Main
	Noble Birth
	A Community at Herrnhut
	VI. Welcome to the     Emigrants
	V. Establishment of a     Community
	Life Among the Moravians
	Into All the World
	His Last Years

V. ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMUNITY

A. Cornerstone Laid

The cornerstone for a meetinghouse in Herrnhut was laid May 12, 1724. The Count arrived from Berthelsdorf to be present for the occasion and delivered an impressive speech on the purpose of the building. A good friend of his, Baron Von Wattewille, knelt down on the foundation stone and prayed with such fervor of spirit that all present were deeply affected. The Count later said that in all his life, he had never heard such prayer. He regarded the abundant grace which reigned among the brethren to have commenced from that hour. A year and a half after the new meetinghouse was erected, its largest room was converted into an orphanage. The building became the community house for the immigrants.

B. Covenant of Four Brethren

In 1723, Zinzendorf and three other brothers formed what became known as “The Covenant of Four Brethren.” Together they set goals to which they all pledged themselves. Spangenberg summarizes the “objects of this bond of union”:

1. The plain, simple, believing, and consolatory preaching of the gospel:…their chief object was to speak the word with demonstration of the Spirit, and with power. They resolved not to occupy themselves with minor points, but insist chiefly on that which tended to edification. For this the Count was particularly anxious.

2. To neglect no opportunity of bearing testimony in places concerning Jesus, as the only way to life. Therefore, when there was occasion to undertake a journey, they made it a rule not to avoid it, that they might be able to sow the good seed elsewhere. And since they had from time to time made acquaintance with many individuals of all ranks, not only in Germany, but also in Holland, France, England, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, etc. …they resolved, in their correspondence, to bear testimony to the Spirit of Jesus….

3. They made it also an object of primary concern to promote the printing of various useful and edifying works, and to publish them at a very low rate, that the poor might be benefited by them.

4. … As some emigrants from Moravia had already settled upon the Count's estates, he felt himself bound faithfully to patronize them the more so, as many [were] more injured than benefited by emigration.

5. They deliberated also upon providing schools for the education of children…. The Count, though disinclined to it in his own judgment, suffered himself to be induced by his friends…to participate in the proposal, and furthered the matter to the best of his ability…. [7]

These four “united brethren” met periodically to discuss how practically they could fulfill their objectives. During these conferences, the four essentially thought aloud, speaking to one another with transparency of heart. Zinzendorf, though not always agreeable to the resulting consensus, always found these meetings profitable and constructive.

C. Variety of Emigrants

One family which emigrated from Moravia typifies those who migrated to Herrnhut. This was the Nitschmann family, consisting of David Nitschmann, his wife, two sons, and a daughter. The eldest son, Melchior, became an elder of the church in Herrnhut. He resolved to visit those who had been spiritually awakened in Salisburg to dispense spiritual food to them. On the way, he was arrested in Bohemia and was thrown into prison. He died in 1729, a faithful confessor of Jesus Christ. In 1734, David Nitschmann and his wife sailed to the West Indies to preach the gospel to the poor slaves. However, she died the following year. David briefly returned to Europe and later traveled to North America. He was honored and loved as a father by the brothers at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he remained until the end of his days.

Some of the emigrants, having found a new home in Herrnhut, sought to return to their homeland to inform friends and relatives of this place of refuge. Zinzendorf resisted this undertaking:

[Zinzendorf] opposed, with much firmness, the project of some to return to Moravia, in order to bring others back with them. But if those did so, who thought they were obliged, from love to Jesus Christ and their relatives, to expose themselves to danger – for if caught they were sent to prison – or even believed they were divinely impelled to it, as in the case of Christian David, he did not forcibly restrain them, although he strongly objected to the measure. [8]

Regardless, Herrnhut received a rapid influx of immigrants, along with a wide variety of doctrines and opinions. Among the newcomers were Lutherans, Calvinists, dissenters from established churches, and Bohemian Brethren. This explosive mixture brought new problems to the young settlement:

The Moravian immigrants, practically all from the German areas of their homeland, were joined by many native German Pietists and other religious enthusiasts who were not Pietists. It became necessary to screen carefully applicants for settlement…. Those who did find a haven in Herrnhut found that learning to live together was not easy, for along with zeal they had brought diversity of opinion. More than once the infant village was near shipwreck on the rocks of discord. [9]

Another group of new arrivals was the Schwenkfelders. The Count, accompanied by his friend Baron Von Wattewille, had traveled to Prague to participate in the coronation of the Emperor Charles VI. He used the occasion to speak with the Imperial Minister of State concerning the Schwenkfelders. Their name came from Casper Schwenkfeld, a contemporary of Luther. Some Lutheran preachers incited certain Catholic clergy, with the consent of the civil authorities, to persecute these people in an attempt to forcibly change their views. But the Schwenkfelders were willing rather to forsake everything than act against their consciences. Zinzendorf interceded for them in a letter to the Emperor. As a consequence, many of them found their way to Herrnhut and, unfortunately, into the heated doctrinal debates already in progress.

D. Trouble Stirs

How was this increasingly difficult situation to be handled? Count Zinzendorf could have exercised his authority as lord of the manor, as he related: “I could easily have found means to rid myself of many of these people who gave me so much trouble.” [10] But he realized this was not the Lord's way.

Both the Count and a pastor in Berthelsdorf named Rothe attempted to settle the differences among the immigrants. Lewis describes the turmoil:

It seemed that every wind of doctrine and division blew through Herrnhut…but any unity in the Settlement was a thing of rags and tatters; “in Herrnhut it looks as if the Devil will turn everything upside down,” wrote Pastor Schafer on 4 January 1727. [Zinzendorf] wrote a hymn of complete trust:

However, the two used very different means. Rothe, on one hand, refuted their ideas in public as well as in private, countering argument with argument. The result was that those he confronted became all the more confirmed in their opinions and much more violent in defending them. The Count, on the other hand, was very patient and forbearing toward those in error and of differing views. He listened to all they had to say in an understanding manner. He agreed with them as far as he could while remaining consistent with the truth. He expressed his doubts on matters he did not agree with, but generally did so in few words. In this way, Zinzendorf avoided everything of a violent nature.

Earlier, in 1726, John Krüger, a gifted speaker with a “godly appearance,” began giving stirring messages in Herrnhut. Most of the residents were attracted by Krüger's talks, but the ideas he presented were contrary to Zinzendorf. The result was that all but a few forsook Zinzendorf. The Count exercised patience and would not retaliate. A short while later, the divisive one was silenced:

At the end of 1726 when the trouble was at its height, Krüger suffered a mental breakdown of such a severe nature that he had to be physically restrained. On January 15, after a temporary recovery, he left Herrnhut for good, except for a brief visit fifteen years later. The man never fully recovered and lived a pathetic existence, wandering from place to place as a beggar. [12]

Zinzendorf was away from Herrnhut for a period of time while he traveled about Europe. During his absence, more dissension erupted.

He talked in a kindly manner to those who seemed to be stirring up the trouble. He prayed much and laid the matter before the Lord. He felt assured that the grain of wheat which had been sown in Herrnhut would spring up and bear much fruit.

E. Constitution Adopted

On May 12, 1727, Zinzendorf was burdened to speak to all the residents in the community. For three hours, he spoke on the evils of division. All were deeply affected, as Spangenberg writes:

“On that day, the Count made a covenant with the people, in the presence of God. The brethren individually engaged to belong entirely to the Saviour. They were ashamed of their religious quarrels, and were unanimously disposed to bury them in oblivion. They also sincerely renounced self-love, self-will, disobedience, and freethinking. They were desirous of becoming poor in spirit; none of them sought a preference above the rest; and each one wished to be taught by the Holy Spirit in all things; they were not only convinced, but carried away and overpowered by the operating grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [13]

On this day, a set of rules, or statutes, was agreed upon by all. These were of two categories: individual responsibilities and relations to one another as Christians. All were to labor with their hands:

[Zinzendorf] reflected how he might best enable the poor inhabitants of Herrnhut to maintain themselves in an orderly and regular manner. His maxim was, that the members of a church ought to labour, and that even those who bore witness of the truth, and had to prove themselves as the ministers of God, even in hunger and nakedness, must depend still less than others on the portion allotted to them, but labour with their hands, that they might be burdensome to none, and have wherewith to give to him that needed…. [14]

The following weeks saw an amazing change in the settlement, as Zinzendorf himself describes:

…it is not to be expressed in words how much our Saviour continued to do for that Congregation till the commencement of the winter in the same year. The whole place represented truly a visible tabernacle of God among men, and till the 13th of August there was nothing to be seen and heard but joy and gladness; then this uncommon joy subsided, and a calmer sabbatic period continued. [15]

The statutes regarding Christian relationships began as follows:

It shall be forever remembered by the inhabitants of Herrnhut, that it was built on the grace of the living God, that it is a work of His own hand, yet not properly intended to be a new town. but only an establishment erected for the Brethren and for the Brethren's sake.

Herrnhut, and its original old inhabitants, must remain in a constant bond of love with all children of God belonging to the different religious persuasions – they must judge none, enter into no disputes with any, nor behave themselves unseemly toward any, but rather seek to maintain among themselves the pure evangelical doctrine, simplicity, and grace. [16]