Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/188

 144 THE HISTORY OF BAERINGTON. ward accommodation to come among us are very much con- cerned herein. Our humble prayer both for ourselves and you, is that our God would be pleased to cause us to aim more and more at his glory, and less to our own earthly concernment, that so we may improve the favors that hath been handed to us by our honored nursing fathers to the advancement of the glory of God, the interest of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the common benefit both of the Town- ship and Colony, wherein he hath providentially disposed of us to serve our generation. Your brethren to serve you in Christ. Signed in behalf and in the name of the church meeting at Swansea, by John Myles, Pastor. John Butterw^orth." The original records of the town, from the ^ear 1667, are still in good preservation. The first record therein is a copy of the grant of the town. The " three proposals " of Captain Willett, with the "explications and reservations" of Mr. Myles and Deacon Butterworth, follow in natural order. The mutual assent of the town and church to these articles is stated as follows : "The foregoing proposals, being according to the desire of the church aforesaid, fully and absolutely condescended to, concluded and agreed upon by and between the said Captain Thomas Willett and his associates aforesaid and the said church, under the reservations and explications above written, and every one of them, it was some time afterward propounded at a meeting of the said town, lawfully warned on the two and twentieth day of the twelfth month, 1669 that the said agreement be by the whole town ratified and confirmed, and settled as a foundation order to which all that then were, or afterwards should be admitted inhabitants, and to receive lands from the town, should manifest their assent by subscription thereunto, whereupon the following