Moravian Lives

his Mercy at the End of all Distress, as he did the Penitent Thief. In the
Year 1726 I was sent to the University at Strassburg; In the year 1727
to Jena and 1728 to Wittenberg. Here that Corruption broke loose like
a Deluge, which had hither to been restrain'd by the Laws Severity,
and I ran blindly into Sin, the wages of which quickly follow'd; some=
=times I wept and cried to Jesus for deliverance, but Sin became still
more Sinful, till at length I was litterally  literally the express Picture of
the Prodigal Son! and in the Year 1730 I actually set out for home
with these Thoughts: I will return to my severe Step Father; he may if
he pleases make me his Servant! To such a pass I was come!
Oh thou Merciful Lamb! thou has taken a poor Creature indeed to
thy Mercy! I was immediately put under the care of a Man who
had formerly been our House Preceptor, but was now become Parson
in a Country Village, who continued his usual rigorous treatment of
me. At length I grew weary of the distress which Sin occasioned
humbled myself, and beg'd the Lord Jesus for support, would fain
have been converted but knew not where to begin, and to my Sor
=row had no one to Inform me. I came into works, pray'd and
wept, yet sin not being brought under thro  through the Blood of Jesus con
=tinued to rage the more in heart. In the year 1731 I was sent
to the Seminary of the Candidates to the Pastoral Office and was
a Teacher in the Gynmnasium. O that I had but then been ac
=quainted with my Bleeding Redeemer perhaps I should have been
of Service to the Youth under my care as they all loved me.
In the Year 1733 I receivd ordination to a Preacher of the Gosple  Gospel
and in the Year 1734 was introduced as Deacon at Ingweiler
and teacher at Ripperhweiler. The office of a Teacher was weighty
to me, I was truely  truly Sensible of my unworthyness  unworthiness and innability inability
knew not which way to turn, pray'd frequent and fervently and
yet continued unconverted, was forever Restless wept in private
before the Lord Jesus and beg'd for Mercy; my poor distress'd
heart cleav'd to him, and nothing was more pleasing to me than
to preach of his Death and bleeding wounds, which I allways  always did
                                                                                                            with

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with great Emotion, well knowing nothing but Jesus blood and wounds
could sanctify me poor wretched and corrupted Man; and I experi=
=enced, that the word of his Suff'rings was thunder which shoock  shook
my Soul and the Souls of my hearers. After I had been 16 Weeks at
Ingweiler, I receiv'd a call to cron=Weissenburg, I should have gone
thither a year before, but as I was only ask'd wether  whether I had a Mind
to go there, and was not duely voted I thought I was free to refuse,
and parson Heinold came there in my stead. I had rather have
stay'd in a Mean Village and known to few, but as I observ'd it was
the Lords will, I concluded to accept the call, altho  although I should follow
my dear Step Brother Aulbern to his grave, who had been senior Aulber
in that city and dy'd in the Epedemical Fever which then rag'd
there. With the disposition of heart and Mind I went thither in 
February 1735. The largeness of the City, the number of Sick and
abundance of Labour I saw prepared for me made me Tremble, and I
shall never forget with what a feeling, and with how many Tears I entred  entered
into my office. In April 1756 I married my Step B.r Shillers Widdow  Widow
I knew not how to conduct myself according to our Saviours Mind in a 
Married State, notwithstanding we lived cheerful and happy together
in our way, and every Body regarded us as a Happy Pair. In
February 1737 our Saviour gave us a Daughter Marie Margaretta
and 13 Months after took her to himself in the Small Pox. In
the same Year a Neghbouring Doctor of Physick sent me a
Treatise against the Cong.n Hymns. I look'd it thro  through and was for
the first time convinced that such a people existed. At first I thought
these are Schwenkfields descendants, if their doctrine is false, it
will evaporate Gods Word, and Luthers doctrine will never be
abolish'd. But I found so much of Jesus Blood and Wounds in
these Hymns, that I was quite doubtful what to think, yea was quite
confused for I could not remember that I had ever read in Church
History of a People that keept  kept to the word of Jesus Patience.
                                                                                                      And