"But these three were not as yet ordained and confirmed to the ministry in that Synod: only their election took place. They knew, indeed, that nothing was wanting to their inauguration as ministers : that, according to the institution of Christ and the example of the Apostles, they could be lawfully ordained and initiated in the sacred things, by other presbyters or pastors of the Church, whom the sacred Scripture does not distinguish from Bishops, but speaks of them all by the same name. They found that the superiority of the Bishops, and assigning to them alone the power of ordaining other ministers of the word, was not of old introduced by divine right or command or Apostolic authority, and the law of necessity, that it could not otherwise be, but by human institution and appointment of Ecclesiastical polity, arising from certain occasions." (In proof of which, and to show that this was done after the time of the Apostles, he misquotes Jerome, who expressly says it was done in the time spoken of by St. Paul, in his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians: and then adds,) "Nevertheless, to meet in every way the calumnies of their adversaries, especially at the commencement of that reformation, they thought it right, that, as far as possible, they should observe the same themselves. And whereas the aforesaid Waldenses affirmed that they had lawful Bishops, and a lawful and uninterrupted succession from the Apostles; they, in a solemn rite, created Bishops of three of the ministers of the Brethren, who had been already elsewhere ordained; and conferred on them the power of ordination."

He specifies the three to be, two Romish priests, and one Waldensian priest, who had come over to them.

It is speaking mildly to affirm, that these incongruous accounts present very great difficulty in arriving at the truth of the story.

IV. We come to inquire into the grounds for believing that the Episcopacy, thus alleged to have been obtained by the United Brethren, in 1467, was carefully preserved among them, so that Jablonsky, the last of their chiefs, from whom the Herrnhuters are stated to have received Episcopacy, in 1735, should be regarded as a genuine Bishop. Here, first, we are met by this difficulty, namely, that Regenvolsch, in the very next sentence to that last quoted from him, goes on to say, that the three individuals, affirmed by him to have been consecrated Bishops, rejected that title, on account of the abuse of it among their adversaries; and for the sake of avoiding hatred and envy and chose rather to be called seniors, which, he says, continued to this time: it being hard to conceive that men should have been careful to preserve that, the name of which they shrank from owning.

Secondly, we are informed by all their historians, that in the year 1570, so entire a union was found between the United Brethren, the Calvinists, and the Lutherans, in Poland, that they formed but one Church; and adopted from the Calvinists the idea of having a lay elder, associated with a clerical elder, in every district. It is from and through this, the Polish community united and amalgamated with the Presbyterian Calvinists and Lutherans, so as to be one body with them, that we are required to believe that Jablonsky and Sitkovius received genuine Episcopacy.

But what places the matter apparently beyond all doubt, is the account which is given in Camerarius' book,-in the whole of which not a whisper of their Episcopacy is to be found,-of the different orders of Clergy among the Brethren; which is as follows:

"The Clergy at this day among the Brethren is divided into three degrees,-Acolyths, Deacons, and Ministers. (1.) The name of Acolyth is given to those who, after they have applied their minds to sacred things, learn the first rudiments of theology, as the Catechism, remarkable texts of Scripture, holy Songs, &c. Their office is constantly to wait upon and serve the Ministers, that they may be not only spectators of their life and manners, but witnesses thereof to the people. If any of them make laudable progress, it is sometimes allowed to them to have prayers with the people, to baptize, and administer the like things. (2.) The Deacons discharge nearly all the offices of the Ministers, excepting the administration of the first part of the Eucharist. They have prayers with the people; they confirm marriages, &c. And out of these, the Ministers are created, after the following manner: (3.) As often as the Seniors please, and necessity requires that the number of Ministers should be increased, in the first place, the Seniors or presidents visit carefully all the Churches committed to their charge, and make diligent inquiry into the life, manners, and doctrine of those who are reported by the pastors or by the people to be fittest for this ordination. If the honesty of their life agrees with the purity of their doctrine, they are commended. If otherwise, and any obstacle presents itself, they are put off for a time. Some weeks after the visitation, a Synod is convened, at which, as well all the Pastors as the Deacons, and especially those to be inaugu rated, are compelled to appear. On the second day, the Seniors make a list of the candidates, and give it to the whole college of Ministers for their judgment, to approve or reject, as they may see fit. When their opinions have been collected, and a mark affixed to those who, from whatever cause, are counted unworthy, the Seniors call the candidates to them in order; make examination of their religious opinions; give them advice concerning the importance and dignity of the Ministry, &c. The next day they go to Church, and prayers and sermon being ended, the candidates are called over by the President, and made to stand forth in the midst, and answer publicly to the questions proposed to them; which, being done, they are commended to God by the prayers of the congregation, and the chief President confirms them by imposition of hands. The whole affair is ended by the 'Communion."

In like manner, Regenvolsch, p. 63, classes all their Clergy under three heads, Acolyths, Deacons, and Ministers.

Thus far, clearly, we have only three orders of the Clergy, and only one of these competent to celebrate the Eucharist,-the other two, Deacons and Acolyths, being inferior to this. Hence the reasonable inference is, that the Seniors or Superintendents were only primi inter pares, advanced in dignity, but not in degree or order, above the pastors or Ministers. Nor does the account furnished by the memorabilia of John Lasitius, concerning the discipline of the Churches of the

Brethren, written about 1580, and republished by Comenius in 1660, lead us, upon consideration, to any other conclusion; though at first he would seem to speak of five or six orders. The following extracts contain the chief of his information upon this subject.

CHAPTER III. Of the degrees and order of Ministers in the Church of the Brethren, and of the Offices of Bishops.

The Brethren have, in their congregation, Presbyters, who in Latin are Seniors, and Ministers, Deacons, Acolyths inferior to these in degree.-2. All these are Clergy, i. e., persons dedicated and consecrated to the Ministry of the Church. 10. The name of Bishops is known from the Apostolic writings, taken from the Greek overseeing, which is their office, to oversee and take cognizance of the life, faith, and morals of the flock committed to them by Christ. 11. Which thing ours do, although they are very seldom so called, choosing rather to be, than to be called Bishops.-12. Their more common appellation is that of Seniors; he who is a Pastor, the same is also a Minister. A Deacon is somewhat less than this. An Acolyth is a companion of the Seniors, and a witness of their life. 13. The care of the whole Church is not entrusted to one, but to four Bishops united, who are as one. 29. When any Senior dies, it is the office of the Bishop to ordain another, but according to the suffrage of the Pastors assembled in Synod. 31. It is his office, likewise, to choose fit persons into the number of Acolyths, Deacons, and Ministers.

CHAPTER IV. The method observed in electing and ordaining Conseniors, is the same as is used in respect of Bishops.

CHAPTER XIV. 13. It may be desirable to relate what are the degrees, and what the means for attaining the chief Ministry among the brethren. 14. First, one of the Seniors makes an address to the Acolyths; then the youths who have been recommended to the Seniors by the Ministers, are called in order, and bound by the Bishop under their hand, stipulata manu: by certain questions relating to future disciplines, they learn the duties assigned to them, and are reckoned among the number of the Acolyths. 15. Then another address is made concerning the degree and office of Deacons; which being ended, those of the Acolyths who are found fit for the purpose, are called forth in the midst, are bound to it by certain promises, are confirmed by prayers to God, and are taught what they ought to do. 16. Then follows an address of the Bishop to the Ministers, the Deacons being present part of the time, the rest to the Ministers alone.

CHAPTER XV. The manner of ordaining Ministers, and Conseniors, and Seniors.

The inauguration of Ministers (superior to Deacons, for the brethren distinguish the offices) is performed in this manner. The Deacons whose testimonials of life and qualifications are approved of by the Ministers and Conseniors, are brought to a public Assembly, and afterprayers and sermon, and questions made and answered, the Bishop ordains, consecrates, and dedicates them to God, after the ancient riteof the Church, they kneeling before him, and he, with two or three

others of the Seniors, laying hands upon them.

The election of Seniors is as follows. In an assembly, the need of increasing the number is stated; then every Minister states whom he thinks fit for the offices, and declares the same in writing to the Seniors. These, approving of those who have the greater number of votes, write down the names of the chosen; and consecrate them, by the Bishop, in almost the same order as the Ministers. (Eodem ferme quo et ministros ordine per episcopum consecrant.)

Nor is the creation of Bishops themselves different from these. They, who of the Seniors or Conseniors are chosen in a like manner by all the Ministers and Seniors, and called into the presence of the Church, promise that they will be faithful in all things; and then all, in turn, promise to obey them.

:

Here we have Acolyths, Deacons, Ministers, Conseniors. Seniors, and Bishops and at first sight, apparently, separate ordinations for them all. But as it appears from Chapter IV., that the appointment of Consenior is after the same method as that of Senior, and as it appears from Chapter XV., that the appointment of Senior is after the same manner as that of Minister, and that of Bishop not otherwise,— it seems, at least, reasonable to conclude, that the terms, Minister, Consenior, Senior, and Bishop, did but express different offices of one order, as among us the offices of Vicar, Rector, Rural-Dean, and Archdeacon, (to say nothing of Prebendary, Canon, and Cathedral-dean,) are all held by Clergy of one order, even Presbyters. There seems little reason to think that their Superintendents differed in any material respect from the Superintendents or Seniors of the Lutherans, which office the Calvinists in Poland had likewise. Indeed, their historian, Crantz, distinctly informs us that it was only in their intercourse with Protestant Episcopal Churches, that they made use of the Episcopal title. Crantz, p. 54. And whether we suppose or not, that the story of the Waldensian consecration, and of their having genuine Episcopacy, (on which their earliest accounts extant are silent,) was invented for the sake of influencing Episcopal communication or not, yet none can shut their eyes to the extreme difficulty which their confused, and apparently contradictory accounts, place in the way of our acknowledgment of their claim.

Certain it is, that so little was their Episcopal character known or regarded on the continent, that when, in 1695, the learned Grabe was about to go over from the Lutherans to the Papists, simply from a desire of obtaining valid ordination, his friend Spener dissuaded him, and showed him where he might obtain it without Papal corruptions, directing him, not to the Seniors or Superintendents of the Brethren, though near at hand, but to England. And yet Grabe was an intimate friend of Jablonsky, the last Superintendent or Senior of the United Brethren; and who undoubtedly believed that he possessed the genuine Episcopal character, and set great store by it. So in 1711, we find Jablonsky himself mentioning the fact, that several candidates for the Ministry had gone over to England for that very account, namely, to receive valid ordination, without Popery: a work of supererogation, if Jablonsky's Episcopal character had been known.

and allowed. And again, there was at that time an active correspondence between the courts of Berlin and St. James with a view to obtaining Episcopal consecrations for Prussia. But what need of such a correspondence, if the Episcopacy of Jablonsky, who was the king of Prussia's own chaplain, had been acknowledged?

V. There appears no reason to question the alleged fact, that in 1735 the Herrnhuters did present David Nitschmann to Dr. Jablonsky, to be consecrated or ordained by him a Senior and President of their community; and Jablonsky did perform some such office upon him.

VI. As to whether they have been careful, since, to preserve and hand down that Episcopacy which they are stated then to have received, is not so clear. In the first place, none of their writers exhibit any succession of consecrations beyond a few at the first: secondly, they are so lax in their way of speaking, as to call a man consecrated by another, if he merely signs his letters of orders. (Compare their folio volume, p. 115, with Holmes' history, I., 226, 241.) 3. They openly declare, in their Exposition of Christian Doctrine, (p. 429) that they consider Episcopacy to be a departure from primitive simplicity. 4. In point of practice, they acknowledge the equal validity of Presbyterian or Congregational ordination with Episcopalian. Hence, when a Minister joins their Church, who has previously received ordination in any other Church, he is allowed to exercise the functions of the Ministry, without being re-ordained by their Bishops." Holmes' Hist. I., p. 228.

66

Still they profess now to have among themselves three orders, Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons; their form of ordination is as follows:

ORDINATIONS.

The service being opened by the singing of the hymn, "Come, Holy Ghost; Come, Lord, our God," &c., or some other suitable verses, the Bishop addresses the congregation in an appropriate discourse, ending with a charge to the candidate for ordination; after which he offers up a prayer, imploring the blessing of God upon the solemn transac tion, and commending the candidate to His grace, that he may be endowed with power and unction, and the influences of the Holy Ghost, for preaching the word of God, administering the Holy Sacraments, and for doing all those things which shall be committed unto him, for the promotion of the spiritual edification of the Church. The Bishop then proceeds to ordain the candidate with imposition of hands, pronouncing the following or similar words:

I ordain (consecrate) thee, N. N. to be a Deacon (Presbyter) (Bishop) of the Church of the United Brethren, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; The Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Bishop having returned to his place, kneels down with the wholecongregation, all worshipping in silent devotion; while one of the fol22**

VOL. XVII.