Governor William Bradford chronicles the adventures of he and his fellow Pilgrims from 1608 to 1650 in Of Plymouth Plantation, a book "rendered into Modern English" in 1909 by Harold Paget. In January, 1988, Rev. Richard "Little Bear" Wheeler took a step of faith, republishing the nearly forgotten national treasure and printing 3,000 copies using wife, Marilyn`s, inheritance money. Now, 30,000 copies later, Little Bear believes more than ever "the recirculation of this original source material to be of utmost importance at this crucial eleventh hour of these grand, yet faltering United States. Within this century there has been an overt attempt to strip the historical record of all mention of God and His providential dealing in the matters of nations and people. To counteract this vain clamor of voices that elevate themselves above God and His truth, it became a pressing desire to see this firsthand account of one of the colony's most credible members, Gov. William Bradford, once again set the record straight that God was indeed, and still is, involved with the affairs of America."

While struggling with how to make the eloquent, Elizabethan text digestible to the modern American public, "Little Bear" providentially discovered a copy of Paget's 1909 translation in a charming antique shop in Plymouth, Massachusetts. "We recognized (it) to be a gift from God and an answer to prayer," he wrote in the preface. "The time has come for a resurgence of documented proof of the true Christian origin of our biblically inspired Republic as chronicled in Bradford's History. I am convinced that there is a need for our nation to reevaluate its very purpose, by examining that infant colony in the light of the Scriptures. Thereby we can rediscover the seed of what God intended for our country for Christian self-government, as exemplified by the colonists' determination and conviction to be ruled by God's Word, and not by the whim of man with his vacillating and often corrupt value systems. Without remembering our true roots, it is inevitable that we would lose sight of our original call of God upon this splendid nation."

As I read this piece of His-story, I was overwhelmed by the Pilgrims' sense of destiny. They knew they were stepping stones, so to speak, for a greater purpose. There's a saying now, made popular by a Christian worship song written by Matt Redmond, that says, "It's all about You." Surely the Pilgrims knew it was "all about Him," and not about them. That sure conviction, and a passionate love for Jesus, must be what enabled them to simply obey, even when it meant personal hardship, even when it meant risking - and realizing for many - death. I don't presume to say dying didn't matter to them, only that obeying God's will meant eternally more. Would that every 21st-Century Christian felt the same way. In speaking of some of the hardships endured by the Pilgrims, hardships before they ever left England for Holland, Bradford writes: "Yet these and many other even severer trials which afterward befell them, being only what they expected, they were able to bear by the assistance of God's grace and spirit."

Bradford begins their story by first chronicling the conditions in Europe, taking aim at church hierarchy which he felt hindered true relationship with Jesus. It's interesting to read Bradford's commentary on his own writing, adding notes years later to update the historical setting. Remember, this was a diary, a journal, and therefore, was a work-in-progress. He details their flight from England to Holland, and the pitfalls of living in Amsterdam and Leyden, including the hardness of the life and the luring away of their children by the licentious lifestyles of youth around them. "Last and not least, they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least of making some way towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work," Bradford wrote. So, it was off to America.

Bradford then details the journey, the "Deed of Government" they wrote that begins "In the Name of God, Amen." He also chronicles their landing at New Plymouth, Squanto and his life`s story and his death, the Pilgrims contract with the Indians (one unbroken to Bradford`s writing of the account), deaths and births and marriages - 344 pages of details and descriptions of the Pilgrims and their lives. You need not take some "revised" version of the Pilgrims and their experiences in America. You need not be gullible for the hateful new "version" of history. Don't let liberals and atheists "pull the wool over your eyes." You need only read Bradford's account to know exactly why they came, how they endured, what they thought, and how they lived. This primary source should be in every library, read thoroughly by every American.