USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Foxborough > Creed, covenant and discipline of the Orthodox Congregational Church in Foxborough, Mass. : with a historical sketch and chronological catalogue of its officers and members > Part 1
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Gc 974.402 F83fox 1825688
M.L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GC
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01100 0442
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https://archive.org/details/creedcovenantdis00unse
THE
CREED, COVENANT AND
DISCIPLINE
OF THE
ORTHODOX CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
IN
FOXBOROUGH, MASS.
WITH A HISTORICAL SKETCH AND CHRONOLOGICAL CATALOGUE OF ITS OFFICERS AND MEMBERS.
"For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness ; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation."
NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
FOX BORO: PRINTED BY WILLIAM H. THOMAS, 1867.
MANUAL
OF THE
Congregational Church, 2
FOXBOROUGH.
THE NEWPERRY LIB CH.
1825688
i
1:
28443 21 D FOXBOROUGH, MASS. ORTHODOX CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. The creed, covenant and discipline of the Orthodox Congregational church in Foxborough, Mass. With a historical sketch and chronological catalogue of its officers and members ... Foxboro, Thomas, 1867. 27р.
"A chronological catalogue of officers and members": p.19-27.
0
2545
NT. KR.7110-
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE CHURCH.
The town of Foxborough was incorporated in the year 1778. During the next year the first Church of Christ was organized. The record of its organization is given in the following minutes of the Council called to advise and act respecting that matter.
" At a Council of Churches, viz :- of the Church in Stoughton by pastor and delegate, of the Church in Mansfield by pastor and delegate, of the Church in Wren- tham by delegate,-convened at Foxboro', Nov. 25, 1779, at the desire of a number of the inhabitants of said town, who, being members of Churches in neighboring towns, desired to be incorporated together as a distinct Congre- gational Church of Christ and vested with the power and privileges of such a Church, Rev. Mr. Curtis was chosen Moderator and Rev. Mr. Green scribe.
The Council was opened with prayer by the Moderator, and having examined their letters of dismission and ap- proved of their Covenant, proceeded to the meeting-house where after a sermon preached by Mr. Curtis suitable to the occasion, the Covenant being publicly propounded and assented to by the subscribers they were declared by the Moderator to be a Congregational Church. And after recommending the newly-gathered Church to the grace of God and the fellowship of the Churches of Christ, the Council was dissolved."
The Covenant adopted by the Church at the time of its formation continued to be used as the form of admis-
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sion to membership during the first forty years of its history. But the standards of Faith and Order referred to in it, not being easily accessible to its members, a committee was appointed in 1819 to prepare some Arti- cles of Faith and Discipline which should embody the more important principles contained in those stand- ards. The committee performed the duty assigned them and their report, containing the Confession of Faith and seventeen of the twenty-four Articles of Discipline found in the following pages of this pamphlet with a re- vised form of the original Covenant, was adopted by the Church on the second day of March in the year 1820. On the seventeenth day of June, 1855, the Covenant of the Church was again revised and brought into the form in which it now appears in connection with the Creed and Discipline. Several of the articles of Discipline have been amended and ten new ones have been added by the Church.
Immediately following this . Historical Sketch is now printed the original Covenant of the Church ; and in the pages succeeding it the present Creed, Covenant and Discipline of the Church are printed for its use.
THE SOLEMN COVENANT of the Congregational Church of Christ gathered at Foxborough, Nov. 25, 1779.
"We the subscribers professing ourselves saints by calling, and believing it to be our duty to incorporate ourselves together as a distinct Congregational Church of Christ, that so we may be vested with the powers and privileges which belong to such a church by the laws of Christ, and may regularly enjoy the special ordinances of the gospel among ourselves ; do, for that purpose, and
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by these presents, covenant with God, and one with another, as followeth, that is to say,
1. We do avouch the great and eternal Jehovah, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the one true and living God, creator, upholder, and governor of all things, to be our God, our Portion, our Law Giver and our Judge, resolving by divine grace to worship and glorify Him as God, seek and rejoice in Him as our Portion and Chief Good, and submit ourselves to his Laws and Govern- ment.
2. We do avouch the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God clothed with human nature, to be our only Mediator with God, resolving by divine grace to approve and submit ourselves to Him as our Prophet, Priest and King.
3. We avouch God the Holy Ghost, the third person in the Sacred Trinity to be our Teacher, Sanctifier, Guider and Comforter, and resolve duly to attend those ordinan- ces and means of grace and knowledge whereby that divine Person is wont to teach, sanctify, guide and com- fort the children of God and disciples of Christ; and to beware of those sins that will grieve Him and provoke Him to withdraw and withhold his gracious presence and influence from us.
4. We avouch the sacred scriptures contained in the Old and New Testament to be our only infallible Rule of Faith and Manners, and resolve to study those writ- ings and diligently improve the public ministry of the word as the outward and ordinary means of assistance in understanding of them; and to submit our judgments to the authority of them, and endeavor to govern our- selves by them in all our actions.
5. We take the confession of faith agreed upon by
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the famous Synod at Boston in the year of our Lord 1680, to be our subordinate Standard in point of doc- trine, and the Congregational Platform agreed upon by the famous Synod at Cambridge in the year of our Lord 1648, to be our subordinate Standard in point of Church Order and Discipline.
6. We do give up ourselves, first to God and then to one another in the Lord, resolving by divine grace to walk together as a Congregational Church of Christ, maintaining fellowship one with another in the faith and order of the Gospel, and conscientiously and faithfully receiving, obeying, and keeping pure and entire all such religious worship and ordinances, as God hath appointed ., in his word, faithfully discharging the trust that may be reposed in us, and duty that shall be incumbent on us in our several places, relations and stations, either in the church, in the family, or in the Commonwealth.
7. We do severally dedicate our children to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to be his and at his servicc and disposal, and that we will seasonably bring such of them as are not baptized unto Christ in baptism and that we will seasonably and faithfully instruct them in the christian religion ; and by good example and discipline arm them against the temptations, and restrain them from the sins, which their age and the times may expose them to fall into ; and that we will be much in prayer to God for their conversion, and will endeavor that they may en- joy, and attend upon, the outward and ordinary means of grace and salvation ; and in order thereto we will maintain the worship of God in our respective families by reading the word of God and social prayer, and will require our children and servants to attend there- on ; and furthermore we will require them to keep the Lords Day and reverence God's Sanctuary by a de-
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cent attendance on the public worship and ordinances thereof; all which we covenant and engage in the name and by the help of divine grace, beseeching God for · Christ's sake to dispose and enable us inviolably to keep, observe and do the same in all its parts and branches. Amen and Amen."
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FORM OF ADMISSION.
-
ADDRESS.
-
BELOVED FRIENDS :
You have presented yourselves, in this pub- lic manner, to make a profession of your religious faith, and to enter into covenant with God and with this Church. God, angels, and this assembly are witnesses to the transaction. The profession which you now make, and the engagements into which you now enter, arc of the most solemn moment ; they will be heard on high, and will be exhibited on your trial at the last day.
CREED.
1. There is one, and but one God, who is the Creator, and Preserver, and Governor of the Uni- verse, and who possesses every natural and moral perfection.
Deut. vi., 4. 1 Cor. viii., 4, 6. Gen. 1 chap. Heb. iii., 4. Neh ix., 6. Prov. xvi., 33. Dan. iv., 34, 35. Job xi., 7-9. Ex. xxxiv., 6, 7. 1 John, iv., 8.
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2. The Bible was written by holy men, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; and it is a perfect rule of faith and practice.
2 Tim. iii., 16. 2 Pet. i., 21. Is. viii., 20. Mat. xxii., 29. Gal. i., 8, 9. Rev. xxii., 18, 19. Ps. xix., 7-10.
3. God exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence and equal in every divine perfection.
1 John v., 7. Mat. xxviii., 19. 2 Cor. xiii., 14. Mat. vii., 21, and x., 32, and xx., 23. John v., 17. Mat. viii., 29. John i., 34. Heb. i., 3, 8. Job xxvi., 13. John xiv., 16, 17. Acts v., 3, 4. Rom. viii., 26, 27.
4. God has for his own glory fore-ordained what- soever comes to pass ; and he works all things after the counsel of his own will.
Eph. i., 11. Rom. ix., 17-23. Phil. ii., 13. Rev. xvii., 17, and iv., 11. Eccl. iii., 14. Is. xlv .. 7, and xlvi., 9, 10. Prov. xvi., 4. and xix., 21. and xxi., 1, and xvi., 1, 9. Job xxiii., 13, 14. Is. xliii., 7, and xlviii., 11. Amos iii., 6. Mat. vi., 13. Ps. xxxiii., 11. Dan. iv., 35. Acts ii., 23, and xv., 18.
5. God created Adam perfectly holy, and consti- tuted him the representative of all his posterity, suspending their moral character upon his probation- ary conduct.
Gen. i., 26, 27. Eccl. vii., 29. Rom. v., 12-19. 1 Cor. xv., 21, 22.
6. In consequence of the fall of Adam, all man- kind are by nature totally depraved in their moral character ; and by their impenitence and unbelief deserve to be punished with eternal death.
Gen. vi., 5, and viii., 21. Job xv., 16, and xxv., 4. Ps. xiv., 1-3, and li., 5. Is. xlviii., 8. Jer. iii., 5. Mat. xii., 34. Rom. i., ii., iii., chaps., and viii., 7, 8. 2 Cor. v., 14. Eph. ii., 1-3. Gen. ii., 17. Deut. xxvii .. 15-26. Ezek. xviii., 4. Rom. vi., 23. Gal iii., 10. Eccl. ix., 3. Jer. xvii., 9.
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7. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is God and man, has, by his death on the cross, made an atonement for the sins of the whole world.
Mat. xxvi., 28. ,Rom. viii., 32. 2 Cor v., 14, 15, and viii., 9. Gal. iii., 13, and iv., 4, 5. Eph. i., 7. 1 Pet. i., 18-20. Rom. v., 6, 8, 19. 1 Tim. ii., 5, 6. Heb. ii., 9. 1 John ii., 2.
8. Through the atonement, salvation is freely of- fered to sinners in the gospel ; yet they all naturally reject this gracious offer, and refuse to come to Christ that they may have eternal life.
Is. xlv., 22, and lv., 1, 3. Mat. xi., 28, 29., and xxii., 4. Mark xvi., 15. John vi., 35, and vii., 37. Rev. xxii., 17. Mat. xxii., 3, 5, 6. Luke xiv., 18-20, and xix., 14. John iii., 19, and v., 40. Prov. i., 24, 25, 29, 30.
9. God has, in the covenant of redemption, given to Christ a certain number of mankind, who were from eternity predestinated to be holy, and to be heirs of eternal glory.
Is. liii., 10. John x., 27-29, and xvii., 6, 9, 11, 24. Rom. viii., 29 -39. Acts xiii., 48. Rom. ix., 11. and xi ., 5, 7. Eph. i., 4, 5, 11. 2 Thes. ii., 13. 2 Tim i., 9. 1 Pet. i., 2.
10. The Holy Spirit, by an act of special grace, renews the hearts of all the elect, and causes them, in the present life, to accept the salvation of the Gospel.
Ps. cx., 3. John iii., 5. Eph. i., 19, and ii., 1. Col. ii., 12, 13. 1 Pet. i., 23. 1 Cor. vi., 11. Tit. iii .. 5. Ezek. xi., 19. 1 Thes. i., 5 6. 1 Pet. i., 12. 1 Cor. ii., 9, 10. 2 Cor. v., 17. John xiv., 26. Luke x., 21.
11. The foundation of the elect's forgiveness and salvation from endless punishment, is the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, in which they become in- terested by true faith alone; yet God will reward them for all their holy services.
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Is. liii., 4-6, 8. 11, 12, and xxviii., 16. Mat. xxvi., 28. Acts xx., 28. Eph. i., 6, 7. Col. i., 14, 20. Heb. ix , 22, 26, 28. 1 John 1., 7. Rev. i., 5. Rom. iii., 24. Eph. v., 2. John i., 12, and iii., 36, and vi., 47. Acts xvi., 31. Gal .. ii., 20. Rom. iii., 25. 26, 28. 30, and v., 1. Eph. ii .. 8, Rom. iv., 5. Mat. x., 42, and xxv., 34-40. 2 Cor. ix., 6. Gal. vi., 8.
12. God promises to preserve all who have been renewed in the temper of their mind, from final apostacy, and to conduct them, through sanctifica- tion of the Spirit and belief of the truth, into the kingdom of glory.
Job xvii., 9. Ps. cxxv. Prov. iv., 18. John iv .. 14, and vi., 39, 40, 54-58, and x., 28, 29. Rom. viii., 30, 33-39. 1 Pet. i., 5. 1 Thes. v.,9, 10, 24. 2 Thes. iii., 3. Phil. i., 6. Col. iii., 3, 4. John xvii., 11, 24.
13. All who were not given to Christ in the cov- enant of redemption, will persist in sin, and be formed, by their impenitence and unbelief, into vessels of wrath, and fitted for endless perdition.
Rom. ix., 22, and xi., 7-10. 1 Peter, ii., 8. John, ix., 39, and xii., 37-40. Mat. xiii., 13-15. 1 Thes. v., 9. Is. vi., 9, 10, and xxviii., 13. Ps. Ixix., 22. 2 Cor. ii., 16.
14. None but the cordial friends of Christ ought to partake of the Lord's supper ; and every church ought to require a profession of holy love to the Lord Jesus Christ, of all whom they admit to their communion.
Mat. xxii., 11, 12, 13. 1 Cor. x., 16, 21. 2 Cor. vi., 14-18. 1 Cor. xi., 23-29. Acts ii., 47.
15. Adult believers who have not been baptized, and the children of professing believers, are the prop- er subjects of baptism.
Mat. xxviii., 19. Acts viii., 12, 37, and ii., 38, 39, and xvi., 15, 33. Cor. i., 16, and vii., 14. Mat. xix., 14.
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16. God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, who will then receive the righteous to endless happi- ness, and sentence the wicked to endless punishment.
Eccl. xii., 14. Acts xvii., 31. Jude, 14, 15. 2 Peter ii., 4. Rom. ii., 16, and xiv., 10, 12. Mat. xii., 36, and xvi., 27, and xxv., 31-46. John v., 22, 27. Rev. xx., 12. 13. Luke xviii., 29, 30. John iii., 15. 16, and vi., 27. 2 Cor. v., 1, 10. 1 Peter i., 4, and v., 4. Rom. ii., 7. Rev. iii., 5, 12, 21, and vii., 9-17, and xxi., 4. Is. Ixvi., 24. Mat. xiii., 40-42, 47-50. Mark ix., 43-48. Luke xiii., 27, 28, and xii., 10. Rom. ii., 5, 8, 9. Phil. iii., 19. 2 Thes. i., 6-10. Heb. x., 26- 31. 2 Peter iii., 7. Rev. xiv., 10, 11, and xxi., 8.
All these things you heartily profess and believe. [ The ordinance of Baptism is here administered.]
COVENANT.
In the presence of God, his holy angels, and this assembly, you do now solemnly avow the Lord Jehovah-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-to be your God and your portion forever. You do solemnly devote all your faculties, powers, and possessions to * the service and glory of your Maker ; covenanting that you will be the Lord's forever ; engaging that, through the aid of his Spirit, you will cleave to him as your chief good, will love him supremely and obey him faithfully ; that you will give diligent at- tendance to his word and ordinances ; that you will seek, above all things, the honor and interest of his kingdom ; and that you will aim, without ceasing, to adorn your profession by a blameless life, and by holiness of heart.
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You do also now cordially join yourselves to this Church of Christ, and engage to submit to the reg- ular administration of its government and discipline ; to strive earnestly for its peace, edification, and puri- ty ; and to walk with its members in Christian faith- fulness, fellowship, and love.
Trusting in the grace of God, you thus covenant and engage.
[ The members of the Church here rise.]
In consequence of these professions and engage- ments, we, the members of this Church, do now affectionately receive you to our communion, and in the name of Christ declare you entitled to all its vis- ible privileges; we welcome you to the fellowship with us in the blessings of the gospel, and on our part engage to watch over you with Christian fidel- ity and tenderness, and seek your spiritual edifica- tion, imploring of the great Head of the Church, that both . you and we may be faithful to our Cov- enant, and glorify him with the holiness which becometh his house forever.
ADDRESS.
BELOVED IN THE LORD :
Let it never be forgotten, that you have here come under obligations from which you cannot escape; you can never withdraw from the Covenant which has now been confirmed ; wherever you go, these vows will be with you ; they will follow you to the bar of God, and will abide upon you forever.
May the God of peace, that brought again from
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the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shep- herd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlast- ing covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.
Now unto him that is able to keep you from fall- ing, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy ; to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
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DISCIPLINE.
1. A Church consists of a number of visible saints, who unite and bind themselves, by a public profession of the Christian religion, and by a mutual covenant, to maintain religious communion, in the worship and ser- vice of God, and the ordinances and discipline of the gospel.
2. Such a company of saints possesses all the power which the Lord Jesus Christ has given to his church ; and is warranted, independently of any other body, to exercise in his name the authority, which he has given in the scriptures for the maintenance of the peace, order, purity and happiness of his churches.
3. A church may exist, and has a right to act, re- specting all its interests and concerns, previously to the election and appointment of its standing officers.
4. It is the duty and privilege of a church to choose and appoint its own officers, who are bound, when they are regularly inducted to office, to act as servants of the church for the promotion of its spiritual interests in the duties of their appointment.
5. The ordinary and permanent officers of a church are ministers and deacons ; but in addition to these per- manent officers, this church shall choose annually, by ballot, a Clerk, Treasurer and Committee of three, which Committee, with the permanent officers, shall constitute an Executive Committee of this church.
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6. It is the office and duty of a minister to preside in the church, to preach the gospel, to administer the ordinances, and to labor publicly and privately for the spiritual welfare of all the souls that are committed to his charge.
7. It is the office and duty of a deacon to perform any stated or occasional service, that is assigned by the church, and particularly to serve the church, at the ad- ministration of the Lord's Supper, and in the communi- cation of their charity, to relieve the temporal necessities of its needy members.
8. It shall be the duty of the Clerk to'keep an ac- curate record of all the doings of the church.
9. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer, under the direction of the Executive Committee, to take charge of and disburse the moneys of the church, and the benef- icence of the congregation, and report annually.
10. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee -First, to have the oversight of the general subject of discipline-Second, to examine and propound candidates for admission to the church-Third, to audit the Treas- urer's account-Fourth, to have a general supervision of the Sabbath School connected with the church and society and to appoint the needful officers of the school, unless the church directly makes choice of the same.
11. Candidates for admission to this church, after having been examined by the Executive Committee, at a regular church meeting, shall stand propounded for at least two weeks.
12. Persons received on profession shall present either a written or verbal statement of their christian experience.
13. Persons received by letter, as well as by profes- sion, shall give a public assent to the Articles of Faith and Covenant.
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14. A church is bound, by its covenant, and by the requirements and exhortations of the scriptures, to be at- tentive to the conduct and state of all its members, to maintain and manifest a spirit of christian affection and sympathy, and to watch for the prevention of unchristian and disorderly conversation and behavior.
15. If any member of a church do any injury or give any offence to another member, it is his duty to go with- out delay to the one whom he has injured or offended, and make a christian acknowledgment and confession of his fault, and render satisfaction to his offended or injured brother.
16. Whenever any member of a church is guilty of a scandalous offence, it is the duty of any other member, who has a knowledge of the offence, to go directly to the offender, and proceed with him according to the instruc- tions of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew's gospel.
17. When the private steps have been unsuccessfully taken, the complaint before the church, in a definite charge or charges with the names of the witnesses, shall in all cases be presented in writing, signed by the com- plainants.
18. No member shall be tried before the church for any offence, unless the specific charge or charges shall have been presented to him, in writing, with the names of the witnesses, at least two weeks before the day of trial.
19. A church ought to excommunicate every offend- ing member who persists in his offence, or does not afford evidence of repentance and reformation, after dealing with him according to the scriptures.
20. An excommunicated person may not be restored
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but upon a public confession of his sin, a profession of repentance, and a reformation of his conduct.
21. As psalmody is a very important part of religious worship, it is the duty of a church to take proper meas- ures for the decent and devout performance of this service.
22. It is expedient for a church to obtain the judg- ment and advice of other churches, in important and difficult cases.
23. There shall be a church meeting held once in two months, at such regular time as the permanent offi- cers shall select, for business, if any, and for devotional exercises. A special meeting may be called at any time by the Pastor, Deacons, or Clerk, by a notice at any public religious meeting, or by seasonably notifying each resident member of the church. All business meetings shall be opened by prayer ; and in the absence of the Pastor, the senior Deacon shall preside.
24. The Lord's Supper will be administered once in two months.
25. The annual meeting of this church, for the choice of its temporary officers, shall be holden on the first Thursday of March.
26. All members absenting themselves from the wor- ship and communion of this church, for one year or more, shall satisfy the Executive Committee in respect to their reasons for so doing, or apply for a letter to some other church.
27. Members of other churches having communed with this church for the space of one year, will be re- quested at the expiration of that time to apply for admis- sion, or assign to the Executive Committee a satisfactory reason for not doing so.
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A CHRONOLOGICAL CATALOGUE
OF
OFFICERS AND MEMBERS.
PASTORS.
Rev. Thomas Kendall. Ordained May 25, 1786. Dismissed Feb. 5, 1800. Rev. Daniel Loring. Ordained Feb. 22, 1804. Dismissed Apr. 8. 1806. Rev. Thomas Skelton. Ordained Nov. 2, 1808. Dismissed Mar. 6, 1816. Rev. Thos. Williams. Installed Nov. 6, 1816. Dismissed Oct. 24, 1821. Rev. Willard Pierce. Ordained Nov. 17, 1824. Dismissed Oct. 23, 1839. Rev. Daniel J. Poor. Ordained Mar. 11, 1840. Dismissed May 12, 1847. Rev. William Barnes. Installed Dec. 15, 1847. Dismissed Apr. 12, 1854. Rev. E. Y. Garrette. Ordained Apr. 12, 1854. Dismissed July 14, 1857. Rev. Noadiah S. Dickinson. Installed Mar. 10, 1858.
DEACONS.
Nehemiah Carpenter. Chosen June 16, 1786. Died May 14, 1799. Nathaniel Clark. Chosen June 16, 1786. Died July 12, 1823. Spencer Hodges. Chosen August 16, 1799. Died May 6, 1809. Samuel Baker. Chosen Jan. 11, 1805. Died Sept. 29, 1821. Isaac Pratt. Chosen August 16, 1809. Died Nov. 14, 1820. Ebenezer Forrest. Chosen June 3, 1816. Resigned Fch. 8, 1834. Stephen Rhoades. Chosen Jan. 1, 1818. Deposed April 9, 1832. Harvey Pettee. Chosen August 31, 1832. Died Jan. 3, 1843. James Carpenter. Chosen March 23, 1834. Resigned Dec. 14, 1843. Daniel L. Hewins. Chosen Feb. 7, 1843.
Giles Randall. Chosen Jan. 4, 1844. Resigned Sept. 21, 1845. Elbridge H. Packard. Chosen Oct. 30, 1845. Resigned May 5, 1849. Jason Comey. Chosen Oct. 30, 1845. Died Sept. 15, 1853.
Erastus Grover. Chosen Sept. 30, 1855.
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