Covenant of of Membership - April 22, 1758

The following is the Covenant of Membership ratified by the church in April 22, 1758. It was eventually superseded on December 6, 1973 with our current Covenant of Membership. The passage below is a true copy of the original. Any misspellings, capitalizations, etc., are left in-tact.

A holy covenant entered into by us, ye inhabitants + Church Members of ye south society in New Fairfield, on ye 9th day of Nov. 1742 gathered into Church.

We, who this ye exceeding kindness of Divine Grace are this day alowed to assemble ourselves together in ye presence of ye Almighty God + enter into covenant + be gathered as a Church here in this Place -

First, we acknowledge our great Unworthiness to be ye Lords Covenant People : also acknowledge our own inability to keep covenant with God or Perform any spiritual Duty unless ye Lord Jesus do enable us thereto, by his spirit dwelling in us. And being awfully sensible yt. it is a dreadful thing for sinful Dust + ashes personally to transact with ye infinitely glorious Majesty of Heaven + Earth, we do in humble confidence of his glorious Assistance thro Christ, each one of us for ourselves + jointly as a Church solemnly enter into Covenant with God + one another according to God in the Manner following.

We do give up ourselves to yt God whose Name alone is Jehovah. Father, Son + Holy Ghost, ye only true + living God + to our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, as our only blessed Savior as Prophet, Priest + King over our souls + only Mediator of ye Covenant of Grace, promising by ye Help of his Spirit + Grace to cleave sin to God as our Chief Good + to ye Lord Jesus Christ by Faith + Gospel Obedience as becometh his Covenant People for ever. We do also give up our Offspring unto God in Jesus Christ avouching ye Lord to be God + ye God of our children + ourselves with our children to be his People, humbly adoring ye Grace of God, yt we + our offspring with us may be looked upon to be Lords. We do also give up ourselves one to another in ye Lord + according to ye Will of God freely covenating + binding ourselve to walk together as a right ordered Church of Christ in all ye ways of his Worship according to ye holy Rules of ye word of God, promising in brotherly Love to watch over one another's souls faithfully + to submit ourselves unto ye Discipline + government of Christ in his Church obeying 'em yt rule over us ye Lord + duly to attend to those ordinances which Christ has instituted in his Church + commanded to be attended by his People. As to give revered Attention unto ye word of God : to pray unto him : to sing his Praises : and to hold Communion each with other in both ye Seals of ye Covenant of Grace, viz. Baptism + ye Lord's Supper. And whereas ye Times in which we live are Times of Difficulties + sad Degeneracy + Apostacy, where in ye Love of many avaxes cold + sin + Iniquity abounds : as our Expedient to a Reformation we do freely ingage + promise as ye Presence of God.

1. That we will (Christ helping) endeavor, everyone of us to reform our Hearts + Lives by seeking to mortify all our sins, + Labouring to walk more closely with God than ever yet we have done + will continue to worship God in publick, private + secret + this without formality + Hypocrisy; - and more fully + faithfully than here to fore to discharge all covenant Duties one to another in our living one with another, in Church Communion.

2. We promise to walk before God in denying Ungldliness + worldly Lusts, to live soberly with our Brother Neighbor. NOt to be Tale Bearers or Tattlers, but to live soberly before God in our Houses with a perfect Heart and yt we will uphold ye worship of God continually Therein according as He, in his Word, doth require both in respect of Prayer + Reading ye Scriptures yt so ye Word of God may dwell richly in us : and we will do what in us lies to bring up our children for Christ yt they (having ye Lord's Name put upon them by a solemn Dedication to God in Christ) may be such as they ought to be : and will therefore (as need shall be) catechise, exhort + change them to fear ye Lord + endeavor to set holy Examples before them + be much in Prayer for their Conversion + Salvation.

3. To endeavor to be pure from ye Sins of ye Times in our Places to endeavor ye suppression thereof + be careful so to walk as yt may not give occassion to others to sin or speak evil of our holy Profession. Now yt we may observe + keep ye Sacred Covenant + all ye Branches of it inviolable forever we design to deny Ourselves + to depend wholly upon ye Power of ye Eternal Spirit of Graces + on ye free Mercy of God + Merits of Christ Jesus : and where we shall fail, there to wait upon ye Lord Jesus, for Pardon, Acceptance + Healing for his Name's Sake.

Our current Covenant of Membership may be found here.