CHAP. I.

FROM THE REVIVAL OF THE CHURCH TO THE ORDINATION OF THE FIRST BISHOP. FROM THE YEAR 1722 TO 1736,

SECTION I.

Arrival of the first Emigrants-CHRISTIAN DAVID-Beginning of the building of HErrnhut,

GOD THEY WERE." (Rom. iv. 17.) "God, who is wonderful in all his works and ways, frequently makes use of instruments, in themselves unfit, and in the eyes of the world mean and despicable, to accomplish great and glorious things, thereby to magnify his name and display his sovereign power, wisdom and grace. And this, God generally does in a gradual manner, and by various preparations, and a regular succession of cause and effect, till his work is finished and his design fully developed, in order to bring man to the knowledge of his name and will, and to faith in him. Such a beginning the Lord our God hath made in our day with us, poor, sinful and mean people, who are despised by the world. He hath thereby shewn that he is our gracious God and Father in Christ Jesus, whose aim it is to make us his obedient children, and take us to be his people, having brought us from the gates of death unto the gates of the daughter of Zion. Now therefore we may rejoice in his help,

OD CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT, AS THOUGH

be strong and confident in him, and gratefully exclaim: The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad!"

In these strains of pious admiration and gratitude did one of the principal agents,* employed by God in reviving the Brethren's Church, express the devout feelings of his heart, a few years after the first emigrants from Moravia, and descendants of the ancient Church, had been collected and colonized at Herrnhut. The truth of his remarks is exemplified and confirmed in every circumstance, connected with the revival, extension and continuance of the renewed Church of the Brethren for the space of ONE HUNDRED YEARS.

These remarks therefore in a very appropriate manner, introduce the reader to the second part of our work.

AFTER the total loss of religious liberty in Bohemia and Moravia, the members of the Brethren's Church, who had not emigrated into Protestant States, by degrees submitted to the reigning superstition. Even those who could not conscientiously embrace the unscriptural system of the national faith, lost the vitality of religion, and for the most part satisfied themselves with a theoretical knowledge of evangelic truth, and rectitude of external deportment. But God, "who knoweth them that are his," was graciously pleased to awaken in the posterity of the ancient Brethren, a new and ardent desire to know, and love and worship Him, not in the letter only, but in spirit and in truth, and entirely to disenthral themselves from the fetters of spiritual bondage. This awakening commenced about the year 1715, and its first powerful influence was felt in the family of George Jaeschke, mentioned in the former part of this history. Like a fire from the Lord it soon spread, so that the number of sincere inquirers after divine truth was fast increasing.

While new life was thus communicated to the faithful remnant in Moravia, the Holy Spirit breathed at the same time upon the dry bones in Bohemia. So that, while the descendants of the Moravian Brethren, in Fulnek and the adjacent villages,

* Christian David. See his letter of October 20th, 1731, to his friends in Switzerland. + See p. 152.

were stirred up to seek the Lord and his salvation, their Bohemian fellow-confessors in Leutmischel and Landsrcone, were inflamed with the same desire, and this without previous concert, or any communication with each other. In the renewal of the Brethren's Church both these branches were gradually united, the Moravian Brethren taking the lead in the emigration.

The instrument, employed by God for fanning the latent fire among the posterity of the Brethren in Moravia, was, in the first instance, a discharged soldier from Silesia, who circulated several evangelical books among them, and introduced them to the Lutheran clergyman at Teschen on the Silesian frontiers. They frequently attended his sermons, though they had to go a distance of more than thirty English miles. His zealous testimony of the gospel, together with the perusal of evangelical publications, led them to a clearer knowledge of divine truth; but they were still defective in love to Jesus, and thus wanted the main spring of true piety. To promote this, God had prepared another instrument in one of their own countrymen, Christian David; and as he was a principal mover in their emigration, we shall here insert a few biographical notices of his early life

CHRISTIAN DAVID was born in the village of Senftleben in Moravia, on the last day of the year 1690. His parents being poor, he was in early youth employed in tending sheep, and afterwards learned the trade of a carpenter. He was a zealous Roman Catholic, "and," to use his own expression," in the performance of his devotions crept on his knees round the images of the blessed virgin, till his whole body burnt like an oven." At the same time he strongly felt the workings of sin, which plunged him into the deepest distress of soul, for he had no friend to shew him the right way, and, however frequent and earnest his penances and his invocation of saints, they yielded no comfort to his distracted mind.

While serving his apprenticeship at the neighbouring town of Holeschau he formed an acquaintance with some individuals who rejected image-worship, pilgrimages, and the whole system of popery as mere human traditions. These opinions could not remain long concealed, especially as their abettors met together for religious edification, and read forbidden books. They were se

cured and confined in a cellar; but here they employed themselves day and night in praying and singing. Christian David was astonished at these things, but could not comprehend them. They, however, gave the first check to his superstition, which had been almost incredible.

In Holeschau he had also frequent intercourse with Jews, who had a synagogue in that town. Observing their zeal for the law of their fathers, new perplexities agitated his mind, and he was at a loss to determine, whether the Jews, or the Roman Catholics, or those cast into prison, possessed the true religion. He was then twenty years old, and had not yet seen a Bible; but hearing now that it was the Word of God, his desire to obtain one became very great. This desire was at length gratified, and he read in it during every leisure moment. At first his doubts and temptations were neither few nor weak; but the more diligently he read the Bible, and reflected on its contents, comparing the Old with the New Testament, the more was he convinced of its divine authority; the painful conflict between the flesh and the spirit yielded to the power of the Word of God, and his mind was filled with joy and peace in believing. Ever after the Holy Scriptures were the principal, and often, for many days, the only book he read. His mind, which had received but little scientific culture, was hereby furnished with a rich fund of spiritual knowledge, which he knew well how to apply when addressing his fellow-sinners on divine subjects, and which was signally blessed by God to the edification of many. This circumstance also gave a peculiarity to his style of speaking and writing, as his phraseology was almost purely biblical.

Being now fully convinced of the errors of popery, he resolved to join the Lutherans. To effect this he travelled into Hungary, where the Protestants had several congregations. But in one place his design was discovered by the priests, who threatened him with the stake; and in another, the Lutheran clergyman informed him, that he could not receive him, without subjecting himself to a heavy punishment. This determined him to go into Saxony; from whence he proceeded to Berlin. Here the Rev. Mr. Schmid, after previous instruction, admit