The presence of God is evident in the passage from The History of Plymouth Plantation in every event significant or not. In his diary, William Bradford describes several occurrences in which God played a major role in deciding the outcome. According to Bradford, God can help or hurt according to His will. The first of these displays of God's will in this passage was of revenge toward a sailor. He was as Bradford described him "a proud and very profane young man... of a lusty, able body." The sailor would "always be condemning the poor people" of the Mayflower because...
new land. He believes that God will deliver them from evil by helping them survive in a place with no city, no food and no drink.

Every event that Bradford selected to describe in his journal has a direct link to God's will. William Bradford believes that things do not just happen, but are part of God's plan. This belief is clear in the way he discusses certain occurrences, both honorable and ill fated, pleased God. The fact that Bradford expressed these beliefs in a private journal makes it more convincing that he truly believes in what he writes.