“We who are here present, having been brought by the providence of God to
worship together in Child’s Hill chapel, and being agreed as to the propriety of
becoming more closely associated. in the fellowship of the Gospel do hereby join
ourselves together, with the pledge of our reciprocal esteem and confidence, and
in devout dependence upon the blessing of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost.
“And thus by our voluntary act, constituted into a church of Jesus
Christ: we will, from this time forth, endeavour to bear one another’s burdens,
and to rejoice in one another’s welfare. We will seek to walk in the ordinances
and commandments of the Lord; we will welcome to our fellowship brethren,
whether dismissed from other churches, or giving satisfactory evidence of
conversion to God. We will administer discipline if, unhappily, it should be
needed, as far as possible in the Spirit, and according to the directions of the
New Testament and, finally, we will watch and pray on the common behalf, that,
as a church, we may be like a light shining in a dark place; and as individuals:
the faithful and persevering followers of our Lord Jesus Christ unto everlasting
life.”
This is a founding covenant for which any church should be justly thankful. It would repay Christians in the present day to study the terms of the covenant and seek to live up to its demands. Not, of course, because we place traditions above Scripture, but because this particular covenant so accurately reflects much of what God’s Word expects of true churches.
