The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-08
RoIsEs Covenant With aA9.
a Queer Document Signed by New Eng
lander More than $50 Years ago.
lFrom the springaeld Reublican. !

Enos W. Boise, town clerk of Bland
ford has in his possession an interesting
document now yellow with age, but with
ink clear and in remarkably legible
hand, which purports to be a covenant
with God drawn by David Boise, one of
Mr.. Bosses ancestors. The covenant is
dated April IS, 173S, and was clearly a
work of great moment with its author
He was evidently in mood of great
doubt as to his salvation and the result
of his errors, and in period of religious
fervor sat himself down ana wrote out
his state of mind. It cannot be learned
that such covenants were the usual GUS
tom with the men of those days, and this
document OF Mr.. Boise's is curiosity.
Its spelling is not exactly that of today,
and there are other peculiarities in the
capitalization and the like. The cove
nant read as follows:
Eternal Jehovah desire to come unto
thee q poor Wretched sinner Il miserabl
Cretur who am full of sin and iniquity
Defiled in all the powrs and facquilties of
both soul and body by reason of original
sin and actual transgression and am just
ly Liable unto thy wrath and Displeasur
not only in this World but also in that
which is to Come and that l Can by no
poWr Of min own nor no Created being
Either angels or men Can help me out
of this lniserabl Condition in which I
am and seeing thou hast made known to
me in thy Blessed name that there is a
way provided for the relief and recovery
of poor Sinners in and throug Jesus
Christ and hath been pleased to Conde
cend so Low as to make known to me the
way how to obtain the pardon of my sins
and be again restored unto Gods favour
and the way is if ever [ Expect Saliva
ton in and through the blessed re-
deemer Jesus Christ | must be Denied
to my self and all min own righteousness
and TO Accept of him as he is freely offred
in the Gospel and to be for thee and
never for another and to follow thee
trough good report and Bad report and
to Continue faithful unto my Ifs end.
''and now Lord the eternal God the
Wonderful Condecending and mercifull
God the heart searching and reintrieng
God who hath been pleased of thy boun-
dies and infinit mercy to provid Such a
way of relif in and through Jesus Christ
the only Saviour and redeemer of poor
Lost and undon Sinners and hast made
proclamation in the Gospel that whose
ever Cometh to thee in and through him
thou will in noways Cast out and has in
vited the weary and heavey laddn Sin
ner to Com unto thee and they Shall find
rest unto their Soule and seeing Lord
God thou hast been pleased to invit Such
a poor Wretehed Sinner as I am to Com
and enter into Covenant with thee who
Deserveth rather to be cast into hell for
my sins then to have such kind offer
made unto me; yet o Lord God seeing
thou art pleased of thy infnit mercy to
Condecend SO Low as to invit me poor
SINFUL misrabl me to Com and Enter in
to Cvenant with thee; which would have
indeed Been objectionable presumption
in me to have attempted to do were it not
that thou had invited me to Com. Do
hartily imbrace the offer Lord God. Let
it be Bargin Lord Belive help my I'M
belif Lord give my self to thee to be for
thee and to serve thee for ever Lord let
thy grace be sufficient for me and now
Lord my request and my petition is to
thee for Grace to help me to perform this
Covenant Alright and Lord God let not
my failings max void this Covenant, now
Lord God what have now don on Earth
let it be ratified in heaven amen and
amen. DAVID BOIES.
dated the 18th of April, 1885,