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s we saw in the previous chapter, the Pilgrims were not able to effect a change toward New Testament Christianity within the Church of England. They were not even wanted in England. They were tolerated in Holland but their labor was excruciating[1] and they were not able to bring more people into their circle of beliefs. Increasingly, the Pilgrims came to believe that America was the place to which God intended for them to go. They dreamed, they counted the cost and determined that it would be worth the sacrifice.

The Puritans tried for a long time to purify the Church of England from within. Eventually they came to basically the same conclusions that their Pilgrim counterpart had reached. The Church of England was not going to change! In desperation, the Puritans also began to turn their dreams toward America.

William Penn possessed four great attributes. He was devoted to God and devoted to the idea of a government by the people and for the people. God blessed him with a lot of money and, although he was not a rebel, he was certainly a non-conformist. William Penn was a Quaker who practiced what he preached. He was imprisoned several times because he would not conform to the religious teaching of the majority. Penn suffered tremendously because of his commitment to God. He sacrificed most of his inheritance so that others could live and worship in a free land. When he was a young man he wrote a letter to a friend and told him about his great dream.

Note: Your author has taken the liberty to translate this letter from old English phrases.

“I cannot find a government, any place on earth, that is honest and fair. There are three types of governments: monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. They are identified by the rule of one, the rule of a few and the rule of the many.” [Majority rule is a democracy.] “One government provides liberty but does not require obedience and the end is chaos and lawless confusion. Another government requires obedience and offers no liberty. The result of this type of government is slavery. I am convinced that any government is free to the people under it, where the people make up its laws and these laws rule the people.” [A republic.] (At another time he said, “Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants...”)[2] Penn went on: “The nations round about us need an example of a government to imitate. A government that is honest and fair and who’s laws are made by the people it governs. Since I have done a great deal of dreaming and study about the nature and purpose of government, it seems reasonable to me that I should try to establish such a government. This is the strong craving of my heart. I desire the Lord’s wisdom to guide me, and those who assist me, that we may act wisely and fairly.”[3]

In 1670, William Penn received a very large inheritance from his father, Admiral William Penn. Also, the king of England owed his late father a huge amount of money. This debt now became payable to young Penn. Young William conceived the idea of requesting a track of land in America as payment for this debt. The king granted his request and the track of land became known as Penn’s woods and later Pennsylvania. [4]

Penn not only dreamed, but he established a haven for those desiring liberty and he advertised far and wide to get settlers for his new land. Soon, into this land of liberty poured the Dutch, the Swedes, the Welsh, the English Quakers, several German groups, and at last the Scot-Irish. All of these were dreaming for a richer fuller life.[5]

[1] It should be noted that the Pilgrims XE "Pilgrims" , like Israel of old, had to gain strength for the difficult path that laid a head of them. If God had not toughened them up many more would have died and their effort might have been a disaster.

[2] Founding Gathers Wisdom, www.christianparents.com/ffathers.htm p. 3.

[3]Vernal Hall, comp., The Christian History of the Constitution XE "Constitution" , p. 266.

[4] Robert Flood, Men Who Shaped America, Moody Press, Chicago, IL., 1976, p. 30.

[5] Robert Flood, Men Who Shaped America, Moody Press, Chicago, IL., (1976) pp. 30-33.

THE DREAM FOR FREEDOM