forming themselves into a regular church, enjoy the full benefit of the christian institutions.   In this situation they remained from 1651 to 1664, a period of a little more than twelve years.   They had in the mean time employed a Mr. Bunker, to preach as a candidate, and made him an offer of settlement, which however for some reason not appearing on the records did not take place.   They also as early as 1661, agreed and voted to build a house for a minister, who should be called to settle among them, and to give him also an entire purchase right in the township.

   Feb. 18, 1664, the settlement of the Rev. James Keith, their first ordained minister, is recorded, and the terms of it particularly expressed.   He is there called "a student in divinity, having some competent time improved his gifts amongst them in the work of the ministry, and having also due approbation by the testimony of the Rev. Elders of other churches of Christ, to whom he was known."   He was a Scotchman, educated at Aberdeen, and probably came to Boston about the year 1662, and was introduced to the church at Bridgewater, by Dr. Increase Mather, whom he always esteemed as his patron and best friend.   In the second preface to the "Bridgewater's Monitor," the first having been written by Increase and Cotton Mather, it is said Bridgewater had not an ordained minister till 1663.   This had reference to the old style, probably, when the year commenced on the 25th of March.   The terms of his settlement were liberal; a double house lot of twelve acres with a house built thereon, and a purchase right, so called, being a fifty-sixth part of the original grant; £40 annual salary, £20 to be paid at Boston in money, and the other half at home.   In 1667 they gave him an additional grant of thirty cords of wood annually, "the cutters of the wood to have five groats, and the drawers seven groats a cord."   In 1681 they raised it from £40 to £50, £20 to be paid at Boston in money, and £30 at home in corn and provisions.   In 1689 they agreed to allow him £10 in corn in lieu of his thirty cords of wood.   He died July 23, 1719, æ. 76, of course was about 21 when he was ordained.

   Mather, in the Magnalia, places him in the third class, "who were all such ministers as came over after the re-establishment of the Episcopal church government in England, and the conse-