Watching over you for your good with a spirit of meekness love and tenderness earnestly praying that God may take delight in and dwell among us and that by us his kingdom may be advanced.

THE COVT FOR NON COMMUNICANTS.

You do thankfully ack. the Div: Goodness [to] ward you, that you h. b. by the act of y' Parents уг given up to God in y' infancy, & h. had the Seal of the Cov. put upon you in your Bap[tism].

And having by y' Care b. educated & instructed in the Xian Rlgn do now willingly ratify y' act, & ys day avouch the Lord to be your God.

And in a very Serious and Solemn manner do choose the Lord Jehovah Father, Son & holy Ghost into the Profession of whose name you h. b. baptised for y' God & Portion, and do dedicate and devote yours: to the Service, Gl: & Enjoym'. of y' Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.

And professing a Serious Belief of the Holy S as the word of God you do resolve by his Gr. to take them for the Rule of y' Life to guide and govern both your F: and practice, renouncing all you know or shall kn. to be contrary to his revealed will.

You do also particularly promise that you will be prayerfull and diligent to obtain further Preparations of the Sanctuary that may encourage y' approach unto God in all holy ordinances.

And being Sensible and acknowledging y' own unworthiness to be in Cov' with God, and Utter inability to keep Covt. with him by any Str. of your own, you depend on the Lord J. C. the Mediator of ye Covt. for R. & Str. that you may be pardoned and

accepted of God, enabled to New obedience before Him.

keep Covt. & walk in You do also subject y

his Providence shall

s: to the Govt. of C in his Chh. and to the reg': adm: of it in ys [Chh.] while continue you here.

PROFESSION OF FAITH.

NOTE.-After 1794, there is no mention of a Profession of Faith in the Church Books. But the following was given to the editor in June, 1856, by Dr. Field in response to a call for a copy of it. It is based on that used during the ministry of Rev. Dr. Woodward and presumably used during that of Rev. Dr. Kendal.

Possessing a serious & hearty belief in the Scriptures you do now in an everlasting covenant give yourself to God in Jesus Christ.

You humbly and penitentially ask of God the pardon of all your sins-through Christ-and with all your your heart you desire to accept of him your redeemer & savior as he is offered to you in the Gospel.

You also promise before God & in the presence of this assembly—that by the help of the holy Spirit -denying ungodliness-you will endeavor to live soberly, righteously and piously, in the present world -working out your own salvation with fear and trembling & forsaking the sinful vanities of this life and approving yourself a true disciple of Jesus Christ by all good conduct toward God and man.

You do also submit & subject yourself to the government of Christ and to the laws of his kingdom and discipline as regularly administered here. And particularly, you do promise so long as God shall continue you among us, to walk in regular communion with the church of Christ in this place.

Together with this people to attend on all the holy institutions & ordinances of his house and to

conduct here according to the rules of the Gospel and in all things agreeable to what you know or shall know to be your duty.

DO YOU THUS PROMISE?

I then, in the name of Jesus Christ declare you to be a member in full communion with the church of Christ.

And in the name of the church I promise, that by the help of the same spirit we will conduct toward you as toward members of the same body with ourselves.

Watching over you for your Good with a spirit of meekness, love & tenderness earnestly praying that God may take delight in and dwell among us and that by us his kingdom may be advanced.

THE COVENANT AND DECLARATION OF FAITH OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL (UNITARIAN) CHURCH WE ESTON, MASSACHUSETTS. UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED JUNE 30, 1867.

IN

The following Statement of Faith, the original of which was prepared for the Channing church in Newton, has been adopted, in substance, by a number of churches in Massachusetts, and is now reprinted at the request of several clergymen and laymen of our denomination. Of course it is not intended as a creed in the sense in which that word is usually employed. Even in the churches where it has been adopted its acceptance is not made a condition of church-membership or of Christian fellowship. It is simply given for the convenience of many in our own connection who desire some brief

outline of our faith which they may keep at hand, and to whom this statement may prove acceptable.

STATEMENT OF CHRISTIAN FAITH.

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament contain a REVELATION of the will of God to man, which is in complete accordance with Reason, and which we accept as our guide in faith and practice. We believe in the Sufficiency of the Scriptures, and the Right of Private Judgment; that in no human tradition, articles, or creed, but in the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants; "so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation."

We believe, with the primitive Christians, in the FATHER, and in the Son, and in the HOLY SPIRIT.

We believe in GOD, the FATHER ALMIGHTY, Creator of heaven and earth, the Absolute, Supreme, Incomprehensible Being, who alone is Self-Existent, Everlasting, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Unchangeable, Invisible, and Infinitely Holy, Just, and Good. We believe in the real and essential Unity of God; that the oneness of his personality is undivided; that God is a Spirit, whom both Nature and Scripture reveal to us as not plural, but strictly One. We believe, that, as the One God and Father of all, He only is entitled to supreme worship; and that the true worshippers should worship the Father in spirit and in truth. We believe in the Paternal Providence of the Deity; that He is not only our Sovereign, but our Heavenly Father; that his justice

is in perfect harmony with his mercy; that, in his essence, God is Love.

We believe in JESUS CHRIST, the SON of God,the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, the incarnation of the Divine Word; the Mediator between God and man; the infallible Teacher, the sufficient Saviour, the ever-living Head of the Church. We believe that he came out from God, and that in him it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell; that all power was given him, and all things put under him, He only excepted who did put all things under him. We believe that in him, the Anointed One, the Divine Life was manifested for the redemption of the world; that he was the Wisdom of God and the Power of God to regenerate the human race; that in him God was manifest in the flesh, reconciling the world by his death, and saving it by his life. We believe in the miracles, the resurrection, and the sinless character of the Son of Man; that all prayer should be offered to the Father in his name and spirit; and that he is worthy of honor, love, trust, and obedience, as the Author and Finisher of our faith, our perfect Exemplar, our Master, Redeemer, and Lord.-To us, as to the apostles, there is but One God the Father, and One Lord Jesus Christ. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son. We seek that life eternal, which is to know Him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent; acknowledging that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We believe in the HOLY SPIRIT,-that purifying and quickening Power which proceedeth from the Father, and has no personality separate from him;