AN

Expoftulatory Letter, &c.

London, April 24, 1753.

My Lord,

LTHOUGH I am perfuaded, that nothing hath a greater tendency to ftrengthen the hands of infidels, than too frequent altercations between the profeffors of christianity; yet there are certain occafions, wherein the neceffary defence of the principles of our holy religion, as well as the practice of it, renders public remonftrances of the greatest use and importance. The facred pages afford us many examples of this nature. When Aaron was prevailed on by the Ifraelites, to make a golden calf, and offer facrifice to it, what an holy indignation did Mofes express against him and them? When Peter and Barnabas were carried away with the diffimulation of the Jews, how openly did the Apoftle Paul withstand them to the face, and reprove them before all, "Because they were to be blamed?" And when this fame Apostle faw the churches of Corinth and Galatia in danger of being drawn away from the fimplicity of the gospel, what a fervent teftimony did he bear against the authors and abettors of fuch a destructive scheme?

I mention these inftances, my Lord, because I hope they will ferve as a fufficient apology for my troubling your Lordship with this letter. For thefe many years paft, have I been a filent, and I truft I can fay, an impartial obferver of the progrefs and effects of Moravianifm, both in England and America; but fuch fhocking things have been lately brought to our ears, and offences have fwelled to fuch an enormous bulk, that a real regard for my king and my country, and, if I am not greatly mistaken, a difinterefted love for the ever-bleffed JESUS, that King of kings, and the church which he hath

1

purchased

purchased with his own blood, will not fuffer me to be filent any longer.

Pardon me, therefore, my Lord, if at length, though with great regret, as the Searcher of hearts knows, I am conftrained to inform your Lordship, that you, together with fome of your leading brethren, have been unhappily inftrumental in mifguiding many real, fimple, honeft-hearted chriftians; of diftreffing, if not totally ruining numerous families, and introducing a whole farrago of fuperftitious, not to fay idolatrous fopperies, into the English nation.

For my own part, my Lord, notwithstanding the folio that was published (I prefume under your Lordship's direction) about three years ago, I am as much at a loss as ever, to know what were the principles and usages of the ancient Moravian church; but if she was originally attired in the fame garb, in which he hath appeared of late amongst many true-hearted though deluded protestants, she is not that fimple, apoftolical church the English brethren were made to believe about twelve years ago. Sure I am, that we can find no traces of many of her present practices in the yet more ancient, I mean the primitive churches, and which we all know were really under an immediate and truly apoftolical inspection.

Will your Lordship be pleased to give me leave to defcend to a few particulars? Pray, my Lord, what inftances have we of the first chriftians walking round the graves of their deceased friends on Eafter-day, attended with hautboys, trumpets, french-horns, violins, and other kinds of mufical inftruments? Or where have we the least mention made of pictures of particular perfons being brought into the first christian affemblies, and of candles being placed behind them, in order to give a transparent view of the figures? Where was it ever known, that the picture of the Apostle Paul, representing him handing a gentleman and lady up to the fide of JESUS CHRIST, was ever introduced into the primitive love-feafts? Or do we ever hear, my Lord, of incenfe, or fomething like it, being burnt for him, in order to perfume the room before he made his entrance among the brethren? Or can it be fupposed that he, who, together with Barnabas, fo eagerly repelled the Lycapnians, when they brought oxen and garlands in order to facrifice unto them, would ever have fuffered fuch things to

be

be done for him, teftation of them?

without expreffing his abhorrence and de

And yet your Lordfhip knows both thefe have been done for you, and fuffered by you, without your having fhewn, as far as I can hear, the leaft dislike *.

Again, my Lord, I beg leave to enquire, whether we hear any thing in scripture of eldreffes or deaconeffes of the apoftolical churches feating themselves before a table, covered with artificial flowers, and against that, a little altar furrounded with wax tapers, on which ftood a crofs, compofed either of mock or real diamonds, or other glittering ftones? And yet your Lordship must be fenfible this was done in Fetter-lane chapel, for Mrs. Hannah Nitschman, the present general eldress of your congregation, with this addition, that all the fifters were feated, cloathed in white, and with German caps; the organ also illuminated with three pyramids of wax tapers, each of which was tied with a red ribbon; and over the head of the general Eldrefs, was placed her own picture, and over that (horrefco referens) the picture of the Son of God. A goodly fight this, my Lord, for a company of English proteftants to behold! Alas! to what a long feries of childish and fuperftitious devotions, and unscriptural impofitions, muft they have been habituated, before they could fit filent and tame fpectators of fuch an antichriftian fcene. Surely, had Gideon, though but an Old Testament faint, been present, he would have risen and pulled down this, as he formerly did his father's altar. Or had even that meek man Mofes been there, I cannot help thinking, but he would have addreffed your Lordship, partly at leaft, in the words with which he addreffed his brother Aaron, "What did this people unto thee, that

* I might here take notice of the married women's being ordered to wear blue knots, the fingle women pink, and thofe that are juft marriageable, pink and white; the widows that are paft child-bearing, to wear white, and thofe that are not fo, blue and white knots; and alfo of the epifcopal knot of Mrs. Hannah Nitschman, (who is, I am informed, the prefent general Eldrefs of the congregation) which is fometimes of a purple, and fometimes of a rofe colour. Thefe, with many other fanciful things, might be confidered; but my mind at prefent is too full of concern to dwell upon any thing but what more immediately strikes. at the welfare of fociety, and what hath a ftill more fatal tendency to draw away unwary fouls from the fimplicity of the gospel. Would to GOD I could with a fafe confcience be excufed even from this!

"thou