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HISTORY OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH

by J. E. Hutton

(Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged.)

1909

Transcriber’s Note: I have inserted a few notes of my own regarding spelling (one Greek word) and the rearranging of dates that were originally shown in the margins of the book; any of my own adjustments or notes have been enclosed in these brackets: {} to separate them from the original text. As well, I have renumbered all the footnotes from their corresponding pages and set them at the end of this document.

CONTENTS

PREFACE.

BOOK ONE – THE BOHEMIAN BRETHREN

  1. CHAPTER I — THE RISING STORM.
  2. CHAPTER II. — THE BURNING OF HUS.
  3. CHAPTER III. — THE WELTER, 1415-1434.
  4. CHAPTER IV. — PETER OF CHELCIC, 1419-1450.
  5. CHAPTER V. — GREGORY THE PATRIARCH AND THE SOCIETY AT KUNWALD, 1457-1473.
  6. CHAPTER VI. — LUKE OF PRAGUE AND THE HIGH CHURCH REACTION. 1473-1530.
  7. CHAPTER VII. — THE BRETHREN AT HOME.
  8. CHAPTER VIII. — JOHN AUGUSTA AND HIS POLICY, 1531-1548.
  9. CHAPTER IX. — THE BRETHREN IN POLAND, 1548-1570.
  10. CHAPTER X. — THE MARTYR-BISHOP, 1548-1560.
  11. CHAPTER XI. — THE LAST DAYS OF AUGUSTA, 1560-1572.
  12. CHAPTER XII. — THE GOLDEN AGE, 1572-1603.
  13. CHAPTER XIII. — THE LETTER OF MAJESTY, 1603-1609.
  14. CHAPTER XIV. — THE DOWNFALL, 1616-1621.
  15. CHAPTER XV. — THE DAY OF BLOOD AT PRAGUE.
  16. CHAPTER XVI. — COMENIUS AND THE HIDDEN SEED, 1627-1672.

BOOK TWO — THE REVIVAL UNDER ZINZENDORF.

  1. CHAPTER I. — THE YOUTH OF COUNT ZINZENDORF, 1700-1722.
  2. CHAPTER II. — CHRISTIAN DAVID, 1690-1722.
  3. CHAPTER III. — THE FOUNDING OF HERRNHUT, 1722-1727.
  4. CHAPTER IV. — LIFE AT HERRNHUT.
  5. CHAPTER V. — THE EDICT OF BANISHMENT, 1729-1736.
  6. CHAPTER VI. — THE FOREIGN MISSIONS AND THEIR INFLUENCE.
  7. CHAPTER VII. — THE PILGRIM BAND, 1736-1743.
  8. CHAPTER VIII. — THE SIFTING TIME, 1743-1750.
  9. CHAPTER IX. — MORAVIANS AND METHODISTS, 1735-1742.
  10. CHAPTER X. — YORKSHIRE AND THE SETTLEMENT SYSTEM.
  11. CHAPTER XI. — THE LABOURS OF JOHN CENNICK, 1739-1755.
  12. CHAPTER XII. — THE APPEAL TO PARLIAMENT, 1742-1749.
  13. CHAPTER XIII. — THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS, 1749-1755.
  14. CHAPTER XIV. — THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENTS, 1734-1762.
  15. CHAPTER XV. — THE LAST DAYS OF ZINZENDORF, 1755-1760.

BOOK THREE — THE RULE OF THE GERMANS.

  1. CHAPTER I. — THE CHURCH AND HER MISSION, OR THE THREE CONSTITUTIONAL SYNODS, 1760-1775.
  2. CHAPTER II. — THE FIGHT FOR THE GOSPEL; OR, MORAVIANS AND RATIONALISTS, 1775-1800.
  3. CHAPTER III. — A FALL AND A RECOVERY, 1800-1857.
  4. CHAPTER IV. — THE BRITISH COLLAPSE, 1760-1801.
  5. CHAPTER V. — THE BRITISH ADVANCE, 1801-1856.
  6. CHAPTER VI. — THE STRUGGLE IN AMERICA, 1762-1857.
  7. CHAPTER VII. — THE SEPARATION OF THE PROVINCES, 1857-1899.

BOOK FOUR — THE MODERN MORAVIANS, 1857-1907

  1. Section I.—MORAVIAN PRINCIPLES—If the Moravians have any
  2. Section II.—THE MORAVIANS IN GERMANY.—In Germany, and on the Continent
  3. Section III.—THE MORAVIANS IN GREAT BRITAIN.—For the last fifty years
  4. Section IV.—THE MORAVIANS IN AMERICA.—In America the progress was of
  5. Section V.—BONDS OF UNION.—But these essentials are not the only bonds

BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOOTNOTES

Spirit of the Moravian Church

 is a focus on the essentials of faith and a lack of interest in the niceties of doctrinal definition. Shawe quotes Zinzendorf’s remark that “The Apostles say: ‘We believe we have salvation through the grace of Jesus Christ….’ If I can only teach a person that catechism I have made him a divinity scholar for all time” (Shawe, 1977, p. 9). From this simplicity flow secondary qualities of genuineness and practicality.

Simplicity

is the natural and spontaneous response to God’s free and gracious gift of salvation. Again Shawe quotes Zinzendorf: “There is a difference between a genuine Pietist and a genuine Moravian. The Pietist has his sin in the foreground and looks at the wounds of Jesus; the Moravian has the wounds in the forefront and looks from them upon his sin. The Pietist in his timidity is comforted by the wounds; the Moravian in his happiness is shamed by his sin.” 

Happiness 

Unintrusiveness is based on the Moravian belief that God positively wills the existence of a variety of churches to cater for different spiritual needs. There is no need to win converts from other churches. The source of Christian unity is not legal form but everyone’s heart-relationship with the Saviour.

Unintrusiveness

Fellowship is based on this heart-relationship. Shawe says: “The Moravian ideal has been to gather together kindred hearts…. Where there are ‘Christian hearts in love united’, there fellowship is possible in spite of differences of intellect and intelligence, of thought, opinion, taste and outlook. … Fellowship [in Zinzendorf’s time] meant not only a bridging of theological differences but also of social differences; the artisan and aristocrat were brought together as brothers and sat as equal members on the same committee”

Fellowship 

The ideal of service entails happily having the attitude of a servant. This shows itself partly in faithful service in various roles within congregations but more importantly in service of the world “by the extension of the Kingdom of God”. … Shawe remarks that “none could give themselves more freely to the spread of the gospel than those Moravian emigrants who, by settling in Herrnhut [i.e., on Zinzendorf’s estate], had gained release from suppression and persecution”

The ideal of service 

Ground of the Unity

Project Gutenberg’s History of the Moravian Church, by J. E. Hutton

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Title: History of the Moravian Church

Author: J. E. Hutton

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