Count Zinzendorf finding now that he in vain had allured Mr. Brauer, began directly to grow angry, and fhew his Paffion, as we have told in the fore going Paragraph.

SECT. XVI.

The Statutes which Count Zinzendorf wanted fo fadly to be confirmed by the Sovereign are as follows, viz.

The fundamental Principle of this Colony is, and remains, to acknowledge no other Superior over our ConSciences than him that has created and redeemed us: and for fecurity's fake, no Inhabitant is to be corrected by the Church-Difcipline, who does not acknowledge the fame to be a Correction beneficial to him.

This Propofition has the look of Innocence, for the Civil Power does not extend itself to Articles of Conscience, as long as they are to be decided by nothing but undoubted Verities. But when the Liberty of Conscience comprehends Matters which have no Limits by Reafon nor Revelation, or when it is to be left to the arbitrary Actions of the Subjects, which not only regard the holy Truth, but also several worldly Transactions, which the Moravians brings under this Title, this very Principle of theirs becomes wicked, and noxious to the Sovereigns. All human Actions are good or bad, and in this very Regard all belong to the Confcience. The Moravians by not acknowledging any worldly Superior over this laft, reject all Sovereignty over them (See the Proof of this below). It is eafy to bring Things under the Title of Liberty of Conscience, but it ought to be determin'd what Cafes, by Right, belong to the fame; but this Count Zinzendorf cannot permit to be done. This made him write the alledged Words, Sect. 14. Note 29. He confeffed there that he could or would not specify

thefe

thefe Caufes nor admit others to do fo. He excepts there against remonftrating, arguing or disputing about it. But the Public is brought into greater Danger by the Protection which the Errors in Religion, so often brought forth by the Unitas Fratrum, would acquire by this. It is but natural that the common People should ftrive to get loofe from any worldly Jurifdiction, if their Head and Bishop, Count Zinzendorf himself, in his Homilies of the Paffion of our Lord, p. 130, wants to prove that nobody is obliged to pay any Taxes. The Reader won't take us to be rigid in our Judgment if he confiders the following Words which Count Zinzendorf wrote to Mr. Brauer, the 17th of February 1747, when it was intended to make fome Alterations about Herrubaag. He then faid,

"As to Herrnhaag it is a hard matter: for the furprising Munificence which other Monarchs "bestow upon the Moravian Brethren, which by "Pruffia, and but lately by England has been done, "notwithstanding the prefent Differences between "them and the Court of Denmark, which last must "be adjusted by the Arguments that Kings put in Prac❝tice.

Is it not plain that he meant to obtain by Force what found Reafon would not allow him?

The second Article, in the firft Paragraph of thefe Statutes, is this: That the Church-Difcipline fhould correct none but what acknowledged the fame.

But what is Count Zinzendorf's Church-Difcipline elfe, but to keep the People in a blind Obedience unto him, and to refufe the Authority of any other Sovereign? They certainly enjoyed at Herrnbaag an abfolute Liberty of Confcience, but were by the Count kept under fo oppreffive a one, as even cannot be greater among the Roman Catholics. The Elders, who certainly had more Wit than the reft, were exempt from the most rigid Laws, to

keep

keep them always in the fame Interest. Where is the Liberty of Confcience, when the People are obliged to obferve fo many Holy-days of the Elders, unmarried Sifters, Brethren and Widows, which the holy Scriptures never ordain'd? Nay, where can you find even a civil Liberty, when fick People are hindred to apply to the Phyfician they like beft, or when unmarried, or married People, Widowers and Widows, are, obliged to distinguish their Condition by their Dress? or when a Marriage, before duly contracted, is declared to be void, unless that the carnal Cohabitations has been performed before the Elders? which can be proved to be their Methods by authentic and judicial Records. It is enough to obferve about this their Church-Difcipline, that Herrnhaag was a Town of this County for eight Years, and the Sovereign never called upon. It cannot excuse them that they would not correct any Body by their Church-Difcipline, who should not allow the fame to be beneficial to his or her Soul. For the fecular Jurifdiction was really deprived of its Power when Johann Nitfchman, before many of the Herrnhuters, abfolved one Mrs. Simgens for Adultery which had been committed in another Place. Who can praise fuch a Difcipline of the Church?

The Tenor of the second Paragraph of the Count's Statutes is,

"For, as nobody has a right to an Infringe ment upon the Liberty of Confcience of his "Wife or Children, which he himself fhould ab"hor to be ferved with, the Exemption of this Individual, cannot be of any Prejudice to these "Perfons that wanted to be of the Community. Count Zinzendorf's ftile is fomewhat Mystical, therefore we shall explain what he meant by this.

It

It was to fay, that no Parents or married People could demand their Children, Husbands or Wives that fhould be amongst them. Here you find a Proof of the Danger we have spoke about the first Paragraph of thefe Statutes. (See the foregoing Paragraph) They counted it an Infringement upon their Confciences for a Hufband to redemand of them his Wife, Parents their Children, which altho' is confiftent with the Laws of Nature and those established by civil Authority. But the Moravian Brethren pass over them all, and eludes her with the Sovereign's Legislature. They make a Divorce without his Confent as foon as either Party begins to think another way than they do. Count Zinzendorf added Modification to the third Paragraph of his Statutes, faying,

Therefore nobody can retract the Deeds at his own afking, that were drawn up by his own Confent with the Community, about the Reception of his Children, without the Caufe has been examined into, and the Conditions of the Parties concerned throughly confidered.

Count Zinzendorf in the firft Paragraph had eftablifh'd that Parents could not force their Children, or Husbands their Wives, to relinquifh the Community; because this was a thing belonging only to Liberty of Confcience, which no Sovereign in this World could be a judge of. He faid, in a Letter of the 4th of July, 1747,

Many have fell down before the Queen of Poland about their Children, but it had no Effect.

Now what more could this inconfiderable Puiffance expect. In August the fame Year he wrote:

"I know very well what Power Parents have: "Cardinal Mazarine told the King when he was "about marrying Madam Cambalet. There is no "Power that can hinder me to difpofe of my Family

just as I like. (Il n'y a point de Puiffance capable d "empecher que je ne difpofe de ma famille a mon goé.)

"This

"This is the Reason that Parents must renounce. "the Power they have over their Children, be"fore we accept them, or they may keep them "themselves. An unruly Boy is bad enough for "himfelf, but let him be bad with his impure Spirit. There is no Occafion that he fhould de

part and bring seven more back with him worfe "than himself. We are not to ferve every ones "Whim. Nous ne fommes pas Miniftres du Caprice d'un "chacoun.) We take Children of feveral forts of People out of Charity, Pity, and then we tell "them boldly, when they force us with Tears in "their Eyes to accept them, and often (as has happen'd this Year five or fix Times) wait ten "Weeks for our Refolution, and would fubfcribe "the reverse with their own Blood if we should require it. Parents are at this time a Day in great Trouble about their Children, and nobody re-demands them of us without being there"to inftigated by fome Villains. Parents would "foon have their Children again, if all were like "Schuckards. But the Miracles of Grace which "the Lord fo often operates in them, and the fupe"rior Right grounded in Scripture, a godly one "has over a bad Partner in a married State, who "delivers his Child to the Lord by their Birth, "must be honoured. And we always are fo happy as to find fome worldly Circumstances by "the means of which we can give Reasons to all judicial Courts about our detaining them. If "we were judged with a little more Charity, you "would fee that we do not mind it much to have

66

a Child with us, and our Honefty, Fidelity and "Generosity towards every Perfon, in our Cuftody, "would bring us to the beft of Characters."

So the impure Spirit leaves a Child that becomes a Moravian, and feven others come which are worse, if they leave this Community, I

and