USA > Pennsylvania > History of the province of Pennsylvania > Part 16
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it to be the case) is when I consider what those who now affliet and oppress us will have to undergo in the lake burn- ing with fire and brimstone, in case they do not repent: for they will never be able to find out such terrible torments to inflict on us, as will be prepared for them by the dreadful wrath of God; but my fervent, prayers, my dear bretheren, are not only for you, and all Sion that the Lord may build her; but I am likewise pressed to pray with my tears for mine enemies, because it is in blindness and ignorance that they persecute and afflict us, and although their intentions are bad, yet they must be instruments to work out and effect our salvation, wherefore we ought not to hate, but with all our hearts have compassion with, and love them, interceding continually for them with God, that he may not lay this sin to their charge to eternity, but grant them repentance here.
"Now dear Bretheren and fellow warriors, in the Lord, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his strength, put on the helmet of God, and fight with the invincible armor of Jesus Christ for his doctrine and the precious faith, which we have obtained with you in that righteousness which our God gives and our saviour Jesus Christ, and do not turn from that which Jesus has commanded you, neither to the right, nor to the left, which is also our firin resolution for the love of God has tied our hearts with such ties, which death itself will not be able to dissolve. Nevertheless I frequently feel my poverty, and that I am nothing and can do nothing, and in my weakness I am often as one that is dead and not able to move or stir, but then also the help and power of God is near at hand. O! how wonderful, just, true and holy, yea how glorious are his ways! I am often astonished at the great mercy, faith, fullness and love which he shews to me and the bretheren, my fellow prisoners here in our confinement, since the good which he bestows upon our souls is not by the per- suasion or intercession of them, but by his mere grace, there- fore, dear copartners in our slight imprisonment and afflic-
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tions, praise and thank ye also with us, the father of all mer- cies and Jesus Christ who has abundantly comforted us here with the living comfort of his spirit and still continues to let his love flow into our hearts like a living spring, to the end that thanks may be rendered unto our God by many souls through Jesus Christ, Amen.
"Dear bretheren and sisters in the Lord, if our beloved heavenly father has likewise ordered, and decreed it so, in his eternal council as our magistrates think to deal with us, and as the case seems to go on in court, we shall hardly see one anothers faces any more here in this world, nor perhaps write any further to one another: wherefore I and the bretheren, my fellow prisoners will take our leave of you, commending you to the God of peace, who has brought again from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ thro' the blood of the everlasting cove- nant. He will also raise us up in the resurrection of the just, when we shall meet again, and see one another in everlasting and unspeakable joy and glory, and where we shall stand before the throne of God and the Lamb, with all those that are come out of great tribulations, where God will dwell among and rule over us, and where he will wipe off all tears from our eyes, Amen! We recommend you to the grace of God, I and the bretheren, my fellow prisoners, greet and kiss you many times in the spirit-salute ye also all friends, and such as are copartners in our imprisonment and afflictions. "Your fellow warrior in our Lord Jesus Christ, until death "JOHN HOBACK" " Dusseldorp, at the new fortifi- - cation works May 1, 1717" -
Instead of being executed, they were afterwards sentenced to the Wheelbarrows and hard labor at the fortifications, and for this purpose sent to Juliers, where as convicts they were obliged to work 'till the year 1721, when they obtained their liberty.
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During the confinement of those just mentioned, many went over to Pennsylvania, those who staid behind in Ger- many are said to have been many times badly treated, robbed and imprisoned. Once sixteen of them at a religious meeting at a brothers house near the castle of Hartenbury, on the mountain Rutemburg, surrounded by a serjeant and his men, were bound two and two together, and so carried to Hartenbury castle, where a large sum of money was demanded of them, and not having so much about them, they were obliged to deliver what they had; the brother at whose house they were, was drove from house and home, and went afterwards to Schwarzenau, soon after this some of them were put in prison at Dusseldorp, through the cunning of a treacherous clergyman called Ruebel who pretending he should be glad of a friendly interview with those people, persuaded a simple man to bring them in good confidence to him, but as they were come there, the priest sent for a clerk, who took down what upon examination by the clergy- man they declared about the baptism of infants, going to church, taking of oaths &c, and when everything was set down he said now, you Heretics, get you gone out of the country, as'fast as you can, or you will be told of something else. They left him, but the same night were taken, and by his contriv- ance as they thought, confined for seven weeks, till the Father confessor of the old elector, a discreet catholic, heard in what an unfair manner they had been trapanned, spoke with the elector about the affair, who sent orders to release them. This imprisonment was in the year 1703, during those persecutions the king of Prussia had granted a general liberty of conscience, but his press-gangs or soldiers on recruiting parties, vexed them sorely several times. One John Fisher from Hall, who had been baptized, they would force against his conscience to list in the kings service, and tormented him terribly for ten days together, different ways, because he would not comply with their wills, they tied his hands and feet together and by them hung him up,
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thrusting and beating him with sticks and pricking his body with pins to such a degree that his shirt became stiff with blood, and when he was quite faint and could stand no longer on his legs, they put him near a deep water and he tumbling into it, they pulled him out again by his legs, but at last when they had tired themselves with tormenting of him, and he still refusing to swear to the colours and take arms, they threw him into a hole, where the prince of Dessan bappening himself to come by, and secing him in such a sad condition told them to let him go, for he had suffered his torment.
Those of the Dumplers who had made Schwarzenau in the county of Witganstein (a very poor country, where people are put hard to it for a livelihood) their place of refuge, went from thence to Friesland, where some of them died, and the rest, some after five, others after nine years abode there, did almost all of them come over to Pennsylvania the latter in the year 1729, but those who had fixed their residence at Creyfeld for the most part came over in the year 1719, the few that were left came to Pennsylvania in 1733. When at first these people were banished from their homes and relations, and obliged to emigrate, some to one place, others to another, the goods and effects of some were taken from them, but to others part were left which after- wards served them to live upon, and when it was consumed, some of them commemorate that in great poverty they fre- quently experienced the special providence of God, but since they could never gain strength enough in Europe to eat their own bread, although in Holland good friends were moved to assist them and actually did shew them great love, they were continually longing for a place, where by the blessing of God, they might be able to maintain themselves by the labor of their hands, and to pass the rest of their time in perfect liberty of conscience, which nowhere in Europe they could enjoy together. In their native country they had not full liberty of conscience, nor in Holland,
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besides there, many could not maintain themselves but were helped by others, which made them all come over by degrees, except some few, who are still at Creyfeld in Friesland.
Since they have been here they have considerably increased in numbers and wealth, and have enjoyd a complete liberty of conscience, and been able both to maintain themselves and their own poor. They are a quiet inoffensive people, they dress with a three square or round white cloth or linen cap on the head, something in the form of a bonnet, and a loose garment of the same colour hanging over them-they wear their beards, have a solemn steady pace when they walk and keep strait forward with their eyes fixed on the ground and turn not to give an answer. They are mostly settled at and near a town called by them Ephratah, within about fifteen miles of Lancaster, their burying place they call the valley of Achor, at Ephratah they live on a common stock composed of the fruits of all their labor, and the gifts of any that join them, they cat no meat, drink no wine, nor use tobacco, nor sleep on beds as others do, the single men and women live in different apartments, and those belonging to each apartment meet every two hours night and day to join in prayers.
OF THE FRATRUM UNITATIS, OR UNITED BRETHEREN, COMMONLY CALLED MORAVIANS:
Their first emigration from Moravia was with a view of going to Pennsylvania for the sake of an uninterrupted enjoyment of civil and religious priveledges, but having found a place of retreat in upper Lusatia, in a way they thought conducive to the benefit of their souls. It happened some time after, that is, in the year 1733, that the colony of Georgia became the subject of discourse in Holland, this induced the ordinary of the bretheren, count Zinzendorff to enter into a correspondence with the then English resi- dent at Copenhagen upon that head: The result was, that the bretheren concluded to send some companies of their
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people thither, accordingly, they made agreement with the trustees, amongst other things to be exempted from taking an oath, and bearing arms, but afterwards perceiving that this gave some umbrage to persons from whom they did not expect it, they resolved to pursue their former intentions, and go into Pennsylvania which they accordingly did in the years 1739 & 1740, and applying themselves to hus- bandry they have since made considerable settlements in Pennsylvania, especially in the forks of Delaware, at places by them named Bethlehem, Nazareth, Guadenthal, Frieden- shal and elsewhere. They have from time to time received new succours from Europe, and are not increased to a con- siderable number.
They have besides for the benefit of Indians under their tuition, taken up a piece of land behind the blue mountains on the Mahony, and there built an Indian town called Guadenhutten. They have also made improvements both in New York governmt and New Jersey, and the latter end of the year 1753, they began a settlement on the river Dan which emties itself into Roanoke in North Carolina.
They date their religion from the first establishment of true religion in the world, in general terms: They do not pretend to any warrantable account of their origin, having as they imagine the fate of most other constitutions, that is, to be left in uncertainty, but that their congregation flour- ished in the 15th century at Litz, i.e. fifty years before the reformation, and was then a Sclavonian congregation, which sprung from the old Bulgarian Christians. That George Podiebrad, regent of Bohemia, who they say, partly from his own motion and love, and partly at the intercession of the arehbishop of Prague, being in the like circumstances with him, establish'd at Litz, on the borders of Bohemia a congregation to serve God in quietness and peace, without being so easy a prey to the catholick, to whom the king and primate of the realm were outwardly gone over, this they did, so much the rather, as those bretheren differed from the
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Taborites in the principle of defending religion by force of arms, professing prayer in spiritual things to be the best weapon of christians against their enemies.
They originally consisted of scattered Bohemians and Mo- ravians, but the Waldenses, as they imagine, taking refuge amongst them, learnt their language and in a while became lost in their nation;m-that gaining ground, they became a people considerable enough to be denominated a national (or more properly a general, for it consisted of subjects under sev- eral distinct princes) church :- that they fought protection and gained settlements in Poland, England, Prussia, Wertem- burg and Saxony. Poland by degrees became their chief residence, those who differed from them in some things became united with them. In England, the Walloons, Germans, nay, all foreign protestants, were disposed by Edward the sixth, under their bishop John ALasco, as superintendant of all foreign protestants, and they say, that that, called the church of Augustin Fryars, a great temple in form of the national worship houses not far from St Pauls in London was given them, which the low Dutch, ever since the time that John ALasco with his adherents in queen Marys reign returned to Poland, have had the possession of by the different settlements of this nation in Poland, England, and other nations, it becoming too tedious to dis- tinguish them by the several names of Bohemian, Moravian, Polish, Hallian. Wallonian, and German, for about two hun- dred years past, they have thought proper to comprehend all those divisions, under the general name of Fratrum Unitatis or united bretheren. By this name they were acknowledged by Great Britain in the years 1737 & 1749," also by Denmark in 1735 & 1745, by Saxony in 1737 & 1750; by the elector of Brandenburg in 1737; by Sweden in 1741; and by War- temburg 1747. They acknowledge the Bible to be their only rule "in the most simple sense and in every respect,
m We see the Menonists and they, both lay claim to the Waldenses.
" In this year they received a general toleration by act of parliament.
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and that so perfectly that while disputants are solicitous to seek and find, or make that sense there which they have heard, the bretheren receive all according to the letter, nay, all that is written therein is truth to them, even that part which is looked upon by others as contradictory without being first explained." º
As to their method of preaching in public, "The antient bretheren (say they ') abounded much in scriptural expres- sions, but chiefly dwelt upon Christ and the congregation together, some few in later times followed the first method, whose expressions likewise are, without all doubt, so purely scriptural, that in every paragraph, the words of the Holy- Ghost might be referred to, but it was no universal practice. On the other hand, all the more recent agree in preaching Lamb, Blood and Congregation at once, and not one with- out the other, the ordinary excepted, who professedly preaches the bridegroom, leaving for the most part the bride to the description of others."
The society or bretheren make a fund as occasions require having none settled in common, in which it is a rule that every congregation should contribute according to its ability, and if this fails, on any emergency, their board of advisary which consists of representatives from all parts of the world, helps out what is wanting. They impose taxes for certain small affairs, as for their box of candles in the common hall, for the well, for the watchman, and such little necessary expences; they have no fixed method for the care of their poor, but have hitherto so managed it as to take care of them among themselves. Their widows are provided for in what they call their choir houses.ª Their orphans are provided for in the disciples house. Their aged if they are
Compendious Manual, by way of information defacto for bretheren who travel, printed in the bretheren's house at London 1753.
P Ibid.
" These are houses built on purpose to take care of children, young men, young women, widowers and widows, but, there is a poor box for families.
13
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poor, and no widowers or widows (for in that case they belong to their respective choir houses) then their families are dealt with as other poor are, and if private persons give any assistance, it is not to be mentioned, for the left hand is not to know what the right does. If any strangers go among them, they have what they call the congregation inn, for such as are wealthy who are to pay, except they have friends among them, in which case they take care of them, other strangers are divided among the congregation families or accommodated in the choir houses. The society give their people orders to behave in common life void of all singularity, and to be an honest people in the hearts of all men, but they say their people are apt to carry their hearti- ness too far, which sometimes occasions such failures as nobody is able to excuse, but one who knows them thor- oughly, as to inheritances, they follow the hereditary suc- cession as it is in the law of Moses, except in cases where the laws of the realm where they live make it otherwise, and except the debts of the deceased are neglected to be paid, in which case the wife is the husbands heir and the child the mothers and vice versa. The ordinary used formerly to alter the legal course of inheritances more than he does now, but an attempt being made to disinherit a person on the score of being a brother, hath since made him more cautious in that respect; their handicrafts men, are mostly in companies, over which is a master who is a kind of little magistrate to take care that none stand in each others way, that none want work, and that every one makes their work good in kind, and he also sets the respective prices thereon.
Under these are petty masters who cut out the work for the workmen, or direct it and pay them by the piece, the journeymen work usually in the choir houses, whither the masters, bring their work to them. Their apprentices are bound at what is called their monthly tradesmens conference, and in the presence of the congregation committee for out- ward affairs, after a boy has been at least three months
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upon tryal. It is common amongst them, and an established rule, that their bishops, teachers, seniors political, and the rulers of the respective choirs, should on the second and fifth days in every week, wash the feet of all that they call the Lords supper, bretheren and sisters, "First a suitable discourse is kept, then certain collects composed from John 13th are sung, during which the priests go round and absolve the people by imposition of hands, and in the mean time the feet washers fetch their vessels, if not already there. Then about twelve in number go in one line and begin and end at the same time, the usual collect for the feet washing being sung at every division."" For the propagation of the gospel among nations which never heard it, they say they have undertaken within these twenty years, two expeditions to the east, seven to the south, and southeast, three to the northeast, nine to the west and northwest, two to the south- west; in all twenty five having crossed the seas backwards and forwards about a thousand times, and employed near three hundred persons, betwixt 80 and 100 of whom have died in the service.
"Marriage (says the Compendious Manual before referred to) are of two sorts, the whole civil matrimonial regulation as practised in the civilized world, both in its entrance and continuance is still in force among them, from whence the notions of the adversaries concerning pilgrim and common marriages may possibly have arose, but as this is a pure flight of imagination, so the matter according to the true state of the case is thus, the quite extraordinary liberty of conscience which is no where so absolutely true, as in our congregations, prevents all enquiry a priori into matri- monial affairs, and all private intimations to any in this case, except they are seriously disquieted, & from true con- cern ask advice about it. The principles left us by Jesus and Paul of christian marriage are regularly inculcated, and
" Compendious Manual.
.
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in speaking upon them are reduced to practice so near, that a half solid understanding may easily attain enough both for heart and body :- but as to our young people, those born and brought up amongst us, they being like white paper will to be sure rather chuse to be directed immediately and at the begining in a quite Bible and Jesus-like manner, than for want of solid instruction and nursing be brought into the right track by circular and many hurtful ways, therefore we must suppose that no young prince and princess can be treated with more circumspection and regard in the same circumstances, than every country boy and girl, who among us step out of their choirs into the marriage state.
"236, Are they lotted together ? s
"No-never, this cannot be acknowledged as fact in any point of view whatsoever, but yet there were peo- ple who asserted it; the case, in this respect is this, either such people have told downright lies, or supposed it to be so, because they had all their days heard it so re- ported, or they have made two cases extraordinary, the rule, the first of which is this, viz: that two persons were desirous to marry one woman, and afterwards put it upon this issue, that he should have the preference upon whom that office should fall on the side of the bretheren which she had amongst the sisters-and as the congregation could not determine as to the preference, so to avoid evil consequences, it was thought proper to draw the lot with respect to the office.
"The other case was that a labourer, and at the same time a young man of consideration had an inclination to marry a truly well qualified person, but of a different rank from him,-the ordinary indeed is of opinion that when two
· The Compendious Manual from which this article is taken consists of near 300 questions, proposed and answered in the manner of this :- their ordinary owns the book by a note at the latter end, dated 20 Sept" 1753 & acknowledges the whole to be his work, 'tis much too long to be introduced here, otherwise there are answers to a number of questions equally significant.
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ranks are only among the lower class of people, such a punctillio is quite ridiculous, and therefore not at all to be countenanced in our congregations, but as first our congre- gation in general takes care to match like with like, lest the supposed more worthy person be discomposed and ashamed of his mate, and the inferior person be drawn out of her beneficial mediocrity into a silly pride, which we look upon as a real misfortune, and secondly that this case might decide other such before they happened, so it was tried by lott whether the consideration of a persons suitableness to the purpose for which she was desired as a help mate, ought to outweigh the consideration of a man of the low class of cit- izens under-matching himself with a farmers daughter, and the lott decided that such like scrupulosity is of no manner of signification."
Thus much may suffice of the Moravians who are not more singular in some of their doctrines than in many of their practices. Their history were it practicable to give it in all its revolutions and particularities would make a volume of a large size -- all the accounts they have hitherto thought fit to publish of themselves, are in part unintelligible, and it is neither fair nor safe to take the accounts of their adversaries, they appear to be mostly such, who have hitherto wrote about them. By the stat. 22 Geo. 2. C. 30. encouragement is given them to settle in the plantations in America, by allowing them to take a solemn affirmation in lieu of an oath, and dispensing with being concerned in military affairs, on payment of a rate assessed.
CHAPTER XVIII.
SIR WILLIAM KEITH'S FIRST SPEECH TO THE ASSEMBLY -- THEIR ADDRESS TO HIM -- SUBSTANCE OF OTHERS AT A SUCCEEDING SESSION -- THE JOINT REPRESENTATION OF GOVERNOR & ASSEMBLY TO THE KING ON THE SUB- JECT OF THE AFFIRMATION-KEITHS SPEECH AT THE CONCLUSION OF THAT . ASSEMBLY-DEATH OF THE PROPRIETARY WILLIAM PENN.
Sir William Keith first met the assembly of Pennsylvania in the summer 1717 and made the following speech:
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