108 . OUR HYMNS :
the descendants of one, Benigna, who married John Watteville, are found now in America. On his marriage, Zinzendorf trans ferred his property to his wife, that, free from every trammel, he might give himself wholly to the service of Christ.
About the time of his marriage, Zinzendorf heard from David Christian an account of the sufferings the Moravian brethren endured under the Austrian government. The count expressed his readiness to receive the persecuted refugees on his estate. They were followers of John Huss, in Moravia, de scendants of the faithful few who had never altogether yielded either to the Greek or Roman churches. On the 17th of June, 1722, David Christian and a few companions commenced build ing their dwelling at the foot of the Hutberg, or " pasture hill," near Bethelsdorf. The settlement was called " Herrnhut" i. e., under the protection of the Lord, the word hut" meaning pro tection and pasture. To this settlement, which grew by the arrival of fresh emigrants, and at length sent out missionaries to heathen lands, Zinzendorf gave much of his property, and of the energies of his life. With great forbearance he bore with them in their strifes, and again and again saved them from dissolution by divi sion. He would never consent to their being anything but a free spiritual community ; and he succeeded in maintaining their ancient constitution as " United Brethren," including in their number members of the Moravian, Lutheran, and Reformed churches. He defended them from misrepresentation, aspersion, and persecution. In all parts of the world he vindicated the claims of the Moravians, and when the community was almost insolvent, he undertook the burden of their debt, and at his death he owed more than a quarter of a million of money on their account.
In 1731, Zinzendorf resigned his public duties in order to devote himself to Christian work. His religious duties had been growing upon him. He had been elected president of Herrnhut, and devoted himself heartily to its spiritual interests. Of one of the means employed, Felix Bovet says in his recent very interest-
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