"September 14. [1774] The Association were all unanimous that I should go to Philadelphia, and contributed L6, 10, 1d towards it." Backus's Manuscript Diary.

The Association gave to Mr. Backus the following certificate:

"To the Honorable Delegates of the several colonies in North America, met in a general Congress in Philadelphia:

"HONORABLE GENTLEMEN: As the Anti-pedobaptist churches in New England are most heartily concerned for the preservation and defence of the rights and privileges of this country, and are deeply affected by the encroachments upon the same, which have lately been made by the British parliament, and are willing to unite with our dear countrymen, vigorously to pursue every prudent measure for relief, so we would beg leave to say that, as a distinct denomination of Protestants, we conceive that we have an equal claim to charter-rights with the rest of our fellow-subjects; and yet have long been denied the free and full enjoyment of those rights, as to the support of religious worship. Therefore we, the elders and brethren of twenty Baptist churches met in Association at Medfield, twenty miles from Boston, September 14, 1744, have unanimously chosen and sent unto you the reverend and beloved Mr. Isaac Backus as our agent, to lay our case, in these respects, before you, or otherwise to use all the prudent means be can for our relief.
     JOHN GANO, Moderator,
     HEZEKIAH SMITH, Clerk."

'The Congress gave their special approbation of these resolves.'

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[Isaac Backus, A History of New England with Particular Reference to the Baptists, Volume , 2, p. 200. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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