Morscovius Peter

Morscovius Peter, (Polon. Morzkowski,) of Morzkow, was a Polish Knight, and a diligent hearer and disciple of John Crellius. There were many Morscovii ; but as they are designated by their surname only in the Manuscript Acts, it is, in some cases, no easy matter to distinguish one from another.

In 1619, Peter Morscovius held the office of Catechist in the Church at Lachowice ; and in 1625, he was ordained, and appointed Pastor of that Church. In 1634, he removed to Krzelow, where he succeeded Joachim Rupnovius. He afterwards presided over the Church at Czarcow ; and Lubieniecius says, that he succeeded Jonas Schlichtingius, as Minister of the Church at Racow. But it was during the Ministry of Schlichtingius that the Unitarian Professors and Pastors were expelled from Racow ; and Bock thinks that Schlichtingius had no successor in the Church of that town, although Morscovius may possibly have been his colleague for a short time. In 1639, the year after the expulsion of the Unitarian leaders from Racow, James Sieninius died, and Peter Morscovius delivered his funeral oration at Racow. This seems to render the assertion of Lubieniecius probable, who describes the decree of expulsion issued against the unoffending Professors, on account of the juvenile indiscretions of the students, not only as unjust and illegal, but ambiguous in a very high degree. Of its ambiguity the Unitarians may possibly have availed themselves, in an attempt to form another Church, of which Peter Morscovius for a short time officiated as Pastor. But nothing is more certain, than that Socinianism became all but extinct in the town of Racow, after the catastrophe of 1638.

Morscovius, while a student, acted as a voluntary amanuensis to John Crellius, and took down in writing the substance of that eminent man's lectures on the two Epistles to the Thessalonians, the First to Timothy, the one to Titus, and the one to Philemon. But the great work of Morscovius, and that by which he is best known, is his "Ecclesiastical Polity," in which he fully treats of the form of Church Government adopted by the Polish Unitarians. It was his wish to conceal his name under the onomastical anagram, "Veri Promus Custos;" but as his work was not published till many years after his death, his name appeared in the printed title-page, of which we shall now proceed to give a translation, together with an account of this, and other productions of his pen.

1. Ecclesiastical Polity, commonly called Agenda, or Form of external Government of the Christian Churches in Poland, which confess One God the Father, through his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, unfolded in Three Books by Peter Morscovius ; published from the Manuscript, with the Addition of Notes, and a Preliminary Dissertation concerning Ecclesiastical Agenda in general, and these in particular, by George Ludwig OZder, &c. Frankf. and Leipz. 1745, 4to. Morscovius did not undertake this work on his own account, or upon his own responsibility ; but was commissioned to prepare it, by an order from the Assembly of Daszow, in the year 1646. It exhibits, in a systematic form, everything relating to the Ecclesiastical government of the Socinian Church, from its commencement to the time of the author, including not only those points of discipline which were retained, and those which appeared to the author to be useful and necessary, but those also which had fallen into disuse. He dedicated it to the Patrons and Ministers of his Church, and requested them to amend and correct it, wherever they thought it susceptible of improvement ; and, if we are to believe what is said of it as a work of authority, it obtained all the force of a law among the Socinians, and was received by the common consent of the whole body. Book i. embraces the general principles of ecclesiastical law ; and treats of the members of the Church, and their connexion with each other, in Six Chapters, of which the following are the subjects. Chap. 1. On the nature of the Christian religion, the character of a Christian people, and the laws relating to its government. Chap. 2. What is the polity of the Church, and whence is the mode of its external government to be sought? Chap. 3. How many, and what are the orders among the members of the Church? These orders are said to be six in number ; viz., a. Patrons; b. Pastors; c. Elders; and d. Deacons, who constitute the governors, and Associates, or the governed, who are divided into the two orders, of, e. Senior Associates, and, f. Junior Associates. Chap. 4. On the source from which the rulers of the Church derive their authority, and the election and consecration of Pastors. Chap. 5. On the vocation of Pastors. Chap. 6. On the subjection of the governed to their Pastors. Book. ii. contains an enumeration of the offices of those who preside over, and govern the Church. It is distributed into Eleven Chapters, of which the contents are as follow. Chap. 1. On the offices of Pastors in general. Chap. 2. On the preaching of the divine word. This Chapter contains numerous homiletical rules, which, according to Bock, are worthy of the careful study of preachers of all denominations, although laid down by a Socinian author. Chap. 3. On the imposition of hands upon the young. Chap. 4. On water baptism. Chap. 5. On the Lord's supper. Chap. 6. On marriage. Chap. 7. On visiting. Chap. 8. On giving advice and admonition. Chap. 9. On the private prayers of the Pastors for the flocks committed to their charge. Chap. 10. On funeral rites, and the burial of the dead. Chap. 11. On the offices of the Elders and Deacons. Book iii. treats on the subject of ecclesiastical discipline in Seven Chapters, and contains a discussion of the usual disputed points, respecting the means of enforcing the duties incumbent upon all the members of the Church, such as private and public inspection, the congregation, excommunication, the confession of sin and penance, consultations and collections, public fasting, synods and pastoral discipline. From every penitent are required, (Chap. 4,) 1, obedience to the judgment of the Church: 2, the confession of sin, which is due first to God, as the Supreme Lord, then, in the case of public offences, to the Church, as the guardian, inspector, and chief punisher of delinquents on earth ; and if, after all, there be any sin, for which there is a difficulty in discovering, or applying the proper remedy, recourse should be had by the penitent to the Pastor, as his spiritual guide: 3, repentance, which the author defines to consist in amendment of life, and pronounces to be the only remedy against sin, next to the mercy of God.—Throughout the whole work, the author, on every point, appeals to the example of the Apostolical Church, and takes every opportunity of casting blame upon the Church of Rome.—Sandius says, (B. A. p. 142,) that Morscovius's "Ecclesiastical Polity" was written for the use of the Socinian Churches in Holland, which, though not openly tolerated, appear to have been regularly organized upon the plan of those in Poland. The author of an English work, entitled "The Grounds and Occasions of the Controversy concerning the Unity of God, Lond. 1698," who calls himself "a Divine of the Church of England," thus describes these Churches, as they existed in the latter half of the seventeenth century ; and adduces, as his authority, Mons. Stoop, a Protestant Officer in the French army, who, in his "Religion of the Dutch," Anno 1673, gives the following account of them. "They have their secret assemblies, in which they are very fervent in prayer to God, with groaning and weeping. They affirm that they have no interest in maintaining their doctrine, save only the persuasion they have of its truth, and the zeal of appropriating to the only individual and sovereign God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory of his divinity. They are confirmed in their faith by reading the word of God, and by the books which have been written against them. Their conversation is holy and without reproach, as far as men can judge by what they see." Although Sandius is no doubt correct in stating, that Morscovius composed his "Agenda" for the use of the Dutch Churches, no mention is made of those Churches in the Index ; nor can this be directly inferred from anything contained in the Manuscript Acts, which, according to Bock, seem rather to imply, that the work was drawn up for the use of the Polish Churches. The word Polish, however, in this connexion, may have outgrown its original meaning, and may have been used to designate those Churches, in Holland and elsewhere, which were founded by Polish missionaries and exiles. From the year 1650 to 1687, when the autograph of Morscovius seems to have passed into the hands of Samuel Crellius, it was subjected to the revision of eminent Ministers of the Socinian body by many successive Synods ; and resolutions were passed, that it should be printed. But these resolutions were not carried into effect. At length, however, this work, which had remained in manuscript for nearly a century, was published, with Notes, and a Preliminary Dissertation, by George Ludwig Œder, S. T. D., in 1745, at Frankfort and Leipzic. For a long time the autograph remained in the hands of Samuel Crellius ; but he gave it, at length, to the celebrated Physician, Grashuys, from whose hands it passed into those of Brückmann, of Nuremberg, who, in his turn, transmitted it to Œder for publication. Œder added copious animadversions, and explanations of numerous passages of Scripture ; and took every opportunity, in particular, of combating the opinions of Morscovius, in those passages where he represents the Church as independent of the State. Joachim Sigismund Schwartzkopf drew up some anonymous animadversions upon Œder's notes ; and they fell, with other Socinian manuscripts, into the hands of Bock. Zeltner conjectured, that Grotius's celebrated treatise, "De Ccenae Administratione, ubi Pastores non sunt, etc., Amst. 1638," 4to., was the occasion of Morscovius composing his "Agenda;" and it is certain that a few years before Grotius's treatise saw the light, Valentine Radecius contemplated the preparation of a work on Ecclesiastical Polity, and that others among the Socinians turned their attention to the same subject, in the former half of the seventeenth century. 

2. Meditations on the Death of Christ. These Meditations were revised by Ruarus, but not printed.

3. A Reply to a certain Evangelical Minister's "Asymbolum Socinianorum, et Non credo" or Want of Faith among the Arians of the present Day ; to which Reply is subjoined, by Way of Supplement, the Creed of the Evangelical Ministers concerning Human Salvation, expressed in their own Words ; by Peter Morscovius, of Morzkow. Racow, Sebast. Sternacki, 1632, 4to. Polon. The "Asymbolum Socinianorum," to which this work was a reply, was written by the Rev. Thomas Wengierski, and published in 4to., at Baranow, A. D. 1630.

4. A Commentary on the two Epistles to the Thessalonians, founded on the Lectures of John Crellius, with a Preface, dated May, 1636. Sandius alludes to a Dutch translation of this Commentary.

5. Preface to John Crellius's "First Elements of Ethics," written Aug. 28^th, 1635, at Krzelow. This also was translated into Dutch.

6. Commentaries on 1 Tim., Tit. and Philem., taken down from the Lectures of John Crellius.

7. A Funeral Sermon for James Sieninius, Palatine of Podolia. 1639. MS. Polon.

8. A Reply to the Theses of Kesler and James Martini. Morscovius was induced to undertake this work by the Synod of 1626 ; and the first Book, according to the Manuscript Acts of 1630, was at that time finished, and ready for revision. The former of the two authors above mentioned was doubtless Andrew Kesler, who published his "Examen Logicae Photinianae" at Wittenberg, A. D. 1624, 4to.; the latter was James Martini, the Professor at Wittenberg, with whom Adam Goslavius had previously entered the lists ; but against what work of his Morscovius directed his attacks Bock professes his inability to ascertain.

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