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every member, both male and female, as brethren CHAP. and sisters of one family, and members of one joint body, enjoyed their free and equal rights and privileges, pertaining to the spiritual travel, increase and up-building of the whole.

37. Ministers were like wise raised up and appointed by the gift of God, and sent forth from the Church, by the ministry, to labour among distant believers, in word and doctrine, to purge out iniquity, to reprove the disobedient, to strengthen and encourage the weak, and confirm the faithful.

38. Deacons and Deaconesses also came forth in their proper gift, order and office, in the temporal affairs of the Church; and each, according to their gift and talents for usefulness, were felt and mutually acknowledged by all, according to the order and gift of God by which they were appointed.

39. Therefore, as each member of the body is dependent on another, and as the light of the body is the eye; so the whole body, that came forth into visible church-order, were subject to the visible head, the joint parentage, who stood in Christ the invisible head, as the medium through which the whole visible body is full of light.

40. And as both the eyes in one head, centre in one, and see every thing alike, and as the true watchers, when the Lord should bring again Zion, were to see eye to eye; so, according to that one I. li ́§. light which flows from Christ the head, through both the man and woman, all things were disposed, regulated, and set in order, in a perfect law of righteousness, justice and truth.

41. As the work of redemption is a great work, even from its beginning until its final accomplishment; so all iniquity was not purged away at once, nor was the complete order of the Church obtained in an instant.

42. In the preparatory work and building of the Church, the Believers passed through many scenes of mortification, trial, tribulation, and temptation, in which all the faithful were united from the eldest to the youngest, as the heart of one man. Sharp reproofs against the flesh, and all sin, and every band

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CHAP. and tie of a carnal nature, were continually rolling like peals of thunder: and the word and testimony of eternal life, like perpetual flames of fire, sat upon each of them, until a complete victory, over the nature and practice of evil, was mutually obtained.

8, 4.

43. And as sin and confusion was removed, and every thing contrary and offensive to the pure nature of the gospel was purged out; so purity, order, and righteousness were established. Every thing that could be shaken, was shaken; and that which could neither be shaken nor moved, still remained, rooted and grounded in the foundation of eternal truth.

44. In all this work was the promise of God fulIsai. iv. filled, relating to the work of Christ in the latter day-" And it shall come to pass, that whosoever is left in Zion, and remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called Holy, every one written among the living in Jerusalem when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning."

Mal. iii. 23.

45. "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

46. Such in reality, was the nature, and spirit of the work, which was wrought in the Believers, and by which they were severally, mutually, and jointly prepared to stand as a united body, fitly joined together in all its corresponding parts, so as to form a pure and spiritual relation in the building of the 'Church. And thus from faith to faith, and from one attainment to another, there was à gradual and continual increase of unity, purity, and order, until the present order of the Church was fully established.

CHAPTER XIII.

The Subject continued.

HE present gospel order of the Church was es

TH tablished in the year 1792, although the gath

ering and preparatory work began some years sooner. Most of the members of the Church at NewLebanon, were gathered in the year 1788. At which time they entered verbally into Covenant with each other, to stand as one joint community in Church relation.

2. In this Covenant they freely gave themselves and services, with all their temporal interest, for the mutual support and benefit of each other, and for other charitable uses, according to the light and revelation of God which they had received, and which was there and then, and from time to time afterwards, revealed and made known, in regard to the order and building of the Church.

3. After seven years experience, the said Covenant was committed to writing, in form, for the security of their just and natural rights, on account of those who were envious without; and for the more perfect information of all whom it might thereafter concern. -And five years after this, the Covenant was again renewed.

4. It may therefore be proper here, for the better understanding of our faith and practice, in regard to the joint union and equal rights of the Church, to state the conditions and most essential particulars of this Covenant, as they are taken from the written form of the Covenant itself: they are as follows.

5. "In the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight, the year in which most of the members of the Church were gathered, the following order and Covenant, was then, and from ❝ time to time after, made known and understood, received, and entered into, by us members of the 'Church, agreeable to our understanding of the order and covenant of the Church in gospel order." 6. "It then was, and still is our faith, being con

CHAP.

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6

CHAP. firmed by our experience, that there can be no Church in complete order, according to the law of Christ, without a joint interest and union, in which all the members have an equal right and privilege, according to their calling and needs, in things spir itual and temporal."

7. "And in this, we have a greater privilege and 'opportunity of doing good to each other, as well as 'to the rest of mankind; and of receiving according 'to our needs, jointly and equally, one with another, 'agreeable to the following articles of Covenant."

8. "First. All, or as many of us, as were of age to act for ourselves, who offered ourselves as mem'bers of the Church, were to do it freely, and volun'tarily, as a religious duty, and according to our own 'faith and desire."

9. "Second. Youth and children, being under age, were not to be received as members, or as be'ing under the immediate care and government of 'the Church, except by the request, or free consent, of both their parents, if living; but if they were 'left by one of their parents to the care of the other, 'then by the request, or free consent, of that parent; 'but if the child had no parents, then by the request 'or free consent, of such person, or persons as had 'just and lawful right in the care of the child, to'gether with the child's own desire."

10. "Third. All who were received as members, 'being of age, who had any substance or property,

and were free from debt, or any just demand from 'those that were without, such as creditors, or heirs, were allowed to bring in their substance, as their natural and lawful right; and to give it as a part of the joint interest of the Church, according to their ' own faith and desire; to be under the order and gov

ernment of the Deacons or overseers of the tempo"ral interest of the Church, for the use and support ' of the Church, or for any other use that the gos pel might require, according to the understanding and discretion of those members with whom it was intrusted, and who were appointed to that office and

care."

11. "Fourth. All the members who were receiv

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ed into the Church, were to possess one joint inter- CHAP est, as a religious right; that is, all were to have just and equal rights and privileges, according to their needs, in the use of all things in the Church,without any difference being made, on account of what any of us brought in, so long as we remained in obedience to the order and government of the Church, and were holden in relation as members.— All the members were, likewise, equally holden, according to their abilities, to maintain and support one joint interest, in union and conformity to the ◄ order and government of the Church."

12. "Fifth. As it was not the duty, nor purpose of the Church, in uniting into Church order, to gather, and lay up an interest of this world's goods; but what we became possessed of by honest industry, more than for our own support, was to be devoted to charitable uses, for the relief of the poor, and such other uses, as the gospel might require. Therefore, it was, and still is our faith, never to bring debt nor blame against the Church, or cach other, for any interest, or services which we have bestowed to the joint interest of the Church; but freely to give our time and talents, as Brethren and Sisters, for the mutual good one of another, and ' other charitable uses, according to the order of the 'Church."

13. "The foregoing is the true sense of the Covenant of the Church, in relation to the order, and manner of the possession, and uses of a joint interest, understood, and supported by us the mem'bers."

14. "And we do fully, and freely, in the most solemn manner, acknowledge and testify, in the pre'sence of each other, (and are free and willing to do it before all men if required,) that it is that which we have kept and supported, according to our understanding, from the time of our first gathering; and still mean to support, as that which we believe to be both our privilege and duty."

15. "And we have had the experience of seven years labour and travel, and have received a greater confirmation and establishment in our faith; and