The pilgrims, who settled in New England in 1620, held the Calvinist conviction in divine providence that everything that happens is in accordance to God’s decree. As a corollary they held that some people are elected by God’s ordinance for salvation and some people are elected for perdition. The election is absolutely unconditioned by the presence or absence of any human effort and is irresistible. Christ’s atonement is not for all persons but only for the elect. The result of these extraordinary convictions was that they had to separate from the Church of England and after a brief sojourn in Holland, they established their own church on the shores of
