Page 19 - 16 The Pilgrim Fathers

are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is

this consciousness which, in defiance of

human laws, has sustained so many martyrs

in tortures and flames. They felt that their

duty to God was superior to human

enactments, and that man could exercise no

authority over their consciences. It is an

inborn principle which nothing can

eradicate.”—Congressional documents

(U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271.

As the tidings spread through the countries

of Europe, of a land where every man might

enjoy the fruit of his own labor and obey the

convictions of his own conscience, thousands

flocked to the shores of the New World.

Colonies rapidly multiplied. “Massachusetts,

by special law, offered free welcome and aid,

at the public cost, to Christians of any

nationality who might fly beyond the Atlantic