In 1620 a group of Separatists sailed in the Mayflower to America to start a new life. The situation in England had become for them untenable. The King, James I, prompted by the bishops, insisted that everyone in the country attend and believe in the Church of England. In fact if a person did not attend the parish church on a Sunday fines could be imposed. The Separatists strongly disagreed with the rule of bishops, and priests, and as their name suggests, they separated from the church. So they came in for some severe persecution, and two were hanged at Tyburn. It was time to leave, but to leave the country you needed a permit from the King. And that was not forthcoming. So they had to sneak out of the country. On more than one occasion they were caught doing so and arrested. But eventually the whole congregation of some 150 ish people went to Holland. My book ONE SMALL CANDLE deals with their life in Amsterdam and Leyden, and the decision to try America, the struggles for survival, the sickness, the inclement weather, the sheer dogged determination of a people who were determined to find a place where they could worship God according to their consciences without interference from others. Available on Amazon. amzn.to/Zjj4w7
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 07:59:57 +0000
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