and nobody them over to fome Villains.

redemands them without giving the Devil, or being inftigated by All this, tho' entirely falfe, was only put in to quench the Inquifition which the Regency of Budingen would have made upon any fuch Occafion. For then it was not thought that Salvation was to be found only amongst the Moravians. They maintain this most pernicious Principle, that a Child fhews no Difobedience to his Parents, or even to God, when it is or will be amongst them. Count Zinzendorf demanded Mr. Schuckard's Daughter Magdalen, and required his Letter should be written before her and her Mother; where he faid,

"I'll fend you a Copy of this my Letter in a "few weeks if I should hear that he (Mr. Schuc

kard) has not told you the real meaning of it. "For Magdalen is old enough (fhe was then 16 "Years old) to know what is good for her, and "won't trespass against the fourth Commandment "of the Lord, by being obedient to her Father " which created her."

Scripture nor Reason learns us thefe Principles. The Moravians don't like to part with the Children. The Parents of many of them are rich People, fome of them poffefs already their Fortune, fome are in Expectation of their Portion, which fometimes is already in the Community's Cafh, or is very near to have it. No Tutors are there but the Community itself. Whence shall this Money be redemanded? From this general Diaconat. But thefe Proprietors are difperfed all over the World, and hence the Difficulty of regaining their Stock is evident.

1

SECT.

T

SEC T. XVIII.

The fourth,, fifth and fixth Sections of his Statutes are:

Sect. 4. Our ecclefiaftical Conftitution is founded in the Holy Scriptures, and acknowledges the Confeffion of Augfburg, to be a full, just and plain Explanation of the Principles of Lutherifm, and agrees to the fame without any Exception. In regard to the way of Preaching, the fame agrees with the Decifion of the Synod of Berne, Anno 1533, which agrees with the for

mer.

Sect. 5. And whereas it is fufficient in the Roman Empire, to conform with the Augsburg-Confeffion; other Confeffions of Faith that agree with the fame as the Bohemian, fhall not be rejected, but for all that not confidered as rules for the Faith or Actions, nor fhall we be forced to do according to them.

Sect. 6. For all that, we admit the Augfburg Confeffion for the Rule of our Faith, we will not exclude any Body from our Community, let him follow any other Religion whatsoever, for all these that are of fuch as are tolerated in the Roman Empire shall have the free exercife of Worship, and all the reft depends on the Sovereign's Permiffion.

For

All these Articles were drawn up that they, after the fame fhould have been confirmed, could fhew the World a new Teftimonial or Certificate. Count Zinzendorf gave himself a great deal of pains, though in vain, to obtain a Certificate that they had lived in this County as Lutherans, in the beginning of the Year 1748.

We shall pass over the Reflections made upon this Occafion by the Regency of Budingen, leaving it to our Readers whether this fhews not our Impartiality, fo that they may form a Judgment of the Proceedings of this Society. We only add, that I 2

when

when they first came to this County, they came under the Title of Moravian Brethren, after this they pretended to be ftrict Lutherans, and in the mean time would tolerate amongst them any Perfon of any Perfuafion whatfoever. Count Zinzendorf reckoned it a Sin when the Sovereign, in his Edict, which we fhall mention hereafter, told them that they, neither in Doctrine, nor in Behaviour, were fuch as they ftiled themselves. This first-mention'd Count, wrote to Counsellor Reich, the 21ft of Octo-. ber, 1750.

"The fecond Sin of our Antagonifts is, that they "call the People at Herrnhaag, Herrnhuters. What "Offence hath this Place given which is an Evangelical Lutheran one, that a Community should "be called by its name, which really confifts of "Calvinifts, Mennonifts, and others from Luther"anifm. The Sovereign of Herrnhaag hath re-.. "ceiv'd them, and made an Epifcopal Church of them, without the Knowledge of the Patron, "real Spoufe, and Warden, who notwithstanding "had been ordained and conftituted as fuch.

SECT. XIX.

The 7th Sect. of the Statutes propofed, is this. Nobody will be banished this Place becaufe bis Perfuafion is not ours, or that he would (for to say fo) abandon the fame. But the main Reafon for fending a Family or a fingle Perfon away, fhall be the Inconfiftence of the Security for his Perfon and Behaviour Stipulated in the Contract with the Sovereign. The Reverse therefore which has been in Ufe thefe twelve Years is herewith confirmed.

The Moravians wanted the Liberty to receive People at their own Option. So by these Expreffions they would fend away People, tho' the most honeft and faithful Subjects, if the fame fhould

not

not do as they liked. As for the Reverse Count Zinzendorf makes mention of here, there is no fuch thing to be found in the Archies of Budingen.

SEC T. XX.

The 8th Sect. is thus canvaffed.

t

The Community of Herrnhaag acknowledges the Sovereign of Budingen to be their Father, and they his Children. And whereas, nothing can binder us to pay Obedience and Service to our Sovereign, in Cafes which don't touch our intrinfical and religious Conftitution, or that we permit the fame to be put in Execution, whereof we are exempt by the Privileges granted to us, for all that it ferves for Salvation to live to the comfort of Parents and Sovereigns; so not one act shall, even if oftentimes committed or any Prefcription be of value, if any fuch most bumble Deference is not obferv'd. This Paragraph is to have the force of an eternal Obligation: That the Simplicity and Fidelity may be encouraged, nor be blamed or troubled by making bad ufe of the fame.

This Paragraph plainly fhews how Count Zinzendorf intended to become a Superior and Sovereign at Herrnhaag; this fhould ferve for a perpetual Agreement. What would then have become of the Sovereignty of the Prince, if he agreed to this, or when Parents, Hufbands, &c. fhould have redemanded their Children?

SECT. XXI.

The 9th Sect. of Count Zinzendorf's Statutes is

this:

The Proprietor of the Lands at Herrnhaag, i, e. the true Inhabitant of the Acres, that has paid for them; is always the COMMUNITY'S JUSTICE, who is to chufe a fkilful Man out of the Community for his Partner, with the Title of Director of the Judicature at Herrnhaag,

I 3.

Herrnhaag, in the Name of the Count of Ifenburgh. This Man is to be fworn in his Office, and no civil Tranfaction can become Legal without him.

So Herrnhaag was to be independent from Budingen, as it was to be the perpetual Property of him that bought thefe ten Hufes of Land whereupon the fame was built. The Community had bought the fame, but one Hofer, a Swiss, had lent the Money thereto. Count Zinzendorf had not only built there a magnificent Manfion - House, but had already got moft of the Acquifitions of the reft of the Inhabitants, and would therefore foon have appeared as a Proprietor and common Juftice. The Town was inhabited by Dutch and English and several German Merchants of Importance, and began already to have a confiderable Trade. This very foon would have ruin'd the City of Budingen and the Counts thereof. For this Director should even be one of their People to keep the Sovereign and Public ignorant. Count Zinzendorf answered, when the first Objections to this Article were made.

''

"It is fo every where, where there is a Community of us. Lieut. Colonel Zaionscheck, one of "our Members, and one of the States of the County, is our common Juftice at Herrnhut in Saxony, and Count Zinzendorf's Secretary is Director "there. It is not neceffary to mention him at Neu"faltze and in Silefia. This Matter depends on the

..

Community's Pleasure, and the Propietor of the "Ground is in the Country, as at Gnadentay, Mr. "de Wiedebach, &c. In Cities the two Deputies "of the Community are in the Senators or "Directors, as v. 9.

This at once fhould remove all Doubts. But the Herrnhuters had loft their Credit about rightly adminiftring Juftice. Many Instances had been found to give Reason to mistrust them. We shall alledge here one worth our Notice.

The