or **UNITAS FRATRUM**, in ecclesiastical history, a church of which many of our readers will think that an account sufficiently full has been given under the word **HERRNHUT**. With that account, however, some of the brethren have expressed themselves dissatisfied, in terms which might, without impropriety, be called acrimonious; and the present Editor of this Work, being convinced by his own experience how difficult it is to extract pure and unadulterated truth from the perplexed writings of angry polemics, resolved, when he entered upon his laborious task, to permit every sect of Christians to plead its own cause, upon the single condition of not loading its opponents with opprobrious epithets. He hopes therefore that the public will forgive him for inserting the following account of the rite, progress, worship, and discipline, of the church of the United Brethren, extracted from a tedious manuscript sent to him by one of their clergy. He has faithfully abridged the narrative of his author; but does not consider himself as under any obligation either to maintain its truth, or to convict it of falsehood.

According to this writer, the church of the United Brethren took its rise in Moravia during the 14th century; though in the sentence immediately following this assertion, he says, that it derived its origin from the Greek church in the 6th century, when, by the instrumentality of Methodius and Cyril, two Greek monks, the kings of Bulgaria and Moravia being converted to the faith, were, together with their subjects, united in communion with the Greek church. Methodius was their first bishop; and for their use Cyril translated the Scriptures into the Slavonian language.

The antipathy of the Greek and Roman churches is well known; and by much the greater part of the brethren were in process of time compelled, after many struggles, to submit to the see of Rome. A few, however, adhering to the rites of their mother church, united themselves in 1776 to the Waldenses, and sent missionaries into many countries. In 1547 they were called **fratres legis Christi**, or brethren of the law of Christ, because about that period they had thrown off all reverence for human compilations of the faith, professing simply to follow the doctrines and precepts contained in the word of God.

There being at this time no bishops in the Bohemian church who had not submitted to the papal jurisdiction, three priests of 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 confessors, from among the rest of the presbyters. In 1523, the United Brethren commenced a friendly correspondence, first with Luther, and afterwards with Calvin and other leaders among the Reformers. A persecution, which was brought upon them on this account, and some religious disputes which took place among themselves, threatened for a while the society with ruin; but the disputes were in 1570 put an end to by a synod, which decreed that differences about non-essential should not destroy their union; and the persecution ceased in 1575, when the United Brethren obtained an edict for the public exercise of their religion. This toleration was renewed in 1609, and liberty granted them to erect new churches. But a 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 Brandenburg, whilst many, overcome by the severity of the persecution, conformed to the rites of the church of Rome. One colony of these, who retained in purity their original principles and practices, was, in 1722, conducted by a brother named Christian David, from Fulneck in Moravia to Upper Lusatia, where they put themselves under the protection of Nicholas Lewis Count of Zinzendorf, and built a village on his estate, at the foot of a hill called Huberg, or "Watch Hill" (see Herrnhut). The count, who soon after their arrival removed from Dresden to his estate in the country, showed every mark of kindness to the poor emigrants; but being a zealous member of the church established by law, he endeavored 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 inquiry 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-essential 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 being endured with the peaceable spirit of the church which they had joined, they started disputes among themselves, which threatened the destruction of the whole establishment. By the indefatigable exertions of Count Zinzendorf these disputes were allayed; and statutes being in 1727 drawn up and agreed to for the regulation both of the internal and of the external concerns of the congregation, brotherly love and union was again established; and no schism whatever, in points of doctrine, has since that period disturbed the church of the United Brethren.

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 affluence 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 unquestionable authority; for he communicated his sentiments on the subject to Dr Secker while bishop of Oxford, and from his Lordship they came through a dignitary of the church of England to the compiler of this article. In conformity with these sentiments of the archbishop, we are assured that the parliament of Great Britain, after mature investigation, acknowledged the Unitas Fratrum to be a Protestant episcopal church; and in 1794 an act was certainly passed in their favour.

We have elsewhere (see Herrnhut) mentioned the favourable report that was made to the court of Dresden by a deputation which was appointed to examine into the principles and practices of the United Brethren; of which the consequence was, a toleration through all Saxony, as well as in Upper Lusatia. It is, however, acknowledged by the author of the manuscript which we are abridging, that some of the converts to the faith and discipline of the Unitas Fratrum, having previously imbibed extravagant notions, propagated them with zeal among their new friends, in a phraseology extremely reprehensible; and that Count Zinzendorf himself sometimes adopted the very improper language of those fanatics, whom he wished to reclaim from their errors to the soberness of truth; but it is added, that much of the extravagance and absurdity which has been attributed to the Count, is not to be charged to him, but to those persons who, writing his extempore sermons in shorthand, printed and published them without his knowledge or consent. This account of the matter appears indeed extremely probable; and it is but justice to the Count to acknowledge, that he seems to have been very delirious to disclaim the improper expressions, and to vindicate his church from countenancing that impurity which, whether justly or not, was attributed to himself.

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 Brethren is episcopal; but though they consider episcopal ordination as necessary to qualify the servants of the church for their respective functions, they allow to their bishops no elevation of rank or pre-eminent authority; their church having from its first establishment been governed by synods, consisting of deputies from all the congregations; and by other subordinate bodies, which they call conferences. The synods, which are generally held once in seven years, are called together by the elders who were in the former synod appointed to superintend the whole unity. In the first sitting a president is chosen, and these elders lay down their office; but they do not withdraw from the assembly, for they, together with all bishops, ministers civils, or lay-elders, and those ministers who have the general care or inspection of several congregations in one province, have seats in the synod without any particular election. The other members are, one 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.

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 anything 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 statutory 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 Elder's Conference of the Unity. At present it consists of 13 elders, and is divided into four committees or departments: 1. The mission's department, which superintends all the concerns of the missions into Heathen countries. 2. The helper's department, which watches over the purity of doctrine and the moral conduct of the different congregations. 3. The servant's department, to which the economical concerns of the Unity are committed. 4. The overseer's department, of which the business is to see that the constitution and discipline of the Brethren be everywhere maintained. No revolution, however, of any of these departments has the smallest force, till it be laid before the assembly of the whole Elder's Conference, and have the approbation of that body. The powers of the Elder's 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, tho' 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 of elders, which superintends the affairs of the whole unity, there is another conference of elders belonging to each congregation, which directs its affairs, and to which the bishops and all other ministers, as well as the lay-members of the congregation, are subject. This body, which is called the Elder's Conference of the Congregation, consists, 1. Of the minister as president, to whom the ordinary care of the congregation is committed, except when it is very numerous, and then the general inspection of it is entrusted to a separate person, called the Congregation Helper; 2. Of the wardens, whose office it is to superintend with the aid of his council all outward concerns of the congregation, and to assist every individual with his advice; 3. Of a married pair, who care particularly for the spiritual welfare of the married people; 4. Of a single clergyman, to whose care the young men are more particularly committed; and, 5. Of those women, who assist in caring for the spiritual and temporal welfare of their own sex, and who in this conference have equal votes with the men. As the Elder's Conference of each Congregation is answerable for its proceedings to the Elder's Conference of the Unity, visitations from the latter to the former are held from time to time, that the affairs of each congregation, and the conduct of its immediate governors, may be intimately known to the supreme executive government of the whole church.

We have already mentioned the episcopacy of the Brethren, United thren, and the very limited powers of their bishops; and Brethren have to add, that, in their opinion, episcopal consecration does not confer any power to preside over one or more congregations; and that a bishop can discharge no office but by the appointment of a synod, or of the Elder's conference of the Unity. Presbyters among them can perform every function of the bishop except ordination; for if we understand the manuscript before us, he confirms by the laying on of hands young persons when they first become candidates for the communion. Deacons are assistants to the presbyters much in the same way as in the church of England; and in the Brethren's churches deaconesses are retained, for the purpose of privately admonishing their own sex, and visiting them in their sicknesses; but though they are solemnly blessed to this office, they are not permitted to teach in public, and far less to administer the sacraments. They have likewise seniors civilis, or lay-elders, in contradistinction to spiritual elders or bishops, who are appointed to watch over the constitution and discipline of the Unity of the Brethren; over the observance of the laws of the country in which congregations or missions are established; and over the privileges granted to the Brethren by the governments under which they live. They do not consider a regular course of literary education as at all necessary to qualify persons for admission into orders, provided they possess a thorough knowledge of the word of God, what they call solid Christian experience, and a well regulated zeal to serve God and their neighbours.

We have mentioned elsewhere (Herrnhut) their daily meetings in church for worship and edification. On Sunday, besides the public prayers, which are either read from a liturgy or pronounced extempore by the minister, one or two sermons are preached in every church or chapel; and after the morning service an exhortation is given to the children. Previous to the holy communion, which is administered on some Sunday once a month, and likewise on Maunday Thursday, each person who intends to communicate confesses with one of the elders on the state of his soul, expressing his desire to partake of the sacrament. The celebration of the communion is generally preceded by a love-feast, which is also kept on other solemn occasions. On Maunday Thursday, before communion, the Brethren have a solemn foot-washing; and at this, and we suppose at other times, they greet one another with the kiss of charity. These ceremonies they consider as religious rites, authorized through all ages of the church by our Saviour himself and his two apostles St Peter and St Paul.

Our limits will not permit us to give a systematic view of the doctrinal tenets of the Brethren. Though they acknowledge no other standard of truth than the sacred Scriptures, they adhere to the Augsburg Confession, and speak respectfully of the 39 articles of the church of England. They profess to believe that the kingdom of Christ is not confined to any particular party, community, or church; and they consider themselves, though united in one body or visible church, as spiritually joined in the bond of Christian love to all who are taught of God, and belong to the universal church of Christ, however much they may differ in forms, which they deem non-essentials. But the reader who wishes to have a fuller account of this society of Christians, we must refer to Cran's Ancient and Modern History of the Protestant Church of the United Brethren, printed in London, 1780; and to a work entitled An Exposition of Christian Doctrine as taught in the Protestant Church of the United Brethren, London, 1784.