter from the King and set up a new government with a single governor, Lord De La Warr. He wasn’t able to go right away, so they sent nine ships and a substitute governor, Thomas Gates, in May 1609. The ships carried five hundred passengers, including women and children.

Unfortunately, they sailed straight into a hurricane, and the ships were scattered all over the ocean. One sank, and another turned back to England. Gates’s ship, the Sea Venture, landed safely on the island of Bermuda. The other six ships limped on to Jamestown, disobeying strict orders to meet in Bermuda.

Had they obeyed, the fleet could have rested in Bermuda and recovered from the hurricane. The people could have eaten good food and brought desperately needed food supplies to Jamestown. As it happened, they brought four hundred sick, helpless, and starving passengers to the colony.

Because Thomas Gates was stranded on Bermuda, John Smith was still acting as governor. But he was badly burned in an accident and had to leave Jamestown and go back to England for treatment. That fall the afternoons grew shorter and colder as winter approached. The first frost wiped out mosquitoes, but it did not wipe out the hunger. The scavengers could find no food. The Virginia Colony now entered into the darkest period of its history—a time that would come to be known as “the starving time.”

The colonists ate everything they could find. They consumed the livestock and cats and dogs. They even ate rats and mice. They dug up the roots of trees and bushes. They gnawed on shoe leather and leather straps. They boiled and ate book covers. Many froze to death in their beds because they had traded their blankets for food. Only sixty people survived.

In May 1610, Governor Gates finally arrived in a ship named Deliverance, which had been built from the remains of the Sea Venture and wood found on Bermuda.

The newcomers had expected to find a settlement filled with houses and activity. What they found instead was a group of flimsy huts enclosed by a crude triangular fence, sitting in the midst of a huge swamp. Sixty shabby, dirty, skinny figures with bony hands and hollow cheeks greeted them. These men wore ragged clothes. Some were barefoot. Some even had the look of death. “We are starved! We are starved!” they cried out.

The situation was hopeless. Gates had not brought any extra food, and Powhatan had forbidden his people to trade food to the English. Smith’s raids had so alienated the other Indian tribes that they were attacking boats on the river and any settlers that strayed beyond the palisade.

When they only had enough food left for sixteen days Gates and the other leaders decided to abandon the settlement. But, just as they were leaving, a ship arrived from England with Lord De La Warr. And he ordered everyone to stay.

Clearly, God had moved to save the first colony in Virginia. But why would He intervene to prevent the English from leaving when they had treated the Indians so terribly? Perhaps because if they had abandoned Jamestown the Partners would not have been able to raise enough support in England to try another colony. North America might have been left to the Spanish and French, and at this point in history both of their governments were even less committed to evangelizing the Indians than the English. God did not want the English to stop trying to colonize the New World. As we will see in the next chapter, He was about to send to America a group of English settlers who were serious Christians.

Meanwhile, De La Warr turned out to be a harsh governor. He made speaking against the Christian faith punishable by death. But at the same time he treated the Indians even worse than John Smith—sending war parties against the nearest tribes. The settlers claimed to be Christians, but the Bible forbids the killing of innocent people. Nobody at Jamestown stopped to ask how they could maintain that they were Christians and then turn around and murder the Indians.

During De La Warr’s governorship, in less than a year more than two hundred settlers died. When he went back to England in March of 1611 because of sickness, his replacement, Sir Thomas Dale, was even harder on the colonists than De La Warr had been. By now, things were more peaceful with most of the surrounding Indian tribes—because the English had made trade agreements with some tribes and killed off most of the warriors of others. Only Powhatan and his people were still enemies. Dale wanted to change this. It soon was changed, and in such a way that only God could have brought about.

It began when Pocahontas, now an eighteen-year-old beauty, was kidnapped by the settlers and held for ransom. Dale sent word to Powhatan that he would exchange her for the English weapons and the eight settlers Powhatan was holding. They heard nothing from Powhatan for months. Finally, Dale got tired of waiting and set out for Powhatan’s village with 150 men and Pochahontas. She sent word to her father that if he loved her, he would give the English back their men and weapons, and that if he didn’t do this she would stay with the English.

Governor Dale realized that Pochahontas had given him a great chance to reach a peace agreement with Powhatan. So he picked two of his best men, John Rolfe and Master Sparkes, and sent them to the Indian chief with instructions to work it out. Before Rolfe left, he gave Dale a letter. When Dale opened it he was amazed to read that Rolfe had fallen very much in love with Pochahontas and wanted to marry her! He also wanted her to come to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. During the peace talks with Powhatan he was going to ask the chief’s permission to marry Pochahontas, and he was also asking for Dale’s blessing.

Both Dale and Powhatan agreed to the wedding, and suddenly it seemed as if God was smiling on the troubled Virginia colony. The wedding took place on April 5, 1614, amidst much rejoicing by both English and Indians. Powhatan generously provided a great feast of good food for everyone, and for the first time the Indians and the English were able to relax in each other’s presence.

This was the beginning of things going much better for the Jamestown colony.

By the time John Rolfe and his new bride sailed to England the colony was starting to prosper. There were now 351 people living in six settlements, plus 144 cattle, 216 goats, and many chickens.

Pocahontas—now called by her Christian name of Rebecca—was a big hit with everyone in England. But sadly, she caught pneumonia and died. Her grieving husband returned to Virginia alone.

Back in the colony, John Rolfe began to experiment with a new crop. This crop was tobacco, the first cash crop in the New World.

By 1622, more than twelve hundred settlers lived on ten widely scattered plantations in Virginia. Yet the colony only had three ministers to preach the Gospel.

The Virginia Company finally sold its ownership to a group of ten adventurers. These men established a system of independent rule in the colony. Two representatives from each plantation would meet to make laws. This was the first self-governing representative assembly in North America, more than 150 years before the United States would finally go to war against Great Britain to defend the right of self-government.

———

The people who settled Jamestown considered themselves good Christians, but they were not living according to the teachings of Jesus. They made many decisions without seeking God’s guidance—especially when it came to their relations with the Indians. They treated the Native Americans terribly and did not ask God’s forgiveness. Though they did not deserve God’s mercy and goodness, He intervened many times to save the colony. But if they had depended on Him more they could have received many more of His blessings.

However, the next group of English settlers that came to America knew better than to start a new colony without depending on Christ. They would trust God to guide them, and it would make a big difference.

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land.

Deuteronomy 8:7

On a warm, hazy July morning in 1620, three barges floated down a canal in Holland. They were on their way from Leyden to the seaport town of Delftshaven. In the distance was a large, stone windmill with its white sails slowly turning. Field crickets chirped in the low, green fields that lined the canal. Everyone stood, silently watching. They were saying goodbye to Holland, for the time to leave had finally come. They were beginning their long journey to the New World.

Who were these people? Where were they going, and why were they leaving Holland? Were these people like those who had gone to Jamestown? Or were they different?

They would come to be known as Pilgrims. Unlike the Jamestown settlers, they were people of God from the beginning. These Christians were serious about living in obedience to God. They sought His will in everything they did, and He guided them every step of their way.

———

The Church of England was England’s national church. It was a Protestant Church run by the House of Bishops. The head of this Church was the English monarch. During the 1600s, many people believed that reform was needed in this Church. They wanted everything to be run according to the Bible. They desired the worship services to include Bible reading and personal prayers. They wished to do away with many of the rituals used by the Church.

Two groups of people sought these changes. The first group remained loyal to the Church but wanted to purify it from within. They were called the Puritans. The second and smaller group was called Separatists. They believed the Church would not change, so they “separated” themselves from it and began their own worship services.

The House of Bishops dealt with the Puritans by keeping them from holding positions of authority within the Church. The Separatists, however, were more of a threat. If other groups joined them in leaving the Church of England, the Bishops would lose control of the Church. They did not want this to happen, so they persecuted the Separatists by breaking up their worship services and throwing them in jail.

In the village of Scrooby, England, lived a young Separatist named William Bradford. He had become an orphan when he was very young and had been raised by an aunt, uncle, and grandparents. At the age of twelve he had given his life to Christ and had joined the small group of Separatists. His relatives were so upset that they threatened to disown him if he didn’t come back to the Church of England. But in a letter to them he said that keeping his conscience clear and obeying God’s Holy Bible had to come first in his life, even ahead of their wishes for him.

His relatives did disown him when he was fourteen, so Separatist William Brewster took him into his home.

Finally, the persecution of the Separatists became so bad that they decided to leave England. Bradford’s congregation traveled to Holland, where they could worship in peace. But life in the new country was very hard. As poor immigrants, the Separatists had to work twelve to fifteen hours a day. Their children were unhappy and often tempted by worldly values. The Separatists sought the Lord’s guidance.

“I’m beginning to think God wants us to leave Holland and go to the New World,” said Bradford.

“I think you’re right, William,” replied Pastor John Robinson. “But there is more to it than just going there.”

“What do you mean, Pastor?” asked Bradford.

“Well, I believe God is telling us to go, but He is sending us for a special reason. He wants us to build a living temple for the Lord in the new land. It is to be a spiritual temple. Our lives are to shine as His Light in a dark world.”

“I am sure you are right, Pastor,” replied Bradford.

God’s plan for America continued. He was guiding these Separatists, and they were hearing His call.

But getting across the Atlantic was not easy. They needed money to pay for the ship and the voyage. They needed food supplies to last them until they could harvest a crop. In addition, they needed a fishing vessel so they could set up a trade in the New World. Where would they find the funds?

They found them through a London merchant named Thomas Weston. Weston represented a group of adventurers in London who had heard about the Separatists and wanted to help them. The Separatists entered an agreement with the adventurers. The agreement said that the adventurers would loan the Separatists money to buy their supplies, and in exchange the Separatists would work for seven years to pay back their loans.

The Separatists sold their houses and prepared for the journey. They bought an old freighter named the Speedwell. This ship would pick them up at Delftshaven and take them to Southampton, England. There they would join a larger ship named the Mayflower. Since the Speedwell was too small to take everybody, Pastor Robinson and some of the congregation chose to remain behind. William Brewster, an elder, became acting pastor until Robinson could join them.

The time came to leave. Robinson declared a day of fasting and prayer to prepare them spiritually for the journey. At the end of the day, they enjoyed a farewell dinner together, singing hymns and psalms. The next morning, they boarded the barges which would take them to Delftshaven.

As the barges floated down the canal, Bradford stood and looked back at the broad, low fields near Leyden. He watched the windmills turning in the breeze.

“Dorothy, we are today starting a pilgrimage to a distant land,” he said to his wife. “We are now Pilgrims following our Lord.”

“I know, William,” Dorothy replied. “And God will bless that which we are about to do.”

They reached Delftshaven and boarded the Speedwell. On July 22, 1620, the ship headed to Southampton, England, to join the Mayflower. The Mayflower carried about eighty “strangers,” people who were not Separatists. Some shared the Separatists’ feelings about the Church of England, but others were going to the New World for adventure and riches. None of the passengers were Gentlemen.

It was time to leave. Suddenly, Thomas Weston barged in, carrying a contract in his hand.

“Elder Brewster, your people must sign this contract!” Weston ordered as he shoved the document into Brewster’s hand.

Brewster read it, and then replied calmly: “We will not sign it, sir. You have changed the terms. We will not agree to this.”

“You’ll be sorry!” Weston snapped. “Be gone with all of you! I’ll not loan you any more money to buy supplies!”

With that, Weston stormed off the ship. He returned to London, refusing to settle the Separatists’ final debts. They had to sell many casks of butter to repay their suppliers.

On August 5, 1620, the Speedwell and Mayflower finally set sail for the New World. But the Speedwell began leaking, and both vessels returned to port twice. The first time, they headed back to Southampton. The second time, they returned to Plymouth and sold the leaky freighter. Everyone crowded onto the Mayflower.

Why had God let this happen? Bradford recorded in his journal that God had a reason for this. When they couldn’t fix the Speedwell’s leaks, twenty passengers decided not to accompany them to America. God was sifting out those who were fainthearted. Like Gideon’s army in ancient Israel, God needed only a small number of brave and strong people who intended to do His will.

For seven weeks the Pilgrims huddled in the damp and dark space below decks. (This was an area about the size of a volleyball court.) Often the hatches had to be battened down because of the stormy weather. Their living space smelled bad because of the bilge water and lack of fresh air. They could eat only dried fish and beans, and no one could cook when they were in storms because of the danger of fire. The children had no place to play. Yet the Pilgrims did not complain. They trusted God.

And God was taking care of them. Only two lives were lost during the entire trip. One was a sailor who did not like the Pilgrims and mocked them when they were seasick. He delighted in telling them how much he looked forward to feeding their dead bodies to the fish. But this sailor suddenly came down with a mysterious fever. The sailor died within a single day, and no one else caught the fever! After that, the crew did not mock the Pilgrims anymore. A servant named William Butten also died. He had refused to drink the sour lemon juice which prevented scurvy. This disobedience cost him his life.

Another passenger almost lost his life. This was John Carver’s servant, John Howland.

“I can’t stand it down here, sir,” Howland complained. “It stinks. I must get some fresh air!”

“You may not leave,” Carver replied. “The captain has forbid any of us from going topside. It’s too dangerous in this storm.”

But finally, Howland could stand it no longer. He decided to climb the ladder and go onto the main deck anyway. It was a nightmare outside! Howland had never seen anything like it. Violent winds shrieked, tearing at the masts and sails. Stormy, black clouds covered the sky. Huge waves crashed over the small ship, making it roll from side to side. Raindrops beat the deck and stung Howland’s face.

All of a sudden, the ship seemed to drop out from beneath him. Howland was plunged into the icy water. Instantly, the frightened man blindly reached out. Amazingly, a line from one of the ship’s masts happened to be trailing in the water. The rope twirled around Howland’s wrist. He grabbed it and hung on with all his might. When he was finally hauled aboard the Mayflower, the poor man’s skin had turned blue from the cold. Howland soon recovered, but he never again stuck his head above the deck until invited to do so.

During another storm, giant waves tossed the Mayflower from side to side. The ship rolled so far over on her side that the alarmed passengers feared she would go under. The lantern in the space between the decks swung sharply from side to side. Suddenly, a loud boom thundered through the ship.

“What was that?” Elizabeth Winslow asked her husband as she tried to calm a screaming child. “It sounded terrible!”

“Watch out, everyone!” a sailor warned as he dashed down the ladder. “The crossbeam that supports that main mast has cracked! It could give way any minute!”

The men swarmed around it, trying to lift it back into place. They could not budge it. From the look on the captain’s face, the Pilgrims knew the situation was very serious.

“We must pray, Captain,” announced William Bradford. “God can save us.”

And pray they did. All at once, Brewster got an idea.

“My printing press!” he exclaimed. “I have a large iron screw in my printing press! That screw could hold up the beam. It’s on board somewhere. We must find it!”

The screw Brewster wanted was the large one used to press type with ink onto pages of paper. That was why the machine was called a printing press. The men began a frantic search for the press.

“I’ve found it!” someone yelled.

The men hauled the screw into place and began turning it.

“Slowly now,” Brewster directed. “It must meet the beam.”

The wood groaned and creaked. Slowly, the huge screw lifted the beam back into place. The sailors and Pilgrims joined together to praise God.

Later, the Pilgrims questioned Captain Jones.

“Captain,” John Carver asked, “should we go on? Can the Mayflower make it to America?”

“Yes,” Jones answered thoughtfully, “I think she can make it. We’re closer to the New World than to England anyway. She’s still sound in the water. She can get us there.”

These troubles on board the Mayflower united the Separatists and the “strangers.” God knew they would need to be united. Many hardships awaited them on the other side of the ocean.

———

“Land ho! Land ho!” shouted the sailor from the crow’s nest. Everyone rushed up to the main deck to catch a first glimpse of the new land. They saw a long stretch of coastline covered with dune grass and scrub pine. The date was November 9, 1620.

“Captain, the fishermen call this place Cape Cod,” announced the pilot. “But we’re not far off course. We can turn south and be at the Hudson River in just a few days.”

But strong headwinds and fierce tides made going south treacherous and almost impossible. After two days, the Pilgrims began to wonder what was happening.

“Is it possible God doesn’t want us to sail down to the Hudson?” Winslow asked.

“It may be,” replied Bradford.

“Perhaps He has blown us off course on purpose,” added Brewster. “Perhaps He wants us to remain here.”

After much prayer and discussion, the Pilgrims instructed Captain Jones to sail north along the edge of Cape Cod. On November 11, they dropped anchor in a sheltered harbor at the tip of Cape Cod, a place they named Provincetown.

But now a new problem arose.

“If we settle here,” Bradford said thoughtfully, “we’ll no longer be under the authority of the Virginia Company. Since we don’t have a charter from any one else, we’ll be under the authority of no one.”

“William is right,” Winslow quickly agreed. “We need some form of government. We don’t want rebellion on our hands.”

The Pilgrim leadership agreed that they had to act quickly. That same afternoon the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact. This was the first written example of constitutional government formed on American soil. It was also the first time since the children of Israel in the Sinai wilderness (except for the Protestant Reformation) that free and equal men had created a new society based on Biblical principles. One of these principles was that all men are created equal in the sight of God. A second was that a government can only govern people who agree to submit to it. These two important principles became cornerstones of American constitutional government.

———

The Pilgrims had begun their journey by kneeling on the dock at Delftshaven to ask God’s blessing. They now ended it on the sands of Cape Cod, kneeling to thank Him for the blessing of safe passage.

With winter storms howling around the tip of the Cape, the Pilgrims turned their eyes toward heaven. Behind them was the mighty ocean they had just crossed. Before them lay a wild and savage land. What could sustain these people now but the Spirit of God and His grace?

Thou didst provide bread from heaven for them for their hunger, Thou didst bring forth water from a rock for them for their thirst.

Nehemiah 9:15

The Pilgrims were strangers in a strange land. What was this place called Cape Cod? In winter, it appeared bleak and windswept. Dark, thick underbrush clung to its low hills. A bitter cold, northwest wind pounded the steep sand dunes.

Sixteen men rowed ashore in the ship’s boat to find firewood and explore. As the afternoon light began to fail, they returned. Everyone crowded onto the main deck. The shore party had found something! They had discovered thirty-six ears of corn buried in a large iron pot. The Pilgrims were greatly encouraged. Yet little did they realize how important this particular food would become to their lives in the New World.

———

For three weeks, the Pilgrims put together the pieces of a thirty-foot boat, called a shallop. The boat had oars and one sail. On December 6, 1620, ten of their chief men and a few seamen set out in the shallop to explore the inner coastline of Cape Cod bay.

The first afternoon, the explorers spied some Indians cutting up a beached whale. The Indians ran away before they could signal them. The second night, the Pilgrim men built a barricade of cut branches to protect them from the wind on the shore and from any Indians. They tried to sleep, but they kept hearing Indian cries in the distance. Just before dawn, the men got up for prayer and breakfast. Suddenly, bloodcurdling screams pierced the morning calm.

“Indians, Indians!” one of the men yelled.

Dozens of arrows flew into the camp. The men fired two muskets from behind the barricade. More arrows were shot, accompanied by whooping and hollering. When several Pilgrims rushed out from behind the barricade and fired their muskets, the Indians shrieked and quickly scattered. The relieved explorers gathered to thank God for safely delivering them.

The Pilgrims returned to the shallop and continued south along the inner shore of the Cape. Their pilot, Robert Coppin, told them about a good harbor farther along at the mouth of a creek. However, around one o’clock in the afternoon, snow began to fall. In the snowstorm, the men missed the harbor’s entrance, sailing right past it! As the day wore on, the wind picked up and the sea became rough. The boat’s rudder broke. As the storm worsened, the men tried to haul in the sail. But the mast broke into three pieces, and the sail fell overboard. They were in trouble.

“I don’t know where we are,” Coppin moaned. “Lord, have mercy on us!”

By now, the tide was pushing them toward shore. The shallop was headed straight toward a cove full of breaking waves.

Suddenly, seaman Clark yelled, “Come about fast, or the waves will swamp us!”

The men rowed furiously, pulling the shallop away from the very edge of the breakers. Finally, they found shelter on the lee side of a small island. This was the side away from the wind. The explorers named the island after seaman Clark and spent a wet, miserable night on it.

The next day was Sunday. A bright morning sun greeted the men. They decided to rest and keep the Sabbath. On Monday, the explorers began a day filled with amazing discoveries.

“Look at this!” Bradford said excitedly. “This island is in the midst of a large harbor!”

“And there’s the mainland over there,” Captain Standish announced, pointing west.

“You know,” Coppin said, “this harbor looks deep enough to take ships. I think the Mayflower could anchor here!”

The men rowed the shallop across to the mainland. There they found that the land sloped gently up from the water’s edge. The soil was rich and fertile. The explorers stumbled upon four creeks with the sweetest water they had ever tasted. And finally, they found that the land had been cleared, although strangely, nothing had been planted there for years. It was an ideal place to build a settlement. Happier than they had been in weeks, the excited men hurried back to the Mayflower.

The Pilgrims named the site after Plymouth, England. Immediately, they began to build. First, they laid out the main street. Then they constructed the palisade, a large wooden fence. Finally, they assembled the common house, where they would stay until their homes were built.

That first winter in Plymouth was hard. Although the weather was bitterly cold, the Pilgrims kept working. They cut down trees and stacked heavy logs. They trudged through the snow and slept on the damp ground in the unfinished common house. The work was difficult, and they were not physically strong, because three months at sea had left them weak. Many became sick and died. At one point, two or three people were dying each day. By winter’s end, the Pilgrims had lost forty-seven people—almost half their number!

But these people were not like other settlers. The harder things got, the more they prayed and trusted God. Satan could not break their spirits. He could not get them to give in to despair and self-pity. They knew their Heavenly Father would see them through . . . and He did.

Winter slowly began to pass. The Pilgrims were looking forward to the coming of spring. One day in March, the men gathered in the common house while Miles Standish demonstrated military tactics. Suddenly, they heard a shout, “Indian coming!” Indian coming? Surely he meant Indians coming. Captain Standish shook his head and looked out the window. He saw a tall, well-built Indian walking up the main road toward the common house. The men inside hurried to the door where the Indian stopped.

“Welcome!” he suddenly boomed in a deep voice.

The startled Pilgrims could not say a word. This Indian spoke English! Finally, they managed to reply, “Welcome.”

Everyone gathered around the stranger as he spoke.

“My name is Samoset,” the Indian said. “I am from the Algonquin tribe in the north. I like to travel to faraway places. So I came here with Captain Thomas Dermer, the English sea captain who is exploring this area for the Council for New England.”

“Yes,” Bradford broke in. “We’re applying to the Council for a patent for this land.”

“Tell us, Samoset, how did you learn English?” Brewster inquired.

“From fishing captains who put in to the Maine shore,” the Indian answered.

“What can you tell us about the Indians around here?” Winslow asked.

Samoset then related a story which caused everyone to thank God. Until 1617, a large, hostile tribe named the Patuxets had lived in this very place. Three or four years before the Pilgrims arrived, a strange disease had killed every man, woman, and child in the tribe. Neighboring tribes avoided the area now, convinced that some supernatural spirit had destroyed the Patuxets.

“So, the Patuxets were the ones who cleared the land!” exclaimed Bradford.

“Yes,” answered Samoset. “I’m now staying with the Wampanoags who live fifty miles from here. Their chief, Massasoit, rules over a number of small tribes in the area.”

“But who attacked us on the beach?” Standish asked.

“That must have been the Nausets. A few years ago, a captain named Thomas Hunt kidnapped some Nauset warriors and sold them as slaves. The Nausets hate the white man now.”

Samoset stopped. “It’s late. I’ll sleep here and return to Massasoit in the morning.”

The Pilgrims kept a silent watch on the Indian through the night. The next morning they gave him gifts to take to Massasoit.

The following Thursday, Samoset returned. This time, another Indian who spoke English accompanied him. But this Indian was a Patuxet!

The Pilgrims listened as this new visitor, named Squanto, told his story. In 1605, Squanto had been captured and taken to England. Nine years later, he was brought back to his village with an English fishing expedition. But one of the English ship captains, Thomas Hunt, tricked him and nineteen other Patuxets aboard his ship and took them prisoner. The captain then sailed across Cape Cod Bay and kidnapped seven Nauset men. Hunt took all the captive Indians to Spain where he sold them as slaves, just as Samoset had said. Squanto was sold to Spanish monks, who took him back to their monastery and taught him about Jesus. God was preparing the Indian for the role he would play at Plymouth.

“When I learned that my people were dead,” Squanto continued, “I went to Massasoit, who has shown me much kindness.”

Surprisingly, Chief Massasoit and sixty painted warriors soon appeared at the settlement. The Pilgrims treated them royally. They blew a trumpet and beat a drum in honor of his arrival. They ushered the chief into one of the unfinished houses where they drank a toast to him. They gave him gifts. All of this pleased the chief greatly. By the time he left, he and the Pilgrims had entered into a peace treaty.

God was taking care of His children. Massasoit was a man of peace, who welcomed the Pilgrims to Cape Cod. Massasoit was probably the only Indian chief on the northeast coast of America who would have made friends with the Pilgrims. But, unlike the settlers at Jamestown, the Pilgrims did not make trouble for the Indians. They treated Massasoit and his warriors with respect. They showed them the love of Christ.

When Massasoit left, Squanto remained. “I would like to stay,” he said. “My people are dead now, and I have no family left. I can teach you many things.”

Squanto was a great help to the Pilgrims. He did indeed teach them many things, especially how to plant corn the Indian way.

“First, you bury the kernels with three fish,” he instructed. “The head of each fish must point inward, like spokes in an English carriage wheel. As the fish decompose, you must guard against wolves who will try to steal them.”

By summer, the Pilgrims had twenty full acres of corn.

Squanto taught them other valuable lessons. He showed them how to stalk deer, plant pumpkins, and make maple syrup. He told them which herbs to eat and which to use for medicine. And he introduced them to the beaver trade. Bradford wrote in his journal that Squanto was a true gift from God.

The time had come for Captain Jones to return to England. The Pilgrims stood on shore and watched the Mayflower sail away. Not one of them sailed back with him. Even though many had lost loved ones during the winter, they did not want to leave Plymouth. Something special had happened to them. They had shared the love of Jesus in a way that only happens when people suffer together in trying to obey Him. They had learned to help one another and had become a family. They would not separate.

In May, the Pilgrims celebrated their first wedding when Edward Winslow and Susan White married. The summer of 1621 found the Pilgrims working hard, building more houses, and trading with the Indians. That fall, they harvested more than enough crops to see them through the winter.

In October, Governor Bradford declared a day of public thanksgiving. The Pilgrims were filled with thanks—to Squanto and the Wampanoags who had helped them so much, and to God who had saved the colony from possible starvation. Massasoit came with ninety Indians and plenty of deer and turkeys. The Pilgrim women cooked fresh vegetables and baked fruit pies. The Indians taught the settlers how to roast corn kernels over the fire until they became—popcorn! The Pilgrims thanked God for meeting their needs. It was also a time of games with the Indians—bow and arrow shooting contests and relay races and wrestling matches. The joyous celebration lasted three days!

In November, a ship from England dropped anchor, bringing new colonists. The Pilgrims also received their new charter granted by the New England Company. In addition, Thomas Weston sent another contract so the Pilgrims could purchase more supplies. The Pilgrims agreed to his harsh terms and then spent twenty years working off their debt. They faithfully repaid every bit of the money they had borrowed as well as the interest, sometimes at a rate of thirty and fifty percent! But Satan could not pull these people into bitter arguments. They kept their eyes on Jesus and trusted Him to see them through.

But God tested them during the winter of 1621–22. The Pilgrims entered a “starving time” like the settlers in Jamestown. Weston had brought thirty-five extra people, so the food supplies shrank quickly. Finally, they were down to a daily ration of only five kernels of corn for each person. As always, though, they had a choice. They could either give in to bitterness and despair, or they could trust Jesus. They chose Jesus.

And then God had mercy on them. Unexpectedly, a ship put into Plymouth harbor one day on its way from Virginia back to England. While the captain had little extra food, he did have trading goods. The Pilgrims gave the captain beaver pelts in exchange for the trading goods, which they were able to trade to the Indians in return for food. Unlike the settlers at Jamestown, not a single person starved to death at Plymouth. God had taken care of the Pilgrims again.

Another year passed. It was now April 1623 and time to plant once again. The settlers needed twice as much corn this year to feed the growing colony. The ruling group of men in Plymouth decided to permit a second planting. After they finished planting the common cornfield, the settlers could plant corn for themselves on land of their own.

The Pilgrims worked hard and completed both plantings, but drought came. For twelve weeks, no rain fell. Leaves of corn hung limp on the stalks. The beans looked as if they had been burned in a fire.

“The Lord is trying to tell us something,” Brewster preached to the congregation. “We must look into our own hearts and humble ourselves before Him.”

The Pilgrims knew that when things went wrong they needed to turn to God and search their hearts. So, the governor declared a day of prayer and fasting. When the day arrived everyone gathered in the blockhouse. They spent all day praying and asking God to show them their sins. Had greed taken hold of them when they planted their own crops? Had they become too self-centered? The Pilgrims asked God to take all their sins away.

The Lord must have been pleased with their prayers, because by the time they left late in the day, dark clouds were gathering overhead. By morning, a soft, sweet rain had begun to fall. For fourteen days, this rain gently soaked the parched earth and revived their dying crops.

That season, the Pilgrims harvested all the corn they needed for the upcoming winter. They even had extra corn to trade! God had answered His people’s prayers.

The Pilgrims planned a second thanksgiving. Again, the Indians joined them because they also recognized that the hand of God had ended the drought. Laughter and games filled the colony. Tables overflowed with delicious food. And on each plate there were five kernels of corn . . . so no one would forget that God in His mercy had brought them from a time of great need and near starvation to a time of plenteous harvest.

———

In three years, Plymouth had become a successful colony in the New World. The Pilgrims had followed God’s call. They had formed a new community of Christians in America, and God had led them and blessed them every step of the way.

At last, the Light of Christ was shining brightly on the American shore.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

The Puritans knew they had to leave England. They had wanted to bring about change by working within the Anglican Church, but the Bishops did not want reform and made such changes impossible. By 1628, many Puritans realized they had to leave.

More and more they looked to America. Why not a settlement of Puritans there, loyal to both the Church of England and the Crown? In America, they could obey the laws of God as well as the laws of men. In America, they could spread the Gospel. In America, they could try to build God’s kingdom on earth.

Was it possible? Could a group of believers actually begin to set up God’s kingdom on earth? Was this part of God’s plan too? The answers to these questions are yes. God Himself was directing the Puritans to come to the New World. He knew what lay ahead for America, and He had chosen these people to lay the foundation stones the country needed to survive.

———

“But John, you’re not a Separatist,” argued Robert Ryece. “You’re a Puritan! The Church needs you here. You must stay!”

John Winthrop stood at the window, staring at the fields in front of his house. How he loved this estate in Suffolk. How he loved England. Despite the bright sun’s rays, Winthrop felt as though a gray fog covered the room.

“Robert, I must go,” Winthrop quietly explained. “God is telling me to go. We didn’t want to end up leaving like the Separatists, but we are no longer able to change the Church from within. Now, Bishop Laud has given King Charles a list of our names. It’s time to go.”

Winthrop turned to look at his friend. Ryece stood beside a table, holding some papers.

“Robert,” Winthrop continued, “you know how much I love the Church. But we can’t change anything here. All of our attempts at reform are being blocked. It’s become too corrupt. You’ve read what I’ve written in those papers. You know what I’ve said.”

Ryece sat down in a big leather chair. Winthrop sat in the chair beside him.

“The Puritans leaving England are asking me to go with them,” Winthrop said. “And I must. The time is right, Robert. God has set everything in motion.”

God had set everything in motion. King Charles had already signed the Massachusetts Bay Company Charter. The Puritans had faced enough persecution. They were ready to leave. They had grown strong through it all and were spiritually ready to handle the hardships of building a new home in a strange land. Favorable reports from the colony at Plymouth encouraged them to try.

In 1628, sixty-six Puritan men sailed with John Endecott to Salem, Massachusetts. The following year, Reverend Francis Higginson and two hundred Puritans left England to join them.

In August of 1629, some Puritan leaders met at Cambridge, England, where many had attended the university together. “Today we are agreeing together,” Richard Saltonstall said.

“Yes,” another added. “We agree to go in our persons to the New World to further the work of Christ.”

“We’ll prepare to leave by next March,” Winthrop directed.

Three days later, the men elected John Winthrop to be governor. He began to arrange passage for more than a thousand Puritans who wanted to emigrate.

———

John Winthrop sat in his cabin as the Arbella sailed through the calm waters of the Atlantic. He had been praying. Carefully, he removed his writing box from the chart table. After selecting a quill pen, he dipped it into the wide-bottomed ink bottle and wiped off the excess ink.

“This love among Christians is a real thing,” Winthrop wrote. “It is absolutely necessary to the well-being of the Body of Christ. . . . We are a company . . . knit together by this bond of love.”

Then came the heart of his vision.

“We are entered into covenant with Him for this work . . . [W]e must be knit together in this work as one man.”

Winthrop named his composition A Model of Christian Charity. It ranks in importance with the Mayflower Compact. The Pilgrims’ agreement stated that a group of people, gathered together under God, were going to be governed by mutual consent. John Winthrop spelled out why such a government would work. It would work because the believers had entered into covenant with God and with one another. It became the definition of covenant love.

On June 8, 1630, Governor Winthrop stood at the rail of the Arbella and got his first glimpse of New England: the fir-covered hills of Maine. He felt the fresh, warm coastal breeze against his skin. He marveled at pine trees taller than any he had ever seen. He enjoyed the sea gulls flying overhead. Four days later, the Arbella approached the colony of Salem, Massachusetts.

Surely this isn’t Salem! Winthrop thought as he studied the mainland. There are only a few tents and huts here! The town must be farther back in the woods.

As the ship drew closer, the governor realized it was Salem! He caught sight of some people walking slowly toward the beach. They were thin and ragged-looking. Their shoulders were hunched. Something was terribly wrong.

The provisional governor, John Endecott, met Winthrop on shore. The two men talked.

“Governor Winthrop, there are only eighty-five of us left,” Endecott said. “More than eighty have died, and the rest have returned to England. Others want to go home as well.”

“Good heavens, man, you started with two hundred and sixty-six people!” Winthrop replied. “This is as bad as Jamestown. And these people are decent Puritans, not fortune hunters!”

“We hold a teaching service on Thursdays, and two services on Sundays. But they do no good.” Endecott sighed. “The people hear the words but nothing changes.”

Winthrop’s mind was racing. Is it all over? he thought. Will covenant love not work here? Endecott interrupted Winthrop’s thoughts to tell him more of the story.

During the first winter, the new settlers had been very sick. Endecott wrote Governor Bradford at Plymouth to ask for help. Bradford sent Samuel Fuller, a doctor who understood scurvy and other illnesses.

“I was prepared to dislike Fuller,” Endecott offered. “After all, he is a Separatist. But he took care of us and showed us Christian love. He and I often talked at night by the fire. I learned much about what God is doing fifty miles down the coast.”

“Tell me about it,” Winthrop requested.

“At Plymouth, the Church helps to guide the civil government,” Endecott began, “but the two are separate. Church members choose their own leaders, and the civil government holds its own elections. We based our church here on the model at Plymouth. We elected Higginson as pastor and Skelton as teacher. We thought it would work, but—”

“That’s it!” Winthrop suddenly interrupted. “That’s why it’s not working!”

“I don’t understand,” Endecott replied, a puzzled look on his face.

“Don’t you see? These Puritans love God and want to do His will. The problem is they’re not living out the other part of the covenant. They’re not living out their commitment to one another!”

“But the Separatists were already a church,” Endecott objected. “We’ve just started!”

“All the more reason we’ve got to live up to our covenant with each other!” Winthrop stressed. “And it must begin with you and me. Unless each of us is willing to put our whole lives into the work here, we can’t expect the others to.”

Endecott stood up straight. “Sir,” he said, “you can count on me.”

Immediately, the governor made plans. “I want you to assemble every man and boy at the center of town today, one hour before noon. Have the women come too. In the meantime, I’ll see about getting my belongings ashore.”

Winthrop started out the door, then abruptly turned back.

“Oh, and tell the Gentlemen—Mr. Saltonstall, Mr. Pynchon, Mr. Nowell, and the others—that this includes them as well!” Winthrop smiled. “You’d better suggest they wear old clothes,” he added.

“Right, Governor,” Endecott replied.

Promptly at eleven o’clock, Endecott walked to the center of the huts and shelters that formed the town. A number of people were already there, staring at their governor. He was dressed in boots, work pants, and an old shirt. He looked more like a servant than a Gentleman. Endecott handed him a list of names.

“The situation here is not exactly what I expected,” Winthrop began.

Everyone stood still and listened.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work,” the Governor continued, “but I think we can correct things. By the end of the summer, every one of you is going to be in a proper dwelling. Until then, more than one family will have to live together, at least for the first winter.”

The crowd began to murmur.

“But Governor, how are we going to do it?” one settler asked.

“By God’s grace,” Winthrop replied, “and by helping one another.”

Just then, Richard Saltonstall and a friend strolled into the gathering, carrying on a conversation. Saltonstall wore a white shirt with a ruffled collar. Winthrop glared at them, then turned back to the others.

“First of all, who can fish?” he asked. Eight men raised their hands. Winthrop consulted Endecott. “All right, Packham and Kenworthy, each of you take three men. On alternate days, you’ll take turns fishing in the shallop.

“Now, the women,” he said, looking at his list. “Some of you will do field work in the mornings. The others will care for the sick with Mr. Skelton. Mr. Skelton, you’ll be responsible for the food supplies too. Be sure to let me know how much food we have in store.”

Winthrop then addressed Mr. Higginson, who was sitting on a stump. “Pastor, I know you’ve been ill. Your job will be to pray for us and to preach on Sundays.”

Winthrop handed the folded list to Endecott. “The rest of you will form work parties. Those under forty will go with Mr. Endecott. Those over forty will come with me. Are there any questions?”

“Yes,” Richard Saltonstall said as he stepped forward. “John, you don’t really expect me to work like this, do you?”

“Yes, Richard, I do.”

“But common labor, John? I brought nine men with me to do that. And you brought more than I did!”

Winthrop hesitated. “Richard, last August you signed an agreement at Cambridge. Do you remember?”

Saltonstall did not respond.

“You agreed to be ready to carry on this work in your person. So did I. It won’t succeed unless every man gives his all. We’re all laborers in God’s vineyard together.”

Saltonstall shook his head, almost too angry to speak. “This is—”

“This is the way it’s going to be,” Winthrop stated strongly. “And I’ll tell you something else.” The governor looked around at everyone. “I consider being late a sin against God. We’re doing the work God has called us to do. We won’t steal His time by being late!

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll meet here promptly at two hours past sunrise for daily work assignments. Bring something with you to eat at the noon hour. We’ll work until four o’clock. The rest of the day will be yours.”

The people began to talk excitedly.

“Are there any more questions?”

There were none.

———

The fall and winter of 1630 tested the Puritans’ commitment. More shiploads of settlers arrived and food supplies dropped dangerously low. Once again, Winthrop stepped in. He traded with the local Indians for corn. Then he sent the ship Lyon home to London for supplies, with orders to sell his own lands to get the money to purchase them.

This kind of personal sacrifice had become his pattern. Winthrop believed that one should commit everything to the cause. Often he dug into his own funds to meet the needs of the struggling colony. In fact, he was almost supporting the colony by himself for a while. But he never once complained, not even in his personal journals.

The winter months dragged on. By February, the settlers had eaten most of the corn. There was still no sign of the Lyon.

“God is withholding His blessing from us,” Higginson preached. “We must search our hearts and humble ourselves before Him. And we must pray for a miracle.”

There was nothing else they could do. By February 5, the corn was gone, the ground nuts had been consumed, and the clam banks were exhausted. The Lyon was so long overdue that the Puritans could only think she had been shipwrecked.

They declared a day of fasting and prayer.

But that day never took place. The morning of the day before, Winthrop was reaching for the last handful of meal in the barrel to give to a starving settler, when someone yelled “Governor! She’s here! The Lyon is coming into port!”

Winthrop spied the ship at the harbor’s mouth. Everyone ran down to the shore. The Lyon had returned, loaded with food and supplies. Her cargo consisted of wheat, meal, peas, oatmeal, beef, pork, cheese, butter, suet, and casks of lemon juice.

Winthrop declared a day of Thanksgiving. Once again, God had provided for His people.

———

The Puritans had obeyed their call, and God had honored their obedience. From Salem they moved on to settle Boston and other New England towns. Everywhere they went, they established churches and communities that practiced covenant love. Slowly, God was unfolding the design of His kingdom in America.

So, we who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Romans 12:5

From the discovery by Columbus to the work of missionaries in the Southwest to the settlement by the Pilgrims, the Light of Christ spread in the New World. Now it was being carried forth by the Puritans. From 1630 to 1646, twenty thousand Puritans came to America. They sailed across the ocean as obedient servants to the Lord. They came committed to God and to one another, wanting to build towns and cities whose life centered on God’s Word.

Many people today do not know this about the Puritans. They think that the Puritans were a gloomy group of people who always dressed in black. They believe that the Puritans had nothing better to do than attend long church services. They view these settlers as narrow-minded and self-righteous.

Were they? What were the Puritans really like?

———

“Don’t forget to check the inn, Allen!” the pastor called. “Make sure it’s closed during service today.”

“I will, Pastor,” the tithingman replied. “I’ll also keep an eye on Mr. Tomlins this morning. Last Sunday he kept closing his eyes. I’ll use my staff if I need to. That should keep his eyes open!”

“That will do nicely!” The pastor smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

In Puritan New England, the Sunday morning service usually lasted about three hours. The church members gathered in the meetinghouse and they paid a tithingman to keep them alert during the teaching. The Puritans realized that sometimes it was difficult to stay awake and pay attention, but it was important for everyone to hear God’s Word. Because they hungered for the Word, the Puritans welcomed long services. They deeply desired a life centered on Christ.

“We must take sin seriously,” the pastor preached. “The success of God’s New Israel depends on our willingness to lay our sinful natures aside.

“The key to God’s plan in our lives is to never forget that we are sinful creatures. We must remain humble before Him. We must always remember that we need His mercy and forgiveness at every turn. His blessings will flow from our obedience.”

While the pastor spoke, the tithingman quietly walked around the meetinghouse. He strutted about, watching for anyone who might be “resting his eyes.” Sure enough, Mr. Tomlins was sleeping comfortably. His head leaned against the wall while his hand grasped the rail. The tithingman quickly pricked the man’s hand with the sharp thorn attached to the end of his staff. The man sprang up with such force that he struck his hand against the wall.

“Curse you, woodchuck!” Tomlins loudly exclaimed. He had been dreaming and thought a woodchuck had bitten his hand. When he realized where he was, the embarrassed man sat down and did not fall asleep again!

The heart of the Puritans’ lives was their willingness to deal with sin. Because sin separated them from God, the Puritans took it very seriously. That meant trying to live according to the Bible with the help of God’s grace. The Bible says that we should first look at the sin within our own hearts before we look at the sins of others. When the Puritans did sin they knew that they were supposed to repent before God and receive His forgiveness. And then they could help each other come to repentance and ask God’s forgiveness. The Puritans tried to live that way.

The case of Captain John Underhill was a good example.

“Now, Captain Underhill,” the pastor began, “you may speak.”

John Underhill stood before the congregation with tears in his eyes. “My sin was adultery. It was a sin against you as well as against God. You were right to cut me off from the church. It made me realize I was wrong.” The captain swallowed hard. “I ask you to forgive me.”

The congregation listened. One of the members spoke up. “Brother Underhill, how do we know you’ve truly repented of your sins?”

Underhill took a deep breath. “Because my heart has changed. I’m asking you to have compassion on me,” he said. “I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.”

The church had excommunicated Captain Underhill. It hoped that he would come to repentance. Excommunication was a severe punishment in the 1600s. The church served as the center of social as well as religious life. Being cut off from it meant being cut off from everything. And Underhill did not want that. He repented, and the congregation forgave him.

At the center of the Puritans’ lives was their covenant relationship with God and with one another. This covenant shaped everything they did, and they took it very seriously. The covenant was based on Christ’s Great Commandments:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:37–39

The covenant had two parts: a vertical relationship with Jesus and a horizontal relationship with other people. Both parts must be honored in order for individuals and a community to function properly.

They were a big family that had been called by God to care for one another. When it came to matters of birth and death, they rejoiced and grieved together. Training children was a sacred responsibility undertaken by both parents and church. Marriage was a sacred vow, carefully entered into only after counsel from other brethren. What happened to one Puritan affected all of them because everyone knew each other in the towns.

The Puritans were also a people who enjoyed life. Frequently, they met to build a house or hold a meeting. Quilting and sewing bees were favorite pastimes for the women. Children would gather together for games and spelling bees.

In 1682, some Puritans assembled to dedicate a new meetinghouse and to install their new pastor. Ministers from churches for miles around were invited as guests. A member of the congregation offered his barn as a place for the dinner.

While boys swept the barn clean, the girls hung large green bows and wreaths. They placed benches for the women and set a long table in the middle of the barn floor.

“Anna, you and Roger take the cows to the field,” Mrs. Hood directed. “Thomas and I will shoo off the chickens. Rebecca, you and Sarah set the table. It’s almost time for Mr. Shepherd and the others to arrive.”

Soon guests arrived. The new pastor, Mr. Shepherd, sat down with the other guests of honor. They enjoyed a feast of meats, puddings, and fruit pies. They discussed the dedication sermon and the new meetinghouse.

Suddenly, a flock of chickens flew into the barn and landed up in the rafters. They scattered feathers and dirt all over the table. The guests looked up from their plates in shock.

“Get those birds away!” ordered Mrs. Hood.

The chickens flew out, only to turn around and fly back in again.

Mr. Shepherd watched in silence while the birds continued to be a nuisance. Finally, he picked up an apple and threw it at one of them. His aim was so good that he hit it in the legs, causing it to flop down on the table! Gravy and sauces splattered on the diners’ faces. Everyone burst into laughter. Mrs. Hood removed the bird, and everyone returned to eating.

The feast continued, but not without more invading chickens and flying apples. Songs and laughter filled the occasion.

This was the Puritan way.

Because the Puritans were deeply committed to God, He blessed them frequently. Cotton Mather, a famous Puritan minister, wrote a book entitled Magnalia Christi Americana. He described many of God’s wondrous miracles in the New World.

One story was about two ships at sea. One sprang a leak when it was about a thousand miles from shore. Its crew climbed into the longboat, carrying bread and water. By the eighteenth day, they still had ample bread but only enough water to give each man one teaspoon per day. In the meantime, the other ship had run out of food. This ship spied the drifting longboat.

“Captain Scarlet,” a seaman cried, “there’s a longboat starboard! It’s filled with men.”

“Aye,” the captain replied as he walked to the starboard side. “They’re in distress. We’ll take them in!”

“But Captain,” the first mate said, “we don’t have enough food for ourselves. How can we take on more people?”

“These men are in trouble,” the captain declared. “God will have to provide for us all.”

And God did. Captain Scarlet’s ship had plenty of water. The men in the longboat had plenty of food. They shared. And when the sailors arrived in New England, they spread the word about God’s miracle.

God was planting His spiritual vineyard in the colonies with faithful followers. But all of the vines needed to be strong. So, before long He began to prune a few branches from the Bay Colony.

The first such separation involved a man named Roger Williams. Williams was a Puritan minister who did not share the Puritan vision for God’s kingdom. He did not believe God could use imperfect human beings to set up His kingdom on earth. So Williams demanded perfection from his congregation, yet he would not admit his own sins and failures. Puritan leaders tried to reason with him, but he would not listen.

In 1631, Williams finally said farewell to Massachusetts and moved to Rhode Island, where he founded the city of Providence. His missionary work there with the Narraganset Indians kept the natives from attacking any of the Rhode Island colonists.

God also pruned another branch from the Bay Colony. Her name was Anne Hutchinson. Mrs. Hutchinson was a member of John Cotton’s church in Boston. She admired Cotton’s preaching and often invited women to her home to discuss his sermons. At first, these discussions focused on Cotton’s sermons. But as time passed, they revolved around Mrs. Hutchinson and her beliefs. Before long, the woman claimed that she alone knew what the Holy Spirit was saying. The colony had no choice but to charge her with heresy.

The courtroom was packed. Every minister within two days’ ride was there. Even Governor Winthrop attended.

“Mrs. Hutchinson, how do you know it’s not Satan who shows you these things?” The judges asked.

“By an immediate voice!” Mrs. Hutchinson shot back with fire in her eyes.

“How?”

“By the voice of God’s Spirit to my soul!” she cried. “And He has told me what He’s going to do to you! He’s going to ruin you and your children—and this whole colony.”

The Court banished Anne Hutchinson, and she moved away. In 1643, she died at the hands of Indians.

God took a third spiritual branch from the vineyard and replanted it in another colony. This branch was led by the Reverend Thomas Hooker, a friend of John Winthrop. Hooker shared Winthrop’s vision of God’s purpose for New England. He loved the Lord and had a humble spirit. But he differed from his friend in one important area—who should have the right to vote.

One evening the two men sat in Winthrop’s parlor in front of a fire. “Are you really serious?” Winthrop asked. “Do you mean that every man should be able to vote?” Winthrop got up to warm himself by the fire. “Thomas, how long do you think God would stay in office if the Kingdom of God were a democracy? If you give every man the vote you’ll end up with bad rulers.”

Hooker took a sip from his cup. “John, it’s not a matter of trusting the voters’ judgment. It’s a question of trusting the Holy Spirit to work through them.”

Winthrop turned toward his friend. “Thomas, most men don’t have the wisdom to elect good leaders. Government is better off in the hands of a few who are dedicated to God’s work.”

The two men could never agree on this point, but they remained friends. Hooker finally asked permission to move his church to Connecticut.

“I really believe that it’s God’s will for me to go, John,” Hooker said. “It will benefit both colonies. We can continue to support one another.”

With a heavy heart, Winthrop sadly addressed his old friend. “I don’t want you to go, but you have my permission—and my blessing.”

Hooker’s ideas planted the roots of future government in Connecticut. Later Connecticut’s government would serve as a model for the other colonies. Thomas Hooker believed that men should voluntarily consent to the same kind of covenant in civil government that formed the Puritan churches. His ideas laid one more stone in the building that would soon become American representative government.

———

The Puritans were a people of God, deeply committed to the Covenant Way of life. From John Winthrop’s arrival in 1630, the Covenant Way developed and advanced as the Puritans built their new lives. God’s light was shining as He built His spiritual house. That is, it was shining for a while . . .

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God . . . and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 11:26–28

The Puritans believed that the hard times were over. They had established their towns. They enjoyed comfortable homes and plenty of food. They were at peace with their neighbors, the Indians. By the end of the seventeenth century, things had changed dramatically. Many Puritans were moving west and becoming pioneers. The hardships of their forefathers were only stories of the past. The Puritans were changing. They were forgetting the Covenant Way.

———

The minister could see it coming. Sunday after Sunday he warned the congregation with passages from the Bible.

“Do not forget the Lord your God. Keep His commandments,” the pastor preached. “You have plenty to eat. You have nice homes. Your herds are growing, and your wealth is increasing. Beware! It’s easy now to forget the Lord.”

The pastor studied his congregation. Some of them were listening, but many were gazing out the window. He went on.

“In Deuteronomy 8, God warned the Israelites that He alone gives the power to get wealth. The Bible warns us not to forget the Lord our God, or we will perish.”

The pastor sighed. He knew the people were listening only with their ears. Their hearts were far away.

That evening, two Puritan brothers sat on the back step of their house, watching the cows in the pasture. The sun cast long shadows across the yard.

“You know, Jonathan, the pastor has a point,” said Samuel. “Deuteronomy does warn us about curses coming on those who forget the Lord.”

“Don’t be silly,” argued Jonathan. “We’ve heard this sermon before. God’s not going to send curses. He’s blessing us. Why, look at this farm. Look at our herds.”

“That’s true,” replied Samuel as he chewed on a piece of grass. “We have worked mighty hard to get this far. But maybe we ought to give God more credit.”

“I always thought that God helps those who help themselves,” Jonathan responded. “He’s not going to judge us for helping ourselves. Let the preacher worry about the curses. We need to worry about our land and our herds.”

The preachers were worried. To be sure, God was blessing the Puritans, but He was also sending warning signals. During the summer of 1646, a great army of caterpillars swarmed down on Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The countryside turned brown as the insects ate everything in their path. There were droughts that left the land dry. Smallpox epidemics broke out, killing many people. Ships were lost at sea.

The ministers knew that these things were warnings of worse judgments from God if the people did not stop and repent. Some people did turn their hearts back to God. When this happened, God gladly returned the blessings of His favor. But gradually, most people drifted away from closeness to God. Independence and selfishness were claiming their hearts. Making money and buying land had become more important than loving God and other people.

Finally, God’s patience came to an end.

“Look!” Roger yelled. “There’s something out there, on the surface of the pond.”

“I see it,” Matthew replied. “Look’s like a man’s hat and a musket.”

“I think the ice will hold us,” said Dan. “Let’s go see what it is.”

It was an early winter morning in Middleborough, fifteen miles from Plymouth. The men walked across the frozen pond. Sure enough, they discovered a hat and gun.

“Look at this!” Roger gasped his mouth dropped open. “It’s a face!”

Underneath the ice was a face. Its eyes were staring straight up, and dark hair floated in the water.

The men chopped the body out of the ice with an ax.

“I know who this is!” Roger exclaimed. “It’s John Sassamon, the Christian Indian from Nemasket. He must have drowned.”

“But Indians don’t make mistakes like that,” Matthew argued. “Indians don’t walk out on a frozen pond and drown.”

“You’re right, Matthew,” Dan added. “He’s not bloated with water like he drowned. He’s got a big knot on his head.”

“And look at this,” Roger answered. “His neck’s been broken! Someone killed him! But why?”

John Sassamon had been raised in a village of the Christian Indians at Natick. After graduating from Harvard, he returned to live with the Indians and became an aide to an important chief in the area. This chief was Metacomet, the son of Massasoit. The settlers called the chief Philip. Sassamon stayed with Philip for a while before moving to the Indian community of Nemasket to preach. This angered Philip. Philip hated Christian Indians. To him, they were traitors.

An eyewitness to Sassamon’s murder was found. This Indian had seen the whole thing from the top of a nearby hill. He had been close enough to recognize three men, one of whom was a chief lieutenant to Philip.

The trial was set for June. The verdict was quick and sure. The three defendants were sentenced to death by hanging.

Philip was furious. A guilty verdict connected him to the murder, for everyone thought he must have given the order to have Sassamon killed. Philip insisted that the witness was lying, but then a strange thing happened at the hanging. As the trap door beneath the last of the three Indians was sprung, the rope broke. The terrified Indian fell to the ground and chose to talk. He confessed that the three had killed Sassamon.

Philip’s anger boiled over. Settlers began to see large bands of armed Indians moving through the countryside. Those settlers who lived far from neighbors had to move to places guarded by fortified houses. Tension filled the air.

It broke in June, when the Indians began to attack white settlers.

Isaac Trowbridge awoke with a start. What was that? he wondered.

Jumping up from his bed, he looked out the window of his house. The morning air in Swansea was cool and clear. The sky was pink and gray in the early dawn. Trowbridge squinted his eyes. He could not see anything.

He heard the noise again! “Something has hit the front door!” he yelled. Trowbridge raced to the door and opened it. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the arrow stuck in the door. But before he could slam the door shut, another arrow sank deep into his chest. Then a third arrow pierced his throat. His oldest son tried to drag his father inside, but an arrow hit him too.

At that moment, the surrounding woods erupted with Indians. The middle son bolted the door and pushed the table against the front window. The youngest son loaded their father’s long-barreled rifle. But all was lost, and the family knew it. Before long, the Indians had killed all of them and set the house on fire.

That day, Indians from Mount Hope burned all the houses in Swansea. When the colonial troops finally arrived, they were horrified at the scene. The main street of the village was covered with bodies of men, women, and children. How could human beings have done this?

This happened on June 21, 1675. The next day, the Indians attacked Dartmouth, Taunton, Middleborough, and Sudbury. God had lifted His protective grace. And New England was not prepared for it. Massachusetts declared a day of fasting as reports of more disasters arrived.

“God’s wrath is not going to be turned around by one day of repentance,” Cotton Mather warned. “He is demanding a complete change in heart. He is telling us to root out the sins within us.”

Cotton Mather’s father, Increase Mather, joined him. “Listen to the words of Jeremiah,” he said, “‘Behold, I am bringing a nation against you. . . . It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know . . . They seize bow and spear; They are cruel and have no mercy; Their voice roars like the sea’” (Jer. 5:15; 6:23).

At first the settlers did not take the sermons seriously. But as the attacks grew worse, they began to listen. Yankee self-confidence and independence would not win this war. The settlers needed God’s help.

The fighting became worse. Before long, almost every Indian tribe in New England was wearing war paint and taking scalps. The Indians had decided it was time to get rid of the white men. They were desperate. The spreading settlers had pushed them off their lands and up against the Hudson River. Beyond it lived the hostile and powerful Iroquois tribe. Defeating the settlers was the Indians’ last chance to keep control of their ancient lands in New England.

But this fighting was more than a war over land. This was a spiritual battle. God’s patience with the colonists had come to an end. He had lifted His divine protection from them. An army of Indians had gone on the warpath—and they were winning!

Yet, God continued to take care of His people by showing them special favor. The siege of Brookfield, Massachusetts by the Nipmuck Indians was an example.

The townspeople of Brookfield crowded into the blockhouse. The men were loading and firing their muskets at the Nipmucks as fast as they could.

“Curtis, you’ve got to try once more,” one of the men pleaded. “We’re not going to hold out much longer. There are too many of them.”

A nearby window shattered as a flaming arrow crashed through. The women grabbed some blankets to put it out.

“You’re right, William,” Curtis replied. “Someone has to get to Marlborough.”

That night, Curtis opened the door and ran out as the men fired their guns to cover him. He dashed across the opening to a large barrel where he stopped to catch his breath. Curtis crouched down beside the barrel. If I can just make it to the woods without being seen, he thought.

After a few moments, Curtis sprang up and headed for the woods. He fell to the ground on his hands and knees. Oh Lord, he prayed, close their eyes to me. The man crawled through the darkness with sweat pouring down his cheeks. His heart was pounding in his chest. He tried not to make a sound.

Nipmucks are everywhere, and Marlborough is thirty miles away, he thought. I’ve got to make it, Lord.

Meanwhile, the Nipmucks had moved into the barns near the blockhouse. They shot flaming arrows onto the blockhouse roof, but the settlers cut a hole in the roof and put out the flames. The Indians next piled hay against a corner of the house and set it on fire. Some brave settlers rushed outside and threw water on it. By this time the Indians were really angry. They built a long torch and mounted it on a wagon filled with things that would burn easily. Just as they lit the torch and began to push the wagon toward the blockhouse, a sudden rain completely drenched the wagon and put out the fire! The torch was useless.

Forty-eight hours later, the townspeople were still holding out. Curtis made it to Marlborough. When word reached Major Samuel Willard, he dispatched his troops immediately. Brookfield was saved, thanks to God’s protective hand.

Now, crowds began to pour into the churches. For the first time in many years, people listened to the sermons with more than their ears. They listened with their hearts. And also, for the first time in many years, they got down on their knees to pray. Many churches even renewed their covenants with God and one another.

These things pleased the Lord, and He began to change the settlers’ circumstances. And He used some very unusual people to help—“Praying Indians.” These were Christian Indians who had remained loyal to their Christian brethren. These Indians fought alongside the settlers and became scouts for them. Their help changed the tide of the war.

The Praying Indians taught the settlers how to fight as Indians do. They knew how to move swiftly through the dense forest and hide in the woods, and they understood how to ambush an enemy. As they demonstrated these tactics to the settlers, changes took place. By the summer of 1676, the settlers could no longer be run off by flaming arrows and battle cries. They were eager to fight, and they were determined to win. With the Lord on their side, they could withstand anything.

———

It was the summer of 1676. One day, a Wampanoag strolled into the camp of Captain Benjamin Church.

“I must see your captain,” the Indian demanded. The soldiers escorted him to Church’s tent.

“Captain,” the Indian began, “I’ve come to help you. I can take you to Philip.”

“What?” the Captain replied. “Why would you do that?”

“Because Philip murdered my family,” he said. “They suggested he make peace, and he became angry. He had them killed. I don’t want to be part of his band any longer.”

“Where is he?” Church asked.

“He’s returned to the Wampanoag settlement at Mount Hope. It’s on the peninsula of Bristol Neck in Rhode Island.”

In the dead of night, Church moved his men in canoes over to the peninsula and set up an ambush.

“Lieutenant,” Church said, “have your troops approach the settlement from here, up north.” Church pointed to his map. “Then lie still through the night and attack at daybreak. We’ll form a wide perimeter to the south. When the Indians try to escape, we’ll be waiting for them.”

The plan worked beautifully. The soldiers attacked at dawn on August 26. They stormed the camp shouting and whooping. The tremendous noise terrified the Wampanoags, who fled straight into Church’s forces to the south. Philip was killed and the Indians surrendered.

King Philip’s War was over. It had been hard and long, but the settlers had fought and won. They had turned their hearts back to God. What lay in store for them now?

“And it shall be in the last days,” God says, “that I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind.”

Acts 2:17

The colonial period in America began when Jamestown was settled in 1607. It continued from the settlement of this first colony until the War for Independence in 1775. During this period, the English settled thirteen colonies along the Atlantic coast. The northern colonies were Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The middle colonies were New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia formed the southern colonies. Following the Pilgrims and Puritans, many religious groups sailed to the colonies to enjoy freedom in their worship.

By the 1720s, the religious zeal of the Puritans that had been rekindled during King Philip’s War had died away. A spiritual slumber had settled over the colonies. Then in 1734, something happened. The colonists woke up to the calling of God. They began to realize, once again, that God had a plan for their lives. And this began to change them into one nation—one nation under God.

———

God chose a pastor in Northampton, Massachusetts, to start the revival. He was Jonathan Edwards. In December 1734, some surprising events took place in his church, and he recorded them in his Narrative of Surprising Conversions.

“The Spirit of God began to fall on us in the most amazing way,” he wrote. “At first, five or six people were saved. Then, a young woman with a bad reputation met the Lord. News of her conversion spread like lightning around the town.”

Edwards continued. “I talked with many people privately and learned how God had spoken to their hearts. By the summer of 1735, Northampton was filled with the presence of God. You could see it in people’s faces. You could feel it in the worship services. The love and joy of the Holy Spirit were present in almost every house. Visitors to our town enjoyed God’s blessings, too.”

What a revival! God was pouring down His Holy Spirit on the townspeople of Northampton. The revival soon moved from Northampton to other towns in Massachusetts. At the same time, it was spreading in the other colonies. Men such as William Tennant and Samuel Davies proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ. They spread it throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. David Brainerd even took it to the Indians in the backwoods of some of the northern colonies. But God used a young British evangelist to spread the Gospel throughout the thirteen colonies. This young man’s name was George Whitefield.

In 1737, George Whitefield sailed from England to the colony of Georgia in America. He believed God had called him to preach there. He sat in his cabin on the ship, reading the Bible. Then he stopped, marked his place, and began to pray.

Lord Jesus, I had to be born again, just like Nicodemus. I had to learn that you love me no matter what. I had to trust you like a little child.

Lord, I want to preach this message in America. I want to help the colonists see how much You love each of them. Help me show them that You have a calling on their lives.

———

Whitefield arrived in Georgia. He discovered a great hunger for the Word of God. Soon he was preaching to crowds of people.

After a few months, Whitefield returned to England to raise money for an orphanage in Georgia. England was experiencing a revival too. Whitefield spoke in the towns of Bristol and Gloucester to anyone who would listen. He explained about sin and the need for forgiveness. He talked about the need to be born again. And he told them about the Savior. But not everyone wanted to listen. Whitefield found pulpits closed to him by jealous preachers.

Whitefield sat in the home of his two friends from Oxford University, John and Charles Wesley. George sat in a big armchair while John stood beside his desk. Charles rested on the cream-colored sofa.

“Maybe God doesn’t want you to preach in those churches, George. Maybe He wants you to do something else. The preachers here are jealous. That’s why they won’t let you in.” John Wesley arranged the papers on his desk as he spoke.

“You remember how people laughed at us?” Charles asked. “They called us ‘Methodists’ because we chose to worship in a special way. People here are hungry for the Word of God just as they are in the colonies.”

Whitefield stood up and walked over to the fireplace. “I can only think of one way to get the Word out,” he announced, “but no one has ever tried it.”

“What is that?” John asked.

“To go out in the open air and preach as Jesus used to do.”

“That’s a great idea, George!” Charles exclaimed. “Think of how many people we could reach. And you have such a strong, deep voice. People could hear you across a field!”

“It could work,” John added thoughtfully. “Yes, I think that just might work. Maybe this is what God wants us to do.”

“All right, then. Let’s do it!” And the three men agreed.

Whitefield decided to preach to the coal miners on the outskirts of Bristol. He knew they were a mean and nasty bunch, but they needed a Savior as much as anyone. The evangelist stood on a hill near the exit of the mines, waiting for men to come out. It was winter, and the air was cold and damp. The setting sun cast long shadows toward the mines. Soon the miners began drifting out, and Whitefield started preaching.

“Jesus Christ died for you,” he called. “He loves you that much. He gave his life on the cross to pay for your sins. His only thought was for you. He suffered and died that you might receive everlasting life.”

A few miners stopped to listen. Whitefield went on. Before long, several hundred men were standing on the hill listening to the message. Whitefield noticed pale streaks running down their black, grimy faces. An old man wiped away tears with his dirty sleeve. A huge miner with bulging muscles blew his nose. Whitefield knew the Spirit of God was moving on their hearts.

The ministers in Bristol were not happy about Whitefield’s preaching, but that did not stop him. The following Sunday, ten thousand people gathered to hear him. By the third week in March 1739, more than double that number came out to listen. Revival swept the English Midlands.

The young evangelist traveled all over England that summer. By the time he sailed back to America in August, he had preached to more people than any one man alive. He was, in fact, becoming one of the greatest evangelists of the century.

But what happened in England was minor in comparison to what was about to happen in America. Whitefield was anxious to return because he believed God had a special message for the colonies. He hoped that his preaching would help unite the thirteen colonies scattered along the eastern coast. He believed that God wanted them to become one nation under Him.

On his first night in Philadelphia, Whitefield stood on the steps of the courthouse. People jammed the streets to hear the “boy preacher” from England. Whitefield began to preach.

“Father Abraham,” Whitefield asked, “who do you have there in heaven? Any Episcopalians?”

“No!” Whitefield answered his own question.

“Do you have any Presbyterians?” he asked.

“No!”

“Are there any Methodists?”

“No! No! No!” Whitefield’s deep voice got louder as he raised his arms in the air. “Well then, Father Abraham, who is with you?”

“There are only Christians here—followers of the Lord Jesus.”

“Oh!” Whitefield responded. “Then let us forget that we come from different colonies. Let us forget that we go to different churches. As Christians, we are all part of one big family—the family of God.”

Standing in the crowd was a man named Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was already famous throughout the colonies as a scientist, a philosopher, and a printer. But, although he believed in God, he had not given his life to Christ. He had many questions about the Christian faith that he thought could not be answered. Franklin was curious about things and liked to experiment, so he backed down Market Street while Whitefield was talking.

“I’m going to see just how far this young man’s voice can travel,” Franklin muttered.

He walked until he could not hear the preacher. My, my, he said to himself, this is quite a distance. My guess is that this young fellow could preach to thirty thousand people if he were out in an open field!

Later, Franklin described the change that had taken place in the city of Philadelphia because of Whitefield’s preaching. “People everywhere are becoming religious,” he wrote. “You can’t walk down the street without hearing psalms being sung. People’s manners are improving too. Philadelphia is a different place.”

Whitefield traveled up and down the east coast. He preached in Boston and Providence. He journeyed to Baltimore and New Haven. He went south to places like Charleston and Savannah. He rode into the frontier on horseback and in a canoe. Everywhere he went, crowds of people swarmed to hear him.

One day, Whitefield suddenly decided to speak in Middletown, Connecticut. Riders galloped ahead to spread the word. “The man who preaches like the apostles of old is coming!” they yelled. Farmers dropped their hoes and left their plows. They mounted their horses and thundered down the dirt road toward Middletown. When the evangelist arrived, several thousand horses had been tethered in long lines behind a vast crowd of dust-covered farmers. It looked as if an entire cavalry division had dismounted and was awaiting him!

To win America for God, Whitefield had to win New England, but New England had grown cold to the things of God. Whitefield blamed the clergy. “The clergy lack life,” he wrote. “Their sermons are dead. They do not know the risen Christ in their hearts. They practice religion as the Pharisees used to do, and their Christianity has lost its power.” Whitefield realized that the church leadership must experience revival too. Some of the pastors did not want to hear this, but others did. And many of these men were changed.

Preaching sometimes two and three times a day, George Whitefield gave more than eighteen thousand sermons between 1736 and 1770. By then, the colonies’ relationship with England was breaking down. Whitefield’s last sermon in Boston was delivered in August of 1770, five months after the Boston Massacre. This was one of the early signs of the trouble to come. British troops had fired on angry colonists, killing five of them. Colonial resentment was growing stronger. Whitefield’s message became even more important.

On a Saturday afternoon in September, Whitefield delivered the final sermon of his life in Exeter, New Hampshire. At first, he had difficulty talking, so he paused for a few moments. “I’ll wait for God’s help,” he said. “I know He’s going to let me speak one last time.”

Whitefield did speak. His voice rose, becoming loud and clear, and he preached for two hours.

Finally he proclaimed, “I’m going to be with Jesus. I have lived to preach for Him. Now I shall die and be with Him. My body is failing, but my spirit is growing stronger.”

The next morning, George Whitefield went to be with the Lord.

Through the preaching of George Whitefield, God brought the thirteen colonies together. It was not long before many people realized what was happening. The Holy Spirit was speaking through this evangelist to the hearts of people everywhere. It did not matter in what colony a person lived. The Spirit could still touch that person’s heart.

Whitefield spread the word about God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ. He carried it to rich and poor alike. He revealed it to free men and to slaves, to the educated and the uneducated. Over and over, Americans everywhere received the message that all men are equal and precious in the sight of God.

Gradually, the colonists were beginning to realize that they were part of a big family called America. They understood that God had a special plan for this family. He wanted it to proclaim the true message of Jesus. He wanted it to be a light in the darkness. And He wanted this family to become the living example of the Covenant Way. The colonists had experienced the First Great Awakening.

———

God was setting another spiritual stone in the foundation of the nation. The Pilgrims had signed the Mayflower Compact. The Puritans had brought the Covenant Way. Now the colonies were uniting through the Spirit of God. Very soon, the principles they were learning would be written down by a new generation of people who would call themselves “Americans.”

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

One nation under God—this was the result of the First Great Awakening. Colonial Americans learned some important spiritual lessons during that time. Through the preachers of the Awakening they heard that God loved everyone. They realized that He wanted every person to come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord—whether they were rich or poor, slave or free, black or white, and no matter which colony they lived in. They also realized that in God’s eyes they were all equal. They were brothers and sisters. They were beginning to understand what it meant to be an American.

God was doing something new. He had never before uprooted a body of Christians and taken them across the ocean to a new land to create a nation based on the Bible. But He did in colonial America. He had never called such a group to create a civil government with constitutions and elected representatives. But He did in colonial America.

In 1775, the colonists finally revolted against Britain. Why did they decide to throw off the yoke of the mother country? Was it God’s will for them to do this? What happens when a ruler starts violating the will of God for his subjects? Actually, in New England they had already been through these kinds of problems with Britain once before—almost a hundred years earlier.

———

It was a cold day in January 1684. Increase Mather hurried down the cobblestone street toward Boston’s Old South Meetinghouse. A blustery wind was blowing, and Mather clutched his papers tightly.

A few minutes later, he arrived. Inside, a huge crowd was jammed into the meetinghouse. They had assembled to vote on Boston’s response to a declaration made by King Charles II. Mather walked up to the pulpit and placed his papers on the stand. As he looked out over the large crowd, his mind wandered back to the events which had brought them to this point.

After the founding of Plymouth, English settlers had flocked to the New World. Unlike the French and Spanish, they did not come to seek gold or silver. They came to begin a new life. They built cabins and farms. They established villages and towns. They organized churches and set up schools. And they set up local governments to govern their families.

Mather thought about his grandfathers, John Cotton and Richard Mather. He thought about the hopes and dreams they had shared with him. “God has sent us to America,” they had said, “and He has a plan for us. We are to be like a city set on a hill. We are to shine His Light into a world of darkness.”

Mather thought about England’s policies with her colonies. For more than a century, Parliament had allowed the colonies to run themselves. Yet the English Parliament had the power to rule over the colonies, and the colonists had to obey English law.

Recently, England had started passing some very strict laws in regard to the colonies. In 1651 and 1663, Parliament enacted the Navigation Acts. These allowed the colonies to trade only with England. Colonial merchants could no longer trade directly with the merchants of other countries.

King Charles II then ordered Massachusetts to swear allegiance to the Crown and to let the Episcopal Church set up churches in the colony. And he ordered the colony to change some of its voting requirements.

Massachusetts said no. Charles then demanded the return of their charter. He planned to make them a royal colony. The Bay Colony was in trouble. How could it stand up to the greatest military power on earth?

Increase Mather stood in the pulpit and delivered his message.

“The king has demanded that we give up our charter,” he said. “Doing this will clash with the very reasons our forefathers came to New England! They came for religious freedom. They came for political freedom. King Charles decrees that we give up these freedoms.

“If we resist,” he continued, “we’ll face great suffering. But can we give away our inheritance? Which should we choose—to fall into the hands of man or the hand of God? I say we must choose God!

“To give up our charter would be a sin against God!” he proclaimed. “Who of us would dare to sin against God? We must stand on God’s side at all cost!”

As Mather finished, he saw tears running down people’s faces. When the vote was taken, it was unanimous not to submit. Boston had taken a strong stand against the King of England. Soon other towns in Massachusetts did the same.

Charles II was furious. He determined to send Colonel Percy Kirk and five thousand troops to make Massachusetts obey. Word of “Bloody Kirk’s” coming reached Mather in February of 1685. The minister shut himself in his study to pray for a whole day.

O Lord, we’ve put ourselves in Your merciful hands, he prayed. We’re like Daniel, who wanted to follow You. Then King Darius demanded that everyone pray only to the king. Daniel knew this would mean disobeying You. Daniel could not disobey You, so he disobeyed the king. When Darius sent him to the lion’s den, You saved him. Lord, we need You to save us now, too.

God spoke to Mather’s heart that day and assured him the colony would be safe. Sure enough, two months later, word arrived that Charles II had died. The invasion was cancelled! Colonel Kirk would not be coming. When Mather figured out the day of the King’s death, to his amazement he found that it was the day he had spent in prayer!

The new king of England, James II, did not send Kirk, but he did send Sir Edmund Andros. And Andros sought to put down any resistance to the King in the colonies. First, he ordered that Anglican services be held in the Old South Meetinghouse. (The Anglican Church was the same as the Church of England.) This would force the colonists to worship in the Church of England again. Next, he tried to take away all their charters.

“Hand over your charter!” Andros demanded one night at the meetinghouse in Hartford. “You Connecticut people must bow down to the king!”

The treasured document lay on a table in a room filled with candles. All of a sudden, the candles went out! There was a great commotion.

“Get that document!” Andros ordered. “Don’t let them have it!”

It was too late. When the candles were lit again, the charter was gone. Someone had hidden it in the hollow trunk of an old oak tree. Andros never found it.

In 1689, William and Mary took over the throne of England. Peace returned to the colonies until the French and Indian War began in 1754. England fought against France and their Indian allies. George III became king in 1760 during this war.

When the war was over, England had captured a great deal of France’s territory in the New World. This pleased George III because he wanted to keep the French out of North America and protect England’s interests. But there were problems: The war had been expensive and had left England in debt. King George decided the colonies should pay for the British troops he sent to America to defend them. Since the colonies had no representatives in Parliament, they could not object. Parliament began passing tax laws.

First came the Molasses Act of 1733. This act required a six cent tax on each gallon of molasses that was not purchased from the British West Indies. This act hurt many merchants in the northern colonies. The old hated Navigation Acts had been repealed by the British Parliament, but King George III brought them back. He sent customs officials to collect new taxes. These officials were greedy and kept much of the money for themselves.

The Stamp Act of 1765 required the colonists to pay for British stamps. The stamps were expensive and the colonists had to put them on all printed matter from marriage certificates to newspapers. The colonists protested, and Parliament finally repealed it.

But the tax laws did not end there. In 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts. These forced the colonies to pay taxes on glass, paint, paper, lead, and tea. George III was proving to be a selfish, conceited monarch who was no longer just raising money to pay for troops in America. Now he was raising money to pay for England’s adventures around the world!

The mood in America began to turn ugly. Colonists started resisting the taxes and called themselves Patriots. They formed Committees of Correspondence which sent letters throughout the colonies. These letters told everyone what was happening. And these Committees became very important to the resistance effort.

In Boston, Jonathan Mayhew spoke out in favor of resistance. “When our officials rob and ruin us, they’re nothing but pirates. The king is bound by oath to uphold our legal rights. As soon as he sets himself above the law, he becomes a tyrant. He is no longer a king, and his subjects no longer have to obey him.”

A lawyer in New York named William Livingston wrote, “Courage, Americans . . . the land we possess is God’s gift to us. Soon, we will be writing an American Constitution.”

Ministers across the land supported resistance too. Many of these ministers had lived through the Great Awakening. They wanted to help further God’s plan for America. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” they preached. “When a ruler opposes God’s will, his subjects cannot follow God’s will. We must stand fast. We must not submit to a yoke of slavery.

“We don’t want to rebel. We want peace, and we must work toward peace. But if resistance is the only way, then we must resist.”

In 1770, England withdrew all of the Townshend Acts, except the one on tea. In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act because the colonists had refused to buy British tea. This act helped the British East India Tea Company by permitting the Company to sell tea directly to the colonists without selling it to a colonial company first. It could sell its tea for less than any of the American companies could sell theirs.

The colonists were furious. The Committees of Correspondence dispatched urgent letters. “Don’t let the Company unload its tea,” they said. “Stop them from selling the tea!”

And in Boston, the colonists did just that.

Samuel Adams was the chief organizer among the Patriot leaders in Boston. He planned protest meetings where people promised they would not drink any British tea. He wrote articles for the Boston newspapers protesting British tyranny and arguing for the rights of the colonists. One time he wrote that “the rights of the colonists as Christians were best understood by reading the New Testament.” Adams was a strong Christian and regularly took days of prayer and fasting to beseech God to help the Patriot cause.

When three ships docked at Boston Harbor with cargoes of tea, Adams was ready for them. He had made sure that no Boston men would unload the tea and was hoping that the ships’ captains would then get permission from the governor to sail the ships back to England. The governor kept refusing to give his permission, because British law said that if the taxes had not been paid in twenty days that the governor could order soldiers to take the cargo from the ships and give it to British officials to sell. He thought he could just wait until the twenty days were up, tell the soldiers to take the cargo, and force the colonists to buy the tea.

But Samuel Adams had been praying, and he had a plan.

Adams organized a Patriot meeting at Old South Meetinghouse for the afternoon of the twentieth day, and during the meeting he sent one of the ship captains to ask one last time for the governor’s permission to take the cargo back to England.

December 16 was chilly outside, but twelve-year-old Benjamin sat with his father and about 5,000 other people jammed into the meetinghouse. There were people everywhere, even sitting on the stairs, and with all those warm bodies packed together it was plenty hot in the old church. Benjamin was too young to go with his father to most Patriot meetings, but this time Father had brought him along. He had told him that something important was probably going to happen, and that if it did, he wanted Benjamin to be there so he could remember it forever.

Mr. Adams was speaking. “I tell you that free-born Englishmen are not required to submit to the tyranny of an unjust tax on tea or anything else. We have made our own laws and governed ourselves in this colony for 154 years, and Parliament has no right to cram laws down our throats when we have no representatives in that body!”

Just then, the back door to the meetinghouse swung open. A man Benjamin didn’t recognize walked in, looked at Samuel Adams, and shook his head. That must be the captain, Benjamin thought.

Immediately Mr. Adams cried out: “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country!”

Benjamin knew that was some kind of signal, because suddenly several dozen men in the back of the church dressed like Mohawk Indians gave a few war whoops and left the church. Then everyone else got up and went out. “Come on, Ben, hurry up!” said his father. “We’re going to the harbor.”

They followed the throng of people down the narrow streets to the waterfront, where three British tea ships owned by the East India Tea Company were tied to Griffins’ Wharf. By now it was dark, and the moon was rising. Its light shone on the water of the harbor. Benjamin could hear dogs barking in the distance.

He noticed dozens of the “Indian” men with feathers in their hair moving toward the wharf. Their disguises aren’t very good, he thought. Anyone can see that they’re just colonists dressed like Indians! He squinted his eyes. I wonder what they’re going to do?

Benjamin watched as groups of these men boarded each of the three tea ships and disappeared down a hatch. In a moment they all came back on deck and began throwing boxes clearly marked TEA over the harbor side of the ships.

“Father, they’re dumping tea into the water!” he exclaimed, with his eyebrows raised high. His father said nothing. No one else was talking either. There was total silence.

The men did not stop until they had dumped the tea from all three ships into the harbor. As people started to leave, Benjamin’s father said to the man next to him, “Well, we’ve turned Boston harbor into a teapot tonight!”

Benjamin knew that what had been done would lead to further trouble.

And it did. As soon as King George III heard about the Tea Party, he demanded that the men who had done it be found and arrested. But no one seemed to know who they were, and if they did know they weren’t telling! The King decided to punish the entire city by closing the port. This meant the colony could not import food or supplies. It was also a warning to the other colonies. “They’ll not get away with this!” the King declared.

By now, the truth was becoming clear. If the King could close the richest port in the colonies, he could close any port. If he could ruin their tea companies, he could ruin all colonial merchants.

The colonists’ anger erupted. Patriots everywhere joined together to help Boston in her hour of need. Towns in North and South Carolina donated barrels of rice. People in Connecticut gave sheep. A Virginian named George Washington promised money. Maryland and Virginia sent aid too. The Boston Tea Party had united the colonists in their cry for freedom.

The Committees of Correspondence warned the colonists, “If England can do this to Boston, she can do this to any of us. George III has become a tyrant. We have no king . . . no king but King Jesus!”

In August 1774, William Prescott of Pepperrell, Massachusetts, posted a letter to Boston, “God has placed you where you must stand the first shock. We are all in the same boat. We must sink or swim together. Our forefathers died that we might be free. Let us all be of one heart. Let us stand fast in the freedom Christ has given us.”

In October 1774, Massachusetts Patriots held a Provisional Congress. Its President, John Hancock, declared: “We must humble ourselves before Almighty God. We must ask Him if we are wrong in some way. We must pray for a peaceful settlement to our differences.”

But the Congress also wrote to the colonists of Massachusetts: “If God does not will peace, then we must resist. It becomes our Christian duty to resist. Continue steadfast, and remember that our dependence is on God. Defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man can take from us!”

It was now early in one of the most important years in American history—1775.

The Southern colonies also had many Patriot leaders. Among them was Patrick Henry of Virginia. Like Samuel Adams, he was also a strong Christian believer. On March 23, Henry addressed the Virginia Revolutionary Convention gathered at St. John’s Church in Richmond. As he began speaking, the delegates sat forward on the edge of their seats, because he was speaking with a passion and power that they had never heard before from anyone.

“There is no longer room for hope. If we wish to be free, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!”

Every eye was riveted upon Henry.

“We are not weak. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations, and He will raise up friends to help us.

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?”

Henry stood with head bowed, shoulders hunched like a chained slave.

After a pause, he lifted up his head, and shouted: “Forbid it, Almighty God!”

There was not a sound in the church.

Patrick Henry knelt down and bent toward the floor, as if weighted down by British oppression. After a long moment, he struggled to his feet and spat out the words: “I know not what course others may take, but as for me . . .”

He threw his arms wide open, as if throwing off chains, and thundered, “Give me liberty!”

When the echo of his voice had died away, he let his left hand drop to his side. Then, striking his breast with his right fist, as if driving a dagger into his heart, he cried out, “Or give me death!”

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven. . . . A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8

Resistance in the colonies was growing, and England wanted to crush it. King George appointed General Thomas Gage as governor of Massachusetts. General Gage was also the commander of all the British soldiers in America, including the troops quartered in Boston. In February 1775, Parliament declared that the colony of Massachusetts was in a state of rebellion.

The Bible teaches that God honors obedience with His blessing. He does not honor disobedience. Did He honor the colonists who sought independence? Did He favor their cause? The answer lies hidden in the battles that were coming.

———

“To arms, to arms!” the rider shouted. “The war’s begun! They’re heading for Concord!” Paul Revere slowed his horse as he approached Lexington, Massachusetts. He had galloped from Boston to sound the alarm. He shouted again and then sped off to warn the others.

It was early morning on April 19, 1775. The men in the Lexington militia had rushed from their houses to gather on the green. For many months they had been preparing for this day. Now it was here. It was time to fight.

“Stand your ground!” Captain John Parker called to the militia. “Don’t fire unless fired upon. But if they want war, let it begin here!”

Jonas Parker, the captain’s cousin, rammed a musket ball down the three-foot-long barrel of his musket. Then he put his hat on the ground and filled it with more balls. I won’t run from these Redcoats and their bright jackets, he thought. On his left, Isaac Muzzey stood beside an open keg of gunpowder. Muzzey watched while Jonathan Harrington filled his powder horn. Harrington’s wife was looking at them from the upstairs window of their house on the green.

Gage thinks he’s going to outsmart us, Muzzey thought. He thinks he’s going to capture all the arms and gunpowder stored in Concord. But he’ll have to get by us first!

The morning light shone through the shade trees on the green. The sky was clear. The church bell that had been sounding the alarm during the night had stopped clanging. All was quiet.

“Here they come!” someone cried. The men faced the east corner of the green. They saw the first ranks of a column of British soldiers—several hundred soldiers! Captain Parker quickly realized what he must do.

“Scatter!” he commanded. “There are too many of them! Don’t fire. Scatter into the countryside.” Parker knew that his few men could not stand up to so many. Instead of fighting at Lexington, they would go ahead of the British to Concord and join themselves to that town’s militia.

Parker’s men turned to retreat. The Redcoats broke ranks and charged across the lawn. Confusion engulfed the green.

Major John Pitcairn, the British officer in charge, was losing control of his troops. He yelled out, “Soldiers, don’t fire! Keep your ranks! Form and surround them!” The major turned toward the militia and shouted, “Throw down your arms! We won’t harm you.”

But then a pistol shot rang out, and another (and the only pistols on the green that day were carried by the British). Several other shots were fired, and then a young British officer yelled “Fire!” Many of the Redcoats discharged their muskets at the same time in a volley. None of the Lexington men were hit. As smoke from the British muskets covered the green the Redcoats quickly formed back into lines and loaded their guns for a second volley.

“Throw down your arms!” a British officer on horseback called out. “Why don’t you rebels lay down your arms?”

As if in answer a few of the militiamen fired their muskets. A British officer pointed his sword at the colonists and shouted, “Fire! Fire!” His soldiers fired a well-aimed second volley that tore into the militia. Jonas Parker fell to the ground, badly wounded. He later died. Isaac Muzzey and Jonathan Harrington were killed. In all, the British killed eight of the Lexington militia and wounded ten.

Some of the British chased the Patriots into the woods. The rest marched down the road toward Concord. Their fifes and drums could be heard fading away in the distance. Quiet returned to the green.

The Battle of Lexington had lasted less than fifteen minutes, but it marked the beginning of the War of Independence.

Seven hundred British Redcoats reached Concord late that morning. By the time they got there, the powder, balls, cannons, and muskets had all been hidden. The main body of Redcoats stayed in Concord while search parties went in different directions to look for Patriot militia.

The largest group of soldiers marched out of town and up the road toward the North Bridge that spanned the Concord River. There they sent a squad of one hundred men across the bridge to guard it from the other side and went on. While this was happening, colonial militia from the surrounding towns were rushing toward Concord.

As soon as the larger group of Redcoats left, the Patriot militia that had been following the British from across the river filed down toward the bridge and the Redcoats.

“Pull back across the bridge!” a British officer commanded. “Pull back!”

After they ran across the bridge, a few of the British turned and fired. And then a Redcoat officer ordered a volley, which cut down several militia.

“Fire!” an American officer yelled. The militia fired back.

The British soldiers were shocked. This was not like Lexington! These colonial militia were not running away. They were standing their ground and firing back. And they could shoot!

The first British squad knelt to reload. The second took aim behind them.

“George,” said one British soldier looking behind him, “where’s the third squad?”

George looked back over his shoulder. There was nobody there! The third squad of British soldiers had run away from the bridge.

“Scatter!” he yelled.

Immediately, the rest of them panicked and ran back to Concord. When the rest of the British arrived there they decided they had better return to Charlestown quickly the way they’d come.

But their nightmare was just beginning.

The militiamen were ready and waiting for them. All along the way, they set up ambushes for the marching British column, firing from behind trees and stone walls.

“Over here, Thomas!” Ben pointed to a thick hedge. “We can fire from behind here.”

“James, you and John take cover by that stone wall up the road,” the captain ordered. “Shoot from there!”

The march was horrible for the British. Patriot militia seemed to be behind every tree and stone wall. The Redcoats could not properly fight a battle when they could not even see their enemy! They were worn out from all the marching and fighting. And by the time they reached Lexington, they were almost out of ammunition. Men were being cut down every few yards. They could not take much more.

Just then the soldiers heard the sound of bagpipes.

“Captain, it’s General Percy!” a British lieutenant yelled. “He’s come with help!”

Sure enough, Percy had arrived with a thousand fresh men and two cannons. The cannons kept the militia from getting too close to the retreating column. The British sent the fresh troops out along both sides of the road, so the Patriots weren’t able to set up as many ambushes, but the British kept losing men.

The worst fighting of the retreat happened at Menotomy, near Charlestown. There several thousand Patriot militiamen gathered. They were waiting for the British, firing at them from the windows of houses on both sides of the road. The British soldiers went into every house, and the fighting inside was fierce.

The hero of the day was Sam Whittemore, who was 80 years old. Armed with a musket, two pistols, and an old cavalry sword, he hid behind a stone wall and waited. When the Redcoats came near he began shooting. A large group of British came looking for him. He stayed hidden until they were close, and then jumped up and shot one Redcoat with his musket. Firing both pistols he killed two more. He was drawing his saber when a musket ball hit him in the face, knocking him down.

The Redcoats stabbed him over and over with their bayonets until they were sure they had killed him.

Only they hadn’t.

Miraculously, even with part of his face shot away and thirteen bayonet wounds in his body, Sam recovered. He lived until he was 98 years old. He said that if he ever had the chance, he would do it all over again.

The British finally made it back to Charlestown.

But the Americans celebrated a victory. They had done it! They had stood up to the greatest military power on earth and beaten them badly.

Ministers everywhere reminded the Patriots whom they should thank. “As long as we keep our hearts right, God will shower His blessings on us,” they preached. “But we cannot take pride in our own strength. It is the Lord of heaven and earth whom we must thank.”

The Reverend Samuel Langdon proclaimed, “If God is for us, who can be against us? Let the Lord be our refuge and our strength.”

———

In New Haven, Connecticut, a young captain named Benedict Arnold marched his men to Massachusetts.

“I think I can take Fort Ticonderoga from the British,” he told the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. “It’s located on the southern end of Lake Champlain. If we take it, we’ll command the waterway from New York City to Montreal. And we’ll stop the British from coming down from Montreal.”

The Massachusetts men listened. Arnold continued. “We can use the fort’s cannons to fight in Boston. Canada might join us in our fight against the British.”

The Massachusetts Provincial Congress agreed with Arnold and made him a colonel. He departed for Canada immediately. Colonel Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys from Vermont joined forces with Arnold on May 9, 1775.

The next day the men crept forward through the gray fog of early morning. They spotted the fort just ahead.

“Look there.” Allen whispered. “The gate is open. Let’s take it!”

The men rushed in. A sentry raised his musket and aimed at Allen, but the gun did not fire. A few Redcoats appeared, but the Americans quickly took them prisoner. Allen stormed up the stairs to the quarters of the fort’s commander, Captain Delaplace. He banged on the door.

When Delaplace opened it, Allen roared at him: “Deliver this fort instantly!”

“By what authority?” Delaplace replied.

“In the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!” Allen thundered.

Delaplace ordered his forty men to lay down their arms. God had given the Americans the gateway to New York.

———

On June 15, Colonel William Prescott and his men learned that Gage planned to occupy the Charlestown Neck and Dorchester peninsulas. These were two peninsulas located to the north and south of Boston. The British already held Boston and its harbor. If the Redcoats could take these two peninsulas they could cement their hold on Boston. The Americans knew they had to move fast.

“O Lord, we seek Your divine protection this day,” Reverend Langdon prayed as the men bowed their heads. “We place ourselves in Your hands as we do what must be done. Have mercy on us and protect us.”

Prescott and his troops moved onto Charlestown Neck. They began to fortify Breed’s Hill, one of the two hills located on the peninsula. It was slightly closer to Boston than the other hill, known as Bunker Hill. The Patriots worked through the night of June 16. They dug a redoubt, which was a fortification on the hill.

By morning, General Gage had learned the colonial forces were there. He ordered an attack.

“Open fire!” he commanded his ships in the harbor. “We’re going to settle some old scores today. We’re going to watch these Yankee Doodles run!”

Gage committed one-third of his entire force to the operation. This would be an important victory. The winner would gain a big advantage. Gage appointed General William Howe as field commander.

Howe loaded his forces into small boats to cross over to Charlestown Neck. On reaching shore, the Redcoats formed two lines. Howe himself led the charge.

“I don’t expect any one of you to go any farther than I’m willing to go myself!” With that, Howe pulled out his sword and started up the long hill.

The climb was not easy. Drums beat out the call to advance. Behind Howe marched two lines of Redcoats. Their ranks were straight and even. Their eyes looked straight ahead. But something was wrong. Where was the enemy? What were they waiting for?

They were waiting for the command to fire. “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” Prescott ordered. At last he yelled. “Fire!” The Americans blasted the enemy’s lines at close range with musket fire. The British fell back with heavy losses.

Howe quickly got his men back into position. The British began to advance up the hill again. This time, Prescott let them come even closer than before. When they were less than ninety feet away, he ordered his men to fire again. The entire British front rank was destroyed. The Redcoats broke their formation and ran down the hill to the boats.

Howe was not going to give up. He changed his tactics. This time, he directed his men to charge the redoubt with bayonets. Once again, Prescott waited to give the order until the British were at close range. But this time the Americans did not have enough ammunition. Redcoats poured over the wall.

“If you have a bayonet, meet them!” Prescott ordered. “The rest of you retreat to the rear of the redoubt. Then take aim!”

The Americans stayed in position as long as they could. Some used their muskets as clubs, but they could not hold the British back. Colonel Prescott finally ordered a retreat.

Strangely, Howe did not pursue Prescott and his men. He easily could have taken Cambridge, which was only two miles away. And he could have taken thousands of Patriot prisoners. But he chose to stay where he was. This was just the first of many golden opportunities the British would miss during the war.

The British had won the battle of Bunker Hill, as it came to be called. But the victory cost them dearly. Nearly half of their 2,200 soldiers had been killed or wounded. The Americans lost only 441 men out of the 3,000 who fought.

Amos Farnsworth, a corporal in the Massachusetts militia, wrote about that day in his diary:

Oh, the goodness of God in preserving my life, although they fell on my right hand and on my left! O may this act of deliverance of thine, O God, lead me never to distrust thee . . .

———

The Americans had resorted to arms, and God seemed to be blessing their cause. But their militia was not yet strong enough. The colonists needed an intelligent, skillful military leader. As always, God had just the man in mind. His name was George Washington.

Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:15

It was a warm morning in June 1775. The tall, blue-eyed Virginian walked toward his horse. The man looked handsome in his new general’s uniform of cream-colored breeches and a blue coat. A band played as people crowded the Philadelphia street in front of him.

The general felt embarrassed by all the fuss, but these people wanted to wish him well, and he was grateful for that. The general reached his horse and mounted. His country had called him into service. God had given him an important task. He was headed for Boston to take command of America’s new Continental Army. He waved to the people and rode off.

Who was this great man?

He was George Washington, the man God chose to help America in her greatest hour of need.

———

One week later, General Washington reached Cambridge, Massachusetts. Thirteen thousand American troops were camped around Boston. They were volunteers who had come from different colonies to fight in the Continental Army. They carried their own weapons and knew how to use them. They were farmers and townspeople who had answered the call to arms.

But Washington knew they were not yet soldiers. Most of them had never had any military training. The general’s first task was to get his army into shape.

Every morning after prayers, Washington issued new orders such as these:

The General expects all soldiers to obey the regulations that forbid cursing, swearing, and drunkenness.

The General also expects and requires all soldiers to attend Church services, carrying their arms and ammunition with them.

General Washington was especially concerned that the soldiers not curse using God’s name. One time he wrote an order that said the army could not expect God to favor the American cause if they kept on insulting Him by swearing and taking His name in vain.

Washington organized his staff and replaced officers who could not do the job. He ordered constant training exercises to teach the men the proper way to march and use their weapons. Soldiers who refused to obey orders were punished. Slowly, the Continental Army began to take shape.

The man chosen to lead this army was more than just a general. He was a man of God who practiced his Christian faith. Washington respected the Bible as the Word of God and observed the Sabbath by not working and attending worship services whenever possible. He maintained a daily prayer life.

After the Continental Congress appointed him, Washington quickly realized how much they would need God on their side. Congress had little power to make or enforce laws. The army badly needed ammunition and supplies. But Congress could only raise money when the colonies agreed. And getting the colonies to agree was difficult. Clearly, General Washington would have to rely on God’s providential help for the army.

While Washington prepared his troops, the Continental Congress approved a plan to attack Canada. They were hoping to prevent the British from smashing down into America from the north. Two separate Patriot armies advanced by different routes toward Quebec, the main British fortress on the Saint Lawrence River.

Colonel Richard Montgomery left Fort Ticonderoga with one army and proceeded toward Montreal. Sickness and bad weather slowed them down, and they did not reach Montreal until late fall. Montgomery captured Montreal and moved on.

Benedict Arnold led the second army up the Kennebec River in Maine into the Maine wilderness. But everything went horribly wrong. First, their riverboats leaked, ruining much of their ammunition and supplies. Then vicious, icy rapids damaged the boats even more. On October 18, 1775, the men slaughtered their two remaining oxen for meat. Over the next four days, a driving rain raised the river ten feet. More boats and supplies were lost. By October 25, the rain had turned to snow and brought the army to a halt. Some men ate candles to stay alive.

“We wandered through the swamps, cold and wet,” the army’s doctor wrote. “We were lost. Many men died from hunger and exhaustion.”

For three unbelievable days and nights, the men stumbled through the frozen Maine wilderness with nothing to eat. Only six hundred and fifty men survived to arrive across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec.

Montgomery’s forces joined them on December 2. The Americans had very few men and very little ammunition. They had to act fast.

“We’ll wait for a stormy night,” Montgomery told Arnold, “and attack from two different directions. I’ll take one group and you take the other.”

The attack failed. Montgomery was killed, and Arnold was wounded. With the British forces in pursuit, the Patriots retreated back across the river. Gradually they fell back to Fort Ticonderoga.

Now that they were back on American soil God’s blessing seemed to return. When the British sent their gunboats down Lake Champlain to take Fort Ticonderoga, Benedict Arnold’s soldiers turned into sailors and quickly cobbled together a fleet of river boats and sailboats that could carry guns. The brave little American fleet fought on until the British had sunk all their boats, but they stopped the Redcoats from taking the fort.

Why did so many things go wrong with the Canadian Campaign? Perhaps the Americans had stepped outside God’s will in invading Canada.

Perhaps God did not want Canada to become part of America.

———

Washington was meeting with his officers. The soldiers were drilling outside the headquarters tent. It was November 1775, and the weather in Massachusetts was turning cold. The worst problem was that many of the volunteers had only promised to be in the army for a few months. When their promised time was up, they left for home. Washington was worried. His army was shrinking.

“Sir, we’ve got to drive the British out of Boston soon,” a major general said, “or we won’t have enough men left to mount an attack. We’re losing our army.”

“But how are we going to do it even if we have the men?” another asked. “We have no ammunition or cannons. We can’t attack without cannons.”

The general sat quietly at his table, listening to the discussion. He had been praying about this, but God had not yet revealed an answer.

“If we only had a dozen mortars,” one officer wished, “or a dozen twelve-pounders. If we only had a dozen anything!”

The situation looked hopeless.

“Wait a minute. What about Ticonderoga?” The officers looked at the colonel who spoke. “Arnold and Allen captured cannons when they took the fort. Arnold said he’d transport the artillery back to Boston.”

“But that was in April when the roads were dry,” a brigadier countered. “It’s almost winter now. The roads are muddy and icy. We could never get the guns across the mountains.”

Washington stood up and walked around to the front of the table. He leaned against it and crossed his arms.

“Gentlemen,” he said, “I sense the hand of God at work here. Colonel Knox, this is a job for you. What do you say?”

“I can do it, sir,” Henry Knox answered.

Knox kept his promise. On the following January 18, over fifty pieces of artillery arrived in Cambridge, dragged by oxen on sleds through the snow all the way from Fort Ticonderoga!

“Gentlemen,” Washington said to his officers, “now we can attack. First, we’ll fortify Dorchester Heights, just south of Boston. From there we can bombard the city and the British ships in the harbor.”

“Sir,” one of them argued, “we still don’t have enough gunpowder. And the ground is frozen. How can we dig a fortification? The British will blow us off the hill!”

“The Almighty showed us how to get the cannons. He will make a way for this,” the general replied.

And He did. A young engineer, who happened to visit one of Washington’s generals, noticed a book on field engineering. In it he found a drawing of a piece of French equipment called a chandelier. This was a section of wood which held fascines, which were large bundles of sticks. The engineer rushed to tell General Washington.

“General,” he said excitedly, “if we construct these chandeliers, we can form a barrier against the British if they try to attack us. It’ll be as good as a trench!’

“I see,” the General replied. “We’ll do it. But we’ll add something extra. We’ll attach barrels of stones to the front of each chandelier. When the British advance, we’ll knock the barrels loose. They’ll roll down the hill right into the Redcoat lines! I’ll have Colonel Knox draw up the plans.”

On the night of March 4, construction began. A ground mist covered their work at the base of the hill. The British could not see a thing. An inland breeze carried any noise away from British ears. Once the pieces were fastened, the men loaded them onto large wagons. Horses trudged up the hill, pulling the wagons. At the top of the hill, a clear moonlit night helped the Patriots see what they were doing. God was clearly on their side, because the Redcoats neither saw nor heard anything they were doing.

At dawn, the British discovered American cannons pointing straight at them from Dorchester Heights across the inlet! They could not believe it. General Howe called a council of war.

“We have to attack,” Howe ordered. “Have the men ready to go over with the next tide.”

While the British were waiting for the tide a huge storm blew up. It continued all night, and the British could not strike. By morning, Howe had concluded the American position had become too strong and his troops and his ships were now in danger. He decided to withdraw from Boston. Two weeks later, he moved his troops to New York. Boston now belonged to the Patriots.

In all of this, the hand of God seemed obvious. General Knox had been able to transport the cannons by sled from Fort Ticonderoga. The young engineer had discovered the book on chandeliers. Even the changing weather had assisted them. Not a single life had been lost. It was truly a miracle.

On entering Boston, the Americans encountered a terrible truth. The British had no respect for the house of God. They had burned the pulpit and pews in the Old South Church for fuel. They had trained their horses in the sanctuary and set up a liquor store in the balcony. Altogether, the British would demolish fifty churches throughout the colonies during the war. The Americans realized that their battle with Britain was really a spiritual battle.

———

As winter turned to spring in 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a day of fasting and prayer for May 17. It was time to ask the Lord’s forgiveness, but also to seek His guidance. For the Congress now faced a tough question: Should the colonies remain under British authority? The Loyalists said yes. They hoped the King would grant peace. The Patriots said no. They saw the King as a hardhearted tyrant. The colonies were divided.

England was divided too. Not everyone agreed with King George and the Parliament. Some supported the American cause and would not serve in the armed forces. The King had to hire German soldiers to get enough troops to fight the Continental Army.

On May 10, 1776, town meetings across Massachusetts voted in favor of independence. On May 15, the Virginia Convention voted for independence.

Yet, the delegates to Congress were still divided. In June Richard Henry Lee of Virginia formally proposed that Congress declare independence. “These united Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States” he said. John Adams seconded the proposal.

Congress now had to vote on the proposal. After a day’s debate, the Congress took a three-week break to let the delegates return home and find out what the people thought should be done.

In the meantime, Congress appointed a committee of five men to draft a declaration. Thomas Jefferson prepared the draft:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal. . . . We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America . . . appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World . . . do . . . Publish and Declare, That these United Colonies are . . . Free and Independent States. . . . And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we . . . pledge to each other our Lives, Our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

On June 28, the convention of Maryland voted for independence. Then word reached Philadelphia that New Jersey was sending new delegates who would vote for independence.

On July 1, the debate in Congress continued. John Adams rose to his feet.

“Before God, I believe the hour has come,” he said. “All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope to be in this life, I am now ready to stake upon it. . . . I am for the declaration. . . . It is my living sentiment, and . . . my dying sentiment. Independence now, and Independence forever!”

No one spoke. Just then, the door swung open. Dr. John Witherspoon hurried into the room. He and the two other New Jersey delegates were covered with mud.

“Gentlemen,” he stated, “New Jersey is ready to vote for independence.”

The first vote was taken that afternoon. Eight of the thirteen colonies voted yes with New Jersey. Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted no. New York did not vote. Delaware’s two delegates split their vote. Congress set the next day for the final vote.

The delegates had decided that any vote for independence would have to be unanimous. That meant that if any colony voted against independence they would not declare it. Little Delaware had become the key. Delaware’s third delegate, Caesar Rodney, needed to be there to break the tie with his vote in case the other two Delaware delegates split their vote again. An express rider was dispatched to fetch him.

Rodney was in bed asleep when the rider arrived at his home in Dover, Delaware, after midnight.

“Sir, you must come to Philadelphia at once,” the messenger panted. “The vote is tomorrow.”

“Get my horse,” Rodney ordered.

The distance to Philadelphia was eighty-nine miles. Rodney rode through the black night, battling cold rain and fierce winds. He crossed swollen streams. Sometimes the mud was so deep in the road that he had to get off and lead his horse on foot. He realized that his vote could make all the difference.

He also realized that a vote for independence might cost him his life. He had cancer of the face, and the only doctor who could help him lived in London. If the colonies declared independence, the war between America and Britain would continue for a long time. He probably wouldn’t be able to get to the doctor in England before the cancer killed him.

Rodney arrived at one o’clock the next afternoon. Two people carried the exhausted man into the assembly hall.

“Sir, how do you vote?” Chairman John Hancock asked.

“My people favor independence,” Rodney declared. “I agree with them. I vote for independence.” Rodney slumped into a chair.

His vote made all the difference, for the other two Delaware men had split their vote again. Delaware had voted for independence, along with eleven other colonies. Once again, New York had not voted. So, the vote was unanimous. It was decided. The thirteen colonies had just become the United States of America.

The afternoon sun shone into the hall. Some of the delegates stared out the tall chamber windows. A few wept. Others bowed their heads, closing their eyes in prayer.

Suddenly, John Hancock broke the silence, “Gentlemen, the price on my head just doubled!” The men chuckled. Samuel Adams rose to his feet and announced, “We have restored God’s proper rule in American government. He reigns in heaven. And from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come.”

The date was July 2, 1776. A new nation had been born. But this nation still had to win its freedom. Would the rays of God’s light and glory shine through the days ahead?

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:18

As news of the Declaration spread, Patriots everywhere celebrated. Church bells rang while guns exploded and crowds cheered. An excited John Adams mailed two letters to his wife Abigail on the same day. In the first, he wrote, “It is the will of heaven that the two countries should be separated forever. It may be the will of heaven that America shall suffer calamities still more dreadful.”

The Declaration became official on July 4, when the President of the Congress, John Hancock, signed it. In his second letter, Adams predicted that the anniversary day of July 4 would become “the most memorable . . . in the history of America.” He went on to add, “I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.”

The newborn nation now confronted her greatest challenge. She had to win her independence by resisting the greatest military power on earth. Would she be able to pass the test?

———

The celebration of America’s independence quickly died away. As soon as the Redcoats left Boston, Washington transported his troops to New York.

The nearby Hudson River was the gateway north. Washington knew the British would want to control it. That way they could split the New England colonies away from the others and crush the rebellion in the north. Then they could turn on the Southern colonies and defeat them. Washington was determined not to let this happen. He decided to stand and fight at the American-held town of Brooklyn on the western end of Long Island, across the East River from Manhattan.

On July 2, the same day the Declaration was passed, a huge British invasion force under General Howe landed at Staten Island, New York. By August 22, twenty thousand British and German troops were ready for battle on the southeast shore of Brooklyn. Facing them were barely eight thousand Americans under Washington. Five days later, the British had almost surrounded the Americans. Howe ordered an attack on August 27.

Washington watched the battle through his field telescope. By afternoon, the Americans were trapped, backed up against the East River with the whole British army in front of them. They waited for the final British assault. They waited and waited and waited. Yet, amazingly, Howe did not attack!

The next morning, the British still had not moved. On the day after that the Americans continued to wait while the British guns remained silent. In the late afternoon, a cold rain began to fall.

By now, Washington had a plan. “This is giving us valuable time,” he told his senior officers. “We might be able to do it.”

“Do what, sir?” a brigadier-general asked.

“Move the troops across the East River,” he replied. “This northeast wind will stop Howe’s fleet from sailing up the river and cutting off our escape. We’ll ferry our men across by boat and join our forces on Manhattan.”

“But sir, it’s a full mile across the river!” another general pointed out. “We have eight thousand troops to carry, and mostly small boats. I don’t think we can do it. I say we should stay and fight.”

“No,” said the general. Washington had made up his mind.

At first, the Americans battled choppy waters in the storm. But after midnight, the wind died away and the oarsmen guided the small boats through the still waters. One by one, each regiment of soldiers came down to the beach and waited in line to be taken across the river. Washington stationed a few regiments of troops at the front lines so the British would not suspect anything.

As the dawn approached on August 30 the Americans were worried. They knew that as soon as it got light enough for the British to see, the troops still left on the Brooklyn shore would be captured.

Suddenly, just as the light rose, a heavy fog began to rise from the ground and off the water. The American troops could barely see one another. But the British couldn’t see them either! The Patriots kept on ferrying men across the river. The fog remained until the last boat had left the Brooklyn shore, carrying General Washington. Then it lifted. The British rushed to the shore and started firing at the boat, but the Americans were just out of range. It was a miracle! Eight thousand American soldiers had safely escaped over to Manhattan. God’s favor was clearly upon the Patriots.

Once again, Howe waited before crossing to Manhattan, just as he had done at Bunker Hill. Washington withdrew the outnumbered Continental Army from Manhattan and began a long retreat through the length of New Jersey. He had a habit of advancing to fight little engagements at the edges of the British army, but then retreating to avoid fighting major battles that he couldn’t win. This earned General Washington much respect from his enemy. They began to refer to him as a “cunning fox.”

But as the end of the year approached, spirits in the Continental Army were low. Many of the men’s time of enlistment would be up on December 31. If Washington was going to do something bold, he had to do it before then. The general decided to attack Trenton.

“We’ll attack at dawn on December 26,” he told his officers. “The German soldiers there won’t be expecting anyone the day after Christmas.”

As Washington’s troops loaded into small boats, a violent snow and hailstorm suddenly came up. Once again, the Continentals had the aid of their strongest Ally. The blinding storm prevented the Hessian guards from detecting anything. The surprise was complete. In forty-five minutes of combat, the Americans took a thousand German prisoners.

British General Charles Cornwallis, who had been put in charge of the British operations in New Jersey, immediately marched troops to Trenton.

“Sir, you must attack at once!” his officers pleaded.

“I can bag the fox in the morning,” Cornwallis replied with confidence.

“Sir, if you trust those people tonight,” his quartermaster general warned, “you’ll see nothing of them in the morning.”

The quartermaster was right. In the dead of night, the Continentals stole away, right past Cornwallis’s troops. At Princeton, they drove back a support column on its way to join Cornwallis. In this battle Washington reined in his horse just thirty yards in front of the British lines and yet wasn’t hit when they fired a volley at the American troops behind him!

This victory, following the one at Trenton, caused Americans everywhere to rally in support of their general and the army. Many new volunteers answered the call to arms.

But that winter would bring a terrible time of testing for the Continental Army.

———

The general sat on his horse and watched the soldiers shuffle through the falling snow. They were tired and cold. Some had no coats. Others had no boots. Some men with bare feet left bloody footprints in the snow. The general grieved for his men and for his country. They had just lost Philadelphia, the capital of their government, to the British. Liberty and independence now seemed like hollow words.

It was December 1777. The soldiers were headed toward Valley Forge, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. Washington had chosen this place as their winter camp.

December was cold, and January brought both snow and rain. The soldiers built log huts, but it was impossible to stay warm. They did not have enough to wear, and the huts were drafty. Congress had promised to send clothing and food but had sent paper money instead. The countryside had been stripped of provisions, and the local farmers weren’t willing to sell the food they did have to the army in exchange for the paper money. Washington and his men were frustrated.

And they were hungry. Most meals consisted of nothing more than “firecake”—wheat or cornmeal mixed with water and baked over the fire. Sometimes a supply wagon with salt pork or dried fish got through enemy lines. But this was not often. Most of the time, the men remained hungry. By February, they were down to their last twenty-five barrels of flour. Many men were dying of fevers and the flu.

Valley Forge was a terrible time for the American army. In the 1600s the Pilgrims and Puritans had faced their starving times. Their grandchildren had suffered the horrors of Indian uprisings. Now Valley Forge was the dark night in the young nation’s soul. The enemy slept in warm quarters in Philadelphia. They were eating good food. The Americans were freezing and dying. At Valley Forge, the soldiers had to decide whether to give up their quest for freedom. They had to decide if it was worth the cost to stay with the army and keep on fighting.

Their general believed that it was. He knew God would somehow deliver them. But the soldiers had to believe it too. God used the sufferings of Valley Forge to make the Continental Army as tough as steel.

Just as God had sent Squanto to the Pilgrims, He now sent a special agent to the Continental Army. Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben was a captain from the Prussian army. Washington assigned von Steuben the task of making the men into a professional army.

“No, no!” von Steuben yelled in German, with an English interpreter at his side. “That’s not it. You’ve got to load and fire those muskets together.” The men tried again. “That’s more like it. I want a volley every fifteen seconds.”

“No one is going to desert this army,” the captain barked. “You’re going to stay and learn how to fight. I’m going to make real soldiers out of you. And you’re going to beat those Redcoats!”

Captain von Steuben was a demanding drillmaster. He made the soldiers practice until they got it right. As March turned into April, the soldiers’ morale greatly improved. They marched as one. They drilled as one. They could even produce a volley every fifteen seconds.

On the first of May 1778, General Washington received news that France was coming into the war on the side of America. The dark night was over. The French were allies! With that news, the volunteers and supplies began pouring in from all over the country. Washington declared a day of thanksgiving.

That spring, General Henry Clinton replaced Lord Howe as overall commander of the British forces. On June 18, Clinton pulled the Redcoats out of Philadelphia for New York. And the Continental Army swung out of Valley Forge right behind him.

But this was a different army from the one that had trudged down the road six months before. Now there was a sharpness to the beat of the field drums. There was pride in each step. The American Patriots were a real army now.

They caught up with the British at Monmouth, New Jersey. When one of the American field commanders mistakenly ordered a retreat, Washington spurred to the front of the army to rescue it from disaster. Back and forth he rode, urging the men to form ranks again and giving them an example with his quiet courage. No man could look at him that day and not take heart. The Patriots stopped, turned, and fought the British to a standstill.

Monmouth marked the last time the two main bodies of the British and American armies would be within striking distance. For the next two years, the action involved only smaller units.

Since the British had not been successful in the north, they looked toward the south. But by 1781, even this southern campaign was not going well. One of the main reasons was the perseverance of the rebel soldiers. As the Patriot General Nathanael Greene put it, “We fight, get beat, rise and fight again!” If the Americans could not win by numbers or ammunition, they would win by sheer will power.

And the help of God.

After General Daniel Morgan’s victory over the British in the Battle of Cowpens in January 1781, he was forced to flee north from Lord Cornwallis’s huge pursuing army. If he and his men could get across South Carolina and North Carolina and into friendly Patriot territory in Virginia, they would be safe. But they had to cross three major rivers swollen by the winter rains. And there were no bridges.

When Morgan’s men reached the Catawba River, the British were just two hours behind them. Morgan got his men across just before a sudden rainstorm raised the water level so high that the British were delayed for two days before they could wade across.

The hand of God was even more obvious at the Yadkin River. When the British got there they could plainly see Morgan’s men marching away on the other side of the river. But in the few hours between the Patriots’ crossing and Cornwallis’s arrival, the water level had risen so high that the British couldn’t wade across!

Morgan’s men kept ahead of the British. Finally they were ferried across the Dan River into friendly Virginia on February 14 in local farmers’ rowboats. When Cornwallis’s army reached the Dan there were no boats for his army—they were all on the opposite bank!

The British began to be worn down by the Patriots’ determination to keep on fighting until they prevailed. The climax finally came in October of 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis had ended up letting his army be surrounded by Washington’s combined force of French and American troops. He wasn’t worried, for he had arranged for a British fleet from the north to come and take his army back to New York.

However, a French fleet prevented the British navy from being able to reach them. Now he was trapped.

On the night of October 16, Cornwallis attempted to get out of the trap by ferrying his men across the York River under cover of darkness. But a sudden, violent storm of wind and rain came up from nowhere. By the time the storm ended, it was close to dawn. It was too late. Cornwallis raised the white flag of surrender before noon.

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves on the sunny afternoon of October 18. In an open field behind Yorktown, the American and French forces formed two lines. The French were dressed in fresh uniforms and new, black-leather leggings. The Americans wore buckskins, homespun shirts, and faded blue-and-white coats known as “continentals.”

In the distance came the sound of British marching drums. The officers appeared first on horseback. Then came the soldiers. Some were angry. Some were weeping. The Americans stood straight and tall, watching in silence. “Ground muskets!” each British officer commanded. The soldiers flung their rifles to the ground one by one.

General Cornwallis could not bring himself to turn over his sword in person. He sent a deputy to do it. Washington assigned one of his deputies to accept the sword. When the surrender was finally finished, the American soldiers shouted for joy. It was over. America had won!

The British signed the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783. This treaty recognized the independence of the United States. The last British troops left New York in November.

———

The senior officers of the Continental Army gathered at Fraunce’s Tavern in lower Manhattan for the farewell luncheon.

“With a heart full of gratitude,” General Washington began, “I now take leave of you.” His voice cracked as he tried to control his emotions. “Our past days have been filled with glory and honor. I hope your future days will be the same.” Washington raised his glass in a toast to his officers.

Then he said, “I would be honored if you would come and take me by the hand.”

Henry Knox walked forward. With tears in their eyes, the two men shook hands and embraced each other. One by one, the remaining officers did the same. No one said a word. Nothing needed to be said. These men had fought together and won the independence of their country.

One more duty remained for the General of the Continental Army. He had to resign his commission. He journeyed to Annapolis, Maryland, to appear before Congress.

“Sir, we’re prepared to receive your communications,” the President of the Congress said.

General Washington rose and bowed to the members. Then he congratulated Congress and listed the names of the officers who had been especially faithful in their service to him.

Washington held his speech with trembling hands.

“As my last official duty, I want to commend the interests of our dear country to the protection of Almighty God,” Washington said. “I now take my leave.”

Washington pulled his commission from the breast pocket inside his uniform coat and handed it to the President of the Congress.

At last he could return home to his beloved Mount Vernon.

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it.

Psalm 127:1

America was free. Now the nation could obey its special calling from God. This was His plan. From Columbus through the War of Independence, God had been establishing a nation that could live in obedience to His Son, the Lord Jesus. He was creating a fellowship of believers that could become a beacon of light in a world of spiritual darkness. This was a new drama in the history of mankind. God wanted this country to demonstrate how He intended for His children to live together under the Lordship of Christ.

But after the war, the United States did not act very united. Individual states feared losing their power and began to act like separate countries. They issued their own currency and taxed other states’ goods. Instead of following the Covenant Way, the newborn republic was gradually turning aside.

How would God make sure His plan continued? What would He do to make it possible for future generations to live the Covenant Way? And what does this mean for us today?

———

Many leaders of the new nation saw the problems and wanted to do something about them. One of these was George Washington, who was home at Mount Vernon.

Washington walked up the long brick path to the main house. A gentle breeze blew in from the Potomac River. He had just finished his early morning ride. As he passed the willows, he thought about how much he loved this place. He was glad to be home now. Yet, his mind could not stop thinking about America’s problems. And as he thought about it sadness filled his heart. The states are pulling away from each other, he thought. We’re not united at all. What did we fight for? What did we die for?

Washington stepped into his study and sat down at his desk. As he gazed out the window, he prayed: Lord, help us become one. Help us trust You. Help us live out the Covenant Way of our forefathers.

Washington pulled a sheet of paper from the drawer. He dipped his quill pen into an inkbottle and began to write another letter. He had begun a letter-writing campaign to the men who were in a position to shape opinion in America.

“The very fabric of our nation is being torn apart,” he wrote. “We must work together as a family. If we don’t, we’ll lose the freedoms we just fought and died for. Something must be done.”

That “something” turned out to be a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. It was held in Independence Hall. After much debate, the delegates decided to write a constitution for the new country. For the first time in history, men had the opportunity to freely write a new constitution for their own representative government.

The delegates chose George Washington to be the President of the convention. Washington was God’s man for the job. The delegates argued constantly, and at times things got ugly when tempers flared. But the dignity of Washington’s presence preserved the meetings, and he kept everything under control. He directed the sessions but never entered the debates, and only shared his beliefs between the sessions. To many Americans, Washington symbolized the spirit of unity that was needed.

“We must have a central government that is strong enough to govern our nation,” some members argued.

“But the states must keep certain rights,” others countered.

“A state’s population should determine how many representatives it has,” demanded the people from the bigger states.

“No,” those from smaller states said. “That would give the larger states power over the smaller states. Each one should have the same number of representatives.”

On and on they went, but the convention was deadlocked and growing more bitter. Part of the New York delegation went home in disgust, and others were preparing to leave. But God once again had mercy on America. And this time He used eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin.

The elder statesman rose to his feet. “At the beginning of the war,” he said calmly, “we prayed for divine protection. Our prayers were answered.

“I have lived a long time. The longer I live, the more I see that ‘God governs in the affairs of man.’ If a sparrow cannot fall without His notice, can an empire rise without His aid?”

Franklin wiped his glasses and continued talking. “The Bible assures us that, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.’ We can only build our house in America with His help.

“I therefore move that from now on, we begin each session in prayer, asking for assistance and blessing from heaven.”

This speech marked the turning point. Nearly all of the delegates were Christians of one kind or another. Franklin strongly encouraged them to turn to God for His help. The delegates soon moved forward with the business of crafting a new constitution. They signed it on September 17, 1787.

“We, the people of the United States . . .” These words begin the oldest written constitution still in effect today. It set up a federal system of government which included a Federal government and separate state governments.

The United States Constitution is one of the most astounding documents ever written by man. For two hundred years it has withstood the test of time. Why does it work so well? One reason is that it was divinely inspired. A second is that it is the product of nearly two hundred years of Puritan political thought. Because the Puritans understood human selfishness, they believed that government should be set up to prevent any one person or group of persons from controlling everyone else. The Constitution accomplishes this by dividing the power of the Federal government between three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. By calling for Americans to care for each other, the Constitution enables them to continue to live the Covenant Way.

On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the Untied States. He requested that a Bible be brought, and then stepped onto the balcony of Federal Hall in New York. Placing his hand on the Bible, he took the oath of office. A great cheer went up from the crowd as church bells rang and cannons boomed.

The new President went inside to deliver his inaugural address to Congress.

“I must express my gratitude to the Almighty,” he said. “No people can acknowledge the invisible hand of God more than the people of the United States. Every step toward independence was protected by His hand. Let us remember that the smiles of Heaven will continue on a nation only when it heeds the eternal rules of right and order.”

———

“America, America, God shed His grace on thee . . .”

From the beginning, God has abundantly answered this nineteenth-century prayer we sing so often. There is no way to measure how much of God’s grace is poured out on this nation as a result of the obedience of the earliest Christians. But now, the grace seems to be lifting. It is time to heed the warning signs.

The signs are many. They extend from changing weather patterns to violence and drugs. They include incurable diseases and depressed economic times. The list goes on, but it is important only when we realize that it is God’s way of getting our attention.

For a whole nation to return to the Covenant Way seems impossible. But it has been done before. We have the biblical example of Nineveh to prove it. Nineveh was the biggest and most powerful city of its age. God was about to destroy it, but He gave it one last chance through the prophet Jonah. Nineveh repented, and the entire city was spared. Today God is calling Christians everywhere to repent:

If My People, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

That verse calls us to humble ourselves and to turn away from all the wrong things in our hearts and in our lives.

How do we do that? By following Jesus each and every day. To do that that we must first accept the fact that He loves us and died on Calvary’s cross to pay the price for our sins. When we take Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, God forgives us and we become His children. Then we can live each day by listening inside for His still, small voice to guide us.

Why is this so important? First, so that we can be faithful disciples of Jesus. Second, so that we can care for other people. God promises blessings to those who live in obedience to Him.

But these blessings are not just for individuals; they are also given to whole countries. A country can only be moral and just if its people are moral and just.

Today God is calling us to renew our covenant commitment to Him and to one another. If each one of us does this, we will be filled with the Light of Christ. And then, when enough of us are joined with others who show forth the Light of Christ, we can together become a blaze of His light and His glory . . . for all the world to see.

Glossary

adultery (n)—sexual intercourse outside of marriage

ambush (n)—a surprise attack; (v) to set an ambush

ample (adj)—enough, adequate

artillery (n)—large weapons such as cannons and mounted guns

assault (n)—a sudden attack

banish (v)—to send away or dismiss

batten (v)—to fasten

bayonet (n)—the steel blade fixed on the end of a musket or rifle

bilge (n)—the area where the bottom and sides of a ship join that collects dirty water

breakers (n)—waves that break into foam

caravel (n)—a fast, small sailing ship

cask (n)—a barrel

charter (n)—a written grant of rights made by a government to a person or a group

commission (n)—an official military document which bestows rank

commoner (n)—a person who does not have a title of nobility

compassion (n)—sorrow or pity for others

covenant (n)—a special agreement made between two or more persons

decompose (v)—to rot or decay

delegate (n)—a representative acting on behalf of a colony or state

drought (n)—a long spell of dry weather, without rain

emigrate (v)—to leave one country to settle in another

enlistment (n)—the period of time for which someone signs up for something

evangelize (v)—to preach the Gospel

excommunicate (v)—to cut off from the privileges of church membership

executive (adj)—the branch of government which administers the law; (n) the President of the United States is the Chief Executive

fool’s gold (n)—pyrite, a metallic ore which looks like gold

fortification (n)—a fortified place

fortify (v)—to strengthen a place against attack

fortress (n)—a fort

friar (n)—a member of a religious order

harbor (n)—a protected section of the sea, used as a port for ships

hatch (n)—an opening in the ship’s deck

headwind (n)—a wind blowing against the course of a ship

helmsman (n)—the man who steers a ship

heresy (n)—beliefs outside accepted doctrine

horizontal (adj)—a position which is parallel to the horizon; the opposite of vertical

hull (n)—the body of a ship

humbly (adv)—to act without pride

immigrant (n)—a person who comes into a new country

inlet (n)—a narrow strip of water between two pieces of land

interpreter (n)—a person who translates a foreign language

judicial (adj)—the branch of government which interprets the law; judges and courts. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the Federal judicial branch

lee (n)—the side of something that is away from the wind

legislature (n)—a body of persons with the power to make laws for a state or country

maravedis (n)—a Spanish copper coin worth about 1/3 cent

massacre (n)—the killing of a lot of people

merciful (adj)—showing mercy and compassion

militia (n)—the military organization of colonial men in every town

monastery (n)—the place in which monks live

morale (n)—the feeling of enthusiasm or courage

musket (n)—a firearm with a long barrel; used by soldiers before the rifle was invented

navigation (n)—the plotting of the course of ships

outskirts (n)—the part of a town outside of its center

palisade (n)—a fence of stakes especially for defense

pantaloons (n)—trousers

Parliament (n)—the national legislative body in Britain

patent (n)—title to land

patriot (n)—a person who loves and supports his country

peninsula (n)—land almost entirely surrounded by water

persecute (v)—to treat cruelly over a period of time

perseverance (n)—persistence

provisional (adj)—temporary

redoubt (n)—a fortification

reef (n)—sand or rock that lies near the surface of the water

reform (v)—to correct or make better

regiment (n)—a unit of soldiers, usually about a thousand

repent (v)—to be sorry for your sins

repentance (n)—the state of being sorry for your sins

reputation (n)—a person’s character in the eyes of others

resent (v)—to take offense

revelation (n)—a disclosure of something

revival (n)—a new interest in religion

revolt (v)—to rebel against the government

ritual (n)—a set form of worship

rudder (n)—a movable piece of wood used for steering a boat

Sabbath (n)—a word for Sunday used in the Bible

scholar (n)—a student

scurvy (n)—a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C; on long sea voyages, it was prevented by drinking lemon or lime juice

sentry (n)—a guard

shallop (n)—a small open boat, fitted with oars and sails

siege (n)—a military blockade used as an attempt to win in battle

starboard (n)—the right-hand side of a ship

steadfast (adj)—sturdy

tactics (n)—military training to oppose an enemy force

tether (v)—to fasten an animal with a rope or chain

tiller (n)—the handle that turns a boat’s rudder

tithingman (n)—the man who enforced the church rules in Puritan New England

trespass (v)—to cut across the rights or property of another

tyrant (n)—a cruel ruler

unanimous (adj)—united in opinion

vertical (adj)—at a right angle to the horizon; the opposite of horizontal

volley (n)—firing weapons at the same time, as a group

yoke (n)—something that binds together

zeal (n)—enthusiasm

Study Questions

Chapter 1: Christ-Bearer

1. What reason did Columbus give for sailing into the Atlantic Ocean? Who gave him the idea?

2. What rewards did Columbus demand from Ferdinand and Isabella? What do they show about his character?

3. What three miracles happened on the first voyage? Why do you think that God waited for Columbus to ask Him for a miracle?

4. When did Columbus’s vision begin to change? What tempted him to change it?

5. List three points from this chapter that indicate God did have a plan for America.

Chapter 2: If Gold Is Your Almighty

1. Did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella believe in God? How do you know?

2. Name two ways God tried to reach Columbus.

3. Was Columbus a “Christ-bearer” even though he sinned? Why or why not?

Chapter 3: Martyrs for Jesus

1. Look up John 12:24. How does this Scripture apply to the first missionaries who came to the New World?

2. Why did God choose monks to spread His Light into the dark land?

3. What did the early monks find when they arrived? What did they do about it?

4. What is a martyr? Name two from this chapter.

5. Compare Father Jogues with Columbus. How were they alike? How were they different?

Chapter 4: The Lost Colony

1. The English made two very bad decisions in regard to the Indians. What were they?

2. This chapter tells of the first English attempts to colonize America. How many expeditions were there, and how did each of them end up?

3. Where do you see the hand of God in the story of the Lost Colony?

4. One of America’s greatest mysteries is what happened to the Lost Colony. What do you think happened to them?

Chapter 5: Jamestown

1. What did the Virginia Company tell people in order to raise money for the new colony? Was it true?

2. How did the arguing and fighting among the colony’s leaders hinder God’s blessings on the settlers?

3. Who was Robert Hunt? How did he prove to be a man of God?

4. Give three reasons that kept God from richly blessing the colonists at Jamestown.

5. By His providential mercy God intervened a number of times to keep the Jamestown colony from failing. What were those times, and what happened?

Chapter 6: To the Promised Land

1. What was God’s plan for America? How did the Pilgrims fit into it?

2. What happened to the Speedwell? Why did God let this happen?

3. Name two events on the Mayflower that illustrate God’s hand being on the Pilgrims.

4. Why did the Pilgrims write the Mayflower Compact? Why is it important?

Chapter 7: “God Our Maker Doth Provide”

1. What prepared Squanto for his role at Plymouth?

2. Why did the Pilgrims stay at Plymouth when Captain Jones left?

3. Explain the difference in the way the Jamestown settlers and the Pilgrims felt about the following:

a. planting corn

b. the Indians

c. God

4. What were the “five kernels of corn”?

Chapter 8: Thy Kingdom Come

1. Why did the Puritans feel they had to leave England?

2. What did the Puritans hope to do in the New World?

3. Who defined covenant love? What did he say?

4. How did the Pilgrims demonstrate Christian love toward the Puritans?

5. Did John Winthrop understand the meaning of commitment? Why or why not?

Chapter 9: The Puritan Way

1. What are some adjectives that would describe the Puritans?

2. The heart of the Puritans’ lives was their willingness to deal with what?

3. God pruned His vineyard in New England for two purposes: to do away with bad growth and to encourage good growth. What three people illustrated this? How?

Chapter 10: King Philip’s War

1. Why did the Puritans begin to turn their hearts away from God?

2. According to Deuteronomy 8, what do we receive if we obey the commandments of the Lord?

3. What incident touched off the Indian uprising?

4. How did God use the “Praying Indians” to help the colonists?

Chapter 11: The First Great Awakening

1. The Great Awakening was a revival. Where did it start? What is a revival?

2. Where did George Whitefield begin preaching in the open air as Jesus did?

3. What important message did George Whitefield deliver to the colonists?

4. Where did he preach his last sermon?

Chapter 12: “No King but King Jesus!”

1. Is it ever permissible to resist lawful government authority? When?

2. List three tax acts passed by Parliament that hurt the colonists.

3. How did the other colonies respond when the King closed the port of Boston?

4. How did Samuel Adams outsmart the governor?

5. Patrick Henry believed that the colonies could stand up to the might of Great Britain. What are two of the reasons he gave?

Chapter 13: War!

1. What battle marked the beginning of the war for Independence?

2. List four instances of God’s favor in the battles of Lexington and Concord.

3. Why do you think General Howe did not pursue Prescott after the Battle of Bunker Hill?

Chapter 14: The Birth of a Nation

1. What were the spiritual secrets of George Washington’s leadership? Do you see any of these characteristics in yourself? In others?

2. Why did the attack on Canada fail?

3. Give three instances of God’s aid to the colonists during the war.

4. Why was Caesar Rodney’s vote so important? Why was he risking his life with his vote?

5. Why was the Declaration of Independence so important?

Chapter 15: The Dark Night of a Nation’s Soul

1. Why did the British call General George Washington “a cunning fox”?

2. What made things hard for the soldiers at Valley Forge? What was God’s purpose in allowing this?

3. What European country decided to help the Americans?

4. Name at least four times that you can see God’s hand favoring the American cause during the war.

Chapter 16: Building the House

1. What document sets up the legal framework for God’s plan in America?

2. How did Benjamin Franklin’s influence save the Constitutional Convention?

3. What role can you have in promoting God’s plan for our great country?

Answers to Study Questions

Note: There are some questions that can be answered only by the reader, because the answers depend on the reader’s thoughtful reactions to the contents of the chapter.

Chapter 1: Christ-Bearer

1. a. He wanted to find a trade route to the Indies, and he wanted to take the Gospel of Christ to the people of distant lands.

b. He said that the Lord had put these things in his mind.

2. a. Columbus insisted on governing the lands he discovered, on being given one-tenth of all the wealth he would find, and on being named an admiral.

b. He was allowing his desire for power and riches to take control of his heart.

3. a. During the last three days before Columbus had promised to turn back, strong winds pushed the ships across the ocean; they saw signs of land; and then sighted land just a few hours before the deadline.

b. God wanted to teach Columbus to depend on Him.

4. a. Columbus began to lose his vision to evangelize the Indians when they told him about the gold on other islands south of San Salvador.

b. His desire for wealth tempted him.

5. a. God prepared Columbus to make the voyage that would discover the Americas.

b. God caused the King and Queen of Spain to agree to finance Columbus’s plan.

c. God guided Columbus across the Atlantic Ocean to San Salvador.

Chapter 2: If Gold Is Your Almighty

1. Yes, because King Ferdinand told Columbus that “We are responsible to God for the welfare of our people. . . .”

2. God tried to reach him through the terrible storm just before the Niña reached the Azores and by speaking to him when he was sick on board ship with a fever.

3. Yes, because even though he allowed the search for gold to become more important to him than telling the Indians about Jesus, he never lost his faith in Jesus.

Chapter 3: Martyrs for Jesus

1. John 12:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” The missionaries were like the grains of wheat in the verse, and when they were put to death because of their faith, God used their sacrifices to spread the Gospel.

2. Because they loved Jesus so much that they were willing to sacrifice their lives in service to Him, if necessary.

3. They found a beautiful continent to explore, and Native Americans who did not know about Jesus Christ. They explored many parts of North America and told the Indians about Jesus.

4. A martyr is someone who is put to death for his or her faith in Jesus Christ. Father Jean de Brébeuf and Father Isaac Jogues were martyrs.

5. Both Father Jogues and Columbus loved Jesus and wanted to tell the Indians about Him, and both traveled far away from home to do so. But Columbus let his heart be seduced by the love of gold, and Father Jogues remained faithful to Jesus to the end of his life.

Chapter 4: The Lost Colony

1. They burned their houses and destroyed their corn crops, and they attacked a village of innocent Indians.

2. There were four: the 1584 Barlowe and Amadas expedition returned safely to England; Sir Richard Grenville’s 1585 expedition left fifteen men at Roanoke and their fate is unknown; in 1587 John White left 112 colonists at Roanoke when he returned to England; and when White returned to Roanoke in 1590, he found no colonists there.

3. a. The love and kindness of the Indians to the Barlowe and Amadas expedition.

b. The Indians sharing their food with Grenville’s colonists, and Wingina teaching them to catch fish with weirs and giving them corn fields.

c. The Indians forgave the English for White’s mistaken attack on Manteo’s relatives.

d. The defeat of the Spanish Armada, which enabled John White to return to search for the Lost Colony.

4. a. They went to live with the Chesapeake Indians.

b. They were all killed by Powhatan’s warriors.

c. They ran away to the west, into the interior of the country.

Chapter 5: Jamestown

1. The Virginia Company said that their purpose was to “preach and baptize into Christian religion” the Indians in the New World. This was not true—they did not do it.

2. The arguing and fighting kept them from hearing God’s guidance and following it.

3. Robert Hunt was a godly Anglican minister who came to Jamestown in 1607. He preached God’s Word faithfully, did more than his share of the work, took care of the sick, led many of the dying to faith in Jesus, and prayed for everyone.

4. a. They did not follow God’s guidance about where to build the colony.

b. They were lazy and did not work hard enough to plant their own food crops.

c. They attacked the Indians—killing them, destroying their villages, and taking their crops.

5. a. God intervened two times through Pocahontas to keep Powhatan from killing John Smith.

b. God caused the Indians to bring gifts of food to the starving colonists.

c. God brought Lord De La Warr to Jamestown just in time to save the colony.

d. God arranged the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe, uniting the English and the Indians in a happy celebration.

Chapter 6: To the Promised Land

1. a. God’s plan for America was to form a new country where people would live by faith in Jesus Christ and obey God’s Word.

b. The Pilgrims believed in Jesus, sought to obey God’s Word, and followed God’s guidance to come to the New World.

2. a. The Pilgrims could not fix the Speedwell’s leaks, so they finally had to sell the ship.

b. God let this delay happen so that the fainthearted people would drop out of the expedition.

3. a. The rescue of John Howland from drowning.

b. The shoring up of the mainmast with the screw from Brewster’s printing press.

4. a. The Pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact because they needed to form a government for themselves.

b. It is important because it was the first constitution written on American soil. Also, it was the first time since the children of Israel in the Sinai wilderness (except for the Protestant Reformation) that free men and women had covenanted together to form their own government.

Chapter 7: “God Our Maker Doth Provide”

1. Squanto was kidnapped and taken to England, where he learned to speak English fluently, and then later sold as a slave in Spain. Spanish monks took him to their monastery and taught him about Jesus. He was able to interpret for the Pilgrims and he understood about their Christian faith.

2. They had learned to share the love of Jesus through their problems and trials, and by caring for one another they had become a big family. They did not want to separate.

3. a. The Jamestown settlers were lazy and unwilling to work hard planting crops, whereas the Pilgrims worked hard and made successful crops.

b. The Jamestown settlers attacked and killed the Indians, whereas the Pilgrims respected the Indians and had peaceful relations with them.

c. The Jamestown settlers said they believed in God but did not seek His will nor try hard to obey Him, whereas the Pilgrims sought God’s guidance and tried to put His Word into practice.

4. Five kernels of corn were placed on every Pilgrim’s plate during the 1623 Thanksgiving celebration, to remind them that God had brought them from a time of near starvation to a time of plenteous harvest.

Chapter 8: Thy Kingdom Come

1. They were unable to reform the Anglican Church from within.

2. They hoped to spread the Gospel, to practice covenant love with one another, and try to build God’s Kingdom in America.

3. John Winthrop defined covenant love as Christians loving one another and being knit together in the work God was calling them to do.

4. The Pilgrims sent their doctor, Samuel Fuller, to take care of the Puritans during their first winter at Salem, when so many were sick.

5. Yes. John Winthrop proved that he understood the meaning of commitment by a) writing about it on board the ship before they arrived, b) organizing the colonists at Salem for work, and setting them an example by working hard himself, and c) by using his own money to feed the colony.

Chapter 9: The Puritan Way

1. committed, caring, loving, serious, worshipful

2. Their own sins and the sins of others.

3. a. Roger Williams was separated from the Massachusetts Bay Colony because he did not believe that God could further the work of His Kingdom through imperfect people.

b. Anne Hutchinson was banished from the Bay Colony because she said that God had told her that He was going to ruin the colony.

c. Thomas Hooker was a healthy branch in God’s vineyard that He transplanted to Connecticut to develop a more democratic form of representative government.

Chapter 10: King Philip’s War

1. Because making money and buying land had become more important than staying close to God. They became independent and selfish.

2. Deuteronomy 8 teaches that if we obey the commandments of the Lord, He gives us the power to get wealth.

3. The murder of John Sassamon.

4. The “Praying Indians” became scouts for the Puritan armies and also taught the settlers how to fight like Indians, using trees for cover and setting ambushes.

Chapter 11: The First Great Awakening

1. a. The First Great Awakening began in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1734.

b. A revival happens when so many people get saved at the same time that whole towns and cities are changed for the better.

2. In Bristol, England.

3. Whitefield preached about God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ. He told the colonists that all men are equal and precious in the sight of God.

4. Whitefield preached his last sermon at Exeter, New Hampshire.

Chapter 12: “No King but King Jesus!”

1. Yes. When a government authority sets itself above the law, or opposes God’s will and commands the people to do so, then people are no longer obliged to obey.

2. The Navigations Acts, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts.

3. When the King closed the port of Boston, the other colonies sent gifts of food and money.

4. Samuel Adams arranged for the tea to be destroyed so the governor could not seize it and force the merchants to sell it.

5. That the colonies were not weak and that they would not fight alone, because God would raise up friends (other nations) to fight with them.

Chapter 13: War!

1. The Battle of Lexington

2. a. That not more Patriots were killed at Lexington.

b. That the British could not find the Patriot weapons hidden at Concord.

c. That the British broke and ran at Concord.

d. That Sam Whittemore was not killed at Menotomy.

3. Howe had lost many troops and was afraid he would lose more if he pursued the Patriots, and the Redcoats were too exhausted to pursue.

Chapter 14: The Birth of a Nation

1. He believed the Bible was the Word of God, he had a strong prayer life, and he trusted that God would guide him.

2. It was not the will of God.

3. a. When Benedict Arnold’s little fleet stopped the British on Lake Champlain.

b. When snowstorms enabled Henry Knox to bring Fort Ticonderoga’s cannons to Boston on sleds.

c. When storms prevented the British from attacking Washington’s position on Dorchester Heights.

4. a. Rodney’s vote broke the tie in the Delaware delegation. If he had voted no Delaware would have voted against independence, and it would not have been declared.

b. Declaring independence meant war with Britain, and Rodney might have died from the cancer before he was able to get to London.

5. Through the Declaration of Independence America became a nation equal to all other nations.

Chapter 15: The Dark Night of a Nation’s Soul

1. Because he fought little engagements at the edges of the British army but retreated to avoid fighting major battles that he couldn’t win.

2. a. the cold and drafty huts, the lack of food, the lack of adequate clothing, and the sickness and disease

b. God was testing the army to see if the men were willing to stay with the army and fight for freedom, even when it was hard.

3. France

4. a. August 30, 1776: The fog that rose off the land and across the river and hid the ferrying of the American troops across the East River.

b. December 26, 1776: The snowstorm that kept the Hessians from seeing the American attack at Trenton until it was too late.

c. January 1777: The fact that General Washington was not killed by the British at Princeton when he was only thirty yards away from them.

d. Winter 1778: The special gift of Baron von Steuben to the Continental Army.

e. January 1781: The drop in the water level of the Yadkin River to let the Americans across, and the sudden rise of the water to prevent the British from crossing.

Chapter 16: Building the House

1. the Constitution of the United States

2. His words encouraged them to turn to God for help, and they soon were able to create the Constitution.

3. Each one of us can renew our covenant commitment to God and to one another. We can humble ourselves before Him, and turn away from the wrong things in our hearts and lives. By living as faithful disciples of Jesus we can care for other people and help bring America back to God.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Summary

Epigraph

Reliving the Adventure

1: Christ-Bearer

2: If Gold Is Your Almighty

3: Martyrs for Jesus

4: The Lost Colony

5: Jamestown

6: To the Promised Land

7: “God Our Maker Doth Provide”

8: Thy Kingdom Come

9: The Puritan Way

10: King Philip’s War

11: The First Great Awakening

12: “No King but King Jesus!”

13: War!

14: The Birth of a Nation

15: The Dark Night of a Nation’s Soul

16: Building the House

Glossary

Study Questions

Answers to Study Questions

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