is not lawful for any whatsoever, by virtue of any authority or principality they bear in the government of this world, to force the consciences of others; and therefore all killing, banishing, fining, imprisoning, and other such things, which men are afflicted with, for the alone exercise of their conscience, or difference in worship or opinion, proceedeth from the spirit of Cain, the murderer, and is contrary to the truth; provided always that no man, under the pretense of conscience, prejudice his neighbor in his life or estate, or do any thing destructive to, or inconsistent with, human society; in which case the law is for the transgressor, and justice to be administered upon all, without respect of persons.'

THE FIFTEENTH PROPOSITION.

Concerning Salutations and Recreations, etc.

Seeing the chief end of all religion is to redeem man from the spirit and vain conversation of this world, and to lead into inward communion with God, before whom, if we fear always, we are accounted happy, therefore all the vain customs and habits thereof, both in word and deed, are to be rejected and forsaken by those who come to this fear; such as the taking off the hat to a man, the bowings and cringings of the body, and such other salutations of that kind, with all the foolish and superstitious formalities attending them; all which man has invented in his degenerate state, to feed his pride in the vain pomp and glory of this world; as also the unprofitable plays, frivolous recreations, sportings, and gamings which are invented to pass away the precious time, and divert the mind from the witness of God in the heart, and from the living sense of his fear, and from that evangelical Spirit wherewith Christians ought to be leavened, and which leads into sobriety, gravity, and godly fear; in which, as we abide, the blessing of the Lord is felt to attend us in those actions in which we are necessarily engaged, in order to the taking care for the sustenance of the outward man.2

Luke ix. 55, 56; Matt. vii. 12, 29; Titus iii. 10.

* Eph. v. 11; 1 Pet. i. 14; John v. 44; Jer. x. 3; Acts x. 26; Matt. xv. 13; Col. ii. 8.

EASTER LITANY OF THE MORAVIAN CHURCH. A.D. 1749.

[This is the chief Confession of the Church of the UNITED Brethren, commonly called the MORAVIANS. It was originally composed in German, and was translated and slightly modified in 1749. The text is taken from the Liturgienbuch der Evangelischen Brüdergemeine, Gnadau, 1873. It has been kindly prepared in both languages for this work by my friend, the Rt. Rev. EDMUND DE SCHWEINITZ, S.T.D., Bishop of the Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pa.]

geistlichem Segen in himmlischen Güitual blessings in heavenly places

ches den Weisen und Klugen verbor- | hast hid these things from the wise gen hast, und hast es den Unmündigen and prudent, and hast revealed offenbaret. Ja, Vater! denn es ist them unto babes. Even so, Father: also wohlgefällig gewesen vor dir. for so it seemed good in thy sight. Father, glorify thy name.

Bater! verkläre deinen Namen !

Our Father which art in heaven,

Unser Vater in dem Himmel! dein Name werde geheiliget; hallowed be thy name; thy kingdein Reich komme; dein Wille dom come; thy will be done in geschehe auf Erden wie im Him: earth, as it is in heaven; give us mel; unser täglich Brod gieb this day our daily bread; and uns heute; und vergieb uns un- forgive us our trespasses, as we fre Schulden wie wir unsern forgive them that trespass against Schuldigern vergeben; und füb- us; and lead us not into temptare uns nicht in Versuchung, tion, but deliver us from evil: sondern erlöse uns von dem Bö for thine is the kingdom, and the sen; denn dein ist das Reich und power, and the glory, for ever and die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit ever: Amen. in Ewigkeit, Amen.

Bater! habe uns lieb, darum, daß wir deinen Sohn lieben, und glauben, daß er von dir ausgegangen ist.

Ich glaube an den Namen des Eingebornen Sohnes Gottes, durch wel chen alle Dinge sind, und wir durch ihn. Ich glaube, daß er Fleisch ward und wohnete unter uns; und nahm Knechtsgestalt an:

I believe in the name of the onlybegotten Son of God, by whom are all things, and we through him;

I believe that he was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and took ou him the form of a servant;

Durch den heiligen Geist empfangen By the overshadowing of the von Maria der Jungfrau; wie die Holy Ghost was conceived of the Kinder Fleisch und Blut haben, ist er's gleichermaßen theilhaftig worden, geboren von einem Weibe;

Und an Geberden wie ein Mensch erfunden; ist versucht worden allenthal ben, gleich wie wir, doch ohne Sünde

Virgin Mary; as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; was born of a woman;

And being found in fashion as a man, was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin;

Denn er war der Herr, der Engel For he is the Lord, the Messendes Bundes, deß wir begehrten; der ger of the covenant, whom we deHerr und sein Geist hatten ihn ge light in. The Lord and his Spirit sandt, zu predigen das angenehme hath sent him to proclaim the acJahr des Herrn. ceptable year of the Lord;

Er redete, was er wußte, und zeugte, was er gesehen hatte; die ihn aufnah: men, denen gab er Macht, Gottes Kin der zu werden.

He spoke that which he did know, and testified that which he had seen as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.

Sehet! das ist Gottes Lamm, das der Welt Sünde getragen hat: gelitten unter Pontio Pilato, gekreuziget, gestorben und begraben; ist im Geiste was crucified, dead, and buried; hingegangen, und hat geprediget den Geistern im Gefängniß ;

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world; Suffered under Pontius Pilate

Am dritten Tage wieder auferstan den von den Todten, und mit ihm viele Leiber der Heiligen, die da schliefen ; Aufgefahren gen Himmel, sizet auf

des Vaters Stuble;

The third day rose again from the dead, and with him many bodies of the saints which slept;

Ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the throne of the Father; whence

Wird wiederkommen, wie man ihn he will come, in like manner as he

Amen! ja, Herr Jesu! komm, bleib nicht Amen! come, Lord Jesus! come we implore

und Stimme des Erzengels, und mit heaven with a shout, with the der Posaune Gottes hernieder kommen voice of the archangel, and with

vom Himmel, zu richten die Lebendigen the trump of God, to judge both und die Todten. the quick and the dead.

Das ist mein Herr, der mich verlor | This is my Lord, who redeemed nen und verdammten Menschen erlöset me, a lost and undone human creathat, erworben, gewonnen, von allen ure, purchased and gained me from Sünden, vom Tode und von der Ge- sin, from death, and from the pow walt des Teufels; er of the devil;

Nicht mit Gold oder Silber, sondern

mit seinem heiligen theuren Blute und his mit seinem unschuldigen Leiden und his Sterben;

Not with gold or silver, but with holy precious blood, and with innocent suffering and dy

ing;

Auf daß ich sein eigen sei, und in To the end that I should be his seinem Reiche unter ihm lebe und ihm own, and in his kingdom live undiene in ewiger Gerechtigkeit, Unschuld der him and serve him, in eternal und Seligkeit; righteousness, innocence, and happiness;

Gleichwie er ist auferstanden vom Tode, lebet und regieret in Ewigfeit.

Das ist gewißlich wahr!

Ich glaube an den heiligen Geist, der vom Vater ausgehet, und den uns unser Herr Jesus Christus gesandt hat, nach seinem Hingange, daß er ewiglic) bei uns bleibe;

Even as he, being risen from the dead, liveth and reigneth, world without end.

This I most certainly believe. I believe in the Holy Ghost, who proceedeth from the Father, and whom our Lord Jesus Christ sent, after he went away, that he should abide with us forever;

That he should comfort us, as a mother comforteth her children;

That he should help our infirmities, and make intercession for us with groanings which can not be uttered;

That he should bear witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God, and teach us to cry, Abba, Father;

That he should shed abroad in our hearts the love of God, and make our bodies his holy temple;