any church. After his death (1769) his followers either followed the leading of the countess of Huntingdon, or became distributed among other denominations. Howel Harris, a Welsh clergyman of the Church of England, supplemented Whitefield's work in Wales, and a large portion became absorbed into a new society gradually forming itself through the preaching of Harris and his coadjutors. This body was formally constituted a religious society about the beginning of the 19th century.

Moravians.

Moravians, so named because Moravia was at one time their principle seat; also called Bohemian Brethren, a body of Christians, tracing their origin to the followers of John Huss, who were expelled by persecution from Bohemia and Moravia in the beginning of the 18th century, and a small company of them received permission from count Žinzendorf, in 1722, to settle on his estate of Berthelsdorf, in Saxony. To this settlement they gave the name of Herrnhut. It rapidly increased by additional refugees from Bohemia and Moravia, and also other Christians who were attracted to them by their faith and piety. Count Zinzendorf having become the leading bishop, strove in rebuilding the church to interfere as little as possible with the national church. In carrying out his views he established on the continent of Europe, in Great Britian, and America, strictly Moravian settlements, where the vanity and irreligion of the world were to be shut out, a high standard of spiritual life was to be maintained, and only brethren were to hold real estate.

Among them a merely nominal profession of Christianity was not to be known. This ideal was for a long time kept steadily in view, and with very great success. Besides these exclusive settlements they had in Great Britain and America churches of a more general character. Their salutary influence extends far beyond their own bounds. They contributed greatly to the increase of the power of John Wesley. They afforded places of refuge for true Christianity during the prevalence of German rationalism. They educated in their schools large numbers of young persons belonging to other denominations. They started a great home missionary work, and engaged with pre-eminent zeal in establishing missions in heathen lands. In these Moravian settlements the members are divided into seven classes: the married, the widowed, the unmarried men, the unmarried women, the boys, the girls, and little children. In each village there is a Brethren's house for the unmarried men, who live together and carry on trades; a Sisters' house where the unmarried women have their homes and are supplied with work suited to them; and a widow's home, where all of that class are provided, at moderate cost, with all things needed for their comfort. The spiritual affairs are under the superintendence of the Elders' conference, and the financial and municipal matters are managed by the board of overseers. Formerly real estate could be held only by Moravians, but changes in the rule have been made which will probably result in the abolition of the exclusive system.

In 1740 the Moravians built the towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth in Pennsylvania. These and some smaller settlements adopted the exclusive plan. The lands in the village, and the farms, and various departments of industry were stocked and worked for the benefit of the church, which provided the inhabitants with all the necessaries of life. Those who had means of their own retained

them. Each member was pledged to devote his time and powers in whatever direction they could be best applied for the spread of the Gospel. By this means there went forth a succession of missionaries through the colonies and among the Indians, preaching salvation through Christ, while the work at home of farmers and mechanics provided for their support. This system continued for 80 years. They continued to be a missionary people extending into differert countries. The work of foreign missions was commenced almost simultaneously with the building of Herrnhut, and since that time about 2,500 missionaries have been sent out and sustained by the labors of the members remaining at home. In 1880 they had missions in seventeen provinces distributed over the world.

National Reform.

A

National Reform follows the reformation of the church. thoroughly reformed church in any country produces the highest standard of civil government in any nation. If all the members of the churches of the United States were thoroughly reformed, the crime-breeding, poverty-stricken, and misery-producing saloon would have no place under the stars and stripes. There is much less crime in Maine and Kansas, also in parts of the Southern states where the law prohibits the sale of alcoholic liquor, than there is in those states and parts of states where the sale of these liquors is licensed by law. The moral standing in civilization of the secular governments of the earth is in proportion to the conformity of the church to the sacred Scriptures. Until lately the laity of the Roman Catholic Church were not permitted to read God's word. Peter Chapot, in 1546, carried a number of Bibles in the French language to France, and publicly sold them; for this he was brought to trial, sentenced and put to death. Pope Pius VII. (1800-23), issued a bull forbidding the reading of the sacred Scriptures.

The mediaeval age is noted for two things, viz., for their ignorance, especially of the Bible, and for their many crimes. Queen Victoria was asked what was the cause of the greatness of England. She replied it was the Bible. Those nations which have an open Bible which the people study stand the highest in civil liberty. It is a shame and disgrace, and also an insult to God that the Bible is excluded from the public schools. There is a regular gradation of the nations of earth which is according to the use made of the Bible. In the scale of civil liberty, the Protestant nations which made the most use of the sacred Scriptures stand the highest. No Roman Catholic country has so high a standard of civil liberty, and the heathen nations who are destitute of God's word are most degraded. It is a hopeful indication that, under the influence of the Reformaion, the Roman Catholic clergy allow the laity to read the