n Him to do
all for us, and work all in us, especially relating to our eternal
salvation, being sensible that of ourselves we can do nothing.

"And it is also our purpose and resolution (by Divine assistance)
to discharge the duties of Christian love and Brotherly
watchfulness towards each other, to train up our children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord: to join together in setting up
and maintaining the Publick worship of God among us, carefully and
joyfully to attend upon Christ's Sacrament and institutions; to
yield all obedience and submission to Him or them that shall from
time to time in an orderly manner be made overseers of the flock,
to submit to all the regular administrations and censures of the
Church and to contribute all in our power unto the regularity and
peaceableness of those administrations.

"And respecting Church discipline it is our purpose to adhere to
the method contained in the platform or the substance of it agreed
upon by the synod at Cambridge in New England Ano. Dom. 1648 as
thinking these methods of Church Discipline the nearest the
Scripture and most likely to maintain and promote Purity, order
and peace of any.

"And we earnestly pray that God would be pleased to smile upon
this our undertaking for His Glory, that whilst we thus subscribe
with our hands, to the Lord and sirname ourselves by the Name of
Israel; we may through grace given us become Israelites indeed in
whom there is no Guile, that our hearts may be right with God and
we be steadfast in His Covenant, that we who are now combining
together in a new church of Jesus Christ, may by the purity of our
faith and morals become one of those Golden Candlesticks among
which the Son of God in way of favor and protection will
condescend to walk. And that every member of it thro' imputed
righteousness and inherent grace may hereafter be found among that
happy Multitude whom the glorious head of the Church, the Heavenly
Bridegroome shall present to Himself a glorious church not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing."

No date is attached to this church covenant, but it was in all
probability drawn up within a year or two of the date of arrival of
the first settlers. Jonathan Burpee, whose name comes first in the
order of signers, was a deacon in the church, and for some years the
leader in all church movements. He lived in that part of Sheffield
just above