Dr. Doddridge's Account of the Moravian Brethren. wheresoever he was carried, and even while they were lashing him, he preached the gospel with great success; and in consequence of his witness and sufferings crowds flocked into the Church at Herrnhut, in which there are, if I recollect right, about six hundred adult communicants, four hundred of whom, being under religious convictions, they call illuminated, and two hundred catechumens. They sent out missionaries to propagate the gospel in various parts, and particularly in Lapland, where I am told they met with considerable success.⭑ Though the Count, who, it seems, has taken orders, has devoted his whole estate, which is very considerable, to charitable uses; yet the number of exiles, flowing in upon them, has been greater than his liberality could support,† which joined with their zeal of propagating their religion has induced many of them to go over to Georgia as others have done to Pensylvania. Friend Ingham had the pleasure of the pious company of fifteen in the ship which conveyed him and Mr. Wesley to Georgia, and I cannot forbear mentioning a little circumstance which I find in the journal now, by the favour of that fraternity, in my hands, which is, that a violent storm arising, in which the whole company expected to perish, immediately when the is said to have "ended his race on Maunday Thursday, 1729, in prison, after three years' confinement for the sake of the gospel, which he attempted to bring to his country people in Moravia." Id. pp. 103 and 107. * In 1734 three of the Brethren offered to undertake a mission to Lapland. They traversed Swedish Lapland, but attempting a mission to Russian Lapland, they were arrested at Archangel, in 1738, as Swedish Spies, and after suffering great hardships, brought to Petersburg, where" their simplicity and uprightness helped them through. A certain great minister furnished them with a passport to Lubec, with these words: Ye may go your way, good people; your service is not wanted here." Id. pp. 188, 189. + The Brethren early "established a fund, called by them the Lamb's, or the Saviour's Chest, which became very considerable by the contributions of the proselytes of Herrnhutism. From the beginning two brethren were trusted with it, of whom one kept the chest and the other the key." The Countess is said to have "so well husbanded the scanty funds of the society that nothing was ever wanting, either in her family, or among the brotherhood, though there had been a neces sity of furnishing from thence above one million of erowns for sundry undertakings." Rimius's Cand. Nar. p. 28... 67 English sailors were in the utmost consternation, the Moravians stood upon deck singing psalms, with all the marks of joy and composure in their countenances, imagining they were come to the period of all their trials and just entering upon glory. On which Mr. Wesley observes that he could not forbear representing to the sailors, in a short discourse, the singular happiness of the servants of God above all others. I may, perhaps, communicate to you from their original papers the substance of a conference which these Englishmen had It will be suffi with Mr. Spangenberg. cient to add that they soon entered into measures for a mission to the Indians of Georgia, with some remarkable success. Those poor creatures run seven or eight miles, after their day's work, and spend great part of the night in receiving reli gious instructions, though they are sure, at their return, in the morning, to be most severely scourged by their Christian masters, if their journey has been discovered. I will, in my next, which you may very quickly expect, give you a par. ticular account of some very remarkable providences with respect to these Mora, vians which, if they may be believed, on the credit of the gentleman mentioned, are worthy of notice, to which I shall add something further of Mr. Ingham. LETTER II. I resume the subject of my last, and mention two or three more remarkable circumstances, relating to the Moravians, which I had from my good friend, Mr. Ingham. He tells me there is a most remarkable spirit of prayer amongst them, and espe cially for the propagating of religion in the world; to which end, that prayers may be made contiuually, there are a certain number of them formed into two little societies, one of men and the other of women, who do in their turns keep up prayers through all the hours both night and day. The This is an exact description of the treatment negroes have often endured, but it appears from Morse that Negroes were not at this time employed in Georgia. It is difficult to understand who were these Indians, Slaves to Christian Marters, as the school mentioned in Note*, p. 66, was for the children of free Indiaus, the Creeks, and encouraged by their King Tomo. See Morse. Georg. 8vo. p. 453, &c, and La Trobe, Hist. pp. 194 and 230. "At all hours, whether day or night, some persons of both sexes are appointed by rotation, to pray for the society. These people, without call, clock or watch, are acquainted by an inward feeling when their honr comes, in which they are to perform 68 Dr. Doddridge's Account of the Moravian Brethren. children of those who are members of the church are, as they were amongst the Lacedemonians, looked upon as the property, rather of the public, than their own parents, from whom they are taken when a year old, and put to a school, where the first lesson taught them is simple obedience and quietness. They have several elders whose business is to give the Bishop, or Pastor, who, by the way, is a mechanic, the most exact information they can relating to the religious state of the whole community. They suspend each other from communion, or withdraw themselves from it, not only from any scandalous of fence, which seldom happens among them, but on account of any little misdemeanor, which seems contrary to the honour of the gospel. Count Zinzendorf was once suspended for being in a passion with one of his servants, and was obliged to acknowledge his fault, and to ask pardon publicly before he was restored. They tell one remarkable story concerning a person who was a member with them, but something offended at the strictness of their discipline. He did not submit to fraternal correction, as they call it. They therefore proceeded to admonish him, at which he was greatly exasperated. Being a person of eminent rank, he then set them at open defiance, and insulted them in a very audacious manner. Upon which they excommunicated him, very solemnly. He was then seized with violent agonies, both of body and mind; and when he had for several weeks tried most noted physicians, and every method of amusement and comfort he could think of, to no purpose, he at last sent for the elders, and desired them to pray for him. But they insisted on his being brought, I think, on his couch, to their public assembly, where he made an open confession of his sin. It is a very melancholy incident they tell of another of their number who having made a very florid profession, not without some their duty." Le Long, a Moravian Author, in Rimius, p. 10. "They pay an uncommon attention to the instruction of youth. There are assemblies held of little children that are not yet in a condition to walk. They are carried thither. Hymns are sung in these meetings and prayers made; even sermons are preached to them, suitable to the eapacities of these infant hearers." Rimius, P. 9. "Every member is daily visited by one of his class, who gives him exhortations, and takes notice of the actual state of his soul, whereof he makes a report to the Elders. The Elders have the sole right of making matches. No promise of marriage is of any validity, without their consent." Rimius, pp. 8 and 11. mixture of ostentation, one day, receiving the sacrament amongst them, was taken with convulsive pains and died in the assembly, crying with his last breath, and with the greatest horror, Spiritual Pride! Spiritual Pride! These people were misrepresented to the late King of Poland, so that he sent an order against them, which would probably have ended in extirpation; but it was very remarkable that a few days before it was to be executed he got that accidental hurt in his toe, which mortified and proved the occasion of his death. The present King sent a commission to inquire after them, but received a report so much in their favour that he secretly protected them. Mr. Ingham assures me that he has seen amongst them such extraordinary answers of prayer as has thrown him into great amazement. Persons have been recovered from dangerous and desperate illness, as it seems, by this means; and he added a little story, for the truth of which he undertakes to answer, upon his own knowledge. One of the brethren, who is an Elder, was bathing in a river, a little above Savanna, when an alligator darted directly at him. The Moravian did not attempt to fly, but finding himself inwardly supported, as he afterwards declared, with a full assurance of being delivered, he swam directly towards the alligator, and laid his hands on the head of that voracious creature, without the least degree of fear upon him. Upon which the alligator sunk down like a stone, to the bottom of the river, and made no other attempt upon him. He says that several of the inhabitants were at that time within sight, and it was as a sort of a standing saying among some sort of the English, that the little man had beat the alligator. I might have added, that in dubious cases their Church has often recourse to the determination of lots, and Mr. In Dr. Doddridge himself, as Dr. Kippis, his biographer, who knew him well, has observed, carried his notions on this subject" somewhat farther than reason and truth will warrant," so as to ascribe to prayer" such an immediate influence upon the Supreme Mind, and to expect from it such interpositions as are scarcely consistent with the regular order of Providence, and the stated course of events in the world." Dr. K. considers Dr. Price and Dr. Ogden as having also exceeded, on this point. B. Britt., v. 305. This mode of determination was adopted on a remarkable occasion by the Congregation-Church. In 1731, "The Count having endeavoured to evince the utility of a total conformity with the Lutheran Church, it was resolved that we Character of Charles James Fox. gham passed his last voyage upon that is fully determined to return, as soon as Providence gives him an opportunity. Ho speaks of the four months he spent amongst the Indians, as the most delightful part of his life, though he was but beginning to understand their language, and had no accommodations of life about him but such as they use, his English dress being excepted. MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS. HE following character of Mr. at the age of twenty-eight, may suit- this were all, we could account for it easily; but we must listen in silent astonishsudden unexpected incident, and discuss perhaps a deep intricate subject for an hour, with an ability, perspicuity and precision, that would induce such as are unacquainted with his habits, or are ig norant of his talents, to be persuaded that he came to the House previously prepared and informed, in order to deliver his opinion. With these almost unrivalled gifts which nature has bestowed, Mr. Fox is far from being a pleasing or persuasive orator. His utterance is rapid, disagreeable, and sometimes scarcely intelligible. He speaks always as if he was in a passion, and the arguments of passionate people do not come well recommended. He sometimes descends to personal attacks, to anecdotes and puerilities, much beneath the dignity of a British Senator, particularly a man of his consummate talents." "Mr. Fox is certainly one of the first native orators in the House, but he is extremely negligent. His discourses are frequently finished pieces of argumentation, abounding in the best pointed observations, and the justest conclusions; and supported by a weight of reasoning, a manly boldness and energy of expression, almost unequalled; and never, within the course of our knowledge or experience, surpassed. His extemporary speeches on facts, arguments and details, not immediately arising from nor connected with the proper subject of debate, at least not foreseen, are truly admirable. They bear every appearance of the most studied and laboured harangues, I copy this passage from P. iii. of in every thing but the delivery, which, "Characters: containing an Impartial however rapid, is not able to keep pace Review of the Public Conduct and Abiwith the crowded conceptions of the speak-lities of the most Eminent Personages er. His ideas are inexhaustible, and are ever ready at his command; but even if should resign ourselves to the entire will 1. To them that are without law, &c. 2. Therefore brethren, stand fast, &c. 2 Thess. ii. 15. The last was drawn. We entered from Guard thou us, in thy affair, La Trobe Hist. p. 137. in the Parliament of Great Britain;" published at Dublin in 1777. Those Prime Actors in the political Drama of their day, have all quitted the stage; their love and their hatred and their teen in number, of whom the Duke enry is now perished. They were nineof Grafton was, I believe, the last survivor. 20 Dr. Chauncey's Paraphrase on Romans v. 12. into heaven, and as they to endless ages, are to be exalted from one state of glory to a greater, he presumed that they were destined to die again, for some short interval, on every promotion to still greater degrees of fe. licity. But my present design is to give you his paraphrase upon Romans v. 12, to the end of the chapter. This will exercise your ingenious correspondents, from whose united labours we may hope to learn the true meaning of the original. "For this cause or reason, we have received reconciliation by Jesus Christ, namely, as sin entered into the world by the one man, Adam, and death by his sin in eating the forbidden fruit, and thus by this sin of his, death hath come upon all men, whereupon, in consequence of which, they have all sinned; and yet that death passed upon all by means of the sin of the one man, Adam, as I observed in the foregoing verse, and would briefly prove before I proceed to finish the comparison I there began, is exceeding evident for all along from the time of Adam's lapse to the giving the law by Moses, sin was in the world. But whatever sin may, in its own nature, be supposed to deserve, it is not reasonable to suppose, that it should be universally reckoned to both, when no law is in being that makes death the special penalty of transgression and yet death reigned thus universally through the whole period of time between Adam and Moses, and over those too who did not violate, as they might have doue, a positive command of God, "after the similitude of Adam's transgression;" between whom and him that was to come, namely, the Messiah, there is a likeness as to the damage occasioned by the one, and the gift bestowed through the other: not that the damage occasioned by the lapse of the one man, Adam, and the advantage arising from the free gift through the one man, Jesus Christ, exactly correspond to each other; for if the many, that is, all men, are subjected to death, through the lapse of the one man, Adam, the grace of God, and the gift by this grace of his, which grace is bestowed through the one mau, Jesus Christ, hath more abounded, unto the same many, or all men. And, not as the damage, to repeat what I observed in the beginning of the former verse, that I may be more explicit in opening myself upon a matter of such importance; I say, not as the damage through the one man that sinned, that is, in the one instance in which he was tried, so is the gift through the one man, Jesus Christ : for the judicial sentence took rise from the lapse of the one man, Adam, and proceeded to condemnation, condemnation subjecting mankind to mortality, and thereupon to sin also ; but the gift takes rise from the many sins which men commit in the course of their lives, and proceeds in opposition to the power and demerit of them all, so as finally to terminate in justification, justification including in it their deliverance from sin as well as death, their being made righteous as well as reigning in life and it is quite reasonable to think thus of the matter; for if by the lapse of the one man death in all its consequences reigned through this one man over all men; much more shall these all men, who are the recipients of the abounding of the grace of God, and of the gift that shall make them righteous, finally reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. I say, therefore, to return now and pursue the comparison, I began in the twelfth verse, as it was by the lapse of the one man, Adam, that the judicial act, “dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return," came upon all men, subjecting them to death; even so, by the righteousness of the one man, Jesus Christ, the opposite advantageous gift is come upon the same all men, which delivers them from death to reign in life for ever; and this may be admitted without difficulty: for to proceed in the comparison, as by the disobedience of the one man, Adam, the many, or all men, by a divine constitution, subjecting them to a frail mortal state, occasioned by this disobedience of his, became sin ners; even so, by the disobedience of the one man, Jesus Christ, the same many, or all men, in consequence of an opposite constitution, grounded on this obedience of his, shall become righteous persons, and as such be subjectively qualified for the justification of life, or what means the same thing, an eternal reign in happy life. Now the introduction of the law among the Jews is so far from being an ob Some Particulars respecting Mr. Francis Webb. Jection, as some persons may be ready to think, against what I have been saying, in the above verses, that it 71 Analysis of a Work by a Jewish Au thor, Mr. Bennet, on Sacrifices. SIR, PRUSSIAN ed, the law was introduced among the Jews, a small part of mankind, that sin, upon supposition of its being committed, might abound, be increased, heightened in its malignity or guilt, by means of the law insomuch that it may be concluded and fairly said, as sin has universally reigned by death, so shall grace reign as universally and triumphantly through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ, our Lord." SIR, THE W. H. HE sentiment of your readers coinciding with your own wishes, they are very sorry that you cannot favour them with an exact portrait of the late Mr. Francis Webb. If his cousin, Dr. Jefferies, had been living, he could have particularly described him from his cradle to his grave. Others are still existing in our world, who can do much to this purpose. But, I can do little more than say, that he was uniformly a strenuous advocate for pure liberty, and that according to his favourite maxim, "The love of money is the root of all evil," he was never influenced by a regard to pelf. Abc ve fifty years ago he married an amiable lady, a Miss Milner. At this time he took a house, the rent of which exceeded his income. Some years after, he accepted the place of deputy searcher at Gravesend, which was accompanied with 500l. a year. Whether the occupation was injurious to his feelings or not, I cannot positively say, but he resigned this lucrative situation, after holding it seven or eight years. Being at a distance from him after this, I cannot be his historian any further. But, I presume, that he never lost sight of liberty. In conversation he was peculiarly eloquent and entertaining. He published two volumes of sermons, when he was a young man, which made all who read them wish for more. I conclude with hoping that you will be able soon to furwish us with many more particulars. Y. Z. formed, a portrait painter in London, moved with indignation against what he calls the Christian Doctors, and especially against Dr. Adam Clarke, who has had the effrontery to declare that there is not a Jew in the present day that knows the Hebrew language and the literature of that people, has published a small pamphlet on the subject of the Sacrifices of the Levitical Law; and as this subject has much engaged your readers of late, you may not be unwilling to lay an analysis of his little work before them. I confess there seems to me an antecedent probability that the Jewish people are acquainted with the laws of their forefathers: but even if they were not, since Mr. Bennett does not affect to establish his proof upon any other ground than the Scriptures, it is in our power to ascertain whether his argument is conclusive. . I am, Sir, yours, J. W. "The great body of Christians maintain that all the laws which regard sacrifices were absolute laws, that no remission could be expected but by the shedding of animal blood; and then they conclude that, to cleanse the spiritual leper, the Lamb of God must be slain, the sprinkling of his blood must be applied: and without the shedding of his blood there can be no remission; and, if this hypothesis be well founded, that the House of Israel in their present state of dispersion, being without animal sacrifices, and without the salvation of the great sacrifice, i. e. the Lamb of God, must remain without any salvation whatever, and no quarter can be given to the ancient house of Israel." He then proceeds: 1. "If we adhere to the instructions of the Mosaic code, we shall find that the primitive sacrifices, either animal, vegetable, or libations, were not instituted for trespasses and remission of sins. In the history of the Patriarchs we meet with quite different notions on this subject; for in all the accounts of the patriarchal sacrifices, those of Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, &c. they were neither absolute nor |