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 32X 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
pec 
 
 A DECLARATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FAITH, PRACTICE, AND COVENANT, 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CHURCHES OF CHRIST, 
 
 COMPOSING THE EASTERN AND WESTERN N. B. 
 
 BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS. 
 
 CHRISTIAN VISITOll 8IIAM PIIE88. 
 
 i^'^ 
 
 ,0- 
 
A DECLARATION 
 
 Of the Faith, Practice, and Covenant of the Churches 
 
 of Christ composing the Western New 
 
 Brunswick Baptist Association. 
 
 PART I— ARTICLES OF FAITH. 
 
 Article 1— We believe that tliere is but one only living 
 and true God, who is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangable 
 in his being, wisdom, ]>ower, holiness, justice, goodness and 
 truth : Deut vi. 4 ; John iv. 24; Ps. xc. 2, cxlvii, 5 ; James i. 
 17; l.Tim. 1. 17; Mark x. 27; Isaiah vi. 3; Deut xxxii 4- 
 Ex. XV. 11, xxxiv, 6, 7. 
 
 2. That th^ere are three j^ersons in the Godhead— the Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghost— who are but one God, the same 
 m substance, equal in power and glory : Matt, xxviii. 19 ; John 
 XV. 26; 1 Cor. xii. 4-6 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 14 ; Eph. ii. 18. 
 
 3. That, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments 
 are the Word of God, in which he hath given us our only rule 
 of faith and practice : Luke xv. 29-31 ; 2 Tim. iii. 1547 • 1 
 Thes. ii.- 13 ; 2 Peter i. 21, iii. 2 ; Rom. iii, 9. ; Isa. viii. 16, 19, 
 
 4. That God who is infinite in knowleage, and perfectly 
 views all things fromthj beginning to the end, has foreordained 
 that whatsoever comes to pass, either by His order or per- 
 mission, shall work for the eternal glory of hid great name • 
 Acts xv. 18, ii. 23; Ps. Ixxvi. 10, xxxiii. 11; Rom. ix. 17-23* 
 xi. 36. ' 
 
 5. That in the beginning God created the heavens and the 
 earth, the sea, and all that in them are ; and He npholds and 
 governs all things by the word of His power : Gen. i ; Ex xx 
 11 ; Dan. iv. 35 ; Heb. i, 3. 
 
 6. That God made man in his own image, in knowledge, 
 righteousness and true holiness ; and made with him a cove- 
 nant of life, the condition of which was perfect obedience: 
 Gen. 1. 26-27 ; ii. 16-17 ; Ecc, vii. 29 ; Gal. iii. 10. 
 
 T. That man being left to himself soon fell from that happy 
 
8 
 
 andglonous estate in which he wtfs made, by eating the for- 
 bidden fruit, by which he brought himself and all his posteritr 
 into a state of death : Gen. iii. 6 ; Rom. v. 12-19. • 
 
 8. That man being thus dead, his help and recovery are 
 
 wholly ,n and from God : John vi. 44; fiph. ii. 4-5,7-10: 1 
 John IV. 10. r > > *, 
 
 9. That God the Fa«ier has chosen a great multitude of the 
 human family, whom no man can number, of all nations, and 
 kindreds, and people and tongues, and given them to His Son 
 m the covenant of his grace, that He might redeem them from 
 ail iniquity, .and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous 
 of good works, which is the only foundation of salvation for 
 lost and helpiess sinners ; and thereby the Ministers of the 
 l^ord are encouraged to preach the Gospel to every rational 
 creature, because the purposes of God and the infinite value of 
 Christ s atonement, secure the increase and establishment of 
 l^hrist 8 kingdom, so that the kingdoms of this world shall be- 
 come the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He 
 shall reign for ever and ever : Rom. viii. 29-30 ; Eph. i. 4, 6, 11 ; 
 Johnvi 37-39; Rev.vii.9; Titus ii. 14; Markxvi.15; 2 Tim! 
 II. 19 : Isa. IX. 7 ; Rev. xi. 15. 
 
 10. That Jesus, the eternal Son of God hath come, and taken 
 on him our nature, and in that nature hath yielded a perfect 
 obedience to the law which we have transgressed, and suffered 
 death forour sins and hath brought in a complete and ever- 
 lasting righteousness, and hath rkm and ascended to the right 
 hand of God, and everlivethto make intercession for us : John 
 1, 1, 14 ; Heb. i. 1-3, vii. 25, x. 5-10 ; Rom. i. 4; Dan. ix. 24. 
 
 11. That the Holy Ghost, and He only, can and doth make 
 particular application of the benefits of the atonement made 
 b^ Christ to every elect soul : John iii. 5-8, xvi. 7-15; 1 Cor.' 
 
 12. That the Spirit of God applies the benefit of this at. 
 onement, by convincing us of our sinful, lost, and miserable 
 coHdition ; and then discovering the glorious Saviour, as He ^s 
 exhibited in the gospel, in his suitableness and sufKciency, and 
 enabhng us to embrace Him with our whole souls, by which he 
 is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and re- 
 demption ; John xvi. 8-11, 13-15 ; Gal. v. 22-23 ; 1 Cor. i. 30. 
 
 13. That the life of religion consists in the knowledge of 
 God and conformity with Him in the iaward man which neces- 
 sarily producethan extern-al conformity to His commands, and 
 brings us to live m obedience to His holy will in all our ways 
 a^ndm our several j)lace8 and relations: John x vii. 3 . 1 Cor' 
 
 31; Eph. ii. 10; Col. iii. 2, 3 : Gal 
 
 Sal. ii. 2ft • Rn^ ^:; 'i o 
 
14. /That true believers being united to Jesus Christ shall 
 never peribh, but live and reign with Him forever. They have 
 communion with God, and by his Spirit are united with each 
 other, and have communion one with another, whereby they 
 are made partakers of each other's gifts and graces : John vi. 
 39, X. 28 ; Rev. iii. 21 ; John xvii, 7, 11, 21, xiv. 3 ; Rom. vkii. 
 38, 39 ; 1 John i. 8. 
 
 15. That the first day of the week, commonly called the 
 Lord's Day, is the Christian Sabbath : John xx. 19 ; Acts xx. 
 7; 1 Cor. xvii. 2 : Rev. i. 10. 
 
 16. That God hath appointed the ordinanc3 of Civil Gov- 
 ernment for defending the poor as well as the rich, in their 
 civil rights, without infringing upon the consciences of any, 
 or attempting to dictate or govern in the worship of eternal 
 God, which belongs only to Jesus Christ, the great lawgiver 
 and hey»d of His church : Mark xii. 17 ; Rom. xiii. 1-6 ; 1 Peter 
 ii. 13-15 ; Matt. xxii. 10 ; Rom. xiv. 4. 
 
 17. That there will be a general resurrection, both of the 
 just and the unjust ; and that God hath appointed a day in 
 which he will judge the world in righteousness, by Jesus 
 Christ, and will reward every man according to his works ; 
 when the wicked will be sent away into everlasting punish- 
 ment, and the righteous received into life eternal : John v. 
 28-29; Acts xvii. 31, xxiv. 15; Rom.ii. 15; Mttt. xvi 29, and 
 XXV 46. 
 
 PART II.— ARTICLES OF PRACTICE. 
 
 CONCERNING A VISIBLE CHURCH OP CHRIST AND ITS DISCIPLINE. 
 
 1. We believe that a particular visible Church of Christ is 
 a nuosber of baptized believers, by mutual acquaintance and 
 communion voluntarily and understand ingly covenanting and 
 and uniting together, for upholding and promoting the worskip 
 and service of God, to show forth His glory, and Yor their own 
 edification : 1 Peter ii. 5 ; Acts, ii. 42, ix. 13 ; Hcb. x. 25; Eph. 
 iv. 15, 16. y > I 
 
 2. That Baptism and the Lord's Suppper are ordinances of 
 Christ to be continued until His second coming, and that the 
 former is requisite to the latter— that is to say, that those are 
 to be admitted into the communion of the Church, and to par- 
 take of all its ordinances and privileges, who upon profession of 
 their faith have been baptized in the name of the Father, and 
 of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: Matt, xxviii. 19, 29; 1 
 
Cor. xl 28.2n ; Acts ii. 41, 42, and ix'. 18-26 ; and viii. 12, 85- 
 39 ; Matt. Hi. 6-16 ; Rora. vi. 4; Col. ii. 12; Gal. iii. 27 ; Matt. 
 xxvi. 26-28 ; Acta xx. 11 ; 1 Cor. x. 16. 
 
 3. That since none but true believers can rightly partake of 
 the ordinances, therefore the door of the church shotild bo care- 
 fully guarded against all such who cannot give scri])tnral evi- 
 dence of their union with Christ; 1 Cor. xi. 27 29; Matt. vii. 
 6,15-20; 1 Peter ii. 5. 
 
 4. That a Church thus gathered hath |)0wer to choose, and 
 by Elders to ordain those oHlcers that Christ hath aj)poiiit('d 
 in His Church, viz. : JJishofts or Elders, and Dcncons ; and 
 also to depose such officers who walk contrary to the rules of 
 the Gospel; and to discipline their uK'nibors, thour;li in some 
 cases it may be convenient and profitable to request the advice 
 of the neighboring Churches of Christ: Acts i. 21-26, vi. 3-0, 
 xiv, 23, and xv. 6-31; 1 Cor. v. 13; 2 Thess. iii. 6, 14, 15; 
 Titus iii. 10. 
 
 5. That a Bishop or Elder hath no more power to decide any 
 case or controversy in the Church than any jirivate brother, 
 yet he, having superior gifts for teaching and ruling, ought to 
 exercise and improve the same for the benefit of the Church ; 
 and the Church ought to be subjected to ilic gifts bestowed 
 on the Minister from the Lord, while he is rightly administer- 
 ing in his place ; whose place it is to lead in the actings of the 
 Church, and to administer the ordinances of the Gospel, and 
 devote himself to the work of teaching, warning, rebuking, and 
 exhorting the people publicl}-^, and fror.'i hnnst' to house: ^latt. 
 XX. 25-29 ; 1 Peter v. 3 ; Acts xx. 20-28, 31 ; ITob. xiii. 17 ; 1 
 Thess. v. 12, 13. 
 
 6. That the Deacon's office or work is to take care of the 
 poor, and to have the oversight of the temporal affairs of the 
 Church, and to minister at the Lord's Table : Acts vi. 1-5 ; 1 
 Tim. iii. 8-14. 
 
 7. That every believer is commanded to be faithful, to im- 
 proveevery gift and talent which is bestowed on him; in order 
 to which, there ought to be such a Gospel freedom tiiat the 
 Church may know where every particular gift is, that it may 
 be improved in it-* proper place, and to its right end, viz., the 
 glory of God and the good of His people: 1 retcr iv. 10, 11 
 and V. 5; 1 Tim. iv. 14; 1 Cor. 12th and 14th chapters; Iloni. 
 xii. 3-8. 
 
 8. That there is a mutual obligation between Minister and 
 people — one to administer in things religions and spiritual, ac- 
 cording to the gifts God has given. T|ie Church to communi- 
 cate of their temporal or worldly substance for his comfort and 
 
6 
 
 is not to be effected bvfoio«„r ?"'' •'"'?'•'" *"'<"'• ^'•<' ">» 
 of civil power" but it !>. fTil •"/■»"'P.«'«'?n, or by the sword 
 the Scriptm"«'of trith Id °;,™''-'"" '^"""S, agreeably to 
 n.attcro?ght to be disclp'li„"c"d\7Sp"elTu?:'.,1o"r an"' L" '''I' 
 
 PART nr.-COVENANT. 
 
 mJ^'glt^ioTGl';] ^nlfl^rf """ ^^ ^^^ S'-^^^^'* all-seeing, and 
 
 own Him this dav nZ ' n''^^^''' ^''^' ^"^ I^oly Ghost, and 
 our Leal and ,^,^^>!r' ^^^' ^^f *'^*'^^'' 0"^ Savioui and 
 up ourselves ?o theTord"?/' *^"^ P.«''t««» ^^^ «ver. V^e give 
 to riim as the Lad of Frf« ^?" 1 ^^"f ' ^"^ engage lo adhere 
 rely on Plim J ou, PronL^f ^ ' '". the covenant of grace, and 
 eternal blessedness. ^ ' "^'^' """* ^^'"S' *^ "^""S us to 
 
 tio^Vglo^^^^^^^ and indispensable oblige- 
 
 in this present world^i 'n^ ^ ^'""^^^ righteous, and godly life, 
 and we engage by the ll^''"' 'T?^ ?'""^« ^"^ ^^^^^ions 
 prove our tfme stUlth Tl ?'^ ''V^^^ ^^^^"^ Spirit, to inl- 
 and the goofU'f oi rinLf ^^'' ^"'^ advantages to His glory 
 walk in ?ur ouses ni '" ', P^«"^^«ing. ^y Divine help, to 
 
 to maintab ZZZ^'Tc l^'-'' ^^''"?^«'"« g«'^"»^««' ^"d 
 up those under orr.ri in .1 ^^ '" ""V ^f."^^^^«' ^"^^ ^^ ^^ain 
 We ako 17 '^ "^^^^^ ^^ ^'^'^g^^" an<5 virtue. 
 
 promtsing to^ac't Zvardri^cl ^.^"^ ^"2^^^'" ^ —«*> 
 
 watching^over'fnelrtt r het^e S Cof "" ^'^ ^""''''^ 
 buking, and admonishing one another for Ln?!^:;:''^'^-'"^' •*'■ 
 require; and if wp if nnir ♦' i ^orgood as occasion may 
 
 it by tellincTit o^^^^^^ ^„«" ^f t, that we will not expose 
 
 with our brethren wo win \ T ^-T ''^"'^ l^^''^^"'^^ ^li«i«"lty 
 
 grievances toothorsb will f.tT7l; Ti''^ '' ^P^'^*^ ^^ ^"'• 
 c'ording to the diroc't 1 Z ^'^'^J'^"^ ^ l^^^ur with them, ac- 
 that sin may be nf n " V'"'" -^^^''^^-Matt. xviii. 15, 17- 
 
 mny not be'ha2 edTn't TehuTo^N^^^ ^'^^^^ 
 
 i^iriy&^:t/:;g^i£?^ 
 
 Puting aboutiordS^ie^;!^---;-:::^:^^"^ 
 
 
ing promises, and not f.ilfilling engagements— tattling and 
 backbiting, spending time idly at taverns, or elsewhere, and 
 vain, unnecessary worldly conversation on the Sabbath, and 
 whatsoever else is contrary to sound doctrine, accordir.g to 
 the glorious gospel of Christ. We promise to hold comnumion 
 together in the worship of God, and in the ordinances and 
 discipline of His church, according as we are or shall be guided 
 by the Spirit of God in Ilis word-— expecting that He will yet 
 further and more gloriously open His word and the mysteries 
 of His kingdom ; applying to the blood ^ the everlasting 
 covenant for the pardon of our many errors, and praying that 
 the Lord would prepare and strengthen us for every good^work 
 to do His will, working in us that which is well i)leas'ing in His 
 sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom bo glory for ever and 
 ever. — Amen. 
 
 ' 
 
#' ' 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN VISITOR, 
 
 An evangel iciil paper published in the intereBtn 
 ot* the IJaptisl denomination. 
 
 ft ought to be in all the land lies of the land, m 
 '* it vijiorouHl y coiitends for the faith and practice of 
 Apostolic chim^lu's. 
 
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