"Those who pay regard to false, useless, and worthless idols
forsake their own Source of mercy and loving-kindness.
But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with the voice of
thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed.
Salvation and deliverance belong to the Lord!"
(Jonah 2:8-9)
God of our fathers, Who didst guide
O'er pathless seas and oceans wide,
To these fair shores, thy servants' way,
To Thee our debts of praise we pay.
In the perils of land and sea,
Our fathers were upheld by Thee;
And every passing year has brought
Its tokens of Thy loving thought.
Thou knowest how with faithful sublime,
They fought for freedom in their time;
Their courage fed by heavenly flame,
Their talisman Thy holy name.
Great God, our fathers' God, defend
Our land from all her foes, and send
On us, Thy servants, streams of grace,
And guide our feet in paths of peace.
"God Of Our Fathers Who Didst Guide"
(1904)
George Augustus Warburton
(1859-1929)
American hymn writer
The Story Behind The Painting
Artist Mark Frederickson aptly captures the humble expression
of solemn praise and thanksgiving on the face of young
William Bradford as he takes his first steps on dry land
again after weeks of enduring storm-tossed seas on
board the Mayflower. Bradford is accompanied by an
equally grateful young woman named Mary Chilton,
who is said to be the first European female to step
ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
William Bradford would one day be elected
Governor of Massachusetts Colony.
Mark Frederickson's wife is a direct descendant of Mary Chilton,
who was 13 years old when she arrived in the New World.
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