_He has been rightly called “The First American,” because he was the first to actualize in a commonwealth, the distinctively American principle of Freedom for mind and body and soul._ ARTHUR B. STRICKLAND GOD MAKES A PATH _God makes a path, provides a guide, And feeds in Wilderness; His glorious Name, while breath remains, Oh, that I may confess!_ _Lost many a time, I have had no guide, No house, but hollow tree! In stormy winter night, no fire, No food, no company:_ _In Him, I found a house, a bed, A table, company: No cup so bitter, but ’s made sweet, When God shall sweet’ning be._ ROGER WILLIAMS The date of ROGER WILLIAMS’S birth is unknown, probably about 1604 or 1607 He founded Providence, about June 23-24, 1636 He died, 1684 He has been called “The Apostle of Soul Liberty.” ROGER, THE BOY The exact date of Roger Williams’s birth is unknown. Nor are his historians agreed on the place where he was born. It is generally thought that he was born in London, where his father was a tailor. He is also said to have been distantly related to Oliver Cromwell. When Roger Williams was a boy, a new system of writing had been devised, called shorthand. He learned it, and, going to the Star Chamber, took down some of the sermons and speeches. The Judge, Sir Edward Coke, was so pleased with his work, that he became Roger Williams’s friend and patron, and even gained him admission to one of the famous English schools. Later, young Roger Williams attended Cambridge University. After leaving Cambridge, he is said to have studied law under his friend Sir Edward Coke. Then, not being satisfied with law, he studied to become a minister. Like William Penn, Roger Williams was a thoughtful boy, and like William Penn, he had a sweet experience in childhood. For Roger Williams himself when old, said, “From my childhood, now about three score years, the Father of lights and mercies touched my soul with a love for Himself, to his Only Begotten, the true Lord Jesus, and to his holy Scriptures.” SOUL LIBERTY In those days in England, many members of the Established Church believed that the Church needed reforming, or _purifying_. These members were called _Puritans_. They were severely persecuted. A number of them emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay. One body of these colonists settled in Salem, and another founded Charlestown and Boston. About a year after the settlement of Boston, a young man came thither from England. He, too, had left home because of religious persecution. He was known to be a godly man, and thought to be a Puritan. He was warmly welcomed by the Boston folk. He was Roger Williams. But soon the good folk of Boston were scandalized.