A covenant is an agreement of two parties in which both voluntarily bind themselves to fill certain conditions and receive certain benefits.

God is the party of the first part of the contract and has bound himself. Heb. 8; Jer. 31.

1. "I will put my laws into their minds and write them in their hearts."
2. "And I will be their God." Jer. 51:33.
3. They "shall know me from the least to the greatest."
4. "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness."
5. "Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

O thou most high God, thou hast left this covenant in thy holy book, saying "If any man will take hold of my covenant."
Now therefore in holy fear and reverence I present myself as the party of the second part and subscribe my name to the holy article of agreement and following thy example will here and now write down the conditions on my part.
1st. "They (I) shall be my people." Jer. 31:33. Amen, Lord, I am forever thine.

The vow is passed beyond repeal,
Now will I set the solemn seal.
 

Lord, thou hast been true to thy covenant, though I have been most unfaithful and am now altogether unworthy to take hold of thy most gracious covenant. But knowing that thou hast bound thyself in thy own free offer to "be merciful to their unrighteousness," I take courage to approach thee and would most earnestly beseech thee to fulfil thy wonderful offer to Be my God, and I do most joyfully yield myself entirely To be thine. Therefore this soul which thou hast made in thine own image is placed wholly in thy hands to do with it as seemeth good. This mind shall think only for thy glory and the promotion of thy cause. This will is thy will, oh God. The spirit within this body is now thine; do with it as thou wilt, in life and death. This body is thy temple forevermore. These hands only to work for thee, these eyes to see thy adorable works and thy holy law. This tongue and these lips to speak only holiness unto the Lord. These ears to hear thy voice alone. These feet to walk only in thy ways. And all my being is now and forever thine.

This solemn covenant I make in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in fear and reverence in the year of our Lord 1877 and in the month of December 13. [Running along the left margin are the words "Signed David Sidney Warner.]

In signing my name to this solemn covenant I am aware that I bind myself to live, act, speak, think, move, sit, stand up, lie down, eat, drink, hear, see, feel and whatsoever I do all the days and nights of my life to do all continually and exclusively to the Glory of God. I must henceforth wear nothing but what honors God. I must have nothing in my possession or under my control but such things as I can consistently write upon "holiness unto the Lord." The place where I live must be wholly dedicated to God. Every item of goods or property that is under my control is hereby conveyed fully over into the hands of God to be used by him as he will and to be taken from my stewardship whenever the great Owner wishes to do so and it is not my business at all. She whom I call my wife belongs forevermore to God; use her as thou wilt and where thou wilt, and leave her with me or take her from me just as seemeth good to thee and to thy glory. Amen. Levilla Modest whom we love as a dear child bestowed upon us by thy infinite goodness, is hereby returned to thee if thou wilt leave us to care for her and teach her her her true Father and owner; we will do the best we can by thy aid to make her profitable unto thee. But if thou deemest us unfit to properly raise her or wouldest have her in thy more immediate presence, behold she is thine, take her. Amen and amen.

And now great and merciful Father thou to whom I belong with all that pertains to me and thou who art mine with all that pertains to thy fulness and richness, All this offering which I have made would be but foolishness and waste of time were it not for what I have in thee obtained to confirm the solemn contract; for were it not that thou art my God, my promises would be but idle words. I could fulfill nothing which my mouth has uttered and my pen has written. But since thou, Almighty, Omnipresent. and Eternal God, art mine I have a thousand fold assurance that all shall be fulfilled through thy fullness. My ignorance is fully supplied by thy own infinite wisdom. My utter weakness and inability to preserve myself from sin is abundantly supplied [274] by thy omnipotence, to thy everlasting praise.

Glory to thy holy name. Though I have solemnly pledged all things to thee, yet as thou art my all and in all I have nothing to fear. Now oh Father, my God and Savior, I humbly pray thee so to keep me that all my powers of soul, body, and spirit, my time, talents, will, influence, words, and works shall continually, exclusively, and eternally glorify thy holy name through Jesus Christ my Lord, and Savior. Amen and amen.

Daniel Sidney Warner

In covenant with the God of all grace and mercy, who has become my salvation, my all and whose I am forever, to the praise of his glory. Amen.

Entered into by the direction of the Holy Spirit and signed this Thirteenth day of December In the year of our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-Seven.