Accounts of the Regency, into the Poffeffion of yearly Revenues of 7700 Guilders, 6000 of which were for payment of Intereft, and 1700 in Part of the principal Stock. The following Words of that Counsellor who made this new Contract with the Moravians, fhew moft plainly, how much he loved them; he wrote, the 7th of February, 1743, thus to their common Juftice:

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"As to the Contract in particular, let me "hope, the Community will put fo much Confi"dence in me, that I fhall be as good as my "Word, and give them as much as lies in my "Power. I am not used to make many Words "or Promises. I hope I fhall in Time have still "a greater Idea of Herrnhaag. But my Maxim "is that which Tacitus praises in our Ancestors,' Plus efficiunt quam fcribunt. Count Zinzendorf's Letter to this Counfellor, written foon after this Contract was figned, 24th of April, 1743, proves how much ts delighted him :

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First, "I kifs you at my Return. I take Part "in all good Things done here, by the Saviour's Pleafure, even in my Abfence, and one of my heartiest Wifbes is now fulfilled (4). I likewife pay you my Compliments about that pretty Heritage, " to which you claim a Right, and as there is no

ઃઃ

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(4) This Letter, dated a few Weeks after the Conclufion of the Contract, is certainly a convincing Proof, that Count Zinxendorf was Art and Part in all that had been done, which he afterwards boldly denied; for in a Letter of the 13th of February, 1747, he fays :

"The beloved Counsellor (this was the fame that he kiss'd "at his Return) did not love me; nor would he enter with me "into any Conference, but treated of thefe Things generally "with ignorant mean Perfons. This is the Reason that I ne

ver have feen any Contract, unlefs half a Year or even a "whole one after it had been figned, Juftly may I there"fore fay, that of a hundred Things I have no other Idea, "than what they will give me, yet more explicit are the "Words of one of the Count's Affiftants, A. 1743. "Law

Law-fuit about it, you may at any Time take "Poffeffion of the fame."

"The Father, (Count Zinzendorf) heard of "the Agreement, and disapproved the making έφ any Contract without him, as the Community was not ignorant that he had above three Years "correfponded with Counsellor Brauer upon the Subject. Seeing the Original of the fame, he rejected it entirely :

"For that there no mention was made of the "Theocracy of the Moravian Brethren, in which

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all Sovereigns of the Earth muft confent, or "have no Brethren for their Subjects, the fame being therein treated as a Form of Religion, "whereas the Community of the Brethren is only an authorized Society in the Religion."

"For that inftead of having obtained a free Direction over the Rules of the Brotherhood, which, as far as the fame depends upon "free Minds, and hath no Limits given by Laws, "never can be balanced, there had been ftipulated "another legal Jurifdiction, of which a Community hath not, nor ought not to have any Notion. "He affirms, that this finally would be of no Ad"vantage to the Community, but embroil their Rights."

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SECT. VI.

The ecclefiaftical and civil Matters at Herrnbaag, were now managed according to the Pleasure, Advantage and Intention of the Herrnhuters, and for feveral Years their Proceedings were as much connived at, as if their Conftitution had been independent of the Sovereign's Authority. They were fo cautious, that the Records mention but very little of this Time. We shall here only obferve certain Circumftances, which fhould have made

made them at Budingen reflect what they were about.

No Manufacturers were arrived, the Reception of these supposed that fuch as fhould employ them, would, if not fettle here, at least stay there for a confiderable Time; but the Inhabitants, nor even they that had built Houses for themfelves, did fettle there for a Conftancy. Their ecclefiaftical and civil Elders had taken the Direction over all Things at Herrnhaag upon them, without the Consent of the Sovereign, and all these they had fo ordered, that the Sovereign never could know his Subjects in that Town. Admiffion was granted to Moravian and Bohemian Brethren, who, as they gave out, had been forced to quit their Country, being difturbed there in Liberty of Confcience. But no fooner had this new Town been built, than it was crowded with People of all Sorts of Religion, who stiled themfelves Moravian Brethren, and who never had been in their Country, nor been molefted about the evangelical Religion.

Their Minifters were, contrary to their Promife, Sect. 2. never presented to their Sovereign. They evaded fuch a Presentation by a Vifit, or by Notice given to that Member of the Council, who had the Care of the Affairs at Herrnhaag. Moreover they had not one, or one conftant Minifter, for this Member far exceeded that of the Years of Herrnbaag's Existence. Minifters thus prefented, left them without the Sovereign's Permiffion as often as they pleased, or gave Notice from foreign Countries that they were gone away, and fignified the Name of their Succeffor. Sometimes Mr. Langbut, then Waiblinger, M. A. or Wentzel Neiffer, or others, were their Ordinaries. Sermons were preached by Laymen and other Tradesmen, of whom it could not

be

be known if they had learnt rightly their Catechifm, fo far were they from having a true theological System.

They had promifed to conform themselves to the Liturgy of the reformed Church, Sect. 2. but when they were reproached about not obferving the fame, Count Zinzendorf, in a Letter to a Member of the Council, 12th of Feb. 1740, faid:

"I have heard that you have faid, the Herrn"buters had promised to conform themselves "to the Liturgy of the Calvinifs, and did not do "fo, and that you would have patience a little longer, &c." to which he directly adds,

"The Community would directly leave their "Houfes and Goods, if their Liberty of Con"fcience was disturbed."

Thefe Words of Mr. Langbut, written to the fame Minister, were ftill more remarkable:

"How far and what you propose in religious "Matters of the reformed Church, or how you "will mend its Faults, I cannot tell. To cure old "Sores is a Difficulty. Hence we, in our Commu

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nity, plough up a fresh Ground, and I perceive "daily more and more, that it answers no Purpose to "mend old Nets. But he whofe Duty it is, may "catch Fish even with old broken ones, but this "requires more Trouble, and the new ones are

more fit. Do you nevertheless what is your "Duty, and what lies in your Power, Oh! "how fhould I rejoice if Chrift was preached in "all the Pulpits of these Dominions."

They fhew that their Intention was to hatch a new Religion, to reject the true Evangelical, and the Calvinifts and Lutherans; for both thefe have here the free Exercise of their Religion; he ac-> cufes them of not preaching the Saviour of the World. His Wifh that Chrift might be preached: C

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in all the Pulpits of thefe Dominions, means no thing else, but to wish the whole Country to be of the Herrnhut Opinion. Their Intention, which through their Care, was already relished by that Counsellor with whom they had concluded their Contracts, was fufficiently here betrayed: he explains this with his own Words, used in a Letter to Mr. Beuning's Adminiftrator, 5th of January, 1743.

"To hear that there fhall be a Moravian Com"munity at Leuftad, caufes me to fhed Tears of "Joy, thinking myself that unworthy Inftru"ment by our Saviour made ufe of to lay a "Foundation for all these Things. Oh! that the

Lord would fend me Power to introduce the "Moravian Discipline Difcipline in all our Villages, "Churches and Schools, I would pull down all "Lutheran and Calvinists Pulpits."

By reflecting upon this rafh Step, and the Things that followed, the Reafon may be found why, in fo uncertain Limits, the Affairs of the Moravians had fo quick a Succefs, till it pleased God to make an Alteration in fome Perfons, to hinder the Moravians in the Execution of their Design, and to fix their non plus ultra.

SECT. VII.

Their civil Affairs were by them fo managed, that except the mere Name of Sovereign, nothing remained of his Authority. Their Juftices and Jurymen were changed as often, and in the fame manner as their Minifters. Now was Mr. Luzow, Baron Bibran; now Mr. de Peiftel, then Mr. de Marfbal or others; many of which had not studied the Laws at all, fo were their Jurymen, Tradefmen, ignorant of all Law-Matters, and none of them were fworn into their Office, nor did

they