When the Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod, they immediately realized their need for some form of government.  They believed in the rule of the law and wanted to be protected by the laws they adopted.  They saw the need for laws to govern the outward behavior of citizens, because they believed in what the Bible refers to as the fallen nature of man.  This is referred to in Romans 3:23:  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Calvin put it this way:   ” We see that some form of organization is necessary in all human society to foster the common peace and maintain accord.” (1)  At the same time, they did not want laws that deprived them of freedom of conscience, or the right to not only believe but also to follow their beliefs.

The balance came about in the social contract theory mentioned in the second blog post, “More Reformers.”  In essence, the social contract theory states, “There is ever, and in all places, a mutual and reciprocal obligation between the people and the prince. If the prince fail in his promise, the people are exempt from obedience, the contract is made void, the rights of obligation of no force.” (2)

Another early reformer, Algernon Sidney, based his understanding of the social contract theory on the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.  According to Sidney, a legitimate government is based on the consent of the governed.  He incorporated the law of nature and the law of God in the social contract theory.  The law of nature is the part of God’s law which is obvious in creation.  The law of God is God’s law expressed in the Bible.  Sidney believed the law of nature and the law of God demanded that the laws of a country be conditional on the consent of the people it governs. (3)

These principles can be seen in the Mayflower Compact, and it became the model for future colonial governments that were established in the land called America.  By signing the Mayflower Compact, the pilgrims were committing to self-governance, a new concept in the formation of government. (4)

(1)  Amos and Gardner, NEVER BEFORE IN HISTORY, Haughton, 1998, p. 12.

(2)  Ibid. p. 13.

(3)  Ibid. p. 34.

(4)  Ibid. p. 40.

(5)  Ibid. p. 43.

(6)  Ibid. p. 43.

Interesting tidbits:  The Puritans and Pilgrims believed God dealt with countries in the form of covenants, such as God’s covenants with Israel in the Old Testament.  A covenant was a contract between God and a group of people in which the people agreed to obey God and create laws that honored him.  God, in turn, would bless the group or nation that adhered to the covenant.  The covenant was seen as binding as any law, and there were negative consequences if the covenant was broken.  An additional element to the covenant was that it was binding from generation to generation.  Since the Mayflower Compact was a covenant between God and the Pilgrims, it continues to apply to this generation. (5)

The second covenant in the new colonies was drawn up by the Puritans in Salem, MA.  It began with these words:  “We Covenant with the Lord and one with another, and doe bynd ourselves in the presence of God, to walke together in all his waies, accordingly as he is pleased to reveale himself unto us in his Blessed word of truth.”  (6)  What appears to be misspelled words are simply the way they wrote and talked.

There was one distinct difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans. The Pilgrims adhered to Martin Luther’s “freedom of conscience” mandate. Citizens of their colony were free to worship according to their conscience. As we will see in the next post, the Puritans were another story.