Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-11-02
MADE A COVENANT WITH GOD.
Curious Document Drawn Up by n
Yankee Of Ollen Times.


Enos w. Boise, town clerk of Bland
ford, has in his possession an interest
ing document, now yellow with age, but
with ink clear and in a 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 it's author. He was evidently in n
mood of great doubt as to his salvation
and the result of his errors, and in
period of religious fervor sat himself
down and wrote out his state of mind.
II cannot be learned that such cove
nants were the usual custom with the
men of those days, and this document
of Mr.. Bosses is curiosity. It's spell
ing is not exactly that of to-day, and
there are other peculiarities in the cap
italization and the like. The covenant
reads as follows:
eternal Jehovah desier to com unto
thee poor Wretched sinner 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 justly Liable unto thy wrath
and Displeasur not only in this World
but also in that which is to Come and
that I Can by no powr of min own nor
no Created being Either angels or men
Can help me out of this miserabl condi-
ton 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 Condecend so Low as to
make known to me the way how to OBJ
tain the pardon of my sins and be again
| restored unto Gods favour and the way
is if ever 1 Expect Salvation in and
through the blessed redeemer Jesus
Christ I must be Denied to my self and
all my own righteousness and to Accept
of him as he is freely offred in the Cos.
pei and to be for thee and never for an
other and to follow thee through goot
report and Bad report and to Continue
faithful unto my Ifs end.
land now Lord the eternal God thu
Wonderful Condecending and merciful
God the heart searching God who
hath been pleased of thy boundle!
and ininit mercy to provid Sucl
way of relif in and throug Jesu:
Christ the only Saviour and redeeme,
of poor Lost and undon Sinners and
hast made proclamation in the Gospe
that whatsoever Cometh to thee in an6
through him thou will in noways Cast
out and hast invited the weary and
heavy laddn Sinner to Com unto thee
and they Shall find rest unto theil
Soule and seeing Lord God thou has
been pleased to invit Such a pool
4 Wretched Sinner as am to Com ane
enter into Cvenant with thee who De
serveth ratherto 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 Con
decend so Low as to invit me poor Sin.
full miserabl me to Com and Enter into
Cyenant with thee: which would have
/ indeed Been objectionable presumption
III me to have attempted to do were II
not that thou had invited me to Com.
Do hartily imbrace the offer Lord God
Let it be Bargin Lord Beive help my
unbelif 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 mNpetition
IS to thee for Grace to help me to per
form this Covenant Alright and Lord
God let not my failings max void this
/ Covenant: now Lord God what have
don on Earth let it be ratified in heave,
amen and amen.
/ DAVID BOISE.
Mnated the 18th of April: 1885,