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THE GENESIS OF THE PILGRIM CHURCH
And the duty is incumbent upon us, when the time ap- pears ripe, to aid in the reconciliation of all Protestant sects, to see that the terms shall be so inclusive and liberal that every succeeding generation shall delight to add a new link to the chain.
In the meantime, much light and leading may be drawn from the character and experience of those who in lonely exile and comparative freedom from prejudice and meddle- some interference, laid the foundations, broad and deep, of the civil and religious liberty, upon which alone, an en- lightened and durable civilization can be reared.
II
The Protestant Reformation in England lacked cohesion and consistency. It did not follow any clearly defined lines, but was sporadic, breaking out here and there in inde- pendent movements which were not only unrelated, but often fiercely hostile to each other. One of these departures from the Church, established by law, began near the North East Coast at the point where the three counties of York, Nottingham, and Lincoln converged. The little towns of Gainsborough, Scrooby, and Austerfield sheltered a group of scholarly, brave, zealous inquirers, who quietly and for conscience's sake, nourished their liberty, and with- out knowing it, were fanning a flame which was destined to become a beacon light of history.
One John Smyth was at the head of a Brownist com- munity at Gainsborough. William Bradford, religiously disposed from his early youth, was brooding intently on the signs of the times at Austerfield. William Brewster, relieved from the cares of diplomacy and court intrigue,
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THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
was wrestling with the religious problems of his day in the quiet retreat of Scrooby Manor. All of them were touched by the new light which was breaking upon the religion of England, and were cherishing a more than common interest in the deep things of a nation's spiritual life. Grave, devout men, they were concerned about the morals and manners of the age, and certain that the Church of Christ was drifting farther and farther from its Scriptural moorings. The National Church was anti- Christ. It had erred from the true faith of the Gospels. Its bishops and ordained clergy were worldly. Its church members were too frequently wanton and evil-livers; and beliefs which should commend themselves to the minds and consciences of men, and ought not to be accepted in any other way, were being forced upon them by laws, temporal and spiritual. What could these men do? It was against their conscience to feign satisfaction with things as they were and to make no protest. It was cowardly to consent to what was untrue, and criminal not to raise their voices in rebuke of wickedness in high places. Their own deep needs, and the spiritual hunger of those about them, made it necessary for them to meet together whenever and wherever they could safely do so, to worship in secret, - like the persecuted Covenanters of Scotland and Huguenots of France. The views they held were heretical. The protests they felt called upon to make against the teaching and ritual of the powerful churches of their day laid them open to fine and imprisonment. And, yet, the impulse to preach and to pray, and the obligation to prophesy, were irre- sistible. They could not be indifferent and would not be silent.
The leader in this daring movement was William
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THE GENESIS OF THE PILGRIM CHURCH
Brewster (1560 ?- 1644) , who belonged to a good family and received an excellent education, being for some time at Cambridge University. After leaving college, he, prob- ably in 1584, entered the service of William Davison, ambassador, and afterwards Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth. He was accounted a man of marked probity and practical wisdom, skilled in business affairs, and com- manding the confidence of his employers. He accompanied Davison on a mission to the Netherlands in 1585, and remained in his service until 1587, when, as Bradford informs us, "he retired into the country," to Scrooby Manor House, where he resided, and had charge of the postal-service. There he made the acquaintance of John Smyth, who was at the head of a Separatist community at Gainsborough (1602), and by whom he was greatly influenced, until he developed a strong personal interest in religion, and in "good preaching." Here in this historic house, which had sheltered Margaret, Queen of Scotland, Cardinal Wolsey, and Henry VIII, Brewster gathered about him able and godly clergymen and laymen, lovers of freedom and haters of religious persecution, Puritans and Brownists, who found in their host an ardent and generous sympathizer. On the Lord's Day, we are told that Brewster "entertained with great love" this group of godly heretics, who without binding themselves to any formal creed or ritual, such as those by which the age was so grievously tormented, "joyned themselves, (by a cove- nant of the Lord) into a church estate, in ye fellowship of ye Gospel, to walke in all his ways, made known, or to be made known, according to their best endeavors, what- soever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them."
It soon became obvious that the little community needed
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THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
a preacher and pastor, and it fell to the lot of one Richard Clyfton, sometime Vicar of Marnham in Nottinghamshire, and later, Rector of Babworth, near Scrooby, to become the first shepherd of the flock. He was well-known in that vicinity as a scholarly and godly man, beloved by people of varying belief, "a grave and reverend preacher." Though somewhat advanced in life, he was active and energetic, and had made himself greatly beloved through- out the outlying towns and villages. The fact that he was a beneficed clergyman did not prevent him from affiliation with heretics, or others similarly situated, from being members or ministers of dissenting congregations. It is conjectured that John Robinson (1576 ?- 1625) , a graduate of Cambridge, and curate in the Established Church, a man of great natural gifts and scholarly attainments, joined the Scrooby community in 1607. He became asso- ciated with Clyfton as teacher of religious doctrine, and with William Brewster as ruling elder.
The civil and ecclesiastical authorities were on the alert for heretics, and their attention was soon drawn to this little group of religious reformers. After the church had held together about a year, modestly exercising its inde- pendence, and doing quiet religious work in its own way, it was suddenly scattered by relentless persecution. Prelacy was bent upon restoring such men to its fold, or harrying them out of the land. There was no safety except in re- cantation, or in flight. They would not recant, and so were forced to think of exile. Some set out for Holland, but the captain, in whose ship they had taken passage from Boston, betrayed them, and their leader William Brewster was imprisoned and "bound over to the Court of Assize." In the summer of 1608, they were more fortunate. A
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THE GENESIS OF THE PILGRIM CHURCH
Dutch skipper, awaiting a cargo at Hull, agreed to take them to Holland. They were to meet him at a spot on the coast between Hull and Grimsby, far enough away from any town. A small bark was engaged to take them to the appointed place, and at the time fixed they gathered on the shore, but owing to delay on the part of the vessel which was to carry them away, and difficulties with their own boat, the authorities were apprised of their escape, and while the men, women, children and cargo were being embarked, they suddenly descried the approach of a great company with bills and guns and weapons, both on horse and on foot, who had arrived to prevent their escape. The fugitives were thrown into confusion. Some were on board the Dutch vessel, others were on shore, families were divided, their goods were confiscated, wives were sepa- rated from their husbands, and children from their parents. Those on board the ship asked to be put on shore again, dreading to be torn from those they loved, and to leave their families helpless and destitute, but the captain would not yield. He weighed anchor, spread sails, and amid tears and grief inexpressible, the once united and happy fami- lies were ruthlessly torn asunder. Their cup of misery was not even then quite full. They encountered a fearful storm at sea, in which they saw neither moon nor stars, and were driven towards the coast of Norway. For fourteen days they were in peril on the sea, often expecting every moment that the vessel would founder, distracted with fears, and crying unto the Lord to save them. Finally, after much anguish and suffering they arrived in Amsterdam. The fate of those that were left ashore was not less fearful. They fled from the soldiers, some making good their es- cape, and others, prevented by family ties, remaining to
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THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
take care of the women and children. Many of them were apprehended, and hurried from one court to another, des- titute, tormented, afflicted, until it was hard to know what to do with them. Women and children were homeless, friendless, forsaken, exposed to the cold, and fainting for lack of food. After their long misery, the sky cleared, and a way was opened for them; in the end, as Bradford graphically tells us, "notwithstanding all these stormes of opposition, they all gatt over at length, some at one time and some at another, and some in one place and some in another, and mette togeather againe according to their desires, with no small rejoycing."
III
The capital of the Netherlands afforded safe shelter for persecuted fugitives who were sober, thrifty, peaceable and law-abiding. The Scrooby contingent did not, therefore, find themselves strangers in a strange land. Two Sepa- ratist communities from England were already settled there, one which had fled from London in 1593, presided over by Francis Johnson, pastor, and Henry Ainsworth, teacher; and the other from Gainsborough, at the head of which was their old friend John Smyth. The former was a large and flourishing church, numbering three hundred communicants, the latter, which had existed there little more than a year, was not so strong. The fact that Amster- dam since 1573 had harbored all sorts of heresies, and had become famous in prose and verse as the breeding ground of schisms, was not favorable to the possibilities of unity and concord among the new settlers, who after sepa- ration and delay were at last united, with John Robinson
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THE GENESIS OF THE PILGRIM CHURCH
and William Brewster at their head. The two existing congregations were not at peace among themselves. They were torn by controversies and dissensions in which the Scrooby Pilgrims had no part, but into which they might easily be drawn. It was therefore decided, that in the interests of the community, it would be better to retire from the scene of so much ungodly strife, and to seek a home elsewhere, more favorable to their religious develop- ment. On the 12th of February 1609, they obtained per- mission from the authorities of Leyden to settle there, and on the 1st of May they removed thither. Amsterdam was the center of bustling commerce, while Leyden, though possessing great manufacturing industries, especially the spinning and weaving of cloth, was above all else academic. Its famous university, opened in 1575, attracted students from foreign lands, and continued, through the fame of such professors as Lipsius, Vossius, Heinsius, Gronovius, Hemsterhuis, Ruhuken, Valckenaer, Scaliger, Descartes, and Boerhaave, to be an intellectual power in Europe. Here the problems of learning, of philosophy, of theology, and biblical exegesis, were discussed with absolute free- dom, and before an audience sufficiently large and in- terested to produce, at times, unusual excitement.
When the Pilgrims arrived in Holland, they were with- out a pastor. Clyfton felt the infirmities of advancing years a sufficient obstacle to emigration. Still, John Robin- son and William Brewster, who were the last of the original flock to reach Amsterdam, remained with them. The former was elected and publicly ordained to be their minis- ter, the latter was chosen as their elder. The society num- bered about one hundred members, and steadily increased to three hundred. There were three deacons, two of whom
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THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
were John Carver and Samuel Fuller. After a while, they purchased a large dwelling, which in 1611 was used as pas- tor's residence and meeting-house. It stood under the shadow of the belfry tower of St. Peter's Church, and in the rear of it, twenty-one cottages were erected for poor emigrants.
The Pilgrims commended themselves by their devout- ness and high character to the citizens of Leyden, who showed them great consideration, and would have empha- sized this respect still more, but for the fear of offending England. The magistrates of the city were wont to con- trast their peaceable demeanor with the strifes and quar- rels of refugees from other nations. "These English," said they, "have lived among us now these twelve years, and yet we never had any suit or accusation come against any of them." They were the type of citizens who added strength and quality to any community. Their pastor was first and last a preacher and teacher; he concerned himself with his proper function, not turning aside to alien issues however tempting, but laboring incessantly to build up the lives of his flock on the truths and principles of the Gospel, and in all the ways of pure and godly living. His mind was of the type which resists foreclosure, lies open to the light, and adjusts itself to whatever truth of nature or of life presents satisfactory credentials. Not owing al- legiance to any stereotyped creed, he refused to set the seal of his authority upon any compendium of divinity, or final theological statement, however small, for the use of his followers; and so the Scrooby covenant, simple, posi- tive, practical, undogmatic, remained in Holland, and later in New England, the only compass by which the fathers guided themselves through the turbid waters of
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THE GENESIS OF THE PILGRIM CHURCH
religious controversy, by which they were so frequently surrounded. It was the all-sufficient rule of faith and prac- tice at Scrooby, at Amsterdam, at Leyden, at Plymouth, and is to this day, at the end of three centuries, an adequate bond of Christian fellowship.
It is impossible to do justice to the powerful influence of John Robinson upon the Pilgrims. He swayed as with magic the minds of men like Brewster, Bradford, Carver and Winslow, who in many respects were his equals. He commanded their confidence and respect while he was near them, and when the ocean divided him from them, they kept his name and character in unfading remem- brance. The spirit and polity of the church in Plymouth owed its continued existence to him, preserving its integ- rity during the first trying years of American exile, through his sagacious counsel, and against the subtle blandishments of the Adventurers in London, and the dislike and sus- picion of the unmitred prelates of Salem. The Church was Separatist in Leyden, and remained Separatist and independent through its long struggle in the wilderness of New England. It stood alone, and held its own, main- taining friendly relations with kindred communities, but always jealously guarding its freedom in all matters per- taining to the liberty of the individual conscience and the absolute right of self-government.
And, in the annals of that time, when civil and religious liberty was only beginning to be understood, the temper and attitude of this community and its pastor were remark- able. It is true that more than a hundred years before the Pilgrims sailed from Holland, Sir Thomas More had written his Utopia, or ideal of a State, in which he had declared that Utopus, the founder, had made a law that
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THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
every man might be of whatever religion he pleased, and might endeavour to draw others to it by force of argu- ment, and by amicable and modest ways; but those who used reproaches or violence in their attempts were to be condemned to banishment. Nevertheless, this view of religious toleration was looked upon in that age, as it is in many quarters even now, as altogether visionary and im- practicable; and he who taught it, one of the serenest and most beautiful souls in history, was only like a voice crying in the wilderness. Not until the years 1644 and 1647 when John Milton issued his Areopagitica, "or speech for the liberty of unlicensed printing," and Jeremy Taylor pub- lished his Liberty of Prophesying, more than twenty years after the Mayflower started on her eventful voyage, was there any attempt in England to set forth the true prin- ciples of civil and religious liberty. Yet, the exiles at Leyden were illustrating ideas and principles, learned in the hard school of persecution and suffering, to which later generations have added little, and from which they have had little to take away. It was enough for them that they recognized the sufficiency of Scripture, the validity of reason and conscience under divine control, the spiritual authority of Jesus Christ, the plain teaching of the Gospels, and the necessity to salvation, of personal godliness. Prac- tical loyalty to their great spiritual Head, was what concerned them most, and made them such rigid disciplina- rians in matters of conduct and character. Vice was the worst heresy with which they had to deal. They were less careful, all through their history, that their followers should agree or disagree with their views than that they should walk justly and circumspectly, and live pure and upright lives. John Calvin set himself to purify the State,
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THE GENESIS OF THE PILGRIM CHURCH
and establish the government of Geneva upon a Christian basis, stamping out vice and crime, and ruling shameless iniquity with a rod of iron. And the Pilgrim Fathers thoroughly believed in the feasibility of a Christian Re- public, in which pure living was, in the Apostolic sense, equivalent to sound doctrine, and personal righteousness, the best proof of salvation.
This accounts, in large measure, for the comparative absence among them of pitiful wrangling about words, (which characterized so many of their contemporaries) , and the concentration of their energy and enthusiasm upon the growth of Christian morals and manners in their community. Sinners of the obdurate type always gave them the greatest trouble, and neither wealth, social status, nor any other consideration could save such from their stern condemnation. All who wished to enter their society, or stay there, must not by their conduct or bearing bring reproach upon the community. They were resolved, that the church should set the type of living for the world, and not the world for the church. "They came as near the primitive pattern of the first churches, as any other churches of these latter times, hath done, according to their rank and quality."1
1 Bradford, First Church Records.
II John Robinson: Two Modern Studies
1. SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY LIBERAL
BY FLOYD J. TAYLOR
"One may justly say of him that if we reckon importance by influence, by encouragement of associates, by the spirit which he instilled into a great enterprise, no other founder of the Pilgrim colony has higher claims to grateful remembrance than this leader who never set foot upon its soil. Others coura- geously executed the task for which his patient ministry had done much to fit them; and the inspiration to their endeavor was largely his work. As such, whether viewed from the stand- point of one interested in the development of a branch of the Christian Church, or of one investigating the beginnings of American colonization and political life, the career of John Robinson is of permanent significance."-WILLISTON WALKER in John Robinson: The Pilgrim Pastor by G. S. Davis.
OUR KNOWLEDGE OF ROBINSON'S LIFE is distressingly mea- ger. The date of his birth can be fixed at 1575 or 1576, by virtue of an entry in the records of the University at Ley-
Reprinted from The Christian Register, CXXII, No. 12, December 1943, pp. 453-54.
20
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JOHN ROBINSON: TWO MODERN STUDIES
den which states that he was admitted on September 5, 1615, being then thirty-nine years of age. He was born in England, probably at Gainsborough, but nothing is known of his family. He entered Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, in 1592, becoming a fellow in 1598. Shortly after this he became a curate in the Church of England. He became associated with the Pilgrim Church at Scrooby soon after its formation in 1606, having left the Church of England for reasons of conscience. He remained there as the members of the Scrooby church were fleeing to Holland family by family, making his escape with the last of them and finding refuge at Amsterdam, where there was freedom from persecution, but incessant wrangling among the mem- bers of the English churches. This was more than Robinson could endure and, driven by the conviction that the din of petty bickering was the surest way to drown out the voice of God, he led a small group to the city of Leyden. There in a few short years - for he died in 1625 - the great principles that he loved were rendered so attractive, as illustrated by his life, that they became in turn the foundation of that church and later of the Plymouth Col- ony.
Robinson was an individualist. Theologically he was strongly Calvinistic and became justly famous for his defense of that position in the debates that were held at the University of Leyden. Yet, at the same time, he was amazingly tolerant of those whose beliefs differed from his own. Calvinism was distilled in his personality to emerge as the prototype of liberalism.
The term "Separatist" as applied to the Pilgrim Church and Robinson is misleading. Arthur Lord quotes Winslow as having said: "The foundation of our New England
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THE CHURCH OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS
Plantations was not laid upon Schisme, division or Separa- tion, but upon love, peace and holiness." It was not re- quired of members of the church in the confession of their faith "that they either renounce or in one word contest with the Church of England, whatsoever the world clamours of us this way." Furthermore, the first minister of the Plymouth Church was sent across by the Church of England and readily accepted by the Pilgrims - albeit to their sorrow. Robinson was, however, the great cham- pion of Independency, or the Congregational Polity. He defined the true church in his Apologia (1619) , and this is translated in an English edition of 1625:
Neither was Peter or Paul more one, whole, entire, and per- fect man, consisting of their parts essential and integral, with- out relation unto other men, than is a particular congregation, rightly instituted and ordered, a whole, entire, and perfect church immediately and independently, in respect of other churches, under Christ alone.
It should be remarked that the writings of Robinson that appeared during the early years of his exile bear more than a trace of bitterness toward not only the Established Church, which had driven him and his people from Eng- land, but also toward certain Separatists whose convictions did not coincide with his own. However, this hardness was mellowed by the years and the Robinson who influ- enced history was the man whose strong convictions and passion for truth were warmed and enriched by the spirit of a wise kindliness; it was during this period that he became one of the great liberals of the ages.
He is most often remembered for his Farewell Sermon to the Pilgrims in which there is the often quoted line now inscribed in his church at Plymouth: "The Lord hath
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JOHN ROBINSON: TWO MODERN STUDIES
more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy Word." He then regretted the stagnation of the Reformed Churches, caused, he believed, by their unwillingness to advance beyond the point reached by their founders. "You see the Calvinists, they stick where he left them; a misery much to be lamented; for though they were precious shin- ing lights in their times, yet God hath not revealed his whole will to them. . . . It is not possible that full perfec- tion of knowledge should break forth at once."
Assuredly this is liberalism and might be paraphrased into that expression of faith used in many of our churches relative to The Progress of Mankind Onward and Upward Forever. Moreover, the expression of this conviction of Robinson's is not limited to his Farewell Sermon but ap- pears in his Essays as well. Here he laments the state of mind of leaders who were
accounting it not only needless curiosity, but even intoler- able arrogancy, to cali into question the things received by them from tradition. But how much better were it for all men to lay aside these and the like prejudices, that so they might understand the things which concern their peace, and seeing with their own eyes, might live by their own faith!
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