A few years back, my grandmother discovered that we are direct descendants of three of the passengers who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620 – Edward Fuller, Stephen Hopkins and Constance Hopkins.
I must admit that prior to learning this, my only thoughts about the pilgrims came seasonally. But when I realized the blood of some of those passengers coursed through my veins, I decided I wanted to learn more. To understand their motivations, way of life, and sacrifices. I wanted to remember them year round and remember to thank Heavenly Father that they listened to the Holy Ghost which inspired them to seek out a land of freedom where, eventually,the Church of Jesus Christ could be restored.
The restoration of the gospel (yes, there was need for a restoration), began with the Holy Ghost inspiring one man.
In the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi, Chapter 13, Verse 12 we read:“And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, , who were in the promised land.”
The man who Nephi saw in this vision was Christopher Columbus. In The Great Prologue, Elder Mark E. Petersen said:
“Columbus’s own son, Fernando, in a biography of his father, quotes the discoverer as saying on one occasion, “God gave me the faith and afterward the courage so that I was quite willing to undertake the journey.” And the last will and testament of Christopher Columbus includes this expression: “In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, who inspired me with the idea and afterward made perfectly clear to me that I could navigate and go to the Indies from Spain by traversing the ocean westward” (Wasserman, Columbus, pp. 46, 61). Columbus was inspired, and Nephi looked upon him and beheld him coming to the Western Hemisphere.”
In the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi, Chapter 13, Verse 13 we read: “And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.”
Elder Mark E. Petersen offers his insight about the above verse in The Great Prologue again saying:
“Under the direction of the Almighty, colonization began. What kind of people did the Holy Spirit influence? Why, the Pilgrims and the Puritans and others like them! Weren’t they worthy of the direction of the Spirit of God? They and many others came to America under divine guidance.”
Nephi also prophesied about the Revolutionary War and the outcome for all those who had gone “forth out of captivity”, which was of course freedom.
Again, Elder Petersen says it best:
“Do you understand the steps that were taken? There was the great apostasy, then the preservation of the Western Hemisphere, next Columbus and the colonization movement, the Revolutionary War to set the colonists free, and then a constitutional form of government which guaranteed free speech and free religion, free assembly and free press.
All of these events were acts of God leading up to one thing–the restoration of the gospel. It was only half a dozen years or so after America was established as a free constitutional nation that one of the great spirits in the preexistence was sent to earth to be born on December 23, 1805, in a little farmhouse; and he was named Joseph Smith. “
Whether we directly descend from the pilgrims or not, we are kindred to them in our belief in God and I cannot think of them without immense gratitude for listening to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to cross the sea, pioneering the way for millions to come. We would do well to remember their example of faith and perseverance all year round.
As you read the following quote, consider yourself the Mayflower descendant referred to therein and I hope that this Thanksgiving will find you more thoughtful and thankful for what Heavenly Father inspired the pilgrims to do.
The following is an excerpt from, The Duty of Today by Thomas Snell Hopkins, Esq., given at the 18th Annual Dinner, Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants Held at Boston, 20 November 1913:
“And this leads to the question, What is the duty of the Mayflower Descendant today?
It can be answered in a few words. Every Mayflower Descendant should renew his allegiance to the faith of his forefathers. He should hew to the line and should refuse to be turned about by every wind that blows. The world will never be won to righteousness or to good government by great organizations, highly commendable and useful as they are; nor by a great assault upon the powers of darkness, nor by a great assault upon the powers of darkness, nor by any spectacular effort. It will be won when every man, high or low, rich or poor, tries each day to live a clean, honest, God-fearing life, as did they who founded Plymouth colony. Relaxation into individual apathy spells the doom of religion and of good government.
This is no time for idle dreaming. There is a man’s work to do. The example of our ancestor’s, who sacrificed everything that was dear to them, for their God and for us, urges us to action; posterity waits for us;
“Humanity, with all it’s fears,
And all it’s hopes of future years,”and the still small voices from above, bid us fall into line, and, by precept and example, consistently and insistently seek to perpetuate the faith of our fathers and the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ and of good government in all the land. And then, not until then, shall we become worthy descendants of that heroic company which braved the angry seas and the terrors of a great and hideous wilderness that they might lay the foundation of civil and religious liberty in America.”
