Before they boarded the ship Speedwell in Delft Haven Holland, Pastor John Robinson gave this address to the part of his congregation that would be leaving him and going into the unknown.

I charge you before God and His blessed angels, that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow the Lord Jesus Christ. If God reveals anything to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as you were to receive any truth by my ministry, for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth yet to break forth out of His holy Word.

For my part, I cannot sufficiently bewail the condition of those reformed Churches which are come to a period in religion, and will go, at present, no further than the instruments of their reformation. The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw; whatever part of His will our God has revealed to Calvin, they will rather die than embrace it; and the Calvanists, you see, stick fast where they were left by that great man of God. Who yet saw not all things.

This is a misery much to be lamented, for though they were burning and shining lights in their times, yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God; but were they now living, would be as willing to embrace further light as that which they first received, for it is not possible the Christian world should come so lately out of such thick anti-Christian darkness and that perfection of knowledge should break forth at once.

With tears in their eyes they sailed to England. They met up with the ship Mayflower, and the two vessels set off for the New World, called “America.” The enemy wasn’t worried about a new army or a new economic power, he saw that this little group of people had the potential to build a foundation for the greatest work the world had ever seen. He did his best to stop them.

Almost immediately after they left the dock in England, the Speedwell sprang a leak and both ships were forced back to land. After a month delay, the passengers crowded into the Mayflower, and again set sail.

Halfway across the Atlantic, the Mayflower hit powerful storms and crosswinds. Many times the crew had no choice but to take down the sails and let her go wherever the wind took her. The crushing waves sprang leaks all over the ship, and even the main sail broke. The crowded little group of about 130 people did their best to keep the vessel afloat across the treacherous waters for more than two months. After crawling at a speed of about 2 miles per hour over 2,750 miles, they finally made land.

Their troubles had just begun. On December 25, the first working party left the ship to begin construction of the new settlement. Winter set in before they had time to construct enough houses, so many had to winter in the Mayflower. It was not until months later that the last passenger left the ship and took up residence in the new shelters.

The winter of 1620-21 took a great toll on the passengers with over half dying of cold, starvation, and disease. But the remaining pilgrims persevered with the vision for a new world, free of religious persecution. Year after year, the new world that they had all hoped for began to take shape. Eventually great United States of America was formed.

John Robinson’s sermon comes to mind, “…for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth yet to break forth out of His holy Word… for it is not possible the Christian world should come so lately out of such thick anti-Christian darkness and that perfection of knowledge should break forth at once.”

Some three hundred years after he spoke those words, we see the perfection of God’s Word before our eyes in the ministry of Brother Branham. This Thanksgiving, let us all pause for a moment to thank God for those great founding fathers, who gave their lives to lay a foundation for the End-Time Message to go forth to a dying world.