If My People...God's Call for American Revival
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IIn 1620, one hundred-three men, women, and children boarded a small ship named the Mayflower in search of spiritual freedom. Bradford described their devotion…
“They knew they were pilgrims (Hebrews 12), but lift their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits... What could now sustain them but the spirit of God and His grace? May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; (Deuteronomy 26:5 & 7) but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their adversity, etc.” 4
After abandoning everything familiar, 51 of the 103 Pilgrims died during that first terrible winter. While the women and small children stayed aboard the Mayflower in dark, wet quarters, the men went ashore digging into the hillsides for shelter. They were cold! They were hungry! They were sick! But in spite of all their hardships, they were finally free to “set their desires on the ways of God and to enjoy His ordinances.” These spiritual pilgrims had received the best of the trade. Here was the seed! Here was the root! Here was the branch of every Liberty and material blessing later to be enjoyed by their descendants. Only a dream was necessary - “the vision of what could be...” and their determination to bring it to pass. This small group of 103 individuals established the beachhead of Liberty in a strange land. And the single root of their brave endeavor was a sincere, spiritual devotion.
Long before men like Jefferson ever started drafting the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution, William Bradford helped design our country's first blueprint for democracy – the Mayflower Compact. Prior to their landing, our Pilgrim Fathers framed a fair and equitable form of self-rule for the new Plymouth Colony. Each man freely agreed to... “covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.” 5
The seed of Liberty, originally being rooted in the desire for spiritual freedom, was growing toward its complete expression as our Pilgrim Fathers first set foot in this new land. A religious group of 103 individuals looking for an opportunity to worship God as they saw fit, was being transformed into a “civil body politic” - an institution of civil government.
Although forgotten by most Americans, the Pilgrims published a collection of laws in 1671 known as “The Book of the General Laws of the Inhabitants of the Jurisdiction of New Plymouth.” More commonly known as “The General Fundamentals,” this collection of laws for the Plymouth Colony is considered by some scholars to be our earliest Bill of Rights. Out of nine basic fundamental principles, the first article declared that all laws would be made by members of the colony or their representatives. Article two stated that the representatives would be elected annually. Article three declared that justice would be equally and speedily administered. Article four guaranteed that no one would be punished without due course and process of law. Article five provided for trial by jury with the provision to challenge any jury member. Article six declared that no judgment or sentence could be handed down without testimony of two sufficient witnesses, suitable evidence, or proof of circumstance. Article seven gave members of the colony the right to make personal wills. Article eight stated that the purpose of the Pilgrims' settlement within the American wilderness was the Liberty for pure worship of God without offense to others. Finally, article nine guaranteed that the eight, previous “fundamentals” would be protected without violation.
From a single root, the tree of Liberty was branching out, spreading its glorious crown over a nation yet unborn!
Although relegated to our distant past, the Pilgrims' role in bringing Liberty to this new land was not overlooked by generations immediately following them. The Pilgrims' descendants, and groups like them, were the same individuals who shaped our government. In searching for a motto that was descriptive of our people, Jefferson submitted...
“The children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.” 6
Jefferson's words truly describe the faithfulness God showed in guiding Liberty to complete fruition throughout our land. As with ancient Israel, our Fathers were led to create a system of government suitable for bringing about every
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About the Book
In 1831, French statesman, historian, and social philosopher - Alexis de Tocqueville, visited America to study the association between democracy and social values. In his two-part work entitled “Democracy in America,” Alexis de Tocqueville concluded, “Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts – the cradle of its infancy, and the Divine source of its claims... America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
The association between “moral goodness” and “national greatness” was not new. Long before Alexis de Tocqueville ever visited America, this truth was already stated in God’s Word, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)
Witnessing the demise of our “American Dream,” we must now reexamine the issue of “morality.” For a nation originally established on Godly principles, there is but one solution, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
About the Author
Married for twenty-three years, Edwin Woolsey is the father of three wonderful children, ages 22, 18, and 15. For the past 30 years, Edwin has worked as an elementary teacher in the Missouri public school system. Mr. Woolsey is a life-long student of the Bible and an ordained minister. Some of the author’s hobbies include gardening, fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities. His interests in literature encompass history/archaeology and science fiction.