"Ye shall discern between the righteous and the wicked; between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not."—Mai. 3:18; Prov. 12: 26; Isa. 5: 20; Gen. 18: 23; Jer. 15: 19; Acts 10: 34, 35; Rom. 6:16.

"If ye

"The just shall live by faith."—Rom. 1 : 17. know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him."—Rom. 7 :6; 1 John 3:7; Rom. 6:18, 22; 1 Cor. 11:32.

"And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness."- 1 John 5: 19. "As many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse."—Gal. 3: 10; John 3: 36; Isa. 57: 21; Ps. 10:4; Isa. 55:6, 7. "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death."—Prov. 14:32. "Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."—Luke 16: 25; John 8: 21-24; Luke 12: 4, 5; 11: 23-26; John 12:25, 26; Matt. 7:13, 14.

XX. THE WORLD TO COME.

We believe the Scriptures teach that the end of the world is approaching; that at the Last Day, Christ will descend from heaven, and raise the dead from the grave for final retribution; that a solemn separation will then take place; that the wicked will be adjudged to endless sorrow, and the righteous to endless joy; and this judgment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven or hell, on principles of righteousness

"But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."-1 Pet. 4:7; 1 Cor. 7: 2931; Heb. 1: 10-12; Matt. 24:35; 1 John 2: 17; Matt. 28: 20.

"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."—Acts 1:11; Rev. 1: 7; Heb. 9:28; Acts 3:21.

"There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."—Acts 24:15; 1 Cor. 15:12-58; Luke 14:14; Dan. 12:2; John 5:28, 29; 6:40; 11:25, 26; 2 Tim. 1: 10; Acts 10: 42.

"The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just."—Matt. 13: 49; Matt. 13:37-43; 24: 30. 31.

"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."—Matt. 25:35-41. "He that is unjust let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous let him be righteous still; and he that is holy let him be holy still."—Rev. 22: 11: 1 Cor. 6: 9, 10; Mark 9: 43-48; 2. Pet. 2: 9.

'Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them who trouble you, and to you who are troubled, rest with us when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe."'—2 Thess. 1:6-12; Heb. 6:1, 2; 1 Cor. 4: 5.

"Seeing Then That All These Things Shall Be DISSOLVED, WHAT MANNER OF PERSONS OUGHT YE TO BE IN ALL HOLY CONVERSATION AND GODLINESS, LOOKING FOR AND HASTING UNTO THE COMING OF THE DAY OF GOD?"—2 Pet. 3: 11, 12.

COVENANT.

Having been, as we trust, brought by divine grace to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, and to give ourselves

wholly to Him, we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant with each other, To Walk Together In Him, With Brotherly Love, to His glory, as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in His strength, engage—

That we will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each other, and faithfully warn, exhort, and admonish each other as occasion may require:

That we will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but will uphold the public worship of God, and the ordinances of His house:

That we will not omit closet and family religion at home, nor neglect the great duty of religiously training our children, and those under our care, for the service of Christ, and the enjoyment of heaven:

That, as we are the light of the world, and salt of the earth, we will seek divine aid to enable us to deny ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and to walk circumspectly in the world, that we may win the souls of men:

That we will cheerfully contribute of our property, according as God has prospered us, for the maintenance of a faithful and evangelical ministry among us, for the support of the poor, and to spread the Gospel over the earth:

That we will in all conditions, even till death, strive to to live to the glory of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

"AND MAY THE GOD OF PEACE, WHO BROUGHT AGAIN FROM THE DEAD OUR LORD JESUS, THAT GREAT SHEPHERD OF THE SHEEP, THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT, MAKE US PERFECT IN EVERY GOOD WORK, TO DO HIS WILL, WORKING IN US THAT WHICH IS WELL PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST; TO WHOM BE GLORY, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN."

B. OPTIONAL RESOLUTIONS.

A Christian Church should be recognized, in the community where it is located, as professing and maintaining a higher standard of morality than that of worldly society about it. It should be the avowed friend, defender, and example of all the virtues, and the uncompromising opponent of all wrong and evil. So carefully should they bear themselves, not only as individuals, but as a corporate society, as to command the respect of the world, and have a good report of them that are without. Divinely

set forth as a light to the world, and as the salt of the earth, they should recognize their commission, and be true to it. In all that is pure, irreproachable, and of good report, the pastor should be the wise and courageous teacher, leader, and example of the flock.

There are certain questions of moral reform and social good order, in respect to which there is often a wide difference of opinion, but in respect to which the churches should have settled convictions, and hold a well-defined attitude. It is not wise to put definitions and restrictions touching such questions into covenants or articles of faith. Nor does it seem wise to construct elaborate constitutions and by-laws for the guidance of a Church, to forestall possible violations of the code of Christian morals. A better way is, for it, after due consideration, to adopt a standing resolution on each such subject claiming atten

tion, to be placed on its records as a guide for future action as to such subjects.

Something like the following, to be varied at the option of the body, would serve as a declaration of principles and guide for action:

1. Resolved, That this Church expects every member to contribute statedly to its financial support, according to his ability, as God has prospered him; and that a refusal to do this will be considered a breach of covenant.

2. Resolved, That this Church will entertain and contribute to Home and Foreign Missions, and to other leading objects of Christian benevolence, approved and supported by our denomination.

3. Resolved, That the religious education of the young, and Bible study, as represented in Sunday-school work, commend themselves to our confidence, and we will, to the extent of our ability, give them our aid, by both our personal cooperation and our contributions, as we are able.

4. Resolved, That in our opinion the use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and also the manufacture and sale of the same for that purpose, are contrary to Christian morals, injurious to personal piety, and a hindrance to the Gospel; therefore, persons so using, making or selling, are thereby disqualified for membership in this Church.

5. Resolved, That we emphatically discountenance and condemn the practice of Church members frequenting theatres, and other similar places of amusement, as inconsistent with a Christian profession, detrimental to personal piety, and pernicious in the influence of its example on others.