his followers were likewise condemned. the agreement of the actions of any intelligent being with the nature, circumstances, and relation, of things.-5. A moral impossibiality is a very great or insuperable difficulty; opposed to a natural impossibility. See INABILITY.-6. Moral obligation is the necessity of doing or omitting any action in order to be happy and good. See OBLIGATION.-7. Moral phi The Montanists, finding themselves exposed to the censure of the whole church, formed schism, and set up a distinct society under the direction of those who called themselves prophets.Montanus, in conjunction with Priscilla and Maximilla, was at the head of the sect. These sectaries made no alter-losophy is the science of manation in the creed. They only ners,, the knowledge of our duty held that the Holy Spirit made and felicity. See PHILOSOPHY.Montanus his organ for delivering 8. Moral sense, that whereby we a more perfect form of discipline perceive what is good, virtuous, than what was delivered by his and beautiful in actions, manners, apostles. They refused commu- and characters; or it is a kind of nion for ever to those who were satisfaction in the mind arising guilty of notorious crimes, and from the contemplation of those believed that the bishops had no actions of rational agents which authority to reconcile them. They we call good or virtuous; some held it unlawful to fly in time of call this natural conscience, persecution. They condemned others intuitive intuitive perception of second marriages, allowed the dis- right and wrong, &c. See article solution of marriage, and observ- SENSE.-9. Moral law. See Law. ed three lents. MORALITY is that relation or The Montanists became sepa-proportion which actions bear to a rated into two branches, one of given rule. It is generally used which were the disciples of Pro-in reference to a good life. Moclus, and the other of Eschines. rality is distinguished from reliThe latter are charged with fol-gion thus: "Religion is a studious lowing the heterodox opinions of conformity of our wills, affections, Praxeas and Sabellius concerning the Trinity. and actions to God; morality is a conformity of our actions to the MORAL, relating to the actions relations in which we stand to or conduct of life, or that which each other in civil society. Modetermines an action to be good rality comprehends only a part or virtuous.-2. A moral agent of religion; but religion compreis a being that is capable of those hends the whole of morality. Moactions that have a moral quality, rality finds all her motives here and which can properly be deno- below; religion fetches all her minated good or evil in a moral motives from above. The highest sense.-3. A moral certainty is a principle in morals is a just regard very strong probability, and is used to the rights of men; the first in contradistinction to mathemati-principle in religion is the love of cal probability.-4. Moral fitness is God." The various duties of moVOL. II. Y rality are considered in their re-all reverence for human compilations of the faith, professing simply to follow the doctrines and precepts contained in the Word of God. spective places in this work. See Bishop Horsley's Charge, 1790; Paley's and Grove's Moral Philosophy; Beattie's Elements of Moral Science; Evans's Sermons on There being at this time no Christian Temper; Watts's Ser- bishops in the Bohemian church monson Christian Morals; Mason's who had not submitted to the paChristian Morals; H. Moore's pal jurisdiction, three priests of Hints, vol. ii, p. 245. the society of United Brethren were, about the year 1467, consecrated by Stephen, bishop of the Waldenses, in Austria [see WALDENSES]; and these prelates, on their return to their own country, consecrated ten co-bishops, or co-seniors, from among the rest of the presbyters. In 1523, the United Brethren commenced a MORAVIANS, a sect generally said to have arisen under Nicholas Lewis, count of Zinzendorf, a German nobleman of the last century, and thus called because the first converts to their system were some Moravian families. According to the society's own account, however, they derive their origin from the Greek church | friendly correspondence, first with in the ninth century, when, by the Luther, and afterwards with Calinstrumentality of Methodius and vin and other leaders among the Cyrillus, two Greek monks, the reformers. A persecution, which kings of Bulgaria and Moravia was brought upon them on this being converted to the faith, were, account, and some religious distogether with their subjects, united putes which took place among in communion with the Greek themselves, threatened for a while church. Methodius was their the society with ruin; but the first bishop, and for their use disputes were, in 1570, put an end Cyrillus translated the scriptures to by a synod, which decreed into the Sclavonian language. that differences about non-essenThe antipathy of the Greek and tials should not destroy their Roman churches is well known,union; and the persecution ceased and by much the greater part of in 1575, when the United Brethe Brethren were in process of thren obtained an edict for the time compelled, after many strug-public exercise of their religion. gles, to submit to the see of This toleration was renewed in Rome. A few, however, adhering 1609, and liberty granted them to the rites of their mother to erect new churches. But a church, united themselves in 1176 to the Waldenses, and sent missionaries into many countries. In 1457 they were called Fratres legis Christi, or Brethren of the Law of Christ; because, about that period, they had thrown off civil war, which, in 1612, broke out in Bohemia, and a violent persecution which followed it in 1621, occasioned the dispersion of their ministers, and brought great distress upon the Brethren in general. Some of them fled to England, others to Saxony and | being endued with the peaceable Brandenburg; whilst many, over-spirit of the church which they come by the severity of the per- had joined, they started disputes secution, conformed to the rites among themselves, which threatof the church of Rome. One co- ened the destruction of the whole lony of these, who retained in pu- establishment. By the indefatirity their original principles and gable exertions of count Zinzenpractice, was, in 1722, conducted dorf these disputes were allayed; by a brother, named Christian and statutes being, in 1727, drawn David, from Fulneck, in Moravia, up and agreed to for the regulato Upper Lusatia, where they tion both of the internal and of put themselves under the pro- the external concerns of the tection of Nicholas Lewis, count congregation, brotherly love and of Zinzendorf, and built a village union was again established; and on his estate at the foot of a no schism whatever, in point of hill, called Hutberg, or Watch doctrine, has since that period Hill. The count, who, soon after disturbed the church of the United their arrival, removed from Dres- Brethren. den to his estate in the country, shewed every mark of kindness to the poor emigrants; but being a zealous member of the church established by law, he endeavoured for some time to prevail upon them to unite themselves with it, by adopting the Lutheran faith and discipline. This they declined; and the count, on a more minute enquiry into their ancient history and distinguishing tenets, not only desisted from his first purpose, but became himself a convert to the faith and discipline of the United Brethren. The synod which, in 1570, put an end to the disputes which then tore the church of the Brethren into factions, had considered as non-essentials the distinguishing tenets of their own society, of the Lutherans, and of the Calvinists. In consequence of this, many of the reformers of both these sects had followed the Brethren to Herrnhut, and been received by them into communion; but not In 1735, the count, who, under God, had been the instrument of renewing the Brethren's church, was consecrated one of their bishops, having the year before been examined and received into the clerical orders by the Theological Faculty of Tubingen. Dr. Potter, then archbishop of Canterbury, congratulated him upon this event, and promised his assistance to a church of confessors, of whom he wrote in terms of the highest respect, for their having maintained the pure and primitive faith and discipline in the midst of the most tedious and cruel persecutions. That his Grace, who had studied the various controversies about church government with uncommon success, admitted the Moravian episcopal succession, we know from the most un questionable authority; for he bishop, we are assured that the || Brethren is episcopal; but though parliament of Great Britain, af- they consider episcopal ordination ter mature investigation, acknow- as necessary to qualify the servants ledged the Unitas Fratrum to be of the church for their respective a Protestant episcopal church; functions, they allow to their and in 1794 an act was certainly bishops no elevation of rank or passed in their favour. pre-eminent authority; their This sect, like many others, church having from its first estahas been shamefully misrepresent-blishment been governed by syed, and things laid to their charge nods, consisting of deputies from of which they never were guilty. all the congregations, and by other It must, however, be acknow- subordinate bodies, which they ledged, that some of their converts call Conferences. The synods, having previously imbibed extra-which are generally held once in vagant notions, propagated them seven years, are called together by with zeal among their new friends the elders who were in the former in a phraseology extremely re-synod appointed to superintend prehensible; and that count Zin-the whole unity. In the first sitzendorf himself sometimes adopt-ting a president is chosen, and these ed the very improper language of elders lay down their office; but.. those fanatics, whom he wished to they do not withdraw from the asreclaim from their crrors to the sembly; for they, together with soberness of truth; but much of all bishops, seniores civiles, or lay the extravagance and absurdity elders, and those ministers who which has been attributed to the have the general care or inspeccount is not to be charged to tion of several congregations in one him, but to those persons, who, province, have seats in the synod writing his extempore sermons in without any particular election. short hand, printed and published The other members are, one or them without his knowledge or more deputies sent by each congregation, and such ministers or missionaries as are particularly called to attend. Women, approved by the congregations, are also admitted as hearers, and are called upon to give their advice in what relates to the ministerial labour among their sex; but they have no decisive vote in the synod. The votes of all the other members are equal. consent. This eminent benefactor to the United Brethren died in 1760, and it is with reason that they honour his memory, as having been the instrument by which God restored and built up their church. But they do not regard him as their head, nor take his writings, nor the writings of any other man, as the standard of their doctrines, which they profess to derive immediately from the Word of God. It has been already observed, that the church of the United In questions of importance, or of which the consequences cannot be foreseen, neither the majority of votes nor the unanimous consent of all present can decide but recourse is had to the lot. For adopting this unusual mode of deciding in ecclesiastical affairs, the Brethren allege as reasons the practices of the ancient Jews and the apostles; the insufficiency of the human understanding amidst the best and purest intentions to decide for itself in what concerns the administration of Christ's kingdom; and their own confident reliance on the comfortable promises that the Lord Jesus will approve himself the head and ruler of his church. The lot is never made use of but after mature deliberation and fervent prayer; nor is any thing submitted to its decision which does not, after being thoroughly weighed, appear to the assembly eligible in itself. In every synod the inward and outward state of the unity, and the concerns of the congregations and missions, are taken into consideration. If errors in doctrine or deviations in practice have crept in, the synod endeavours not only to remove them, but, by salutary regulations, to prevent them for the future. It considers how many bishops are to be consecrated to fill up the vacancies occasioned by death; and every member of the synod gives his vote for such of the clergy as he thinks best qualified. Those who have the majority of votes are taken into the lot, and they who are approved are consecrated accordingly; but, by consecration, they are vested with no superiority over their Brethren, since it behoves him who is the greatest to be the servant of all. Towards the conclusion of every synod a kind of executive board is chosen, and called The Elders Conference of the Unity. At present it consists of thirteen elders, and is divided into four committees, or departments.-1. The Missions department, which superintends all the concerns of the missions into Heathen countries.— 2. The Helpers department, which watches over the purity of doctrine and the moral conduct of the different congregations.-3. The Servants department, to which the economical concerns of the Unity are committed.-4. The Overseers department, of which the business is to see that the constitution and discipline of the Brethren be every where maintained. No resolution, however, of any of these departments has the smallest force till it be laid before the assembly of the whole Elders Conference, and have the approbation of that body. The powers of the Elders Conference are, indeed, very extensive: besides the general care which it is commissioned by the synods to take of all the congregations and missions, it appoints and removes every servant in the Unity, as circumstances may require; authorizes the bishops to ordain presbyters or deacons, and to consecrate other bishops; and, in a word, though it cannot abrogate any of the constitutions of the synod, or enact new ones itself, it is possessed of the supreme executive power over the whole body of the United Brethren. Besides this general Conference |