Church History · 1620

The Pilgrims Sail on the Mayflower

In September 1620 the Mayflower left England carrying 102 passengers, including Separatists seeking freedom to worship. Before landing they signed the Mayflower Compact, and they brought the Geneva Bible with them.

Read it in the Bible: Hebrews 11:8-16 Psalm 100 1 Peter 2:11 Philippians 3:20

In September 1620 the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, England, with 102 passengers on board. At its heart was a group of English Separatists, Christians who had left the Church of England to worship in their own free church. After about two months at sea they reached Cape Cod, and on November 11 the men signed the Mayflower Compact, a short agreement to govern themselves that begins In the name of God, Amen. They brought the Geneva Bible with them. We call them the Pilgrims, and their story is a big part of how Americans remember their beginnings.

Who Were the Pilgrims?

The Pilgrims came from a small church that met in the manor house of William Brewster in Scrooby, England. They were Separatists. The Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England from the inside. The Separatists believed it could not be fixed, so they left it. In England at that time, that was against the law.

Facing fines and prison, the group fled to Holland around 1608. They settled in Leiden in 1609 under their pastor, John Robinson. Holland gave them religious freedom, but life was hard. They worked long hours in the cloth trade, and they worried that their children were growing up Dutch and drifting from the faith. So they decided to start over in the New World.

What Happened on the Mayflower Voyage?

The plan was for two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell leaked so badly that they turned back twice, and in the end the Mayflower went alone. It left Plymouth on September 6, 1620. Fewer than half the passengers were from the Leiden church. The rest were other English people hired or recruited for the colony.

The voyage was rough. Storms cracked a main beam, and the passengers lived crammed below deck. Amazingly, only one passenger died at sea, and a baby was born and named Oceanus. They sighted Cape Cod in early November, far north of where they had permission to settle.

What Was the Mayflower Compact?

Since they were outside the area their charter covered, some passengers grumbled that no one could tell them what to do once ashore. So on November 11, 1620, 41 men signed a short agreement. They promised to form a civil body politic, make just and equal laws for the general good, and obey them.

The compact opens with the words In the name of God, Amen, and says the voyage was undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. It was not a constitution, but it was an early example of people agreeing together to govern themselves under God.

What Bible Did the Pilgrims Bring?

The Pilgrims carried the Geneva Bible, the first English study Bible, with its verse numbers and Reformed notes. The King James Version had come out nine years earlier, but Separatists and Puritans still preferred the Geneva. William Brewster brought a collection of books, and a Geneva Bible reportedly belonging to Governor William Bradford survives today. For singing, they used a book of psalms translated by Henry Ainsworth, a Separatist pastor in Amsterdam.

Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the earth. Serve Yahweh with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs. Psalm 100:1 to 2

What Happened After They Landed?

In December they settled at a place they named Plymouth. That first winter was terrible. About half of the passengers died of sickness. At times only a handful were healthy enough to care for everyone else. Brewster and Captain Myles Standish were among those who nursed the sick.

In spring a Native man named Samoset walked into the village and greeted them in English. He introduced Tisquantum, often called Squanto, who had learned English after being kidnapped to Europe years earlier. He taught them how to plant corn and where to fish. The colony made a peace treaty with Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a harvest celebration, and about 90 Wampanoag men joined them for several days. Americans remember it as the first Thanksgiving.

Why Are They Called Pilgrims?

The name comes from William Bradford, who wrote the history Of Plymouth Plantation. Describing their departure from Leiden, he wrote that they knew they were pilgrims, and lifted up their eyes to heaven, their dearest country. He was thinking of Hebrews 11.

All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Hebrews 11:13

Pastor John Robinson stayed behind in Leiden and never made it to America. In his farewell sermon he is reported to have said that the Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth from His holy Word. That is a good motto for anyone reading the Bible.

Why It Matters for You Today

The Pilgrims were not perfect, and the story of the English and the Native peoples later turned painful. But this small church crossed an ocean because they believed worship should be free and faith should be real. They saw this world as a journey, not a destination. That is still the Christian outlook.

Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16

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Questions People Ask

Who were the Pilgrims?

The Pilgrims were mostly English Separatists, Christians who had left the Church of England to form their own church. They lived in Leiden, Holland, before sailing to America on the Mayflower in 1620 and founding Plymouth Colony.

When did the Mayflower sail?

The Mayflower left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620, with 102 passengers. It reached Cape Cod in November 1620.

What was the Mayflower Compact?

The Mayflower Compact was a short agreement signed by 41 men on November 11, 1620, before going ashore. They agreed to form a civil body and obey just laws, and it begins In the name of God, Amen.

What Bible did the Pilgrims use?

The Pilgrims used the Geneva Bible, the English study Bible first printed in 1560. They preferred it to the King James Version of 1611, and they sang from Henry Ainsworth's book of psalms.

Sources

← The King James Bible How We Got the Name Jesus →

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