Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-11-08
The Much COurted MOravians.


The Much COurted MOravians.
An Invitation from Presbyterian " Bishop
Another stray shepherd from the Mora
vian fold turns mp in the author of the
following communication to the I'restyte.
Tian of last week, who seems to have a
good deal Of love for the old church yet,
notwithstanding he presents his new love
for the adoption of any other knight
errant Moravian who may he inclined to
q fresh field and new pasture. He can't
understand the taste which would lead a
Moravian into the Episcopal fold, but a
Presbyterian seduction seems to him quito
natural. The Moravians will doubtless ap-
preciate the kind invitations of their
friends in other churches but as they all
agree in saying that, except their own, the
Moravian church is the very incest in the
world, the shrcwd Moravian brethren may
conclude that they had better stick to a
first love that everybody else declares
they love best next to their own. What
sort of an official a "BishOp" in the
Presbyterian church is We do not know,
but the author of this article, who signs
himself Bishop Of the Bellefield Presby
terian church, is the Rev. William J. Hol-
land, son of the Rev. Francis r. Holland,
a distinguished minister of the Mora Wan
church and a descendant of the IIorscfelds
and Bcnezets, Philadelphia families of
old rcnOwn, the latter being in the Mayer
.treundschatf, which is represented in the
Moravian church iu Lancaster by the
Steinman family.
The recent re ordination Of an old friend
and college mate Of mine as a deacon of
the Protestant Episcopal church by Bishop
Stevens has prov oked not little comment
in many directions, and justly. | am re-
minded that |, too, was ordained deacon
of the Moravian church, is my friend has
been. by the laying Oh of the hands of
that sanity man, Bishop David Biglcr, of
the Mor.tvEn church, | was set apart to
the ministry Of the Lord Jesus Christ on
the evening of the 12th day of May, 1872,
in the Fourth MOravian church OF Phila-
delphia. My connection as 4 minister with
the church of my fathers Was, however,
for reasons which | need not detail, Of
short duration. In the Orderings of Gods
providcncc,a rs believe, | was led to cast my
lot with the brethren Of the presbytery
of New Brunswick-a prcsbytery which
numbered, with many Others whose names
are in all the churches, such men as John
Maclcan, the rcvclcl cx-prcsident of the
college of New Jersey, and his SUCCESSOR
James McCosl, DIR. Charles Hodge, tho
beloved teacher and hOnored theOOgian
Professor MctiilI, Professor Atwater, and
Professor Green, the chairman Gf the
American committee on Old Testament
Revision.
My ordination as i deacon in the Mora
Wan church conferred upon me full power
to administer the Sacramcnts, and to per-
form all the duties of the Christian minis
try, except to Or,lain to the ministry in
the Molavian church. 1t was, neverthe-
less, with some feelings of mis9iving that
Ip!aced my credentials in the hands of a
ministerial friend and told him that it was
my wish to unite with the presbytery of
New Brunswick. After all, [ was only a
deacon, and not Il presbytcr, l argued.
But my aprrehensions were speedily dis
PEELED, and after 4 courteous introduction
to the presbytcry by that most courtly of
men, DIR. McGilI, and few words of
formal questioning by the committee of
examiners [ was cordially welcomed by
the brethren to take part with them in
their deliberations.
| cannot fail to contrast the manner i'm
which became Presbyterian with the
manner in which my friend has just en-
tered the ranks of the church to which he
now belongs. There was nothing in the
action of the venerable presbytery of New
Brunswick to crate harshly upon the feel
ings Of one whose honest pride is that he
is the son and the great grandson of for
eign missionaries, and who recalls the fact
that for ut least ten generations those who
tinguislled for their zeal in behalf of
Christi kingdom than their ambition to
be accounted either great or rich, and who
nevertheless, were neither Presbyterians
nor EpiscOpalians. There was nothing
WEIGH could, by any implication, suggest
that those whose names and memories he
chcrishcs might not have been in amplest
measure the participants of the Divine
grace, and in the fullest sense members of
'tthe church of God" 1t is a matter
of quiet satisfaction to me that the
lines fell to me in the direction OF the
Presbyterian rather than the Episcopalian
fold, and would say to my friends of the
Moravian ministryif any of them should be
compelled hereafter to sunder their rcla-
tions with that dear old churcn of the mar
tyrs and the cOnfessOrs, that it would be
we'll for them to remember that there is a
denomination, great and influential, and
honorable in its traditions and its history,
which boasts among its historic names
such men as Knox and Edwards and
Withelspoon, and Chalmers, and Alexan-
der, aud Guthrie, and Hodge, which does
not deem the ordination conferred by it as
in any degree ampler than that conferred
by the church Of Huss and Com enius,
ZinzendOrf and Zeisberger, and which
with Christian kindness will even recciye 9
deacon Of the Moravian church, and 10
cognize him rs a presbyter or bishop, in
good or regular standing.
lam, very respectfully yours,
THE BISHOP.
of the Bclleficld Presbyterian church.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Complicated Diseases.