ing at Sutton, in 1771, appointed Rev. John Davis, pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Boston, "as their agent, to use his best endeavours, by the advice of their Committee, in concert with their agents in London, to obtain the establishment of equal religious liberty in this land." Mr. Davis' health soon failed, and he died December, 1772, in the thirty-sixth year of his age. The "scurrilous treatment from the press," which he incurred through his efficiency and faithfulness as clerk of the Committee of Grievances, is referred to in Backus' "History," Vol. II., 157, 176. In September of this year, 1772, Elder Isaac Backus was chosen in Mr. Davis' place as agent for the Baptist churches "to transact their affairs the year ensuing, both in this country and with our agents in London," with the advice of the committee as previously appointed. As agent for the churches some ten years, and as a member of the Committee of Grievances, he wrote numerous articles for the newspapers, also special appeals or addresses, as for example, to the People of New England; to the Public for Religious Liberty against the Oppressions of the Present Day; to the Baptist Churches throughout the Land; to the General Court of Massachusetts; to the Continental Congress at Philadelphia; to the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts; to the Convention for framing a State... Constitution. He was also chosen delegate in 1787 to act in the matter of ratifying the new Constitution of the United States of America. On Backus' action in regard to this last-named matter, see Appendix E. Dr. Burrage thus speaks of the services of Isaac Backus, the "Agent of Liberty": For his long-continued and unwearied labors in securing religious liberty, Isaac Backus deserves to be held in lasting remembrance. He did not live to witness the fulfillment of his hopes; but the value of his heroic services is recognized more and more, and recently a worthy memorial, dedicated June 30, 1893, has replaced at his grave in Middleboro, Mass., the earlier monument, which bore only his name and the date of his birth and death. We may remark that a second stone, which will probably form a tablet in the walls of the new "Backus Memorial Church," contains an extended epitaph which may be seen in Dr. Hovey's "Life of Backus," p. 311. The present monument is made of the best Westerly granite in the form of an old-fashioned pulpit, having a bronze tablet with inscription in front, and an open bronze Bible on the desk, the whole with platform costing about $800. In form and general characteristics it closely resembles the one erected in Groton, Ct., 1890, to the memory of Valentine Wightman, the pioneer advocate of religious liberty in Connecticut. The inscription on the Backus monument reads as follows: ELDER ISAAC BACKUS, A. M. A pioneer Champion of 1 Rhode Island, as is well known, has a monument to religious liberty as well as Massachusetts and Connecticut, and, indeed, set these two States the example. Miss Betsey Williams, Roger's great-great-granddaughter, bequeathed to the City of Providence a tract of land near the Of his labors as a historian Dr. Hovey says: His volumes are a full storehouse of events indispensable to every one who would understand the true history of New England. But, to those of his own religious faith, they are specially interesting; for they furnish almost the only memorials which have come down to us, of the piety, consistency, and sometimes heroism, of brethren who lived in a darker period, and suffered long to obtain the freedom we now enjoy. Bancroft speaks of him as "one of the most exact of our New England historians," and he greatly compliments him and other historians from among the Baptists, when, in a letter to Dr. R. A. Guild, he says: "I look always to a Baptist historian for the ingenuousness, clear discernment, and determined accuracy, which form the glory of their great historian, Backus." May all our Baptist historians in all coming time be worthy of such eulogy! IV. REFUSAL TO GIVE IN CERTIFICATES. On May 5, 1773, six members of the Advisory Committee met in Boston and agreed to send this circular to the churches: city to be known as the Roger Williams Park,-land which the Narragansett Chiefs, Canonicus, and his ill-fated nephew, Miantonomo, deeded to Williams in consideration of his "many kindnesses and services," and which "was as much his as any man's coat on his back." On this spot of land, in Oct. 16, 1877, was dedicated a monument to Roger Williams, consisting of a bronze statue, seven and a half feet high, resting on a pedestal twenty-seven feet high. A picture of this statue, in which he is represented as clasping a book on "Soul-liberty" to his heart, forms the frontispiece to Dr. Cathcart's "Baptist Encyclopædia." So let the good work of commemorating our pioneer champions of religious liberty go on! The next statues or monuments to be erected, should, in my opinion, be located on the island" Aquedneck," in Narragansett Bay. ૨ Beloved Friends :-These lines are to acquaint you that five of our Committee, appointed to care for and consult the general good of the Baptist churches in this country, especially as to their union and liberties, met with me at Boston, May 5, 1773, when we received accounts that several of our friends at Mendon have lately had their goods forcibly taken from them, for ministerial rates, and that three more of them at Chelmsford (two of whom were members of the Baptist church there) were seized for the same cause last Winter, and carried prisoners to Concord jail; so that liberty of conscience, the greatest and most important article of all liberties, is evidently not allowed in this country, not even by the very men who are now making loud complaints of encroachments upon their own liberties. And as it appears to us clear that the root of all these difficulties and that which has done amazing mischief in our land is civil rulers assuming a power to make any laws to govern ecclesiastical affairs, or to use any force to support ministers; therefore these are to desire you to consider whether it is not our duty to strike so directly at this root as to refuse any conformity to their laws about such affairs, even so much as giving any certificates to their Assessors. We are fully persuaded that if we were all united in bearing what others of our friends might for a little while suffer on this account, a less sum than has already been expended with lawyers and Courts on such accounts, would carry us through the trial, and if we should be enabled to treat our oppressors with a Christian temper, would make straining upon others, under pretense of supporting religion, appear so odious that they could not get along with it. We desire you would consider of these matters, and send in your mind at Medfield on the seventh of September next. From yours in gospel bonds, ISAAC BACKUS, Agent. At a meeting of the Association it was found that all the messengers were not of one mind in this matter, and so for two days "they stood against our coming to any vote upon it lest our want of union therein should give an advantage to our adversaries." But on the third day, Mr. Stillman, who had been against our coming to a vote, brought in the following paper, which was unanimously adopted: (1) "That the mind of the Association respecting giving or not giving certificates, be taken by written vote, in order to confine the difference which subsists among us on this matter, in the Association. (2) "That those Churches that agree to neglect the law for the future shall, in a spirit of meekness, plead as the reason, that they cannot in Conscience countenance any human laws that interfere in the management of the kingdom of Christ, which is not of this world. (3) "That the Churches which think it expedient to give certificates for the present, be advised by letter how many are of a contrary mind, and be desired to consider the matter against the next Association, and to unite with their brethren if possible. (4) "That the Churches allow each other entire liberty, without any hard thoughts one of another. (5) That all the Churches which shall be called to suffer through the year, shall transmit an account of such sufferings to their agent, to be made use of by him as may be thought best to subserve the common cause. (6) That our true state, with what we have transacted at this Association, be sent to our agents in England, and their opinion be requested by the next meeting of the Churches. (7) "That if any are called to suffer, their sister churches be appealed to, to assist them in their trouble." When we came to act upon these articles there appeared thirty-four elders and brethren against giving any more certificates, six for it, and three at a loss how to vote. For myself I wonder that not more than three did not know how to act, and that no more than twice three did not vote in favor of this certificate business; for |