WE take the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as the only ground and rule of our faith and practice, believing them to be the infallible word of God, and the standard of doctrine and duty.

Conformable hereunto, we believe that there is but one only living and true God that there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are equal in nature, power, and glory, and that the Son and the Holy Ghost are as truly and properly God as the Father.

We believe, that before the world began, God did elect a certain number of men unto everlasting salvation; whom he did predestinate unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, of his own free grace, and according to the good pleasure of his will; and that in pursuance of this gracious design, he did enter into a covenant of grace and peace with his Son Jesus Christ on the behalf of those persons; wherein a Saviour was appointed, and all spiritual blessings provided for them, and their persons secured in the hand of Christ.

We believe that God created the first man Adam, after his image, and in his likeness, an upright, holy, and innocent creature, capable of serving and glorifying

VOL. XVI.-NO. CXCI.

him; but he sinning, all his posterity sinned in him, and came short of the glory of God; the guilt of whose sin is imputed ; and a corrupt nature derived to all his offspring, descending from him by ordinary and natural generation: so that they are by their first birth, carnal and unclean, averse to all that is spiritually good, incapable of doing any, and prone to every sin; are also by nature children of wrath, and under a sentence of condemnation from which there is no deliverance but by Christ the second Adam.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, being set up from everlasting as the Mediator of the covenant, and his having engaged to be the surety of his people, did in the fulness of time, really assume human nature consisting of a true body and a reasonable soul, both which the Son of God took into union with his Divine person, in which nature he really suffered, and died as the substitute of his people, in their room and stead, whereby he made all that satisfaction for their sins which the law and the justice of God could require; as well as made way for all those blessings which are needful for them, both for time and eternity.

We believe that that eternal redemp

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We believe that the justification of God's elect is only by the righteousness, that is, the active and passive obedience of Christ imputed to them without the consideration of any works of righteousness done by them; and that the full, free, and everlasting pardon of their sins and transgressions, is only through the blood of Christ, according to the riches of his grace. Yet we look upon the holy moral law of God, to be the standing rule of obedience to believers in Jesus, as well as all others.

We believe that the work of regeneration, conversion, sanctification, and faith, are not effected by means of free will or power, but by the mighty and invincible grace of God.

We believe, that all those who are chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sanctified by the Spirit, shall certainly and finally persevere; so that not one of them shall ever perish, but shall have everlasting life.

We believe that there will be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and the unjust; and that Christ will come a second time to judge both quick and dead; when he will take vengeance on his enemies and introduce his own people into his kingdom and glory, when they shall be for ever with him.

We believe that baptism and the Lord's-supper are ordinances of Christ, to be continued until his second coming; and that the former is absolutely requisite to the latter; that is, that those only are to be admitted into the communion of the church, who upon profession of their faith, have been baptized by immersion, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

And furthermore, we, whose names are hereunto subscribed, having first given our ownselves to the Lord, do give up ourselves one unto another by his Divine will, with deep humiliation for our past sins, and earnest prayer to God, for pardoning mercy, and assisting, preserving and persevering grace; we say with our hearts, we are the Lord's, and

We take the ever blessed Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for our new covenant God, and everlasting portion, and we devote ourselves to him alone for his peculiar people, in a perpetual covenant never to be forgotten.

We receive and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, as our only Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King, in whom alone we trust for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

We devote and consecrate ourselves as living temples to the Holy Ghost our Sanctifier, Guide, and Comforter, whose gracious operations and heavenly conduct we desire daily more and more to enjoy, experience and follow. In a dependence on him and hoping for his Divine help, we covenant with God, each for ourselves, and jointly together, to observe the commandments and keep the ordinances of God as he has delivered them to us; to be subject to that Divine order and discipline which Jesus Christ, our only King and Lawgiver hath appointed in his church: and not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together for the public worship of God: to contribute towards the support of the precious gospel among us, according to the ability wherewith God has blessed us, and as occasion may require; not taking the advantage of being absent, or making other trifling excuses, to exempt ourselves from bearing a proper share in the expenses that may come upon us.

We likewise purpose through Divine help, to walk with each other in all humility and brotherly love; to stir up one another to love and good works, to warn, rebuke, and admonish one another as the case requires; to sympathize one with another in all conditions both inward and outward into which God, in his providence may bring us; as also to bear with one another's weaknesses, failings and infirmities; and particularly to pray for one another, and jointly and separately wrestle with God, that the gospel and ordinances thereof may be blessed to the edification of our souls, and for the gathering in of others to Christ, beside those who are already gathered.

We will also make it our care, through the aforesaid help, to walk before the Lord in our own houses with upright

hearts, by daily prayer and praise to God, and diligent reading the Holy Scriptures; to teach our children and servants the way of the Lord and command them to keep it, setting before them an example worthy of their imitation, and praying to God for their conversion and salvation.

We will also endeavour, by the grace of God, to keep ourselves pure from the sins and vices of the times and places wherein we live; to walk in wisdom towards them that are without; to exercise a

conscience void of offence towards God and men by living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, that none may have occasion given by our unholy lives, to speak evil of God's most holy ways.

And all this, under an abiding sense, that we must shortly give up our accounts to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead: unto which solemn covenant, we set our hands in the presence of the all-seeing, heart-searching God.

THOSE who are desirous of seeing the | peace and happiness of our churches promoted, should attentively consider what must be the effect of an attempt to alter their constitution, and what will be the consequence if the attempt is successful.

One of the first effects of the attempt will be to break the church into parties. Private opinions may do little hurt, while they are viewed as only private; but let the attempt be made to change the constitution of a church, and bring in new terms of communion, then every one would feel that these private opinions became of public consequence.

In those churches which are composed only of Baptists, such as are not favourable to open communion would instantly find that they must defend themselves; -they must stand by each other, and contend with brethren with whom they have been in friendship; for in many cases their own membership would depend on the result.

If a strong party should rise up against them, they would be compelled to say, "We are satisfied that the admission of the unbaptized to communion is not the plan of the New Testament, and if we agree to it, we shall agree to a deviation which is pregnant with evil consequences. The kingdom of Christ will, in the end, be best promoted by walking in his ways, according to what we find in his word. Our objection to mixed communion proceeds from a conscientious regard to what

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we believe is the will of the Lord, and therefore we dare not concur in such an alteration. If this point is carried, we must leave you."

They would say further:-"You knew the general sentiments of the church before you entered it; you knew that we had always received only those who were baptized; you requested us to receive you; and now you would exclude us, who agreed to admit you."

They would also probably add, as with good reason they might,-"If you are not satisfied with the constitution and sentiments of the church into which you requested admission, and cannot comfortably stay with us, we do not wish that you should be unhappy by continuing with us, and we cannot object to your bettering your situation; but if your intention is to take measures which will expel us from our home, we shall not be able to suppress the feeling that you have robbed us both of our privileges and of our property. We have often heard the Unitarians censured for keeping possession of the places of worship and other property of the old Presbyterians, after they had introduced a new doctrine, and driven away those who could not give up the faith of their fathers; and if you follow their example, and, by breaking the constitution of our churches, exclude those who persevere in the sentiments on which they were formed, and which hitherto they have maintained, though the

To ignore them in a general system of instruction, is just so far to blot them out of existence. All the loss from ignorance in these respects, falls upon Baptists-all the gain accrues to Pædobaptists.

This question is readily answered. Our schools not being associated in a union of their own, have been obliged to use the general system of instruction common to schools of different denominations. In these our peculiar views, and the scriptural arguments which sustain them, are either totally ignored, or partially misrepresented. In either case, great injustice is done to the cause of truth. Important doctrines are treated as not essential, and the child is kept in ignorance of their Scripture foundation, until he is converted, and is desirous of professing the faith as it is in Jesus,

The pernicious consequences of these conditions are not confined to youth. Thousands of church-members are utterly unprepared to give a reason for their practice. It is not, therefore, surprising that, when they are brought into association with the intelligent of other denominations, they are ensnared, and led into the sanction of error.

The conditions to which we have referred, are not equal in their influence upon different denominations. The truths which are ignored, or partially misrepresented in general systems of instructions, are only those which particularly distinguish us as a denomination. That immersion only is Christian baptism, that believers only are entitled to baptism, that baptized believers only are qualified to commune, that a church of Christ is composed only of baptized believers, and that is the only body that possesses ecclesiastical authority:--such truths as these, and only such truths, are ignored in our associations with other denominations in Sunday-schools. No Scripture truth held by them is ignored. It is only the existence of these truths that makes Baptists. Let them be entirely blotted out, and all would be immediately

One very remarkable effect of such systems is to create a positive and very extensive distaste, even among Baptists, to any allusion to such topics from the pulpit. Thus the Sunday-school affects the ministry, and the pastor who would give full and explicit instruction upon all of Christ's commandments, is regarded as singularly illiberal, bigoted, and sectarian. The cry is peace and union; the tendency, compromise and ruin.

At the same time that Pædobaptists bind this yoke upon our necks, they bear no portion of it. It is their direct advantage that the truths to which we have alluded, should be wrapped up in a napkin and buried in the earth. They would not object, if these truths were never brought up into the light. Still this does not prevent them, while they continue to maintain the union systems and to keep the children in Baptist schools ignorant of the Scriptures relating to these topics, from forming their own Sunday-school organizations, in which they teach all that they have added to the doctrines of the Gospel. The Episcopalians, the Methodists, the Congregationalists, have their respective Sunday-school Unions, all large and flourishing. How long will Baptists sleep quietly and allow the locks of their strength to be shorn? Will they not arise, while there is yet some strength left, and by one manly effort break off for ever the withes by which they are bound?

The truths which distinguish us as a denomination, are either essential or nonessential. If we are right in holding them, as imposing upon us sacred and unavoidable duties, then we are wrong in not teaching them fully to the children in our Sabbath-schools, in connection with other Scripture truths. If we are right in banishing them from our Sundayschools, as distinctive truths, we are wrong in inculcating them elsewhere. One of two courses alone remains to us as consistent followers of the Lamb of