LIBRARY OP TUB Theological Seminary, PRINCETON, N.J. ■ Shelf. Sectidn,....B4:^_ _ I i Digitized by tlie. Internet Arcliive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/moravianmanualcoOOdesc_0 THE MORAVIAN MANUAL: CONTAINING AN OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH, OR UNITAS FRATRUM. BY EDMUND DE SCHWEINITZ, PABTOIl or THI CHCRCH AT BETHLEHIM, PA., AND PRESIDENT Of THE COLLEQE. PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE SYNOD. SECOND ENLARGED EDITION, WITH HISTORICAL TABLES. BETHLEHEM: MORAVIAN PUBLICATION OFFICE. A. C. t H. T. CLAUDER. 1869. A. C. & H. T. Clauder, Printers. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. The first Manual, giving an account of the Constitution and Discipline of the Moravian Church, was written by Bishop Span- genberg, and published in Germany, in the year 1774. lu 1775, it was translated into English, and published in London, with a preface by the Rev. Benjamin La Trobe. This work passed through a number of revised editions, both in the German and English languages. The last American edition, in a small pam- phlet form of about seventy pages, appeared in 1833, but is now obsolete. It bears the following title: "A Concise Historical Account of the Present Constitution of the Protestant Church of the United Brethren: Philadelphia, 1833." In the year 1789, a larger work, containing over three hundred and fifty pages, was written by the Rev. John Loretz, and published in Ger- many, under the title : " Ratio Disciplinse Uuitatis Fratrum." The first part of this volume comprises an interesting sketch of the history of the Church, the other parts, treating of the Con- stitution and Discipline, are obsolete. The Provincial Synod of the American Province, at its last meeting, held in the month of June, 1858, authorized the publi- cation of a new Manual, suitable to the present wants of the Church in the United States, and committed the compilation of it to the writer. He has striven to fulfil the resolution adopted by the Synod (see Journal of Synod of 1858, p. 105, F. 1); although he found the duty assigned him a far more diffi- iv PREFACE. cult one than he had supposed. The abundance of his materials often rendered it hard to decide what was essential, and what unessential ; and the number of Synodical Journals and Reports to be consulted required the closest attention and considerable labor. Whatever the imperfections of the Manual may be, he thinks he can vouch for its authenticity. The historical chapter contains an original sketch ; and the chapter treating of the Present Condition of the Church is based upon the most recent information which could be obtained. In the Chapter on Doctrine, a Compendium will be found, setting forth the essential doctrines held by the Church. This Compen- dium has been drawn up with very great care, and exclusively in the language of authorized publications of the Church, ex- cepting only the expression "we hold," which frequently occurs, or here and there a copulative, necessary to unite sentences de- rived from different works. The Compendium is, therefore, not a subjective treatise on Moravian Doctrine, but an authorized statement of it, compiled from Moravian books. For the re- maining chapters, the following official documents have been consulted : Results of the General Synods of 1848 and 1857 ; Re- port of the Proceedings of the Preparatory Provincial Conference, held at Bethlehem, Pa., in the month of May, 1847 ; Report of the Proceedings of the Provincial Synod, held at Bethlehem, Pa., in the month of June, 1846 ; Journal of the Provincial Synod, held at Bethlehem, Pa., in the month of May, 1855 ; Journal of the Provincial Synod, held at Bethlehem, Pa., in the month of Oc- tober, 1856 ; Digest of the Provincial Synod, held at Salem, N. C, in the month of May, 1856 ; Report of the Provincial Synod, held at Salem, N. C, in the month of February, 1858, as published in "The Moravian;" Journal of the Provincial Synod, held at Bethlehem, Pa., in the mouth of June, 1858. In drawing up the chapter on Constitution, the writer endeavored PHEB^ACE. V to ])rt'sent tin- entire Coii.stitutioii, general and provincial, as explicitly, and in as syninietricul a form, as possible. In order to etiect this, it l)ecauie necessary, when giving the statntes, to adopt one tense thronghout, and he chose that which is commonly employed in constitutions. It has been his earnest endeavor not to omit a single point belonging to the constitution, especially in so tar as the American Province is concerned. This Manual was submitted, in manuscript, to the Provincial Board, at Bethlehem. Pa., and has received its .-(anctiou, after a careful examination of its contents. At the same time, however, it may be well to state, tliat the work is not intended, in any way at all, to ■•^njjersctle the " Results" of the last (jeueral Synod, or the .Journals and Keports af the l^rovincial Synods of this Province. All these documents remain in force as heretofore, and will guide the deiiheratious of future Synods. The jjurpose of the Manual is a two-fold one: to give the members of the Cluircli, in one compendious volume, the ecclesiastii'al statutes, rules of discipline and articles of doctrine, which lieretotbre coultl be found only by consulting a muid)er of diti'erent publi- cations ; — and, especially, to afford an authentic work which may be jmt into the hands of such as seek information res])ectiug the Moravian ("hurch, ami wish to become accpiainted with its constitution, discipline, docti ine and ritual. The letters V. E. ('. in this ^Manual, or in otlier Moravian works, stand foi- " I'nity's Elders' Conference," the Executive Board administering the general government of the whole Church; the letters P. E. C. stand for " Provincial I'^lders' (Jonterence." the Executive lioard set over a ])articular Province of the Church. "Synodal Results" is tlie name bv which the jiublished Journal and Resolutions of the Svnod aic couinionlv known. Pnii.ADKi.i'in A. Mav 17, ]X'>':\. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION- The first edition of the Moravian Manual having been, long since, exhausted, this second edition is published by authority of the Synod. More than one-half of the work has been re-written, in the account of the Church and its enterprises, the necessary correc- tions have been made, in accordance with the latest returns ; the historical sketcli is far more com])lete tiian in the first edition, embracing an exposition of the fanatical period; and ;in entirely new (Section has been given, on tiie Histoi'y of tiie C'hunli in America, including its interesting Mission among the Indians. Under the liead of ' By-Laws to liie ( 'onstituti(jn of the Anierican Province," will be found a complete summary of all the enactments of the Provincial Synod that are of permanent authority. Ileuce these P>y-Laws, together with the Constitu- tion of tilt Aiiiericaii Province immediately^ preceding them, present, at a glance, the entire body of ecclesiastical rules which are now in force in this country. In place of tiiat l)rief statistical A])})endix of the first edition the substance of which is now found in the "Text Book of the Protestant Church of the United P)rethren," tiiere are addi'il eight Historical Table-, from the intioduction of Christianity into Bohemia and Moravia to the present year of tlie Moravian Church. Two of these Tables, namely No. o, [jresenting the History uf PRKFAC E. vii the Renewed C'lmreh in the time;* of Zinzendorf, and No. 8, com- prising the Foreign Missions, were prepared by Rev. Hermann A. Brickenstein, tlic one l):ised upon a German Table of the same sort, and the other ui)on the "Missions Atlas der Briider Tnitiit," ])iil)lislied hv tiie ^Mission Board, in 1S60. The otlier six Tai)les. namely Xos. 1, 2, 4, (i and 7, are original, and were (h-awn up l)y the author. In the Tablea treating of the Aneicnt Church, he has a(lo|)ted the chronology of Palacky and (iindely, wliicii olten ditfers from that of Crauz and Holmes. The Tabh- setting fortli the history of the Re- newed Cliurcii since 17()0, and that relating to the Church in America, are the results of a thorough examination of the official documents preserved in tiie Archives at Bethlehem. Touching the American Table, it nmy be proper to say tluit while the details into which it goes will l)e of no interest to, and are not intended for, the general reader, they may be deemed important by the Ministers of the Church and others who are active in its work, as affording a bird's-eye view of tiie History of Moraviaiiism in this country, and a Table of References, no- where else to be found. The author has been encouraged to believe this, by various brethren to whom lie submitted his plan. The publication of this volume has ho'cn much delayed by the unexpected death of Mr. Amos Conienius Clauder, the Agent in the Printing Office, whose name and memory deserve to be en- shrined liere, as this was the last work in which he engaged prior ti4."! page 68, read " I'nity's Elders' Conference" instead of " United Elders' viii Conference ;" page 150, retul " Prokop the Great, leader of the Hussites,"' instead of "Prokop the great leader of the Hussites;" page 188, strike out the word Bishop before Christian (iregor ; page 184, read "Helj)ers'" instead of " Helper's." In the list of Historical wouks, page 11, Zezschwitz's article on Luke of Prague and the liohemiau Brethren, in the second sup- pleiuwitarv voluiiu' of Herzog's jMicycii)])adii', has been omitted; as also i)r. ticiiuaiiu Plitt's treatise on "Die Lehiwise der Bohniischen i^nuler," whicii has eonie to hand since that part of the Manual was printed. llKTHnKHEM. .laiiiiarv lo, ISilll. The second edition of tiie Moravian ^lannal has been examined and approved by the Pioviucial Board. CONTENTS. CHAPTEK I.— HISTORY OF THE CHUECH. , PASS. Introduction 9 Section I. — History of the Ancient Church 14 Section II. — History of the Hidden Seen 26 Section III. — History of the Eedewed Church 30 Section IV. — History of the Church in America 38 CHAPTER II.— PRESENT CONDITION OF THE CHURCH. Section I. — The American Province 49 List of Churches 50 Enterprises of the American Province 52 The Home Mission 52 Educational Enterprises 52 Publications 54 Section II. — The Continental Province 54 List of Churches 56 Enterprises of the Continental Province 57 The Diaspora 57 Home Missions 59 Educational Enterprises 59 Publications 60 Ministers' Conference 60 Section III. — The British Provinoe 61 Enterprises of the British Province 62 Section IV.— Foreign Missions 62 List of Stations 63 Schools 65 Classes of converts 65 Finances of the enterprise 66 Superintendence 68 CONTENTS. CHAPTER III.— THE CONSTITUTION. Introduction 69 Section I. — General Constituion of the Unity 70 Section II. — Constitution of the Provinces 75 A. Constitution of the American Province 76 Present By-Laws 80 B. Constitution of the Continental Province 87 C. Constitution of the British Province 88 Section III. — Use of the Lot 90 The Lot in marriages 92 CHAPTER IV.— DOCTRINE. Introduction 94 Compendium of Doctrine 95 Easter Morning Litany 100 CAAPTER v.— MINISTRY. Bishops 105 Presbyters... 106 Deacons 106 Candidates 107 List of Bishops 108 • CHAPTER VI.— WORSHIP. The Lord's Day 112 Services in the Week 112 Church Sea.sons 112 Memorial Days 112 The Ritual IIX The Church Litany 113 Tlie Ministration of baptism to infants 121 The Ministration of baptism to adults 123 The Order for the administration of the Lord's Suj)per 126 The Rite of Contirmation 127 The Rite of Ordination 128 The Eorm of solemnization of matrimony 130 The Order of the burial of the dead 132 Prayer Meetings 134 Love Feasts 135 Liturgical Services 135 Services on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 135 Services of the Passion Week and Easter Festival 136 CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER VII.— DISCIPLINE. PAOE. Introduction 138 Nature and Purpose of Discipline 138 Exercise of Discipline — 139 Re-admi.