1. a solemn, public acknowledgement that the Lord is the only God, and our God;

2. a public profession that we are the people of the Lord God;

3. a sober, public recognition and pronouncement that we, His people, are morally obligated to vow to keep the Lord's commandments and, thus also, are further bound to keep all His commandments;

4. a serious, devoted, public avowal that we are bound not only to put on that which is good, but also to put off that which is evil. (That is, we are to love the truth and also to abhor, stand against, and strive to extirpate all evil.); and

5. an earnest, sober, grave, prayerful, public binding of our posterity to our lawful covenant vows.