(Heb 11:38) "Of whom the world was not worthy..."

A. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, they were without their pastor John Robinson.

1. Pastor Robinson elected to stay behind with the group of his flock that was remaining in Holland.

> In the absence of their Pastor, Elder William Brewster, a member of the Scrooby congregation became their Pastor.

2. They landed on Nov. 9, 1620.

> Brewster's wife Mary, also a Mayflower passenger, died seven years later in 1627.

> William and Mary Brewster had 6 children.

B. In all, 101 members of the Scrooby congregation sailed to the New World.

1. Within the first 12 months over half of them died of influenza that first bitterly cold winter.

> This first pioneering group paid the price to pave the way for religious freedom.

2. Their dedication, and subsequent success, led to the migration of many more pioneers.

> King Charles I, was very interested in establishing colonies north of Plymouth Rock...

> Not because he desire to grant religious freedom, but because he was afraid that the french Canadians would migrate south and settle north of the Pilgrims.

3. The Puritans sought to escape the persecutions on the church of England, and the notorious Bishop William Laud.

> Bishop Laud was known for his extravagant methods of persecution.

> And, so because the Puritans wanted a place of freedom to worship, and King Charles wanted to establish colonies north of Plymouth Rock...

> King Charles granted them what came to be known as "The Massachusetts Charter."

4. The Puritans came to the New World to escape persecution from the church of England.

> With freedom obtained, they were faced with the same questions that Luther and Calvin faced:

> Where does the authority of the church end and religious liberty begin?

> How should the church deal those who rejected the teaching and doctrines of the church.

C. The difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans.

1. Secular history does not show a difference.

> Secular history combines the Puritans and Pilgrims as one religious group.

> But, Baptist historians show marked distinctions between them.

2. The Puritans were members of the church of England, and wanted to reform it from within...

> The Pilgrims would never join the church of England, therefore they were called "Separatists."

> The Pilgrims came seeking religious tolerance and freedom from the church of England; The Puritans came to establish a new form of the church of England.

3. The Puritans, by order of the Massachusetts Charter, settled in what became the town of Boston.

> The Pilgrims had previously settled at Plymouth Rock, and later moved to Rhode Island.

> Because of this, Boston became the seat of religious persecution, and Rhode Island became the place of religious refuge.

 

II. Dr. John Clarke.

A. Medical doctor and Statesman John Clarke came to Boston with excitement and anticipation.

1. But, John was bitterly disappointed as he and his wife Elizabeth stepped off the ship in Boston in Nov. 1637.

> They had come to find freedom to follow the scriptures, but they found the same intolerance they had left.

2. In one of his writings he states that:

> "Men were not able to bear each with other in their different understandings and consciences as in these utmost parts of the world to live peaceable together."

> Or in other words, "It was no easier here than in any other part of the world for men to tolerate each others differences."

3. The authorities in Boston required that all men pay a tax for the support of the state ministers and that anyone excommunicated from the church would then come under civil prosecution.

> Religious liberty has always been a rallying point of real Baptists.

> Because of religious intolerance, John Clarke fled Boston, and established a colony in New Hampshire, in 1637.

> Later, by the influence of Roger, he and his followers began a colony at Narragansett Bay, in Rhode Island, which they purchased from the Indians on Mar. 24, 1638.

> They later moved south to the town of Newport.

B. Someone wrote: "A new colony without a church was of little interest to John Clarke."

1. Based on this historical writing, it is believed that John Clarke started a church in New Hampshire in 1637, which he later moved to Rhode Island in 1638.

> Roger Williams began the church, accredited to him, though he says, he only allowed the church to be established by others.

> This church was founded in 1638, and later disbanded...

2. If the inference can be made that John Clarke started his church in 1637, then it was Clarke who founded the first Baptist Church in America, not Roger Williams whose church was founded in 1638.

> Many historians credit Roger Williams for establishing the first church in America with Baptist principles...

> But, while we are grateful for the heritage that Roger Williams left us, it was John Clarke who started the first Baptist Church in America.

C. Dr. John Clarke had much experience in diplomatic and political life.

1. Even though he continued his pursuits of public office, he continued the practice of his original profession as a physician.

> And he also retained the pastoral charge of his church.

> From his writings we find that his doctrines were "so clear and Scriptural that they might stand as the confession of faith of Baptists today."

2. On July 19, 1651, Dr. Clarke visited William Witter who lived in Lynn, Massachusetts, which was under the jurisdiction of the Boston government.

> The day after arriving they were arrested by the constables while holding a private service.

> They were tried for the "crimes" of holding private services and preaching against infant baptism.

3. The magistrate suggested a public debate on the issue with a leading minister of the state church.

> Dr. Clarke gladly accepted.

> The debate was later declined by the state minister.

> Doubtless he knew he would lose a debate where the Bible would be the standard of judgment.

III. The Three Principle Creeds.

A. The Puritans - The Congregationalists.

1. These settled in Boston, Massachusetts.

> They were the leaders of persecution in the New World.

2. The left the intolerant church of Old England, only to become the intolerant Congregational church of New England.

B. The Pilgrims - The Separatists.

1. These settled at Plymouth Rock.

> These were the descendants of the Ana-Baptists of Wales in England, which were said to date back to 60 A.D.

2. They left the persecutions of Old England, only to become the persecuted church of New England.

C. Another group began to establish itself in the New World. They were the Presbyterians - The Calvanists.

1. A true Calvanist believes in infant Baptism.

> Calvin's followers became the Presbyterian church.

> They were reformers of the church of England, which was a daughter of the church of Rome.

2. And, as children of Rome, they followed closely in the shoes of the mother church.

> Not only in the practice of infant Baptism, but in the persecution of Ana-Baptists.

 

IV. The Whipping Post.

A. Thomas Painter.

1. Thomas Painter came to New England both for religious reasons and for economic reasons.

> Thomas Painter was a merchantman, who made his living buying wholesale from England, and selling to the new colonies.

> His store in Boston, brought buyers from all over New England.

2. One of the hottest markets, brought in by cases, was copies of the King James Bible that had recently been published.

> With the event of the printing press, people all over Old and New England wanted to purchase copies of the Bible.

> It became the Standard for the New England Colonies, to the fear and opposition of the Congregational church.

3. It wasn't long before Thomas Painter having obtained a copy of the Bible for himself, became converted and sought Baptism by emersion.

> After the birth of his first child, the magistrates looked for him to bring his infant to the church for baptism.

> He frankly refused, and gave orders to his wife, that the child would not be baptized as an infant.

4. Painter was arrested, and commanded by the Boston court to produce his child for baptism.

> Thomas proclaimed with a load voice that "infant baptism was an anti-Christian ordinance."

> He was sentenced to 20 lashes, which it was said, he received without wincing!

B. Samuel Gorton.

1. Samuel Gorton was accused of espousing "truly strange doctrines..."

> After the whipping of Thomas Painter, Gorton wrote the following:

> I hope none will be so ignorant as to send to the "devil's post" the "whipping post" those who professors and talkers of God have hauled lambs and followers of Christ in their blind zeal."

> He calls them professors and talkers of God: as opposed to those who really know God...

> And, says they hauled lambs and followers of God to their whipping post, in their blind zeal.

2. Samuel Gorton led his flock to Rhode Island, where he founded the city of Warwick, RI.

> He led them out of Massachusetts because the Boston court said that Gorton should be banished, and that his followers should be put to death.

> Again we see the influence of Roger Williams in inviting Samuel Gorton to Rhode Island.

> Again we see how that Boston was the seat of persecution, and Rhode Island the seat of religious liberty.

C. Obadiah Holmes.

1. Obadiah Holmes traveled with Dr. John Clarke when he visited his friend, William Witter in Lynn, Massachusetts.

> Although Dr. Clarke's fine was mysteriously paid, Obadiah's was not.

> He remained in prison for several weeks until the time that his sentence was to be brought forth.

2. He was sentenced to 30 lashes.

> Forty was considered a death sentence. He was given but 10 stripes less than a murderer, for preaching his conscience.

> Thirty lashed was the prescribed sentence for rape, assault, and attempted murder.

3. Lashes were among the very worst punishment given.

> It was an extremely painful and horrific way of suffering for your crimes.

> Many never fully recovered from a beating of this kind, but were maimed for life.

4. On his way to the whipping post Obadiah Holmes desired to give testimony of his reasons for being so cruelly punished, but he was refused.

> As the stripes began to be laid on him, he preached to the large crowd that assembled to witness the punishment.

> It is said he preached with such passion and fervor that at least 13 people were fined for calling for the whipping to end.

5. Someone wrote that he knew of at least a dozen people who traced their conversion to Christ to the preaching of Obadiah Holmes at the whipping post.

> Obadiah himself wrote: "God gave me an overwhelming power to endure the stripes, so that I was able to speak without strain."

> As he preached with power the executor of his punishment spit on his hand to get a better grip and so lay the lashes even harder, but it did nothing to stop Mr. Holmes from preaching.

> When he was being led away from the whipping post, Obadiah looked at the man who had laid 30 lashes on him and said, "Sir, you have whipped me AS WITH ROSES..."

Such was the character of the men that shaped Baptist history in America.

By these great men, Religious Liberty was being birthed in the New World.

The hand of God was surely at work, and the birth of a new nation was in the making!

"Being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy)"