Page:History of Gardner, Massachusetts (1860) - Glazier.djvu/143

Rh ourselves unto the blessed Jesus who is the Lord Jehovah, and adhere to him as the head of his people, in the covenant of his grace, and rely on him as our Priest, Prophet and King, to bring us unto eternal blessedness. We acknowledge our everlasting and indispensable obligations to glorify God, in all the duties of a godly and righteous life: very particularly in the duties of a church state, as a body of people appointed in obedience to him in all the ordinances of the gospel. And we therefore depend upon his generous assistance for our faithful discharge of the duties thus incumbent upon us. We desire and intend, with dependancedependence [sic] on his promised and powerful grace to walk together as a church of the son Jesus Christ, in the faith and order of the gospel, so far as we shall have the same revealed unto us. Constantly attending the public worship of God, the sacraments of New Testament, and the discipline of his kingdom, and all his holy institutions in communion with one another, and watchfully avoiding sinful stumbling-blocks and contentions, as become a people whom the Son hath bound up together in a bundle of life. At the same time we do also present our offspring with us unto the Lord; professing with his help to maintain the daily worship of God in our houses, and to do our part in all other methods that our children may be the Lord's. And all this we do, fleeing to the blood of the everlasting Covenant for the pardon of our many sins; and praying that the gracious Lord, who is the great Shepherd, would prepare and strengthen us for every good work, to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

At a meeting in March, 1789, the town voted to raise £20, (or $66,67,) to hire preaching the