God Blessed Jamestown ~ Part I

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#666633" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="087005a2ddvuvs.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>El Shaddai Ministries of Florida, Inc.</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="El Shaddai Ministries of Florida, Inc."><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#999966" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Providential HisStory of Jamestown"><U><B>Providential HisStory of Jamestown</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>God Blessed Jamestown ~ Part I</I></div> <div> <I>Viola Kay Moss ~ 1997</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>"Remember, at the end of this voyage is the destruction of the Devil's Kingdom, and propagation of the Gospel."</I></div> <bR> <div> These were the words of Reverend Crashaw's sermon (1606) to the London Company as they embarked upon their first voyage to Jamestown.  The Company must have remembered Rev. Richard Hakluyt's writings (1587) urging Sir Walter Raleigh to petition the work of settling the New World for the true motive of being the extension of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, "saving the souls of the poor and blinded infidels."  Praise is due Rev. Hakluyt for stirring up the minds of Christian statesmen and people to the duty of finding barbarous countries for the purpose of conversion to Christianity.</div> <bR> <div> For two years, I engaged in research and writing <U>The Providential HisStory of Pocahontas and Capt. John Smith</U>.  Following are the highlights of this work on worthy individuals such as Alexander Whitaker, Pocahontas, John Rolfe and Capt. John Smith.</div> <bR> <div> As a result of my research from primary and secondary documents, I took up an offense for these individuals because they have been misrepresented in modern history books -- even Christian versions.  This injustice began during the Civil War era wherein one can find that His Story was rewritten for various reasons and motives.  A greater disgrace is the lack of documentation recording the merciful deeds and providence of God Jamestown and its inhabitants.  The fact that His great works have been ignored brings me grief, especially, since those living in Jamestown diligently labored to document such.</div> <bR> <div> Reasons for slander against these individuals and God were both intentional and unintentional.  These persons were recorded as being noble of character and were upheld as such until 1860.  Reasons for libel include family feuds, differences in beliefs even amongst Christians, and political oppositions.  Until the Civil War, Capt. John Smith was "The Father of Virginia" and held in high esteem much the same as George Washington is the "Father of America."  </div> <bR> <div> Henry Adams, partisan writer for the North, wrote and anti-Southern campaign article lambasting John Smith in <I><U>The North American Review</U></I> (1867).  Henry's purpose was to discredit Smith and ultimately numerous Virginian descendants of Pocahontas (John Randolph).  Why?  Because the Randolph's were major opponents (state sovereignty vs. federalism) to both Henry's great-grandfather John Adams and his grandfather John Quincy Adams.</div> <bR> <div> Unintentionally, due to the lack of character and training in education, we do not labor to see firsthand the accounts of our forefathers.  Thus, we have as a nation, let our true His Story be discolored and marred.   This has led us to committing the sin of "bearing false witness against our neighbor" for the past 135 years in America.  Contemporary Americans have blindly accepted writings of modern historians without question or, at best, with the smallest of labor to debate otherwise.</div> <bR> <div> Our modern history texts (note I did not say "His Story texts") note very little, if any, mention of Jamestown especially in comparison to Plymouth Plantation.  This is notable in because Jamestown was monumental foundation stone to the founding of this country and a stepping stone for the Pilgrims.  </div> <bR> <div> The London Company was to occupy the land between 34 - 41 degrees north latitude, while the Plymouth Company was to settle between 38 - 45 degrees north latitude.  These assignments were, as such, to stay clear of the Spaniards in Florida and the French of the St. Lawrence area.  The land between 38 - 41 degrees north latitude was open to either company provided neither established a settlement within 100 miles of the other.  Looking at a map, you will find that Virginia extended from modern day South Carolina to as far north as Maine.</div> <bR> <div> Why did England pursue the settlement of Virginia?  How did the English colonists justify their claim to this new land?  First, England's population was growing but business and manufacturing was not which created unemployment.  Secondly, the discovery of a shorter route to the East was still needed for economic success.  Thirdly, Roman Catholicism had spread throughout South and Central America via the powers of Spain, Portugal and France.  Thus, England's Crown and Church desired to colonize Virginia.  Wherein the purpose and justification was a three threaded cord to 1) find new sources of raw materials and outlets for foreign trade, 2) find a passage to the East and 3) to spread Protestantism and teach the Gospel to the savages.</div> <bR> <div> Virginia had been founded and named by Queen Elizabeth as she was a "virgin and wanting this land to be presented as virgin land to Jesus Christ and to keep it from traitors" (i.e. the Catholic Church).  The Church of England had compared this new land to the promise God gave Abraham and the land He gave to him.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>"For the Lord had said unto Abraham, get thee out of the country, and from thy kindred, and from they father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.  And I will make of thee a great nation, and will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing . . . "  Genesis 12:1-3</I></div> <bR> <div> English Christians believed God would have His people fill the earth and take over this new land so that His works would be known to all nations.  This was their covenant with God and the foundation upon which this country was built.  Their mission was to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants (Indians) of North America.</div> <bR> <div> Thus, it was preached to those going to Virginia that God would stir their hearts "to neglect the pleasures of England, and with Abraham," to go from their country forsaking their kindred and their father's house, "to go to a land the which God will show thee . . ." and to "take the Devil prisoner . . . in his own kingdom."  And that they should "look principally to religion . . . go to command it to the heathen: then practice it themselves making the name of Christ honorable, and not hateful to the savages."</div> <bR> <div> The sermon given to those embarking upon the first voyage to Jamestown, rebuked those who were going only to acquire wealth and who were indifferent to the saving of souls.  They were further instructed that "the way to prosper and have success was to make themselves all of one mind, for their own and their country's good; and to served and fear God, the giver of all goodness, since every plantation which He did not plant would certainly be rooted out."</div> <bR> <div> This was the mind and purpose of Christians who settled Jamestown.  Next, we will look at the lives of those who were so "stirred and willing to forsake their comforts of England" for the sake of evangelism.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Copyright by Viola K. Moss, 1997, all rights reserved.  El Shaddai Ministries of Florida, Inc.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>