“The undersigned, feeling their youth and inexperience, look up to their fathers in the Church, and respectfully solicit their advice, direction, and prayers. “ADONIRAM JUDSON, JR. “SAMUEL NOTT, JR. “SAMUEL J. MILLS. “SAMUEL NEWELL.” The names of Luther Rice and James Richards were originally appended to this petition, but had been stricken out “for fear of alarming the Association with too large a number.” The General Association, when they came to act upon this petition, passed the following resolutions: “_Voted_, That there be instituted by this General Association, a Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, for the purpose of devising ways and means, and adopting and prosecuting measures, for promoting the spread of the Gospel in heathen lands. “_Voted_, That the said Board of Commissioners consist of nine members, all of them, in the first instance, chosen by this Association; and afterwards, annually, five of them by this body, and four of them by the General Association of Connecticut. Provided, however, that if the General Association of Connecticut do not choose to unite in this object, the annual election of all the commissioners shall be by this General Association. “It is understood that the Board of Commissioners, here contemplated, will adopt their own form of organization, and their own rules and regulations. “_Voted_, That, fervently commending them to the grace of God, we advise the young gentlemen, whose request is before us, in the way of earnest prayer and diligent attention to suitable studies and means of information, and putting themselves under the patronage and direction of the Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, humbly to wait the openings and guidance of Providence in respect to their great and excellent design.” Thus was organized the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, a society widely known and justly revered at the present day as the missionary organ of the Congregational churches of America, and indeed the mother of American foreign missionary societies. The nine men originally forming this Board distrusted their ability to support in the foreign field those who had offered their services. They feared that the missionary sentiment among the churches of New England was hardly strong enough, as yet, to undertake so great an enterprise; and so they turned instinctively to their brethren in England, represented in the London Missionary Society, for aid and co-operation. They accordingly sent Mr. Judson to England to ascertain whether such co-operation would be agreeable to the London Society.