88 CHURCH Covenant, Sylvester Hassell The following is about the form of a Church Covenant and Rules of Decorum as adopted by the early churches that afterwards composed the Kehukee Association.
Church Covenant
Forasmuch as Almighty God by his grace, has been pleased to call us (whose names are underneath subscribed) out of darkness into his marvelous light, and all of us have been regularly baptized upon a profession of our faith in Christ Jesus, and by his assistance, covenant and agree to keep up the discipline, agreeable to the word of God: We do therefore in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by his assistance, covenant and agree to keep up the discipline of the church we are members of, in the most brotherly affection towards each other, while we endeavor particularly to observe the following rules viz:
In brotherly love to pray for each other, to watch over one another, and, if need be, in the most tender and affectionate manner, to reprove one another. That is, if we discover anything amiss in a brother, to go and tell him his fault, according to the direction given by our Lord in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, and not to be whispering and backbiting. We also agree, with God’s assistance, to pray in our families, attend our church meetings, observe the Lord’s day and keep it holy, and not absent ourselves from the communion of the Lord’s Supper without a lawful excuse; to be ready to communicate to the defraying of the church’s expenses, and for the support of the ministry; not irregularly depart from the fellowship of the church, nor to remove to distant churches without a regular dismission.
These things we do covenant and agree to observe and keep sacred in the name of and by the assistance of God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Signed by the mutual consent of the members whose names are underneath subscribed. (Hassell’s History pg. 695)