New Britain herald., 1924-06-07
Articles Of Faith And Covenants In
 Central Association.

meeting of the Central Association 0
 Congregational churches in this cit
 Tuesday,
 A study which began with desir
 to determine the origin and date o
 certain articles in the kensingto
 Church has led to results that are O
 wider interest. They have to do Witl
 each of the churches in our circle, cX
 cept the Middletewn Sd, the Stanle!
 Memorial and Bethany Churches 1T
 New Britain. The sources have beer the publications Of the seNcra
 churchcs, such as manuals, historica
 sketches, and in few instances oriSl'
 nal records by consultation or core
 epondence The manuals are rather
 e,usive to be found one in one library
 and another in another, and often
 giving little or no definite informa-
 ton concerning the origin or date O. the symbols in use at the date oi printing.
 It has been a quite fascinating study, and has revealed considerable concerning the doctrnal history of the churches as recorded in their fundamental statements.
 I may begin with a paragraph from a discourse of Rev. Joab Brace re- viewing Half-Century ministry at Newington in 1855: The covenant has never been changed and l pray that 1t never may be changed to the end of the world. What reverence for creed. or confidence can there be In them, if every minister thas IS settled must make a new confession of faith? This covenant, written in this pulpit Bible and in the church records, was brought from the mother Church, and here 1t is to this day. All the ministers here have received the samg doctrine and have manifested the tame spirit as Paul in the text nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucifed."
 There is not one of the churches in this group in which the fundamental documents have not been modified or changed entirely. Some have adopt ed the Greed of 1883, and some the Kansas City Creed of 1918, and some have made the coyentnt alone the Fundamental constitution of the church, without more elaborate Gtate- ment of faith.
 The significance Of the Newngton Articles of Faith and Covenant so prized by Rev. Joab Brace appears when we And that probably the Rocky Hill Church received the same from Wethersfeld, It is a reasonable con- lecture that the kensington Church, whose first pastor was from Wethers- field, followed that church in its first symbols. though documentary evil dsnce is entirely wanting; the New Britain Church in i1SS reproduces substantially the same, and the South Church New Britain as late as is60-- ss tfounded 1si2) retains much of the Covenant; the worthington Church (Berlin 2d) in ITS adopted substantially the same Articles and Covenant. Tn. Covenant now in use in the Kensington Church. and since is77, was at that time apparently talk en from the South Church, New Brit ain, and contains much of the word ing Of tho Covenant Of the carly IS Century, as witnessed by these several churches.
 HdNN DFFH Hndbib tO NefuTf NNl- dence Of the original Wethersfeld documents, except as they are wit messed from Newineton; though tho Wetharsheld Covenant in the Manual Of 1858 supports the statement. Adams and Stiles Ancient Wethers- field" contains a Covenant, as adopted st Rocky Hill in 1797, which is inc dexed as, common 10 we,hersfield, Newington and Rocky Hill. but the index seems to be in error. The Rocky Hill Manual 1s43 indicates that the document in question is Articles of Faith and Covenant united. abridged and adopted March ls, 1922, that Is three years after the beginning Of the pastorate of Rev. Calvin Chapin.
 Now ws turn 10 the other group of'I khurches. in Msriden. southlngton and kensington, as sharing with both groups. The origin Of this present study vas in Articles of Faith and Covenant whose date was undetermin- l ei, .in a desire to ascertain st least their date. They are Samuel Clark | and Rev. Benoni rnson. 1774-i7T9, | at the period of Separation of WoNh- 1 ington from kensington, but they are i in the unmissakeable hand of the | Civil War minister. Rev. Elias B. Hil- l lard, more than three quarters of 2 century later. A manuscript copy is ! ertant bearing date of 1s5s; but ] i am convinced that date represents | the date of the copy. rather than any sppreeisbls modification Of the docu- r srts.
 You may he interested in a hint of the method by which these documents rpse tezsd. I began making compari- so1 st first with the Westminster Confession and Cstechisms. which through the Eatbor0k Platform be- rsrns ths acknowledged standard of dsctrins Tor tho churches ef Conn. from f705 70 1Ts4
 During all this time. while these more elaborate statements srre re- tosnized ss stanaards of doctrine. each local church uas free 10 adopt lis own articles Uf Fsrh. which ur-r rsuaiiy a free summary 0, thc same .s-entisi doctrines. 1n inc earlier period On. Cot eHant often stood sfona ts the charter u' inc local church. Sanlsfi mos very simply eErre. ..se1. and t9fustim ss more theological iu rharac- tsr. 2 combined rrnod-Cot enarf
 Com a7rison e1'h tno Wssimirsi, 2 s#Jsf.iz f=ffa5#I tafy marked Foe : ss5='a 'rf i0 fHs rrrsfe- par. xna-s- iF1 1ft tr. rs5n 0r gtarsous -Hn : ssseI the ErH-iH=ton Artfras vi ] t4 si.br s.H5sai ther a@prr on t'f t4-3B-H psffsat faniiIa--tr usrI [ ~fi.- fha szma lanzuazs. r 5= not : -1'ie '1 e-Hjllt f1is ressfntfa urr in t-af. The Articles contain .ta:.- ' Hts uf ta Tfiu.tg. fhs s~Hs.u7ts. ! s#s r "''an in tbH iw - rr ED8.