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Religion. We have already mentioned the prevailing religious fects in this flate. A particular account of fome of their peculiar customs and tenets will here be expected.

Of the great variety of religious denominations in Pennfylvania, the FRIENDS OF QUAKERS are the most numerous. George Fox is called the Father of this religious fect, because he first collected them into a fociety in England, about the middle of the 17th century. The true ap pellation of thefe people is FRIENDS; that of QUAKERS was early and unjustly given them by way of contempt. They came over to America as early as 1656, but were not indulged the free exercife of their religion in New-England *.

They were the first fettlers of Pennsylvania in 1682, under William Penn, and have ever fince flourified in the free enjoyment of their religion. They believe that God has given to all men fufficient light to work their falvation, unless it be refifted; that this light is as extenfive as the feed of fin, and faves thofe who have not the outward means of falvation; that this light is a divine principle, in which dwells God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They maintain that the fcriptures are not the principal ground of all truth and knowledge; nor yet the primary rule of faith and manners; but because they give a true teftimony of the first foundation, they are and may be efteemed a fecondary rule, fubordinate to the Spirit, from whom they derive all their excellence. They believe that immediate revelation has not ceased, but that a measure of the Spirit is given to every perfon. That as by the light or gift of God, all fpiritual knowledge is received, thofe who have this gift, whether male or female, though without human commiflion or learning, ought to preach; and to preach freely, as they have freely received the gift. All true and acceptable worship of God, they maintain, is by the inward and immediate moving of his Spirit; and that water baptifm and the Lord's fupper were commanded only for a time. They neither give titles, nor ufe compliments in their converfation or writings, believing that whatsoever is more than yea, yea, and nay, nay, cometh of evil. They confcientiously avoid, as unlawful, kneeling, bowing, or uncovering the head to any perfon. They difcard all fuperfluities in drefs or equipage; all games, fports, and plays, as unbecoming the chriftian. Swear not at all' is an article of their creed, literally obferved in its utmost extent. They believe it unlawful, to fight in any cafe whatever; and think that if their enemy fmite them on the one cheek, they ought to turn to him the other alfot. They are generally honeft, punctual, and even punctilious in their dealings; provident for the neceffities of their poor; friends to humanity, and of courfe enemies to flavery; trict in their difcipline; careful in the obfervance even of the punctilios in drefs, fpeech and manners, which their religion enjoins; faithful in

* See Hift. of Maffachusetts and Connecticut.

+ During the late war, fame of their number, contrary to this article of their faith, thought it their duty to take up arms in defence of their country. This laid the foundation of a feceffion from their brethren, and they now form a feparate congregation in Philadelphia, by the name of the Refifling or fighting Quakers,'

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the education of their children; induftrious in their feveral occupations. In fhort, whatever peculiarities and miftakes thofe of other denominations have fuppofed they have fallen into, in point of religious doctrines, they have proved themselves to be good citizens.

Next to the Quakers, the PRESBYTERIANS are the most numerous; concerning whom we have nothing to add to what we have already faid under New-York. (page 268.)

The proteftant EPISCOPAL CHURCH of New-York, New-Jersey, Pennfylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and South-Carolina, met in convention at Philadelphia, October 1785, and revifed the book of common prayer, and adminiftration of the facraments, and other rites and ceremonies, and published and propofed the book, thus revised, for the ufe of the church. This revifion was made in part, in order to render the liturgy confiffent with the American revolution, and the conftitutions of the feveral ftates. In this they have difcovered their liberality and their patriotifm. In Pennfylvania and the fouthern ftates this revifed book is pretty generally used by the epifcopal churches. In New-York and New-Jersey it has not been adopted.

There are upwards of fixty minifters of the LUTHERAN and CALVINIST religion, who are of German extraction, now in this ftate; all of whom have one or more congregations under their care; and many of them preach in fplendid and expenfive churches: and yet the first Lutheran minifter, who arrived in Pennfylvania about forty years ago, was alive in 1787, and probably is still, as was alfo the fecond Calvinistical minifter.

The Lutherans do not differ, in any thing effential, from the Epifcopalians; nor do the Calvinifts from the Prefbyterians.

The MORAVIANS are of German extraction. Of this religion there are about 1300 fouls in Pennfylvania; viz. between 500 and 600 in Bethlehem; 450 in Nazareth; and upwards of 300 at Litiz, in Lancaster county. They call themfelves the United Brethren of the Proteftant Epifcopal church.' They are called Moravians, because the firft fettlers in the English dominions were chiefly emigrants from Moravia. Thefe were the remnant and genuine defcendants of the church of the ancient United Brethren, eftablished in Bohemia and Moravia, as early as the year 1456. About the middle of the last century, they left their native country, to avoid perfecution, and to enjoy liberty of confcience, and the free exercife of the religion of their forefathers. They were received in Saxony, and other Proteftant dominions, and were encouraged to fettle among them, and were joined by many ferious people of other denominations. They adhere to the Auguftan Confeffion of Faith, which was drawn up by the Proteftant divines at the time of the reformation in Germany, in the year 1530, and prefented at the diet of the empire at Augsburg; and which, at that time, contained the doctrinal fyftem of all the established Proteftant churches. They retain the difcipline of their ancient church, and make ufe of Epifcopal ordination, which has been handed down to them in a direct line of fucceflion for more than three hundred years*. As

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*See David Crantz Hift. of The ancient and modern United Brethren's church, tranflated from the German, by the Rev. Benjamin La Trobe. Lon don, 1780.'

As to their doctrinal tenets, and the practical inferences thence deduced, they appear to be effentially right, and fuch as will not be excepted against by any candid and liberal perfon who has made himself acquainted with them. Thofe who wish to obtain a thorough and impartial knowledge of their religious fentiments and cuftoms, may fee them excellently fummed up in a plain, but nervous style, in An expofition of Chriftian Doctrine, as taught in the Proteftant church of the United Brethren, written in German by A. G. SPANGENBERG; and tranflated and publifhed in English in 1784. By this book nothing appears but that they are thorough in the doctrines of grace, as they are obviously exhibited in the Old and New Testament. They profefs to live in ftrict obedience to the ordinances of Chrift, fuch as the obfervation of the fabbath, infant baptifm, and the Lord's Supper; and in addition to thefe, they practife The Foot-washing, the Kifs of Love, and the ufe of the Lot; for which their reasons, if not conclufive, are yet plaufible.

They were introduced into America by Count Zinzendorf, and fettled at Bethlehem, which is their principal fettlement in America, as early as 1741. The following authentic defcriptions of their feveral fettle-ments in this ftate, which was obligingly fent me by one of their own number, will afford the reader a juft idea of the uncommon regularity, induftry, ingenuity, and economy which characterize these people.

Bethlehem is fituated on the river Lehigh, a western branch of the Delaware, fifty-three miles north of Philadelphia, in lat. 40° 37'. The town being built partly on a high rifing ground, and partly on the lower banks of the Manakes, (a fine creek, which affords trout and other fish) has a very pleasant and healthy fituation, and is frequently vifited in the fummer featon by gentry froin different parts. The profpect is not extenfive, being bounded very near by a chain of the Lehigh hills. To the northward is a tract of land called the dry lands.

In the year 1787, the number of the inhabitants amounted to between 500 and 600, and the houfes were about fixty in number, mostly good ftrong buildings of limestone.

Befides the church, or public meeting hall, there are three large fpacious buildings, viz.

1. The fingle brethren's, or young men's houfe, facing the main street or public road. Here the greatest part of the fingle tradesmen, journeymen, and apprentices of the town are boarded at a moderate rate, under the infpection of an elder and warden, and have, befides the public meetings, their houfe-devotions, morning and evening prayers. Different trades are carried on in the house for the benefit of the fame.

2. The fingle fifter's, or young women's houfe, where they live under the care of female infpectors. Such as are not employed in private families, earn their bread mottly by fpinning, few ing, fine needle-work, knitting, and other female occupations.

Though this houfe has its particular regulations to preferve order and decorum, and may perhaps bear fome refemblance to a nunnery, (being fometimes improperly fo called) yet the plan is very different. The ladies are at liberty to go about their bufinefs in the town, or to take a walk for recreation; and fome are employed in private families, or live

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with their parents; neither are they bound to remain in the fingle ftate, for every year fome of them enter into the married state.

As to their almoft uniform drefs, the women in general, for the fake of avoiding extravagance, and the follies of fashion, have hitherto kept to a particular fimple drefs, introduced among them in Germany many

years ago.

3. The house for the widow women, where fuch as have not a houfe of their own, or means to have their own houfe furnished, live nearly in the fame way as do the fingle fifters. Such as are poor, infirm, and fuperannuated, are affifted or maintained by the congregation, as is the cafe with other members of the fame, that are not able to obtain subsistence for themselves.

There is, befides, an inftitution of a fociety of married men, begun fince the year 1770, for the fupport of their widows. A confiderable fund or principal has been raised by them, the intereft of which, as well as the yearly contributions of the members, is regularly divided among the widows, whofe hufbands have been members of the inftitution.

In a houfe adjoining the church, is the fchool for girls; and, fince the year 1787, a boarding school for young ladies from different parts, who are inftructed in reading and writing, (both English and German) grammar, arithmetic, hiftory, geography, needle-work, mufic, &c.

The minifter of the place has the fpecial care and infpection of this, as well as of the boys fchool, which is kept in a feparate house, fitted to that purpose, and are taught reading and writing in both languages, the rudiments of the Latin tongue, arithmetic, &c.

Befides the different houses for private tradefmen, mechanics, and others, there is a public tavern at the north end of the town, with pretty good accommodations; also a store, with a general affortment of goods; an apothecary's fhop; a large farm-yard; and on the lower part, on Manakes creek, is a large tan-yard, a currier's and dyer's fhop, a grift-milf, fulling-mill, oil-mill, and faw-mill; and on the banks of the Lehigh, a brewery.

The town is fupplied with good water from a fpring, which being in the lower part of the town, is raifed up the hill by a machine of a very fimple conftruction, to the height of upwards of 100 feet, into a refervoir, whence it is conducted by pipes into the feveral streets and public buildings of the town.

The ferry across the river is of fuch particular contrivance, that a flat, large enough to carry a team of fix horfes, runs on a ftrong rope, fixed and ftretched aerofs; and, by the mere force of the ftream, without any other affiftance, croffes the river backwards and forwards; the flat being always put in an oblique direction, with its foremost end verging towards the line defcribed by the rope.

The greater part of the inhabitants, as well as the people in the neighbourhood, being of German extraction, this language is more in ufe than the English. The latter, however, is cultivated in the schools, and divine fervice performed in both languages.

Nazareth is ten miles north from Bethlehem, and fixty-three north from Philadelphia. It is a tract of good land, containing about 50ca acres, purchafed originally by the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, in 1740%

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and fold two years after to the brethren. The town was laid out almost in the center of this tract, in 1772. Two ftreets cross each other at right angles, and form a fquare in the middle, of 340 by 200 feet. The largeft building is a ftone house, erected in 1755, named Nazareth-hall, 98 feet by 46 long, and 54 in height. In the lowermost story is a spacious meeting-hall, or church; the upper part of the house is chiefly fitted for a boarding school, where youth, from different parts, are under the care and infpection of the minifter of the place and several tutors, and are inftructed in the English, German, Latin, and French languages; in hiftory, geography, book keeping, mathematics, mufic, drawing, and other fciences. The front of the houfe faces a large fquare open to the fouth, adjoining a fine piece of meadow ground, and commands a most beauti ful and extenfive profpect. Another elegant building on the eaft fide of Nazareth-hall is inhabited by fingle filters, who have the fame regulations and way of living as thofe in Bethlehem. Befides their principal manufactory for spinning and twifting cotton, they have lately begun to draw wax tapers.

At the fouth-weft corner of the aforefaid square, in the middle of the town, is the fingle brethren's house; and on the east-south-east corner a ftore. On the fouthermoft end of the ftreet is a good tavern. The houses are, a few excepted, built of lime ftone, one or two ftories high, inhabited by tradefinen and mechanics, moftly of German extraction. The inhabitants are fupplied with water conveyed to them by pipes from a fine fpring near the town. The place is noted for having an exceedingly pleafant fituation, and enjoying a very pure and falubrious air. The number of inhabitants in the town, and farms belonging to it, (Schoeneck included) conftituting one congregation, and meeting for divine fervice on Sundays and holidays at Nazareth-hall, was, in the year 1788, about 450.

Litix is in Lancafter county, and Warwick township; eight miles from Lancafter, and feventy miles weft from Philadelphia. This fettlement was begun in the year 1757. There are now, befides an elegant church, and the houses of the fingle brethren and fingle fifters, which form a large fquare, a number of houfes for private families, with a store and tavern, all in one street. There is alfo a good farm and feveral mill works belonging to the place. The number of inhabitants, including thofe that belong to Litiz congregation, living on their farms in the neighbourhood, amounted, in 1787, to upwards of 300.

Such is the Moravian intereft in Pennsylvania. Their other fettlements in, America, are at Hope, in New-Jerfey, already defcribed, and at Wachovia, on Yadkin river, in North-Carolina, which will be defcribed in its proper place. Befides thefe regular fettlements, which are formed by fuch only as are members of the brethren's church, and live together in good order and harmony, there are, in different parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New-Jerfey, and in the cities and towns of New-York, Pennsylvania, Lancaster, York-town, &c. congregations of the brethren, who have their own church and minifter, and hold the fame principles, and doctrinal tenets, and church rites and ceremonies, as the former, though their local fituation does not admit of such particular regulations as are peculiar to the regular fettlementa

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