charter of incorporation, which they thankfully acknowledge was freely granted them. That in forming this charter care was taken, that, notwithstanding the burden of expense was to fall chiefly on the Baptists, yet, no other Christian society should be excluded from the benefits of it; and accordingly, a sufficient number from each of the principal of them were taken in to be Trustees and Fellows in the Corporation, as might be able to take care of, and guard their interest in it, in all time to come. And the youth of every denomination of Christians are fully entitled to, and actually enjoy equal advantages in every respect, as the Baptists themselves, without being burdened with any religious test or complaint whatsoever.

That, since granting the charter aforesaid, several considerable men among the Baptists have taken great pains, as well in Europe as in America, to solicit benefactions for endowing said College, and have collected considerable sums for that purpose; and many others of the same Society, have become very large contributors towards the expense of erecting the College edifice.

All this being known and understood, we confess our surprise at the thoughts of those, who are pleased to look upon this as a very contracted plan; and this surprise becomes a real concern on being informed that a petition hath been set on foot, and subscribed by a great number of persons, praying the General Assembly to grant another charter for instituting a college within the said Colony, different and separate from that already granted and established, and pretended to be on a more liberal and catholic plan; and our concern is increased to a real anxiety, on perceiving the General Assembly entertained the said petition with some kind of approbation.

Permit us, therefore, to remonstrate, that, as we had firm reliance on the lasting faith and credit of the Legislative Body of the Colony of Rhode Island, that faith and credit hath by us as a Corporation, been asserted, and pledged, in most parts of England, and Ireland, and in many parts of America; and, on that foundation large sums of money have been given, and more subscribed towards this Institution. That, should a charter be granted for erecting another corporation of the same kind in this Colony, all those who have been benefactors to this will think themselves deluded, and deceived; notwithstanding, we have acted under the faith of the government; and all those that hereafter might become benefactors, will be discouraged, and hindered. That the granting of our Charter, being for erecting and endowing a College in the Colony Rhode Island, must, rationally, and justly, be considered as exclusive of any other college being erected within it.

Therefore, your Remonstrants humbly pray, that you would be pleased to countenance and encourage the present Institution and College in this Colony; and not permit, or suffer, any other to be set up and established to rival and ruin it.

A manuscript in the hand-writing of the Rev. Dr. Stiles, purporting to be the charter for another college which the petitioners failed to secure from the General Assembly, is, we understand, in the possession of Dr. David King, of Newport.

Allusion has been made to the file of papers relating to the Location of the College, preserved by Mr. Brown. Our readers will peruse with pleasure the following interesting letter respecting them from the venerable philanthropist, written, it may be added, when in his ninety-fifth year. We publish it entire, although the latter part belongs rather to the history of Roger Williams and the First Baptist Church:

ESTEEMED FRIEND, FRANCIS WAYLAND:

PROVIDENCE, 25th of 5th month, 1833.

Agreeable to encouragement given thee when at my house, I herewith send thee a file of papers containing copies of originals, which I preserved at the time of their transactions, respecting the removal of the College from Warren, after the Corporation had set the Location of it at liberty from Warren, where it had been concluded to place it, and where the first Commencement was held. I had them copied soon after we conversed about them, when thou seemed, as I thought, to have a choice for them. I wish they were better done, but such as they are, after comparing, I leave them at thy disposal. I presume there are no other writings or copies that contain the same, or so full accounts of the progress, labor, and I may say, anxiety which occured on the subject at and about that business. When the fixing of the College edifice here was firmly settled, rather than at Warren, Newport, or East Greenwich, which all claimed the preference, our house, then composed of four brothers, viz., Nicholas, Joseph, John and Moses Brown, concluded to take charge of building the necessary buildings, purchasing land for the same, etc. At that time, gardens and buildings were to be purchased and removed, besides the site for the College; for we then knew the lot. from Main street to the neck road on the east was the original home lot of our ancestor, Chad Brown, of whom we had the tradition that he was the first Baptist ELDER in Providence. Doct. Edwards when collecting materials for the history of the Baptists. here, and examining all the elderly people he could find here, on which business I accompanied him, was informed that Chad Brown was the first ELDER, although Roger Williams being a preacher before he came here, was a preacher and continued it here for some time. Richard Scott says he was with him in the Baptist way three or four months, when Roger left them, and went in a way of seeking. Roger's testimony

respecting Chad Brown, I have under his own hand, in a plea of his before the Court of the four New England Colonies, saying, "Chad Brown a wise and godly soul, (now with God,) with myself brought the first twelve and the after comers to a oneness by arbitration." Chad and his wife were buried in their own lot near the northwest corner of the now town house, and had a large square monument of granite over them, till by the request of the town to widen that street, their bones were taken up and interred in the North Burying Ground, and head and foot stones were erected over them by the town. I saw their remains when taken up. His son John Brown (his eldest) was also a preacher, but not an elder, and was the father of James Brown, long a Baptist elder until his death. Thou may see by all this our family had an interest in promoting the Institution now called Brown University, besides the purchase of the name by my worthy nephew Nicholas; and I hope it may continue useful to posterity and retain the liberal principles of the founders of the State and Institution. Here I may mention that Chad Brown was one, who, in 1640, as a committee-man of the town, reported a plan for the peace of the then town and the establishment of liberty of conscience, and who, in 1643, was appointed to mediate between the Governor of Massachusetts and the settlers in Warwick. These, however, are matters of history, the first in "Simplicity's Defence," the other in "Hazard's State Papers." Possibly thou may not have known he also appears on our town records to have been a surveyor of land in early times

When I began this letter, I had nothing more in view than a few lines to introduce the copies of the minutes, letters, etc., respecting the removal of the College here, but as I have gone further, I conclude to give thee my own knowledge respecting the changes and alterations in the Baptist church in this town, which was in very early time known by the name of Six Principle Baptist. In proof of this, I have an original letter of Elder Pardon Tillinghast, signed by himself, Gregory Dexter and Aaron Davis, in behalf of the brethren of the church in this town, dated in the 5th month, then July, 1681; and this is confirmed by Elder Tillinghast's deed of the Baptist meeting house and lot to the church. Their views are explained by the passage in Hebrews, 6:2, "laying on of hands." This was the agreed practice in 1732, at a special meeting of the ministers and elders at Elder Brown's, signed by ten ministers and fourteen other members on this subject.* Also I have a pamphlet written by James Manning, to a minister desiring his views on the subject, as appears by comparing the manuscript with other writings of his. I mention these facts, not that I consider them otherwise than historical facts, which in the modern history of the society are contrarily represented to support the present ruling writers. Indeed, the difference is marked between the old church of the Baptists in this town and after Elder Manning, a worthy godly

*This letter is published in MANNING AND BROWN UNIVERSITY, page 154.

man and an excellent preacher, whom I attended in his last moments, and whom we all loved. In divers respects, however, his practice was different from the church here, and much difficulty was in the meeting upon the subject of singing and the contribution box, these being never before known. To give a vote of the church in favor of the first more particularly, the female members were called upon to vote, though not usual, and my mother and sister attended accordingly. This occasioned a serious division with the old deacons and members. Elder Manning having powerful aid from some of the old members, and being prudent enough to keep himself out of the strife, preserved the affection most generally of the church. At length a separation was concluded on, the meeting house and lot were sold, the money was divided, the meeting house in Johnston on the plain was built, and also the house now called the First Baptist. My brother Joseph was a member of the church, and when he brought his contribution box to my mother's pew, I now remember my reluctant feelings for him, our family and the church never having seen the like in our meeting, though often in the Congregational and other churches. And though much has been said of Roger Williams as being a Baptist,* yet in his book of "Hireling Ministry none of Christs,” printed in 1652, on page 8, he says, "Jesus Christ never made bargains with his messengers or pastors;" and on page 14, he says, "Universities as to the ministry of Jesus Christ are none of his institutions; the title scholar appointed to the ministry is a sacrilegious and thievish title, robbing all believers and saints." These views of Roger I believe are little known by Baptists, as the book is out of print. Were these and

* Mr. Williams, according to Winthrop, was baptized, with eleven others, on or previous to March 16, 1639, thus constituting the First Baptist Church of Providence. He may, therefore, with propriety be regarded as the founder of the Baptist denomination in America. It is not, however, contended that he thereby assumed the pastoral relation, as he did not long retain his connection with the church. He had doubts, it appears, in regard to the validity of his baptism, in consequence of the absence of "a visible succession" of authorized administrators of the rite. His views too in regard to the Christian ministry underwent a change, as is indicated in "The Hireling Ministry," to which Mr. Brown refers. His mission was to establish in the New World a government on the principles of entire civil and religious freedom. He was, however, a man of genuine piety, and he adhered through life, so far as we may judge from his published writings, to the sentiments which he advocated in his earlier years. He believed in CONVERSION AS A CONDITION OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP; this is evident from all his controversial works. In regard to what is known as the distinguishing sentiment or doctrine of Baptists at the present day, viz., BAPTISM BY IMMERSION, he thus writes, more than ten years after the founding of the Providence church: “I BELIEVE THEIR PRACTICE" (referring to the Baptists at Seekonk) COMES NEARER THE FIRST PRACTICE OF OUR GREAT FOUNDER, CHRIST JESUS, THAN OTHER PRACTICES OF RELIGION DO." See Biographical Introduction to the Writings of Roger Williams, in the Publications of the Narragansett Club, pp. 35–8.