Offer unto God thanksgiving;
Psalm 50:14
"John Robinson (1575-1625) was the pastor of the Pilgrims after their removal to Holland in 1607-8, and many of his writings survive--giving us a direct view of the Pilgrims religious beliefs and
theology.
The Pilgrims' separatist movement can be directly traced back to John Calvin (1509-1564) and Calvinism, from which also descends Puritanism and Presbyterianism. The Pilgrims' separatist movement sprung up from primarily Nottinghamshire, where Richard Clyfton and John Robinson, both Cambridge alumni, began their preaching. Beginning in 1604 with the ascention of King James I, the persecution of Protestants increased, and the members of Clyfton and Robinson's church had to meet secretly, and were hunted continually by authorities--and when caught, thrown in jail.
Predestination.
The Pilgrims believed that before the foundation of the world, God predestined to make the world, man, and all things. He also predestined, at that time, who would be saved, and who would be damned. Only those God elected would receive God's grace, and would have faith. There was nothing an individual could do during their life that would cause them to be saved (or damned), since God had already decided who was going to be saved before the creation of the world.
Sacraments and Popery.
To the Pilgrims, there were only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. The other sacraments (Confession, Penance, Confirmation, Ordination, Marriage, Confession, Last Rites) of the Catholic and Anglican churches were inventions of man and were therefore not Holy. The Pilgrims opposed the mass, and considered marriage a civil affair (not a religious sacrament). The legitimacy of the pope, the saints, and the church hierarchy was rejected, as was the veneration of relics.
Infant Baptism.
The Pilgrims believed baptism was the sacrament which wiped away Original Sin, and was a covenant with Christ and his chosen people (as circumcision had been to God and the Israelites), and therefore children should be baptized as soon as practical.
Holy Days and Religious Holidays.
The Pilgrims faithfully observed the Sabbath, and did not work on Sunday. Even when the Pilgrims were exploring Cape Cod, to the Mayflower crew's dismay, they stopped everything and stayed in camp on Sunday to keep the Sabbaths. See: Mourt's Relation (1622), chapter 1. The Pilgrims did not celebrate religious holidays--Christmas and Easter being the prime examples. These holidays were invented by man to memorialize Jesus, and are not prescribed by the Bible and therefore cannot be Holy.
newnorth.net
"John Robinson (1575-1625) was the pastor of the Pilgrims after their removal to Holland in 1607-8, and many of his writings survive--giving us a direct view of the Pilgrims religious beliefs and
The Pilgrims' separatist movement can be directly traced back to John Calvin (1509-1564) and Calvinism, from which also descends Puritanism and Presbyterianism. The Pilgrims' separatist movement sprung up from primarily Nottinghamshire, where Richard Clyfton and John Robinson, both Cambridge alumni, began their preaching. Beginning in 1604 with the ascention of King James I, the persecution of Protestants increased, and the members of Clyfton and Robinson's church had to meet secretly, and were hunted continually by authorities--and when caught, thrown in jail.
Predestination.
The Pilgrims believed that before the foundation of the world, God predestined to make the world, man, and all things. He also predestined, at that time, who would be saved, and who would be damned. Only those God elected would receive God's grace, and would have faith. There was nothing an individual could do during their life that would cause them to be saved (or damned), since God had already decided who was going to be saved before the creation of the world.
Sacraments and Popery.
To the Pilgrims, there were only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. The other sacraments (Confession, Penance, Confirmation, Ordination, Marriage, Confession, Last Rites) of the Catholic and Anglican churches were inventions of man and were therefore not Holy. The Pilgrims opposed the mass, and considered marriage a civil affair (not a religious sacrament). The legitimacy of the pope, the saints, and the church hierarchy was rejected, as was the veneration of relics.
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| One of my ancestors was on the Mayflower- Samuel Fuller, who was raised by his uncle, Dr. Samuel Fuller, after the first winter when his parents died. |
The Pilgrims believed baptism was the sacrament which wiped away Original Sin, and was a covenant with Christ and his chosen people (as circumcision had been to God and the Israelites), and therefore children should be baptized as soon as practical.
Holy Days and Religious Holidays.
The Pilgrims faithfully observed the Sabbath, and did not work on Sunday. Even when the Pilgrims were exploring Cape Cod, to the Mayflower crew's dismay, they stopped everything and stayed in camp on Sunday to keep the Sabbaths. See: Mourt's Relation (1622), chapter 1. The Pilgrims did not celebrate religious holidays--Christmas and Easter being the prime examples. These holidays were invented by man to memorialize Jesus, and are not prescribed by the Bible and therefore cannot be Holy.
newnorth.net