Columbia Baptist Church, 1790
Cincinnati -- Northwest Territory
The First Church in Ohio

A Declaration of Faith and Practice of the
Church of Christ in Columbia Township Hamilton
County Territory N W of the River Ohio Red and
Assented to at the Constitution of Said Church
Having been enabled thro Divine grace to give up our
Selves to the Lord and to one another by the will of
God   We Count it a Duty incombent up on us to
Make A Declaration our faith and practice to the
Honour of Christ and the glory of his name knowi
ng as with the hart man believeth unto righteousness and
with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation which
Declaration is as follows namely    

1st  We Believ that The Scriptures of the old and
New Testament is the word of God and only rule of
Faith and practice  - 

2nd  We Believ that there is but one only living and true
God  that there are three persons in the godhead the
Father the Son an Holy Ghost who are equal in essence
Power and glory and that the Son and Holy ghost
Are as truly and properly god as the Father

3rd  We Believ before the world began god Did Elect
A Certain number of soles unto everlasting Salvation
Whom he did predistinate to the adoption of Children
By Jesus Christ from his own free Grace and according
To the good pleasure of his will and that in ______ 
Of this gracious design he did make a Covenant of grace
And Peace with his Son Jesus Christ, on the behalf
Of the Elect persons, A Saviour was appointed and all
Spiritual Blessings provided for them, as also that
Theis [These] persons, with all grace and glory, ___ aspect
Into the hands of Christ and made his ___ and
Charge

4th We Believ that God Created the first man
Adam in his own Image, and in his likeness an
Upright holy Creature capible of Serving and
Gloryfying him, but he Sining all his posterity
Sined in him, and Came Short of the glory of God
Sin, being imputed, and a Currupt nature derived
From him the first Adam, to all his offsprings by ordinary
And natural generation, that they are by this first
Birth canal and S____ averse to all good uncapable
of doing any, and prone to evry Sin, and are 
By Nature Children of wrath and under Sentence of Condemnation
And So are Subject not only to a Corporal Death are
Involved in a Moral Commonly Called Speritual but are
Liable to an Etarnal Death.  Considered in the first
Adam fallen and Sinners from all Which there is no
Deliverance but by Christ the Second Adam -

5th We Believ tat the Lord Jesus Christ being S______
up from Everlasting as the Mediator of the Covenant and
He having engaged to be the Surety of his people did
In the fullness of time really assume human nature as
Not before neither in whole or in part, his human s____
Being A Creature existed not from Eternity, but was
Created and formed in his body by him that forms the
Sperit of man within him, when that was Conceived
In the womb of the Virgin So his human nature consisted
Of a true Body and a reasonable Soul both while
Together and at once the Son of god assumed into union ___
His Divine Person when made of it woman and not be
In which nature he really suffered and Died as the 
Substitute of his People in their name and stead, whereby
He made all that Satisfaction for their Sins which the
Law and Justice of god could require as well as made
Way for all them blessings which are needfull
For them both for time and eternity -  

6th We Believ that D____ redemtion which Christ has obtained
Only By the Sheding of his blod is Special and
Particular  Vis - that it was only intended ti only
Designed for the elect of god and Sheep of Christ
Who only only Share the Special and peculiar blessings
Of it --

7th We Believ that the Justification of God's elect
Is only by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them
With out the Consideration of any works of righteousness
Done by them and that the full and free pardon of all their Sins
And transgressions past present and to Come is only thro the
Blood of Christ according to the riches of his grace - 

8th We Believ that the works of redemtion conversion sanctification 
and faith are not acts of Mans free will and power
But of the mighty efficatious and erisistable grace of god -

9th  We Believe that all those who are Chosen by the Father
Are Redeemed by the Son and Santifyed by the Sperit
And Shall Certainly and finally persevear So that no
one Of them Shall ever perish but shall have everlasting life -

l0th We Believe there will be a risirection of the dead both
Of the Just and unjust and that Christ will
Come a Second time to Judge both Quick and
Dead when he will take vengence on the wicked and
Introduce his people into his kingdom and glory whare
They Shall be for ever with Him -

11th We Believ that Baptism and the Lords Supper 
are the ordinances of Christ to / be Continued till
His Second Coming and that the form is a ____tely
Prequisite to the latter that is to say that they only are
To be admited into the Communion of the Church
And to Perticipate of all the ordinances in it who upon
Profession of their faith have been baptized by
Immertion in the name of the Father and of the Son
And of the holy ghost	- 

12th We Believ that Singing of Psalms hymns an Speritual
Songs really is an ordinace of the gospel to be
Perforrmed by believers but as to time and place and
Manner every one ought to be left to their Liberty
in using it	-   

Now all and each of these Doctrines and ordinances
We look upon ourselves under the Gratest obligations
To embrace maintain and Defend believing it to be
Our Duty to Stand fast in one Sperit with one
Mind Striving together for the faith of the gospell
And being Sensible that our Conversation both
In the world and in the church aught to be Such as 
becometh the gospel of Christ we Judge it our incumbent duty
To walk in wisdom towards them that are without to
Exercise a Consicence Void of offence towards god and man
By living Soberly Righteously and godly in this present
World and as to our Regard to each other in our Church
Communion we esteem it our duty to walk with each
Other in all humility and brother Lov to watch over
Each others Conversation to stir up one another to lov and
Good works not forsaking the elssembling of our
Selves together as we have oppoertunity to worship god
According to his reveiled will and when the case requires
To warn rebuke and admonish one another according to
The rules of the gospell, moreover we think ourselves
Oblige to simpisize with each other in all conditions both
inward and outward which god in his providence
May bring us into also to bear with one anothers
Infirmities and weaknesses and particularly to pray
For one another and that the gospel and ordinances
Thereof might be blessed to the edification and comfort
Of each others Souls, and for the gethening an of _____
To Christ besides those who are all ready gethered

13th We Do promise to avoid all accasions and Causes of
Divisions endevering to keep the unity of the Spent
In the Bonds bf Peace and to maintain the preaching 
of the gospell where god in his provicence Shall  
Give us a preacher, god having ordained that those
Who preach the gospell Shall liv of the Gospel 

All which Duties we Desire to be found in performance
Of thro the gracious assistance of the Holy Sperit
While we both admire and adore the grace which has
Given us a place and a name in Gods house better
Than that of______ Daughter

Signed by the Church the 20th Day of June in the year
Of our Lord 1790  -


     And after the Constitution of the Church the following
Persons upon perfession of their faith in Christ were
Baptized by Br. Stephen Ganno and received by us into full
Membership   Elizabeth _______ Rhoda _____ and Sary 

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