about nomination of a Prefident and all your "other Demands (25): For our Defence against *the Accufations has not yet been heard, and our "profound Reverence and warm Attachment to ** your illuftrious Perfon will not allow us to over"look them, efpecially that moft injurious one, that 46 our Allegiance to our Sovereign cannot stand "with our Connexion with our Elders and War+ "dens (26). It is therefore not out of Obftinacy "but for the Reasons mention'd in our laft, and "here humbly repeated, that we ftill perfift in our "Declaration fent to the Regency, not to do homage after the Formular given; and that we "again most earneftly intreat your Highness would dispense with that Form; the Community at Herrnbaag being in every other particular, chear"fully ready to do homage like the reft of your "Highneffes happy Subjects (27)." This Pertinacity in the Refolution against doing homage according to the Formular, caufed the fol lowing Edict: 'હદ "Guftavus Frederick Count of Ifenbürgh and Bu dingen, &c. To all our Subjects in the Town of Herrnhaag; Whereas feveral Bobemian and Mora"vian Brethren have for these 12 Years paft addreff"ed themselves to our late Father petitioning for "the Reception of 30, 40, or 50Families who were "to eftablish feveral Manufactures in Wool, Iron, "Steel, Linens, and have further requested that "as Members of the pure Evangelical Church, they might be allowed Liberty of Confcience * and to use the Oeconomy and Discipline of the "ancient Moravian Church; and to that end have (25) When they fee themfelves nonpluffed they ask for a Delay. (26) Count Zinzendorf's Pretenfione, Letters and Ordinance proves this. (27) Note-zo N2 66 " produced 66 66 produced a Teftimonial of the University of Tubingen, Anno 1733, in behalf of the Orthodoxy of their Doctrine and Conftitution. And whereas our late Father was thereby induced to receive "the faid Bohemian and Moravian Brethren, but on the Suppofition as is moft explicitly fpeci66 fied, no Sectaries but true Profeffors of the Evangelical Proteftant Religion, and on Condition that they fhould not run into any Appearance of Separatifm, Schifm, or Singularity; and they accordingly in the Contract for their Reception declared, that the Conftitution of their Church was void of any thing contrary to found Doctrine or our rightful Supremacy (28). And whereas the Experience for thefe laft 12 Years "has proved the contrary, none of the promised "Manufacturers, the chief Motive for their Re"ception, having been established: further, they "have foon fent away thofe that had been received, "and at pleasure have brought others in their Place, "that the Inhabitants of Herrnhaag have been of "ten changed, according to the bad Views of "their Governors (29). They have furreptitiously "introduced fuch a Difcipline of the Church as is against Nature and Reafon, under pretence "of which they have ordered all civil and eccle σε fiaftical Matters in no confused but artful way. "To obtain their End, they have totally ufurped "over our ecclefiaftical Authority, and in a great વ part the Civil (30). They have ordered their "People to pay more Obfervance to their Governor "of the Church, than to the Sovereign Prince; a "Practice utterly diffonant from the Evangelie "Proteftant Religion, but thro' their Emiffaries they have feduced People of all three Religions, to *(28) Section 2. (29) This they themselves don't deny., "lerated ❝lerated in the Empire, and even fome well difpofed "Perfons, and have began to fet up a new Religion, how different from the holy Scripture their 66 own fcandalous Hymns fully prove (31). And "whereas our late Father perceiving all this Mif"chief, and being defirous of having this Sink of "Error and Iniquity cleanfed (32), intended to "place a Superintendent over them, who was to "be prefent at their Meetings for the more exact knowledge of their ways, but this the Herrnbaagers fo turbulently oppofed, that our Father "in his Lenity thought proper to defer fome time "the Executionof his Intention(33); but we being fully convinced of the Sin and Mischief lurking "in their System (34), having never approved of "the fame, are in Duty bound to reftrain fuch Evils by which Church and Country fuffer, and which threaten more Confufion and Detriment "(35). Therefore we require and order that in doing homage to us, you fhall vow by the Name "of the Omnifcient Lord, and promife that "by your Difcipline you do not acknowledge "Count Zinzendorf or any other (36) for your Su ແ 66 perior, and that you will truly conform to the "Homage-Formula. But you having declared that it would be against your Confcience to "do fuch homage by renouncing, &c. and we not "being inclined to force a Burden upon your Con"fcience, but at the fame time not permit ting that under pretence of a Liberty of Con"fcience, and a Contract not made for any fuch (31) (32) Count Zinzendorf can't deny his Letters and Ordinances. (33) Section 14, 33, 34 (34) Without their own Letters, no Man alive could have been made acquainted with their Proceedings. (35) The Theocracy, General Deaconship, and Directory of the Brethren, required it. (36) Section 3. N 3 "End, "End, a Doctrine contrary to the holy Scripture, "fubverfive of the Laws of the Empire, and by "which the Supremacy is lodged in Church-Go vernors fhould be propagated, much lefs openly "exercised (37). We therefore by virtue of our "Sovereignty, order and command you quietly " and honeftly to depart all our Territories "(38), for which we allow you the term fixed by "the Laws of the Empire, viz. three Years, that you in this Time may feek out out other Set"tlements, and that fuch of you as have pur"chafed Lands or built any Houses, may ac"cording to the Contract, fell them to People "against whom no Objection lies, to make a "lawful Profit of them. For every one shall duly "take his own without any Deduction or paying "the tenth Penny, nor be molefted in any parti"cular. But if any Man or Woman, bearing no "Offices amongst you, are willing to do us ho66 mage according to the Formular, to renounce "the Herrnhut Difcipline and doctrinal Institutes, " and is willing to follow the Calvinist or Lutheran "Church, or even perform their religious Offices "in their private Houfes, profeffing no established "Religion, to these Perfons we grant our Protec"tion, permit them to remain at Herrnbaag, "give them a fuitable Liberty of Conscience (40), "and promise to defend them against their former "Governors. We therefore direct all, efpecially "thofe in Office, not to hinder any who are willing to fecede from that fanatical Community, nor (37) Not only Count Zinzendorf, but all his Confidents aim at the Sovereignty! (38) Of this they can't complain, for 'tis what they themfelves wanted. Sect. 13, 33. Note 6, 7. (39) These were all too dangerous to be kept. (40) It cannot therefore be faid that the Sovereign had infringed upon their Liberty of Confcience. * disturb, "difturb, impofe, fend away, or offer any Vio"lence or Infult to thofe Perfons on pain of fe"vere Profecution. We fhall take effectual Mea"fures that they who would embrace our Protec"tection may fignify their Intention here, and be "reimbursted in what they have delivered to the "Community, &c. Budingen, Feb. 12, 1750. Guftavus Frederick Count of Ifenburgh and The Herrnbaagers delivered in an Inftrument drawn up in Form and witneffed by a Notary, wherein they confeffed: I, "They would gladly be Subjects of the So❝vereign, and would behave with all Obedience and Fidelity (41). • 2. "That the whole Community were of the . Augsburg Confeffion; as the fame having been acknowledged by the whole Unitas Fratrum (42) 3. "That for Confcience they could not ab"jure Count Zinzendorf and their Governors, the "Scripture ordering them to follow their Inftruc<< tors (43). .. 4. "That they took Count Zinzendorf to be a "true Servant of our Saviour, and that the Words in the Scripture would punish them if they "fhould renounce him: Whofoever denies me, bim "will I alfo deny. And that though Count Zinzendorf "would refign his Office and Superintendency, "they could not permit it in regard to Spirituals. 5. That the faid Counts and their other El (41) Count Zinzendorf in a Letter July 1, 1747. In different Refpects I have always a great many different "Sovereigns at one Time." (42) Section 2. Note 2. (43) Note 37. (44) This is the Independent Directory of the Brethren. |