Second. This deed shall entitle no one to any privileges in any private meetings which are designed for the benefit of the members of said Church exclusively. Third. No person holding a pew by virtue of this deed shall have the right or privilege of altering said pew unless authorized by said Corporation, injuring, disfiguring or destroying the same. or of Fourth. All alterations in the pews of said house shall be subject to the exclusive control of said Corporation, at legal meetings called for that purpose. Fifth. The pew or pews held by virtue of this deed shall be used exclusively for religious purposes. Sixth. The expenses of all repairs in, upon, or about said House and Lot, including painting, purchasing anew the fixtures, or furniture, and of insurance against fire, shall be subject to a tax assessed upon, and paid by the owners of pews, according to the valuation thereof before the sale. Seventh. Said Meeting House shall at all times be under the immediate care of the assessors or standing committee of the corporation for the time being, by whose direction the same shall be opened and closed at all meetings of public or private worship, meetings of business of the church, corporation, benevolent societies thereto belonging, and meetings for improvement in sacred music. And the said Corporation by their Committee, do hereby covenant with the said heirs and assigns, that until the delivery hereof, they are the lawful owners of said Pew, and have good right and lawful authority to sell and dispose of the same. In Testimony Whereof, The said Corporation have caused its corporate name and seal to be hereunto affixed by its said Agents or Committee for executing deeds, and the names of said Committee to be thereunder written, the as Committee for executing deeds for the Central Congregational Society aforesaid, and acknowledged the foregoing instrument by them subscribed, to be the free act and deed of said Society, before me, Justice of the Peace. The Confession of Faith and Covenant, A.D, 1845 FORM OF ADMISSION ADDRESS Beloved Friends: You have presented yourselves before God and this assembly, to make a solemn confession of your religious faith, and to take upon yourselves everlasting obligations. We trust that you have duly considered the nature of the professions you are now to make, and of the engagements into which you are about to enter. They are of the most solemn import, but if you come with sincere desire to be the Lord's, and exercise humble faith in him, he will impart to you grace and wisdom, and finally make you partakers of eternal blessedness. Attend now to the Confession of Faith. CONFESSION OF FAITH а You believe in one God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost being of perfect and adorable attributes, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of the Universe. You believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are the only perfect rule of faith and practice. You believe that all mankind are sinners in the sight of God, and destitute of true holiness, until renewed by grace. You believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by his sufferings and death, has made an atonement for the sins of the world, and trust in his merits as your only ground of hope for salvation. You believe in the Holy Ghost as the promised Comforter, and rely implicitly on his agency to renew and sanctify your heart and fit you for heaven. You believe that in this world the Lord Jesus Christ has established a visible church, which He, as its supreme Head, sustains by the manifold operations of His Spirit through the means of His Word, His Ministry, His Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and all the forms of public and private worship. You believe that there will be a resurrection both of the just and the unjust; that all mankind must one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive a just, final, and everlasting award according to the deeds done in the body. All these things you truly profess and heartily believe. [Ordinance of Baptism to be administered.] You will now enter into covenant with God and with this Church. COVENANT In the presence of God and this assembly, you do now solemnly avouch the Lord Jehovah, — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be your God, the supreme object of your affections and your portion forever. You cheerfully devote yourselves to Him, in the everlasting covenant of His grace, consecrating all your powers and faculties to his service and glory; and you engage that through the assistance of His Spirit, you will cleave to Him as your chief good, that you will give diligent attendance to His word and ordinances, that you will seek the honor and interest of his kingdom, and that henceforth, denying all ungodliness and every worldly lust, you will live soberly, righteously, and godly in the world. This you profess and engage. [Here the members of the Church will rise.] In consequence of these professions, we (the members of this Church) affectionately receive you to our communion, and in the name of Christ declare you entitled to all its privileges. We welcome you to this fellowship with us in the blessings of the gospel, and on our part engage to watch over you in love and seek your spiritual good, so long as you shall continue among us. And now, beloved in the Lord, let it never be forgotten that you have come under solemn obligations from which you cannot escape. Wherever you go, these vows will be upon you. The Lord guide and preserve you till death, and at last receive you and us to that blessed world where our love and joy shall be forever perfect. Amen. Manual of the Central Congregational Church STATEMENT OF DOCTRINE We believe in the Father, and in Jesus Christ, His Son, and in the Holy Ghost, as the one living and true God. We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, and our only rule of faith and life. We believe in the sinfulness of all mankind by nature and practice. We believe in the salvation provided by God, and freely offered to all men in and through Christ Jesus, as the only way of deliverance from sin and its penalty. We believe in the renewing and sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost as the only source of spiritual life and growth. We believe in the final redemption of those, whom the Father, by His Spirit, leads to trust in Christ as their Saviour. We believe in the church of Christ, and in its Sacraments, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, as of divine institution and authority. We believe in the resurrection, and in a general judgment, when a final separation will be made between the righteous and the wicked, the former to enter into everlasting life, and the latter to go away into everlasting punishment. In common with the great body of evangelical churches, this Church regards the foregoing statements of doctrine, as the teaching of the Scriptures, and accepts them as the expression of its doctrinal belief. But we desire to administer this Church under the rule, and in the spirit of Christ; and to receive to membership, on confession of Him, those who give credible evidence of a new life, and of substantial agreement with us in doctrine. We have therefore adopted the following form for the admission of members: FORM OF ADMISSION [The candidates shall present themselves before the pulpit, where they shall be met by the minister, who may repeat one or more of the following sentences of the Holy Scripture:] Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matt. 11:28-30. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come. will, let him take the water of life freely. Rev. 22:17. And he that If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom. 10:9, 10. [The minister shall then address the candidates as follows:] You have presented yourselves, dear friends, in this holy place, to confess the Lord Jesus Christ, and to enter into covenant with this branch of His Church. You take this step at the Master's bidding, trusting that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. CONFESSION OF FAITH You believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the word of God, and take them to be your only authoritative rule of faith and practice. You acknowledge the one living and true God, who is revealed in the Scriptures, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to be your Father, your Saviour, and your Sanctifier. Humbly repenting of your sins, and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon and acceptance with God, you rest all your hope of salvation upon His atoning sacrifice in your behalf. You recognize the necessity of a divine renewal, and you believe that the Holy Spirit has wrought this good work in you. In seeking this personal connection with the Church of Christ, you acknowledge that its ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, together with a devout observance of the Lord's Day, are Christ's most loving requirement of you. Is this your confession? [Those who have received household baptism are then addressed as follows:] Having been baptized in your childhood, you do now take upon yourself the obligations recognized in your baptism, and by this your voluntary act, renew the consecration of yourself to God. The God of all grace, who hath called you unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, confirm you unto the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. |