and Shoemakers, they can be of no prejudice. to any Body, there being but a fmall Number "of them with us, who amongst ourselves will "find them Employment."

The manner in which the Petitioners defired to be received, was, that in confideration of a certain Sum, yearly to be paid for their Protection, they should be free from all other Incumbrances; but nevertheless,

“Would, like other Freeholders, be fubject to "the Sovereign and his Regency; and defired only in Regard to Liberty of Confcience, to "have the free Exercife of Religion, to main

66

tain their ancient Church-Difcipline, in the "fame manner as thefe had been laid before the "whole World, in the Opinion of the Univer"fity at Tubingen." (2)

The

(2) It was therefore upon Suppofition, that they really were fuch People as their produced Vouchers represented them to be, that the Count said, We are convinced. But they foon after gave him reafon to change his Sentiments. For, in the beginning they pretended to be of the reformed Church. Their Ecclefiaftical Elders fending in November 1746, fome Records to Budingen, figned by Count Zinzendorf, and LewisWilliam Weis, called Prothonotary, faid:

"We befeech your Grace to look into the annexed au"thentic Papers, that you may inform yourself of the Con"dition of our reformed Body, and to cause the fame to be "preferved, for the Instruction of ecclefiaftical and temporal

Courts, fo that whenever our reformed Brethren, dwelling "in your or the Dominions of your Relations, shall have "Occafion to refer to these Records, they may be at no "trouble to produce them.'

Then they called themselves of the fourth Religion, as Count Zinzendorf faid in a Letter of the 18th of Feb. 1748, this expressly, vide Sect. 38. After this they filed themfelves Followers of the unalter'd Augsburg Confeffion, vide Sect. 37. and Count Zinzendorf faid quite the contrary, Sect. 38. Nay in a Letter to Counsellor Brauer, the 5th of January 1748, be fays,

66

The Count of Badingen took these Propofals into further Confideration. One Member of his Council reported,

"It was known from Ecclefiaftical History, "that Luther, his followers, and the Calvinists, "had acknowleged the Moravians to be evangeli"cal Proteftant Chriftians, fo that there was no "Reason to doubt their Orthodoxy."

The reft of the Council was of Opinion, that, "No fcruple could be made to receive them, "if they profeffed no other Doctrine, than what "had been spoke of in the Opinion of the Divines "at Tubingen, and by Pfaff in his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory."

But all agreed fo far,

"That it was advisable to demand their Cer"tificates of Orthodoxy."

After this, new Negociations were carried on, which ended in a real Contract, figned, April 24, 1738; by virtue of which, 30 or 40 Families were received, partly Manufacturers, partly others, and the Permiffion, under fome Restriction, granted them, to erect new Buildings, upon the eight Hufes of Land, fold to them at the current Price of about 1280l. fterling (or 8000 Rix-dollars). This Restriction was as follows:

"We fuppofe in the first Place, and are fully "convinced, by the printed Teftimonies, particularly by the Theological Opinion of the Univerfity at Tubingen, the produced Vouchers of Or "thodoxy, given by the Directors of the reformed "Church at Berlin, the two Epifcopal Patents

figned by Dr. Jablonsky, Bishop of the Mora"vians, firft Chaplain to the King of Prussia, as

"I wish Herrnhaag was folely an evangelical Lutheran "Town, after the Difcipline of the Brethren," which Contradiction to his own Words he repeated a little while after, Sect. 38.

B 3

"alfo

alfo by his Majefty's Letters of Confirmation "and Recommendation, that thefe Petitioners "who want to fettle in our Dominions, are no Sectaries, but profefs the Evangelical Religion;

66

they having promifed, carefully to conform "themselves to the Liturgy of the evangelical "reformed Church, fo that there is no Appear"ance of Separatifm, Particularifm or Schifm.

It being thus exprefly prefuppofed, by reafons of the faid Teftimonials, that these Colonists are of the evangelical Religion, as the fame is profeffed throughout the Roman Empire, no fcruple was further made, to grant them the Direction of the Rules of Worship. Which Article runs thus: Sixthly, We have granted to these Colonists, "the Direction of the Rules in their Worship "and Church-Difcipline, the Right to call and appoint their Preachers, and to regulate every thing belonging to the form of their Church, fo "as they enjoy thefe Privileges under their Majefties the Kings of Poland and Denmark, at "Herrnhut and Oldenflow, (3) and in the fame "form, as the French Refugees have obtained "the fame in Pruffia or elsewhere, fo that they "have full Power to chufe, ordain, appoint, or "difmifs their Minifters, Church-Elders or Ser

''

66

vants, and therefore not to be Parishioners at "Haak, nor to pay any Church-Dues, but to pof"fefs by Right their own Burying-ground." We referve to ourselves,

'

Seventhly," That before the real Inftitution of "a Minifter, the faid Perfon fhall be brought be"fore us or our Chancery, to be there approved

(3) This was a fubtle Artifice of theirs, because that the Regency at Buaingen could not be well enough informed what Privileges the Moravians elfewhere really and at every time onjoyed.

"of,

"of, that we may fee whether his Doctrine and "Confeffion of Faith agrees with the above-men

tioned Teftimonials. Befides, it fhall be in our "Pleasure to Commiffion one of our Council "to be present at fuch Inftitution, to fee that Things are done in due order, who, however, is "not to intermeddle with this Act, but the Com"munity may do according to their Rites. We

engage our Word, that never any frivolous "Difficulties fhall be raised about our Approba<tion, unless there fhould appear fomething "effential alledged against the Purity of his Doc"trine, or his fcandalous Life (4).

It was nevertheless apprehended, that fomething elfe might be conceal'd under the Liberty of Confcience, quiet Exercife of Religion and Church - Discipline, about the Confervation of which the Petitioners were fo anxious, therefore it was thought neceffary to guard against any latent Design by thefe Words:

(4) This does not include an Independency in ecclefiaftical Matters; as they afterwards claimed the fame by bringing all Church Affairs under the Title of Liberty of Confcience, vide Sect. 16. Nor is here meant a Theocracy which the Count, by fending a Scheme of their Rules to Budingen, 5th of Jan. 1748, attributed to Herrnhaag; he said,

66

"If this is rejected, this Day will be the laft of my inter-, meddling with it, for having already fold my House to "Mr. Larish, I fhall in February next, with all that belongs "to me, quit this beloved Place, founded by our Saviour for "his Theocracy, which he wont fail to maintain."

And one of his Brethren fpoke ftill more expreffive, thus, "All Sovereigns of the Earth must confent in the Theocracy of the Moravians, or have no Brethren at all in their "Dominions."

66

Nor do the Words of the Grant mention a Hierarchy acknowledged in England, according to Count Zinzendorf's Letter of the 21st of October, Sect. 38, but only certain Rites in ecclefiaftical Matters, which were however to be fubordinate to the Sovereign's Authority.

The Purchafers,

Eighthly," By the Allegiance which they owe "their Lord, affure us, that by Direction of their "Rites in Worship and Church-Discipline, they "do not intend or defire to have any other "Sovereign: but that, befides our Lord and Sa"viour Jefus Chrift, they acknowledge or know no "other but ourselves, and would enjoy their Pri"vileges in Peace and Tranquillity (5).

SECT. III.

As to Matters fubject to the Cognizance of the civil Power, an unlimited Subjection was agreed to by the Herrnhuters in these Words:

"The Purchasers and all that build upon this "Ground, or that live in their Place, are to be "obedient to us or our Regency (1) in tempora "Matters civil or criminal, as are our other Subjects without any Restriction, and muft there

(5) This Claufe was inferted against Count Zinzendorf an his Representatives. For the Moravians not having acted up to their Testimonials, it was thought neceffary to oblige them to renounce this their fuppofed Head, by doing homage in 1750. It was a Sufpicion grounded upon their own Expreffion, that made the Regency at Budingen infift upon this, for they had in the Iuftrument drawn up in the fame Year, faid,

"If even Count Zinzendorf, out of Condefcenfion would, in "regard to us, refign his Place and Care which he hath in all "Communities of the Brethren, we nevertheless herewith proteft, that we cannot comply with this concerning our ecclefiaftical and economical Affairs, for this would cause the moft difmal Confequences."

The Brethren bringing afterwards all and every thing under these two Denominations, Ecclefiaftical and Economical, the Management of which was in Count Zinzendorf''s Hands, who elfe but he could be their Sovereign? His Authority among them was fo great, that he said, "I am Syndick with full Power, "and need not any body's Advice." Such are the Subterfuges they ufe to elude their Homage to their real Sovereign. (1) The manner in which they wanted to elude this, vide Sect. 22,

" fore