By Divine Intervention?    

   Until Christians come to grips with our history, said the authors of The American Covenant in 1981, renewal will be impossible. 

Landing at Cape Cod 

   Consider the Pilgrims' landing at Cape Cod in 1620. The Mayflower was blown hundreds of miles off course. 

   So they began to scout out a place to settle. Had they arrived a few years earlier, they would have been greeted by the fiercest tribe in the region. But by 1617 the Patuxet tribe had been wiped out by a plague. This was possibly the only landing where the Pilgrims could have survived. 

A Special Instrument 

   There was one survivor of the tribe, Squanto. He was kidnapped in 1605 and taken to England. He learned English and in 1614 returned to New England with Captain John Smith. Squanto was again kidnapped. 

   He and 24 other Indians were to be sold into slavery in Spain. He escaped and eventually attached himself to the Wampanoag tribe. With his knowledge of English, he was led of God to offer his friendship and help to the Pilgrims. 

   Squanto joined with the Pilgrims and was converted to Christianity. Capt. Bradford considered him "a special instrument sent of God" for their good. He showed them how to plant corn, fertilizing it with fish. He was their guide and their interpreter in dealings with Wampanoag chief, Massasoit. 

   A peace treaty lasted 50 years, with justice for both Indians and Pilgrims. Other English colonies were wiped out by hostile Indians. 

Tomorrow:  Hand of God Rescues Washington's Army 

              Jimmy