Brethren's Church, they came to a unanimous Resolution to make no alteration in the manner of directing its affairs, till a general Synod could be convened, which, on account of the war, which then agitated many countries in Europe, was still impracticable. The administration was in the mean time vested in a Provisional Conference, which should have the chief superintendence and direction.

Peace being restored, a general Synod met in the year 1764 at Marienborn, and was attended by eleven bishops, forty-six presbyters, deacons and lay-elders, and thirty-seven deputies from different congregations. It was solemnly opened on the first of July, and continued its deliberations by several adjournments, in forty-four sessions, till the 29th of August.

Ten years having elapsed since the last general Synod, the present assembly found much to do. The sphere of the Brethren's labours had been considerably enlarged, many undertakings for the spread of the Gospel, especially in heathen countries, to which they had been invited, had been deferred, partly on account of the war, and partly because their means were inadequate to meet the necessary expense. The controversy in which they had been involved, the distress experienced during the war, by some of the Settlements, the state of their schools and various other concerns demanded the most faithful attention and counsel of the Synod. Notwithstanding the diversity of character, which always exists in such an assembly, and the consequent difference of opinion on various subjects, Christian kindness still bore the sway, and the bond of brotherly love and union remained unbroken. This under God is to be ascribed to their perfect agreement in doctrine on every essential article of the Christian faith, and to the spirit which animated them all, not to seek their own advancement, but the promotion of the cause of God by adopting such measures as appeared best calculated to further the work, in which they were engaged. At the close of their consultations one sentiment pervaded the whole assembly, that of fervent gratitude to the great Head of his universal Church for having verified also to them his gracious promise, cheering his servants by his presence, and in many

difficult deliberations counselling them according to his own word and will.

Besides several resolutions, adopted with a view to the suc cessful continuance of the Brethren's labours among Christians and heathen, the Synod chose and appointed a Board of general superintendence, called the Directory, to continue in office till the next Synod. The circumstances of their Church requiring an early convention of this kind, another Synod assembled again in 1769 at Marienborn, and continued its consultations from the 1st of July till the 17th of September.

This assembly was distinguished from the former, by a greater number of members, amounting in all to one hundred and twenty-nine persons, among whom were deputies, not only from the European, but also from the American congregations. Several regulations, which had been provisionally adopted by the former Synod, were now confirmed, and others rescinded or modified, according as a change of circumstances seemed to require. Some alterations were made in the Directory, the name being likewise changed for that of the Elder's Conference of the Unity, which has ever since been given to the Board, to which the general superintendence of the Brethren's Church is committed.

A few extracts from the Journals of these two Synods are here added, for the purpose of showing, that the same spirit still animated the Brethren, which had inspired their ancestors.

"We reminded each other, in the first place, of the holy and blessed foundation, on which we had been built and united together by the Holy Ghost, to wit, the great mystery of godliness, that God, manifested in the flesh, hath borne our sins, and by his blood obtained eternal redemption for us, to the end that we should be his own, and in his kingdom live under Him, and serve Him in righteousness, innocence and happiness.

"We solemnly vowed and bound ourselves anew to abide in this doctrine, as it is plainly revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the old and new Testaments, and in which many thousand wretched sinners have found deliverance and preservation; and that neither height nor depth, things present nor things to come, should ever separate us from it.

"The more pelagianism, or the erroneous opinion, that man can help himself by his natural powers, prevails in our day; the more reason have we firmly to maintain the doctrine of the total depravity of human nature.

"As every thing, which belongs to a holy life and conversation, is a fruit of the atonement of Jesus, and cannot be separated from the preaching of the Gospel; we will never omit, when we make known to men the counsel of God concerning their salvation, to insist on the fruits of faith and the morality taught by Jesus and his Apostles.

"It belongs to the calling of a Church of Christ, to preach the Gospel, not only in Christendom but to all mankind, for the purpose of leading men to their Saviour.

"A Church of Christ, on the one hand, must secure to all her members the full enjoyment of liberty of conscience, and on the other watch with equal care, that her members honor and love the Government, under whose protection they live, and conduct themselves as loyal and obedient subjects.

"It is, moreover, characteristic of a Church of Christ, to use all her influence in promoting the fulfilment of our Saviour's prayer, that they all may be one; and therefore to endeavour, to preserve love and unity among all the children of God on earth, to avoid all religious dissensions, and to love all who love the Lord Jesus.

"A Church of Christ is sometimes honored by her Lord to suffer reproach for his name's sake."

The sentiments expressed in these extracts, were not confined to the members of the Synod. Of whatever deviations from the simplicity of the Gospel some congregations and individuals had been guilty, the rising evil had been timely checked, and a suitable remedy applied to the disease, before it had infected the whole body. It soon became evident, that the faith of the Brethren's Church rested on a sure foundation, which enabled her members to repent and do their first works. If any individuals were still left within her pale, by whom the doctrine of Christ's atonement was treated with indifference, or deemed insufficient for all the purposes of a holy life, such persons had ample means afforded them, by the communication of

the Synodal Resolutions, to examine the ground of their hope, seek pardon of the Lord, and the renewal of their hearts in righteousness by the Holy Ghost.

According to the testimony of Crantz,* who was an eye witness of what he relates, the beneficial effects to which we alluded, were generally perceived in all the congregations. On this subject he remarks:

"The communication of the Journal and Resolutions of the Synod (of 1764) was accompanied with indisputable proofs of the Divine blessing. The testimony borne to the manifest tokens of the Lord's gracious presence at the deliberations of the Synod awakened the liveliest joy; and the candid confessions, made by the servants of the Church, of their own errors and mistakes, excited the tenderest sympathy. Many were thereby led seriously to reflect on their own conduct, to acknowledge their deviations, and implore grace from the Lord to return to their first love and simplicity, and approve themselves faithful followers of Jesus.

"God likewise afforded his servants grace, in their discourses to the congregations, to insist with becoming earnestness, as well as Christian meekness, on the necessity of the forgiveness of sins and the sanctification of soul and body by the blood of Christ, and on a conversation and deportment conformable to His mind. It may be confidently asserted that, by the powerful aid of the Spirit of God, their testimony served to ground the congregations more firmly in the doctrine of Jesus, to heal and strengthen the weak and the sick, to bring back the lost, and reclaim those who had been seduced.

"Another pleasing result of this Synod was, that the different congregations and their members came to a mutual and solemn agreement, to consider each other, notwithstanding their diversity in temporals, as a Unity of Brethren, a family of God on earth, and members of one body; cordially to share in the prosperity and difficulties, the joys and the sorrows, of each other, and, according to the ability that God giveth, to assist each other in love.

* Brethren's Hist. p. 559-560

"At the same time, the missionary spirit was revived in the congregations; and letters were received from many Brethren, declaring their readiness to serve the cause of our Saviour, especially among the Heathen.”

The financial state of the Brethren's Church engaged much of the attention of both these Synods, and put their faith and hope to a very severe trial. It is true indeed, that the noble and generous assistance afforded by count Zinzendorf* had prevented the threatening insolvency of the Unity. Yet the Brethren considered it neither fair nor just, that he, or his family, should be the sufferers in a cause which he had undertaken, not for his personal advantage, but for the general good. The Synod of 1764, therefore, in its capacity as the representative council of the Church, passed a unanimous resolution, that the debt should be considered the debt of the Church, and that all the congregations should be called on to take a share in liquidating it. This Resolution was confirmed by the Synod of 1769, which after close investigation found, that owing to several causes, especially to losses sustained during the seven years' war, the uncovered debt had been considerably increased, and amounted to the alarming sum of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds. This indeed seemed a burden far too heavy to be borne by so small and comparatively poor a community as the Brethren's Church. The members of the Synod, however did not suffer their courage to sink. For whatever errors and indiscretions had in some instances been committed; their conseiences bore them witness, that they had not aimed at personal aggrandizement, but at the promotion of the Redeemer's kingdom on earth. This consideration animated their faith and trust in God; and they were moreover cheered by the hope, that their constituents would cherish similar feelings and, as members of one body, make the cause their own.

In this hope they were not disappointed. For though the intelligence of this debt cast a temporary gloom over some congregations and individuals, and here and there gave occasion to evil surmisings and uncharitable judgings; yet the general

*See Vol. I. p. 412.