“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
Today we will learn about another colony that was formed. It would later become one of the first 13 states in the union.
In 1608, Captain John Smith sailed into Chesapeake Bay to map the shoreline. He was so impressed with the countryside that he said this. “Heaven and earth seemed never to have agreed better to frame a place for man’s habitation.”
Soon, in 1632, Cecilius Calvert was granted a charter for the land. He was looking for a haven to free himself from England and practice religious freedoms. He was a Roman Catholic and wished to break free from the Church of England and all its restrictions.
His brother, Leonard led the expedition to look for land and later became the colony’s first governor. Being aware of the mistakes the Virginia colonists made, these Maryland settlers did not hunt for gold but rather made peace with the Native Indians. They also established trading posts and farms on the shores and islands of lower Chesapeake.
They brought with them indentured servants to work the land. Their biggest investment being tobacco. Roads and towns were few and many used boats to get around the inlets.
The Calverts provided for religious freedoms and the colonists set about making a new home for themselves.
I, for one, am grateful for all those that left their homes believing they needed to worship in their own way. Not all of them had correct doctrine but they all saw that one tyrant should not tell them how to live. It is so clear that our nation was founded because of the need for freedom of religion.
It is now our right to worship as we please but it is also our right to show others, from God’s Word, the correct path to eternal freedom and security. Let us always be mindful of this as we seek to share Christ with others.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1