One Small Candle: The Plymouth Puritans and the Beginning of English New England

by Francis J. Bremer

Four hundred years ago, a group of men and women who had challenged the religious establishment of early seventeenth-century England and struggled as refugees in the Netherlands risked everything to build a new community in America. The story of those who journeyed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower has been retold many times, but the faith and religious practices of these settlers has frequently been neglected or misunderstood.

In One Small Candle , Francis J. Bremer focuses on the role of religion in the settlement of the Plymouth Colony and how those values influenced political, intellectual, and cultural aspects of New England life a hundred and fifty years before the American Revolution. He traces the Puritans' persecution in early seventeenth-century England for challenging the established national church and the difficulties they faced as refugees in the Netherlands in the 1610s. As they planted a colony in America, this group of puritan congregationalists was driven by the belief that ordinary men and women should play the deciding role in governing church affairs. Their commitment to lay empowerment and participatory democracy was reflected in congregational church covenants and inspired the earliest political forms of the region, including the Mayflower Compact and local New England town meetings. Their rejection of individual greed and focus on community, Bremer argues, defined the culture of English colonization in early North America.

A timely narrative of the people who founded the Plymouth Colony, One Small Candle casts new light on the role of religion in the shaping of the United States.

Genres: History, American History, Audiobook, Nonfiction

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 30, 2020

About the author

Francis J. Bremer is Emeritus Professor of History at Millersville University.

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating dive into a much-assumed and unfairly stereotyped people. I particularly enjoyed recognizing aspects of puritanism that were translated into the restored Church and that are still alive today, including the emphasis on searching for further light and knowledge and the use of a lay ministry.

I also found the pilgrims' Atlantic passage insightful with regard to the Jaredite ocean voyage. We have two people led by the hand of God across the waters. One is aided by miraculous, light-bearing stones as well as divinely-given ship schematics, resulting in a dry, well-lit trip. The other is plagued⁠—literally⁠—due to a constantly leaking boat and utter darkness below deck. The difference in experiences reminded me of Jeffrey R. Holland's recent General Conference address, Waiting on the Lord:

For every infirm man healed instantly as he waits to enter the Pool of Bethesda, someone else will spend 40 years in the desert waiting to enter the promised land. For every Nephi and Lehi divinely protected by an encircling flame of fire for their faith, we have an Abinadi burned at a stake of flaming fire for his. And we remember that the same Elijah who in an instant called down fire from heaven to bear witness against the priests of Baal is the same Elijah who endured a period when there was no rain for years and who, for a time, was fed only by the skimpy sustenance that could be carried in a raven’s claw. By my estimation, that can’t have been anything we would call a “happy meal.”

The point? The point is that faith means trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf. That can be difficult in our modern world when many have come to believe that the highest good in life is to avoid all suffering, that no one should ever anguish over anything. But that belief will never lead us to “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

[Joshua Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my new favorite book covering the history of the Pilgrim church, beyond just a history of the colony. He is right to focus on their church, as was the driving force behind the choices that they made.

This book was interesting, readable, and well-researched. I agree with his interpretation on many issues, the main one that I recall where I would differ is his focus on the role of women in the Pilgrim church. He seems to think that women had a greater leadership role, or even teaching role, in the Pilgrim church than in the mainstream English church. (This view was shared by the late Jeremy Bangs). From my perspective, Bremer and Bangs are reading modern ideas advanced by feminist and progressive movements back into the 17th century. The evidence the point out from writings of the time does not, to me, prove that women were teaching in the Pilgrim church. And I think the strongest counterargument is that if women were indeed teaching, this would have made it into the historic record in the published attacks on Plymouth Colony's practices, as women taking on that role would have been a shocking aberration outsiders who saw it.

But that disagreement aside, I found this to be a useful book, and recommend it.

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book covers the pilgrims from their earliest years in England through their flight to Holland, their dire founding of Plymouth, and on into the years of Cromwell’s rule. I appreciated the extended timeline. So many of the books about them focus solely on their years in Holland and America. It was interesting seeing just how strongly they still considered themselves English. It also discusses how their beliefs guided their lifestyle and politics.
But it starts out with an apology for their “misogyny” and then goes to extraordinary lengths to paint them as the egalitarians of their age. He laments their what he sees as omissions in their recognition of women in their daily lives but then tries to make out that they promoted women as preachers. It made me question his presentation of their doctrine to some extent.
Overall, it was a good historical chronology, but I was unsure just how far to accept his interpretation of their teachings.

[Cory Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Rating. It was good, spent more time in doctrine then I expected. The doctrine talk was from a historical academic view too so that was interesting…overall good information. Certainly wouldn’t read again. Don’t think I’d necessarily recommend. But don’t regret reading it either. Favorite aspect was the description of what led to them coming to America. Also interesting to hear of the role Congregationalism played in foundation/etc.

[Michael Beatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bremer’s account of the Plymouth Puritans is engaging and provocative. It is a great resource for anyone seeking to understand more about the history of New England.