Page 58 - Pilgrims in Georgia

V The Puritan Congregationalists
From England to
Midway, Georgia

The beginning of the Puritan story can be traced back to the separation of
the Church of England from the Catholic Church in the 1530’s by Henry

VIII and the reforms in the church begun by his son King Edward VI. It is
the story of generations of English Christians who were intent on seeking
to understand and practice the way God would have them live, worship,
and organize themselves in this world. It is because of this persevering
intent that they came to be know as “Puritans”, a sarcastic term used to
ridicule them for their continual efforts to the seek purity of the church
and the practice of their faith instead of accepting the status quo. Puritan Divines at the Westminster Assembly
Throughout their existence they were sometimes persecuted, martyred, outlawed, or just tolerated but they continued to

grow in increasing numbers and influence in the church and in politics and would become a major force later in the English
Civil Wars 1642-51. But they were not a monolithic group, they had varying emphasizes and were more of a movement
than an individual denomination. Some Puritans were willing to remain within the structure of the Church of England but
work against the residual Catholic elements and episcopal church authority. Others who favored the Presbyterian form of
Church government were instrumental in the formation of the Westminster Confession of Faith 1643-1646, which was
attempt to write a new statement of Faith and practice for the reformation of the Church of England.
Still others believed in the individual autonomy of each local church
congregation and came to be known as “Congregationalists”. Some of these

Congregationalist would withdraw completely from all involvement with the
English Church and become known as “Separatists”. It is from one of these
groups of Separatists that the Pilgrims we know of from Thanksgiving came to
Plymouth Massachusetts in 1620. They opened the way to what would later
become known as the “Great Migration” of 1630 to 1640 to an estimated 20,000
Puritan “pilgrims” to the Colonies in New England. Through the reigns of King
James I (King James Bible) and his son Charles I (1603 to 1649) Puritans and
other Dissenters groups were persecuted and jailed and many Puritans began to

lose hope of reforming the English Church and considered migrating to the
Puritans landing in New England American Colonies. As they investigated this prospect a door was about to open.