HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MEDFORD, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT, IN 1630, TO THE PRESENT TIME, 1855.
Charles Brooks, Ed.

[216] that we may keep our covenant with God, we desire to deny ourselves, and to depend wholly on the free mercy of God, and upon the merits of Jesus Christ; and wherein we fail to wait upon him for pardon through his name, beseeching the Lord to own us as a church of Christ, and delight to abide in the midst of us.

John Whitmore. Thomas Hall. Nathaniel Pierce. Ebenezer Brooks. John Francis. Samuel Brooks. Thomas Willis. Stephen Willis. John Whitmore. John Bradshaw. Stephen Hall. Persival Hall. Jonathan Hall. Francis Whitmore. Thomas Willis, jun. Signed Feb. 11, 1713.

This being done, we went to the place of public worship, where the Rev. Mr. Simon Bradstreet began with prayer. Prayer being ended, I preached from those words in First Epistle to the Corinthians IV. 2: “ Moreover, it is required of stewards that a man be found faithful.” This being done, the Rev. Mr. Angier proceeded to ordination; Mr. Hancock, Mr. Bradstreet, and Mr. Parsons joining in the imposition of hands. After this, the Rev. Mr. Hancock gave me the right hand of fellowship. We then sung part of the 132d Psalm; and so concluded with giving the blessing.

Thus, through the goodness of our ascended Lord and great Shepherd of his sheep, we see another candlestick of the Lord, and a light set up in it. The Lord, who walks in the midst of his golden candlesticks and holds the stars in his right hand, dwell with us, and keep us pure, without spot or blemish, and enable his unworthy servant (who is, of himself, nothing but simpleness and darkness, and cannot shine but with a borrowed light), by faith and prayer, to derive from him, who is the head of influences to his church, such measures of light and grace, that he may be instrumental of turning many from darkness to light, and at.last shine in the kingdom of heaven as the stars for ever and ever.

March 11: The church being called together, they made choice of Brothers Thomas Willis, sen., and John Whitmore, sen., as deacons in the church; and they accordingly accepted. At the same time, it was determined that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper should be celebrated on the 22d of March following, and continued once in six weeks till otherwise determined. It was likewise agreed upon, at this time, that the ordinance of baptism should be administered, not only to the infants of such as are in full communion, but to the infants of such as are baptized, being neither ignorant nor scandalous, upon their owning the covenant publicly; supposing at the same time that the persons admitted to this privilege with their children are under the care and watch of this church, and subject to the discipline of it; and that the church may and ought at any time to call them to an account in case of scandal.