A.G. Spangenberg
Born in Saxony, August Gottlieb Spangenberg (1704-92) was
the son of a Lutheran minister. He learned theology at the University of Jena,
where he taught until 1732 after graduating with an MA in 1726. After teaching
at Jena, Spangenberg briefly taught religion at the University of Halle but was
forced out because his pietistic beliefs were viewed as too extreme. By the
early 1730s he had formerly united with the Moravians under the leadership of
Nicholas von Zinzendorf and soon became one of the count’s key lieutenants who
was put in charge of establishing religious settlements. Spangenberg and a
group of Moravian missionaries made plans to go to America in 1735, and on the
way met John Wesley, who happened to be aboard the same vessel traveling to the
new colony of Georgia. Spangenberg spent time trying to evangelize the Creek
and Cherokee Indians of Georgia before moving on to Pennsylvania where he
worked with Germans who had previously emigrated there. Throughout the 1740s
and 1750s he travelled back and forth between America, Britain, and England,
establishing societies and promoting the teachings of the Moravians. After
Zinzendorf died in 1760, Spangenberg became the leader of the Moravians. He
moved to Herrnhut where he supervised missionary activities throughout the
world.
A Concise Historical Account of the Present Constitution of the Unitas
Fratrum (1775)
In the
Unitas Fratrum are, first, those Brethren which constitute a part of the
ancient Brethren’s church, in so far as it is to be looked upon as a religious
denomination, and even the most ancient among the Protestant religions. It is
to be particularly observed, that this is said only of a part, for besides them
there are many who belong to the ancient church of the Brethren, and are of the
Bohemian confession. To this first division of the Unity belong also those
members of the Unitas Fratrum, who are come from other religious denominations
than those chief branches of the Protestant religion, the Lutheran and the
Reformed, and who have joined themselves to the Unity.
Secondly,
there are members of the Unity, who were born and educated in the Lutheran
religion, but have joined the Brethren without separating from their religion.
Thirdly, to
the unity of the Brethren also belong those who are of the Protestant reformed
religion, and have entered into the aforesaid connexion with the Brethren
without leaving the religion in which they were born.
The
gracious providence of God itself gave occasion to the establishing of this union.
For when many of the Moravian Brethren, who were concerned about the salvation
of their souls, fled from their native country, settled in Upper Lusatia and
began to build Herrnhut, others who were also concerned about their salvation,
both of the Lutheran and reformed religion, flocked to them.
After all
these had solidly agreed and united themselves together, through the grace of
God, upon the uncontroverted fundamental truths of the holy scriptures, upon
which the salvation of mankind depends, then they bound themselves together in
love, and were unanimous, that they would bear with each other in
non-essentials, and would for the sake of Jesus and his love, bury all disputes
which might spring from or lead to such points. They explained themselves publicly
in an act signed and sealed by a notary public, dated at Herrnhut, August 12,
1729. That they would not be separated
from any one in other Christian congregations, who has been called by the Holy
Ghost through the gospel, who has been enlightened by his gifts, and sanctified
and preserved in the true faith, although such may have a different opinion in
one or another non-essential article, or understand one or another text
different from them. At the same time this was premised as a fundamental
principle, that every one must necessarily be agreed and harmonize in those
points, which must be truth in each soul, who will be saved, and these stand
very clearly in the Bible.
After some
time, that part of the ancient Brethren’s church who received the Augustan
confession, asserted and obtained their ancient church rights, and their own
ordination of the ministers of their church. The Unity of the Brethren makes
use of these rights, as also of the constitution and church discipline of the
ancient church of the Brethren with blessing, to the furtherance and spreading
of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and particularly among the heaven. Even in
Herrnhut the Brethren, with the approbation of the theological faculty at
Tübingen, given on the 16th of April 1733, retained the constitution
and discipline of the ancient Brethren, together with their conformity to the
Protestant doctrines of the Augustan confession.
The Unity of the Brethren made
it an important point of their attention to prevent those members of the congregation
who belonged partly to the Lutheran, partly to the Reformed religion, from
being swallowed up in the ancient church of the Brethren, and never to permit
that church to become a distinct and separate religion and sect.
On this
account the several members of the congregation, according to their different tropis paedias (ways of thinking and
expression) have been arranged in their different classes, and not allowed to
mix, notwithstanding their most tender and close union together in essentials, that
so no one by becoming a fellow member of a congregation of the Brethren might
step into a new religion; but on the other hand, it is settled, that if a
brother is of the Reformed religion, he remains a Reformed; if of the Lutheran,
he remains a Lutheran.
From hence
follows, that members of a congregation of the Brethren, who belong to one of
the aforesaid religions, when they sojourn somewhere out of the congregation of
the Brethren, they not only attend the preaching of the gospel, but also
partake of the holy sacraments in their religion from the Protestant minister,
without the least scruple, agreeable to the principle established by the
divines of the brethren both of the Augustan and Swiss confessions in the
Consensus Sendomiriensis, even so far back as the year 1570.
Thus the
Unitas Fratrum of the Augustan confession consists of these several divisions
which are called in the Unity tropis
paedias…
Touching
the manner of teaching in the congregation, the synod held at Bern in the year
1531, and the eighteen first chapters thereof, is highly esteemed by the
Brethren as a pastoral instruction: for it elucidates the words of Paul, I was determined to know nothing among you
but Christ and him crucified, in a most excellent manner.
Theoretic
divinity is read diligently to our young students; but they are at the same
time warned not to dwell upon those points, touching which the holy scriptures
have said nothing positive, and are only problematic: for the only fruit which
commonly springs from this is endless disputations, from whence no real
improvement of the heart can be expected.
Catechetical
divinity, on the other hand, is taught incessantly in all the congregations,
and the aim is, that it may not only be comprehended by the head, but received
and experienced in the heart.
Touching
morality, it is not only of importance, that all be taught touching what is to
be done, and what to be left undone, but that all be deduced from the right
source. Because theoretic divinity contains the right reasons for what we
should do or not do: therefore the Brethren choose to join always theologiam dogmaticam and moralem (theoretic and practical
divinity) together. They believe that our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles
also thus combined them. Yea they are afraid, as it may too easily happen, that
morality becomes sapless, if our Lord Jesus Christ, with all his treasures of
salvation which he purchased for us at so dear a rate, yea with his wounds and
blood, is not mixed constantly in all things, and if the inward and outward
walk of all the children of God is not deduced from thence.
[August Gottlieb Spangenberg], A Concise Historical Account of the Present Constitution of the Unitas
Fratrum; Or, Unity of the Evangelical Brethren (London: Printed by M.
Lewis, 1775), 27-31, 38-9.
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