fi ? = 5 : S : iB CalaseePelt Lis ltiphabhel Stee A Selbastesheses 15) UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CHARLOTTESVILi E LIBRARY| 5 3 Eo ES EYbbe tebe ES:KAISERSWERTH DEACONESSES. INCLUDING A HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTION, THE Ordination Service and Questions for Self-examination. By A GAD ¥- FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. »® we Code BALTIMORE : JOSEPH ROBINSON. 1857.eat ( Cacy ¢ JIU GIO é fo E é A F a 4 A i 3 3 Sokbeesksesees 1PREFACE. On my return to England, after a residence of two sum- mers in Germany, during which time I had employed my- self in visiting many schools, hospitals, and other institu- tions, if was suggested to me that some account of my visit to Kaiserswerth might be both useful and interesting. A few years ago it would have been necessary to preface this by a defence of Sisterhoods in general; but recent events have dispelled much prejudice: it is felt, that al- though much remains to be done, a step was taken in the right direction when the first band of fourteen nurses was sent out, the only ones considered sufficiently trained of the two hundred and eighty lady volunteers. It is no longer necessary to show how much work there is to be done in hospitals, schools, workhouses, penitentiaries, pri- sons, and poor parishes, this has been done by abler hands ;* but it occurred to me, that a more detailed des- a<¢ Account of the Institution for Deaconesses,’? Hookham. ‘* Rastern Hospitals and English Nurses.’ ‘* Ismeer.’’ Mrs. Jameson’s ‘* Sisters of Charity and Communion of Labour.”’ *‘ Ecclesiastic’? for January 1855. ‘‘ Hospitals and Sister- hoods,’ aryPebetets ag ee 6 PREFACE. cription than that given six years ago by Miss Nightin- gale of an institution, in which she was herself trained, and which has since that time added many new features, might assist those who are considering the best way of turning to account the wasted energy of our country- women, of those whose highest happiness it would be, like Mary, Joanna, and Susannah, to follow Curisr (5. Luke viii. 8), and listen to His words, as He tells His Apostles of the good seed sown by the wayside, which, if left exposed, will be devoured by the birds of the air,—when He speaks of the thorns and thistles, the fashionable restraints and worldly pleasures, which prevent the bringing forth much fruit,—of the self-indulgent spirit, which receives the Word with joy only when it does not interfere with com- fort and reputation, but withers away in the cold blasts of contempt, and draws back when told “Thou art beside thyself.” There are many, who when they pray to Gop to comfort and succour all who are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity, cannot be satisfied with giving a small portion of their money, who tremble at, the thought of being numbered ‘ with the women who are at ease, with the careless daughters,” who desire to of- fer themselves a lively sacrifice. O that CuHrist would take us by the hand! He has but to speak the word, ‘“‘ Daughter, I say unto thee, Arise,” and we shall arise and minister to Him; then will the scorners acknowledge, we were only sleeping, and our souls will magnify the Lorp. But we must not expect any seed to take deep root and bear fruit in a day; the Apostles and deacons of the early Church went through a period of probation. Some willPREFACE. T be called, who cannot be chosen for the work ; who want that combination of*wisdom and devotion required in those sent to prepare the way where Curist intends to come. (S. Matt. x. 16.) There are many difficulties in our way, but we must not call them impossibilities; for if we be- lieve with Pastor Fliedner, that the order of Deaconesses was founded by the Apostles, we shall not be afraid, that in restoring it, we are doing anything to endanger the truth. In ashort published account of the Institution for Deaconesses, Pasgor Fliedner thus writes: “The Apostles of our Lorp, on the first establishment of the Church at Jerusalem, besides their spiritual duties, had undertaken to provide for the bodily wants of the poor, (Acts vi. 2.) They soon however found it inexpe- dient for them to leave the Word of Gop and serve tables, but at the same time were unwilling to entrust the care of the poor to unsystematic charity. They therefore desired the multitude of the disciples (Acts vi. 3) to look out seven men of honest report, and full of the Hoty Guost, and of wisdom, who should be called Diakonoi (i. e. servants) of the poor. The disciples chose seven men whom they set before the Apostles ; and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. (Ver. 6.) Before their appointment to this office in the Church, the deacons were required, ac- cording to the directions of §. Paul, to pass through a pro- bationary trial. (1 Tim. iii. 10.) ‘Soon after this it was found necessary to appoint also female deacons, because they were better able to attend upon the women and children, and the Church could more easily obtain access by their means to the Jewish and hea-8 PREFACE. then women, than would otherwise have been possible, when we consider the restraints imposed upon women in the east. S. Paul mentions Phoebe, a (dtaxoves) deaconess of the Church at Cenchrea (Rom. xvi. 1), desiring the Christians there ‘to receive and assist her in whatever business she had need of them.’ He intreats the brethren at Philippi (Phil. iv. 8) to help those women which la- boured with him in the Gospel. He greets Tryphena and Tryphosa, the labourers in the Lorn, and Persis, who laboured much in the Lorp. We hear algo of the daugh- ters of Philip, who prophesied. “The deaconesses were some of them widows (1 Tim. v. 9, 10), from that class of persons for whom the Church must have provided. Some were unmarried, as Tertul- lian? and Epiphanius> at the end of the second and begin- ning of the fourth century tell us. Like the deacons, they were ordained to their office by the laying on of hands.¢ Some were advanced in years, but many were ad- mitted young, because a strong constitution was required in those who undertook to nurse the sick. Besides caring for the infirm and poor, they visited prisons,’ instructed as catechists the female candidates for baptism,*® anointed the @ Tertul. de Veland. Virg. c. ix. b Exposit. Fid. n. xxi. ¢ Concil. Chalced. c. xv.—Constit. Apost. lib. viii. c. xix. See Coteler. Vol. II. p. 407. 4 Coteler. not. in lib. iii. c. xv. * Hieron. Com. in Rom. xvi. 1.PREFACE. 9 dead for burial, and performed other offices as servants of the Church. “Their successful labours excited the hatred of the hea- then. In the persecution under Trajan, at the beginning of the second century, two deaconesses were brought to the rack, but remained faithful. In S$. Chrysostom’s time, towards the end of the fourth century, forty deaconesses were appointed to the Church in Constantinople, and among others Olympias, who distinguished herself by her self-denial and unwearied charity.® ‘‘'This office continued in the Latin until the eighth, in the Greek Church until the twelfth century, and ceased in both chiefly on account of the abuses that had crept in. But amongst the Waldenses and the Bohemian and Mora- vian brethren there were still women called elders, who performed the duties of deaconesses. ‘They superintended the arrangements of the Church, reminded the younger women of their duties (Titus ii. 4), settled disputes, and sought to prevent all that might cause scandal. They vis- ited the sick of their own sex, consoled mourners, and as- sisted the needy. Many chose the unmarried state, not be- cause they imagined that they would thus attain a higher place in heaven, but that they might have more leisure in the performance of these duties. “ After the Reformation the order of deaconesses was re- stored in various places. The Prince of Sedan, in the Netherlands, after he and most of his subjects had accepted the Reformation, bestowed in 1559 the money belonging a Sozomen, lib. viii. c. ix.10 PREFACE. to the suppressed convents, upon the ‘ Demoiselles de Charité’ to assist the sick, the poor and the aged. “The first general Synod of the Reformed Church in 1568, restored the office of deaconess, which had existed in the Apostolic Church, and we find some traces of it amongst the English refugees in 1608.” How far the institution at Kaiserswerth has been success- ful in training deaconesses, it is the object of these pages to show.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. During a residence of some months in Germany, I had become acquainted with several ‘* Sisters” from Kaiserswerth, and invariably found that their faces beamed with pleasure when they spoke of their adopted home; I became so interested in the in- stitution, that I determined to visit it, and having obtained Pastor Fliedner’s kind permission to spend a few days there, took up my abode early one morn- ing in the Feierabendhaus. I was received by a very agreeable and intelligent deaconess, (diaconissin) to whom I was the bearer of a letter from her sister; she immediately intro- duced me to Mrs. Fliedner, who arranged how my time should be disposed of. But before proceeding to describe what I saw, I must give some description of the Institution itself. Kaiserswerth is a small town not far from12 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. Diisseldorf. The nearest railway station is Kal- kum, whence an agreeable walk of about two miles leads to the ‘ Diaconissen-Anstalt,’ This is situated close to the Rhine, and with its numer- ous houses and gardens may be said to form a small village. An old tower, now used as a store- house, and the ruins of an imperial castle, (from which the town takes its name) gives it a pictur- esque appearance. The Institution consists of— 1. The Parent-house, or house of education for the two classes of sisters, namely, both the nursing and teaching sisters, during the time that they are going through the various departments, under the direction and superintendence of experienced deaconesses. 2. The. Hospital. The Training School. The Day and Infant School. The Orphan Asylum. The Magdalen Asylum. 7. The Lunatic Asylum for women. There are now 240 sisters, whose duty it is to serve in the various institutions at Kaiserswerth, and in similar houses at home and abroad, to which they may be appointed by Pastor Fliedner, _to visit the sick and poor, (as our district visi-KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 13 tors, but more systematically) to nurse the poor in sickness, when they can .be spared, to attend families, who ask for their services, and, in time of war, to be ready to assist in the military hospitals. They never go singly when sent to reside in other institutions. (S. Mark vi. 7.) Pastor Fliedner and his wife are called Father and Mother, and are looked upon with the great- est affection and reverence. The Deaconesses are received from various ranks, so that whilst some have been servants, others are the daughters of noble families. When any person is desirous of admission, she must obtain a medical certificate that her health is generally good, and a letter of recommendation from the clergyman of her par- ish, as well as the consent of her parents, when living. If she seem in earnest, she is admitted to the ante-probationary house, which is quite shut off from the other departments ; its inmates, however, work under the strict observation of the senior sisters; the period of residence in this house varies from a few weeks to a year, and some, if found incompetent, are rejected. When the superior sisters are satisfied both of the sin- cerity and capability of the candidate, she is ad- mitted as (Probeschwester) probationary sister. For further particulars, see Appendix 3.-P KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 14 She now puts on the Sisters’ dress, a dark blue spotted cotton and a white cap with a plain nar- row edging, and goes through each particular station (or department) under the direction of the respective sisters, who are responsible to the head mistress of the probationaries. Hvery after- noon some time is devoted to instruction in singing, etc., for many come quite young, and those who belong to the poorer classes often require some additional elementary teaching. Such deaconesses as are suited for it become teaching sisters. Those trained as ‘ehrschwestern (teaching Sisters) are not required to go through all the departments ; they must, however, learn something of cook- ing, housekeeping, and the care of sick chil- dren. The average time of service as probationer (probeschwester) is one year, but this period is dependent upon the disposition and intelligence of the sister.2 Should she be considered fit, and de- sire it, she is ordained (eingesegnet) as deaconess. She then puts on the distinguishing dress, a blue spotted cotton for week days, and for Sundays a blue stuff, a plain linen collar, and a spotted mus- lin cap with a net quilling, a black satin bonnet, a It may vary from six months to more than two years. b See Appendix A.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 15 and a black shawl or cloak; this costume mark- ing their office is always a protection to them, but especially in their solitary night journeys. Certain sisters are employed in making the dresses for the whole establishment. Those who are fully admitted deaconesses are sent out, if they can be spared, to various hos: pitals, &c., but the demand for them is so great, that Pastor Fliedner is sometimés obliged to send those who have not completed their time of proba-_ tion. On taking upon herself the office, a deaconess binds herself to serve for five years, unless for rea- sons considered sufficient by the superiors, she should retire, or be dismissed. Should family duties require her presence, she is not only allowed, but advised to resign her office immediately: at the end of this period she renews it for another five years, or a longer period. Deaconesses have not often retired, but some have married. The institution undertakes to provide for all sisters, when no longer capable of active service. The Feierabend (holyday evening ) house is to be set apart for their residence during the even- ing of their days. There they can have the * Laws of the foundation, § 6, § 7.16 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. society of the younger deaconesses, and assist in the house, as far as they are able, and in the sick wards. I was much struck by the sunny joyfulness which pervades the whole establishment; there is none of that gloominess and melancholy associated with black crape and iron railings, which we are so apt to connect with the name of sisters; they seem overflowing with love to Him Who hath loved us, and to have found indeed joy and peace in believing. Of course this, as every other train- ing place in the world, has its trials; but as one of them said to me, ‘‘ There is something so satisfying in the work ;” and another, ‘‘If people only knew how much happiness we have, many more would come to us.” The diet is of course of the simplest description ; the sisters rise at half-past four or half-past five, breakfast at half-past six, on a beverage made of roasted and ground rye, without sugar, which makes a very fair substitute for coffee; after breakfast a hymn is sung, a portion of the Bible is read, and prayer is made by one of the sisters, of course, according to German custom, extempore. Dinner at twelve, a plain soup, perhaps meat with a liberal supply of vegetables. At three, rye- coffee, with one piece of white bread, and blackKAISERSWERTH SISTERIIOOD. LY bread and treacle ad Ubitum. For supper soup, black bread and butter. After supper a hymn is sung, and a chapter read out of some devotional book, and prayer is again made by a sister, with special reference to the institution, for Father and Mother, (i. e. Pastor Fliedner and his wife,) for all sisters at home and abroad, for all travelling, etc., as well as for spiritual graces, The first house which I visited was the Asylum for Female Lunatics, or, as they call it, Healing Institution (Heil-Anstalt.) It is a house three stories high, in each of which the inmates are ar- ranged, generally with reference to their former position in society. The story consists of a long gallery, into which the doors of the cells open ; each is a light, cheerful looking room, with, in most cases, two beds, one for the patient, the other for a sister, who sleeps, when it is practicable, in the same room or in one adjoining; the refrac- tory patients have a separate house. At the end of this gallery is a large room overlooking the Rhine, where the patients receive their friends, and have music. There is a chapel, with one part railed off, for those who are not quite to be trusted; also a greenhouse and a nice garden. Pastor Dis- telhoff and his wife (the daughter of Pastor Flied- ner) reside here; there are at present about twenty D* _18 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. patients, but there is accommodation for many more. I spent nearly the whole afternoon in the rooms devoted to sick children. This is a favourite post with the sisters; they have some infants only a few months old, sent to them on the mother’s death. Many come to be cured of club foot and rickets: this is called, all over Germany, even in the hospital lists, the English sickness. Those who are old and strong enough to learn, have daily some instruction from the sisters, and amuse themselves with games, or plaiting straw for making hats, mats, slippers, &. I took lessons in this useful art from a fat, merry boy, whom the others called Grandmamma. All are taught to make themselves useful in waiting upon them- selves and others. I was much pleased with the results of the kind and judicious training of the sisters: the children seemed happy and obe- dient. On Sunday we got up soon after five, break- fasted, joined in the morning prayers and hymn, read and talked to the sisters who were not too busy till half-past nine; we then went to the chapel, and had the usual Lutheran service, with an interesting sermon from Pastor Distelhoff. After which we visited the ante-probationary rooms, theKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 19 sick wards, and surgery, where the sisters learn to make up medicines, and perform simple opera- tions, cupping, &e. After dinner I had a de- lightful walk with a large party of sisters, climbed up the ruin, and visited the prettiest points we were able to reach within our prescribed time. On our return we assembled at Church: instead of giving a sermon, Pastor Fliedner catechised chil- dren, probationary sisters and deaconesses, be- ginning with the first Epistle of S. Peter. This service was higly interesting, and the catechu- mens, it is scarcely necessary to say, were well in- structed. After Church we visited the Magdalen Asylum, the Orphan school, containing about thirty chil- dren, and the adjacent Training school, where the pupils receive instruction from the teaching sis- ters and the resident clergy, and give lessons in the orphan and infant schools, in presence of their teachers. These pupils (seminaristinnen,) after passing the Government examination, are sent as mistresses to schools, or governesses to private families ; but they do not generally become dea- conesses.# * Partly because their duties are not of such a nature as to require it,—and in some cases it might be difficult to com- ply with the rules; partly because the difficulty of keeping20 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. We next went to Pastor Fliedner’s library : here books published for the institution are sold, and the mass of papers from all the houses in con- nexion are arranged in their respective pigeon- holes by a ‘sister, who has this charge. I need hardly say that everything is in the most perfect order, otherwise it would be impossible to keep accounts correctly, and arrange the monthly and yearly reports. Sisters who are ill, or quite incapable of assist- ing, are sent to a country place at some distance, called Salem, where they stay until their health is restored. After going through these various departments, we went into the infant schoolroom, to be present at the Sunday school. This was held by the sis- ter to whom I was first introduced; and I was never present at a lesson which seemed to give so much pleasure to children and listeners, as well as to the teacher, who certainly understood the art of drawing out children by means of ques- tions. At seven, as it was the birthday of one of up a constant superintendence over so large a body of teach- ers, who are of course much dispersed, would be too great ; and partly because their numbers would too much swell the ranks of those whom the institution is bound to support in sickness and age.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 21 the orphans, there was a feast, consisting of rice, plums, and bread and butter. The room was prettily ornamented with hanging lamps and wreaths of flowers, and about twelve sisters were invited. Mr. and Mrs. Fliedner and two clergy- men came. After we had sung a hymn chosen by the child, Pastor Fliedner gave a book, and a nice address. He spoke particularly of our duty, not simply to serve, but also to imitate Cunisr. After supper Pastor Distelhoff and a resident candidate kept not only the children, but us also amused for more than an hour, with tales, warn- ing and instructive, such as the Germans excel in relating. We then concluded with a hymn and prayer. 7 I left Kaiserswerth with a letter kindly given me by Pastor Fliedner to the sisters at Diissel- dorf, where I spent a most agreeable day in the hospital superintended by them. I think it will not be uninteresting to trace the origin and ‘progress of the Institution for Dea- conesses (NDiaconissen-Anstalt), taking as our guide a short account published by Pastor Flied- ner in the ‘‘ Armen und Kranken Freund.” In 1822, its founder was appointed to his first living at Kaiserswerth, an extremely small village on the Rhine, containing about two hundred of the22 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. Reformed Faith, nearly all of whom were connected with a large velvet manufactory : the rest of the in- habitants were Roman Catholics. He had scarcely been four weeks in the place when the firm failed, the workmen were thrown out of employment, and, if not compelled to remove elsewhere, were no longer able to pay for a church and school. Pastor Fliedner was offered another living: he answered that he could not consider it consistent with his duty as shepherd to desert his flock just at a time when they most needed spiritual care and watchfulness. He therefore collected, in the neighbouring communities, enough for the more immediate wants of his church; but, find- ing this would not long suffice, he undertook, in 1823, a journey through Holland and Hng- land, in order to obtain pecuniary assistance. He became interested in many of our charitable institutions, but the societies whose aim was to improve the prisons chiefly attracted his notice. On his return, finding his small congregation did not require the whole of his time, he obtained permission (1825) to hold a service in the prison at Diisseldorf; the space assigned for this service consisted of two sleeping-rooms, connected by a doorway, in which he stood so as to be heard by both men and women.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 23 Having thus taken upon himself the office of Chaplain, he necessarily gained an insight into the melancholy state of the prisons. To use his own words, ‘‘ There was no classification, no re- gular employment, no instruction for the children : prisons were indeed schools of vice. There was great want of cleanliness, the food and beds were bad; but the governors of prisons in the whole province were rich.” In 1826 he travelled through Rhenish-Prussia, examined the prisons, and promoted the esta- blishment of a prison society. And now he began to feel the need of such servants of the Church as S. Paul mentions under the title of deaconesses, to undertake the care of the female prisoners. On his return he represented to the Disseldorf Benevolent Society the necessity of founding an asylum, to be superintended by women, where the female prisoners might reside on their dismissal, where they might receive religious instruction, and whence, after their good resolutions were tested and strengthened, they might be sent to service in well-regulated families, or be otherwise employed. But who would undertake the man- agement? All kinds of objections were raised. At last Pastor Fliedner declared himself ready to undertake it.24 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. ‘In my first wife,” he says, ‘‘I had indeed a faithful helper. She had for several years served, out of charity, in a house of refuge for neglected children, and had intended to devote herself en- tirely to’ the care of the prison in Diisseldorf. She obtained the assistance of an early friend, who, for want of a better asylum, was installed in a small house in my garden. We soon after re- ceived the first inmate, and at the end of the month I was able triumphantly to tell a certain Countess—who had prophesied that our plan would never succeed, and that all the inmates would run away—that things were progressing favour- ably. We shortly after hired a larger house, and our asylum was about to be removed, when all at once the families inhabiting the house declared they would not keep their promise of removing into a smaller dwelling. Rather than insist posi- tively on our right, we resolved to yield, and our- selves take possession of the smaller one; but when they saw us making preparations for this, they came to a better mind, and we experienced the truth of the promise, ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’ ” ‘‘Thus the work @ ame properly into operation, and gave me and my wife much to do, both with regard to the internal and external arrangements.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 25 We were obliged to bring together nearly all the money ourselves, for we only received from the Prison Society about £22. 10s. a year; but the difficulty of doing this was nothing compared with that of reclaiming the degraded convicts. Gop, however, strengthened our weak faith, by allowing us to see the good seed spring up in the hearts of five of the inmates. We had also ob- tained the help of a most patient and loving assist- ant, who afterwards married a missionary in Borneo, where she is now working with much success.” The destitute and neglected children next at- tracted Pastor Fliedner’s notice; he established first a knitting, and afterwards an infant school, for children, whose mothers went out to work. This also was successful, and he had now time to consider the state of the sick poor. ‘‘ How often,” he says, ‘‘ had I seen them almost forsaken, their bodily wants badly provided for, their spiritual quite neglected, fading away in unwholesome rooms, and perishing like the leaves in autumn: how many even populous towns were without hospitals, and, where these did exist, I had found that, though sometimes the entrance hall was splendidly adorned with marble, the nursing was bad,—and the doctors complained bitterly of the drunkenness and immorality of the hired servants. 326 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. ‘‘And what shall I say of the spiritual care? In many hospitals there was no chaplain, and in very few a chapel: formal religious superinten- dence had indeed survived in the Roman Catholic hospitals, but this could not satisfy a close ob- server. Did not such evils cry to heaven? Did not our Lorp’s terrible words apply to us? ‘I was sick, and ye visited Me not.’ Were not our Protestant Christian women able and willing to devote themselves to the care of the sick? Those who had with so much zeal and _ self-devotion served in the military hospitals, during the wars of 1818—1815, had shown us that there were. Klizabeth Fry, and many others who had not feared the pestilential air in the prisons, and our own fellow-labourers in the asylum and _ schools, had given us encouragement and confidence. ‘‘Had not the Apostolic Church made use of women to nurse the sick, and appointed some to the office of (é:axovos) deaconess? Had not the Ancient Christian Church, following the ex- ample of the first disciples, set apart those deacon- esses as servants of the Church? and should we longer hesitate to revive this office, and restore these holy handmaids of the Lorp? These and similar considerations gave us no rest. ‘* But surely our little Kaiserswerth was not theKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 27 right place to found a Protestant house for deacon- esses, aud to educate Protestant nurses, a place with scarcely 1800 inhabitants, nearly all of whom were Roman Catholics; it would not supply enough patients for the purpose, and was so poor that we could not there expect to obtain the necessary funds. Besides, older and more ex- perienced pastors were fitter than I for such an un- dertaking.- I went to five neighbouring towns, which I considered suitable, and begged the clergy to undertake such an institution. They replied, ‘that they had too much to do; whilst I, with my small congregation and in the quiet village of Kaiserswerth, was favourably situated; that Gop had given me opportunities for obtaining the neces- sary experience during my travels, and He could also direct money, patients, and nurses to Kaisers- werth: they would help me as far as they could’ ‘‘ Well, then we thought God intended us to take this weight upon our shoulders. We first looked about for a house; just then the largest and handsomest house in the village was to be sold for £345; but we had no money; however, we bought the house on April 20th, 1836, I undertook to pay for it at Martinmas, 11th No- vember. It was long before we received much assistance. At last a friend and her brother28 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. promised to lend us £270 upon a first mortgage, the remaining £75 were very difficult to obtain, since we could only offer a second mortgage. However we trusted in Gop. ‘‘On the 30th of May, 1836, the rules for a Deaconess Society (Diaconissin-Verein) were ex- amined, and signed in the house of our friend Count Stolberg, whom we chose as President. We wished our society to be identified with the Church, and for this reason proposed that the Presidents of the Synod should, in virtue of their office, be members of the Council. In the mean- time the inhabitants of Kaiserswerth were most anxious to know for what purpose I had bought the house. At first they thought it was for a new velvet manufacturer, or some rich gentle- man: but as it came out by degrees that it was for a hospital under my management, the Roman Catholic tenants, who had a right to remain in my purchased house a whole year, began to make an outcry. ‘They had not taken lodgings in a hospital—they would not allow any patient to come into the house while they lived there—if it were attempted, they would remove, and take care to obtain several hundred thalers damage.’ They tried to excite the Roman Catholic Clergy to prevent the establishment of a hospital underKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 29 Protestant direction. But we were not think- ing of making proselytes of the patients; and as the best proof of this, we had chosen as our doctor a Roman Catholic, who had been recom- mended to us by the Council a8 the most skilful practitioner, although there were Protestant doc- tors in the town. One of these was so angry at our having preferred the younger and the Roman Catholic, that he went all over the place exciting the inhabitants against our proposed hos- pital. ‘A multitude of patients sick of the plague, the cholera, and other infectious diseases would be carried into the hospital; and since this was in the middle of the town, the infected atmosphere would extend itself to all parts; the town itself would become one great Lazaretto, and every day corpses would be carried out of the hospital.’ ‘This gave the Roman Catholics more pretext for their opposition, and one day two Town Coun- cillors called upon me, and required me to desist from my undertaking, telling me the whole town was against it, and they would complain of me to the Government. They advised me to buy the old House of Correction, which was just beyond the town; but this was quite unsuitable, so I answered them quietly, that they might as well leave me in peace, for they would find the estab-30 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. lishment of great use to the town, which was as yet without a hospital. Our Roman Catholic doctor quite lost courage, but we did not; and in the midst of these difficulties a ray of light shone through the clouds. Besides purchase-money, we had also to provide funds for fitting up the hos- pital; where these were to be found I could not tell. ‘Qn the Ist of September I went to a mis- sionary festival at Munchen-Gladbach; during the meeting [I did not venture to mention my scheme ; but having been invited with several others who were interested in the cause of the mission to a friend’s house, we talked about various things, and then that glorious hymn— ‘Jnsus Curist rules as King’—was sung. I felt that He was indeed all-powerful, and with renewed confidence in Him began to speak of my wish to educate Protestant deaconesses. Great sympathy was manifested; this was a most agree- able surprise to me, for I was almost a stranger, and my purpose was known only to very few. ‘The following morning my friends accompanied me to Dusseldorf, and on taking leave gave me thirty thalers, (£4. 10s.) which they had in haste collected the preceding evening after my depar- ture. With a beating heart I brought the moneyze. ° KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. ot to my wife. But now we were to have still more encouragement. An elderly and experienced Christian lady, the daughter of a doctor at Ruhrort, was prevailed on to pay us a_ visit, and consult with us about taking upon herself the office of deaconess. She had for many years assisted her father and brother, (also a medical man) by nursing and dressing wounds; she had, at the same time, gained much experience in the spiritual care of the sick and poor; she was, In every respect, suitable for a deaconess, but she was wavering and undecided, for one of her brothers, (the doctor) was opposed to her wishes, and she herself perceived that we had made scarcely any preparations for a hospital. She was still irresolute, and upon the point of starting for home, when a large parcel came by post from Munchen Gladbach ; we opened it before her, and found, to our astonishment, a large quantity of beautiful linen, handkerchiefs, bandages, and many other things for our hospital. This, to- gether with the advice of her brother, a clergy- man in England, whom she always consulted on matters of importance, turned the scale in our favour, and she promised to come in October. ‘‘T travelled to Elberfield and Barmen to make collections for fitting up. I was kindly received,oe KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. and obtained numerous subscriptions, though we could point to no fruit, not even to blossoms or leaves; we could only say the seed had been sown, which we hoped might become a tree. It is true that one lady angrily showed me the door, and asked me whether I was not ashamed of trying to found nunneries in our Protestant Church. Some favourably disposed Protestants doubted whether our plan of educating deacon- esses, who should perform the same duties as the Romish sisters, were practicable; for, as they said, we had not, and indeed could not have, with our belief in the Bible, that great motive power, which they had, namely, the mistaken belief that we could, by these charitable works, merit heaven. But I could answer, we certainly have not that strong motive, for it is contrary to Gov’s Word; but we have a far more powerful one in our grateful love to the Lorp Juzsus Curist, Who has deserved heaven for us, and bestows upon us all earthly blessings; and this love constrains us with a divine energy to devote ourselves to His service, in ministering to His sick and suffering members. October came, Sister Gertrude was expected on the 20th, but we could not wait so long—we could not rest until the hospital was opened. A lady from DiisseldorfKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. og offered to assist us-for nine months, although she would not become a deaconess; and our nurse, who wished to be infant school mistress, proposed to remove for a time into the deaconess-house, and help nurse the sick. Thus was our deaconess- house opened without a single deaconess. ‘Qn the 13th these two furnished the ground- floor sufficiently for themselves and a few sick persons: they had one table, a few broken chairs, some damaged knives, some forks with only two prongs, some old worm-eaten French bedsteads, various as to form and colour. With such furni- ture and cooking utensils as had been presented to us, we took up our abode in the house with great joy and thanksgiving; for we knew, we felt, that the Lorp had here prepared a place for us. But now would any patients come? Though many of all persuasions were well disposed towards our institution, others were working hard against us. ‘‘ However, early on Sunday morning, the 11th of October, our first patient came and begged for free admission; she was a Roman Catholic servant from the town. Several persons had tried to dis- suade her from coming, and promised her a room and a nurse, but had not kept their word, so her Roman Catholic mistress put in a word for us. ‘**Scarcely had she been an hour in the house,34 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. when one of the tenants, in a great passion, in- sisted on seeing me. Although I already had my gown on and was going to church, he required that I should that minute send the sick person away. ‘He would not live in a_hospital—he would indict me.’ I begged him to compose him- self, for I must go to service; he continued raving—he went straight to the mayor, who hap- pened to be with some friends at the apothecary’s, and demanded of him very violently, that he should immediately turn our patient out of the house. The mayor, a considerate and benevolent man, said he did not feel himself justified in doing this; then the tenant rated him in the presence of the others, and called him a stupid fellow. The mayor, who was also an officer of militia, demanded an explanation, and the col- lector of taxes who was present at the uproar, ran backwards and forwards as mediator between the mayor, and the tenant, and me; he was soon successful in reconciling the contending parties. ‘‘Then the tenant went to Count Stolberg, and offered to go out of the house for one hundred thalers: upon the Count’s advice I bargained with the chief tenant, who was a reasonable man, —I offered thirty thalers for them all, and pro- mised to buy some furniture; so they went off toKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 35 Diisseldorf, and we had, to our great joy, the whole house to ourselves. ‘*We soon found the advantage of this, for it was not long before more patients came from Barmen, and even our own town, notwithstanding the opposition. “Qn the 20th of September our first deaconess came; some candidates for the office soon fol- lowed; so now we had no want either of patients or nurses. Shortly before Martinmas, Count Stolberg had prevailed on a noble friend to lend us the remaining £75 to pay for the house. There was no lack of ridicule among the Roman Catholics. They said that because the sisters took no vows of celibacy, and were not subject to other conventual rules, that the whole must come to nothing. ‘‘At first the mayor did not even take the trouble to write down the names of the sisters, he thought the whole affair of so little consequence ; we were despised; but here also it was Gon’s pleasure to choose the base things of the world and things which are despised, that no flesh should. glory in His presence. Thus we endeay- oured to follow the Apostolic Church; the seed was sown in faith, and the Lord has already arisen to fulfil His promises, making it to grow36 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. up and spread out its fruitful branches over many lands. May it prove a tree of life, whose leaves may be for the healing of the sick and wretched amongst Christians and Heathens, Jews and Turks; so that the Church of Curist may be- come a holy temple, a fit dwelling for Gop the Hoty Guost.” Such was the apparently insignificant beginning of an institution which now provides daily for about 400 persons residing within its walls, and which since its foundation twenty years ago has. trained 240 sisters. The number of sick received into the hospital during the year 1855, was 774. The training school, since its first opening, has sent out 740 teachers, during the past year 07. The infant school averages 90 children. The orphan asylum contains about 30. The lunatic asylum has received during the last year 29. The Magdalen asylum 28, and since its foun- dation 280. To show that the deaconesses are valued in Germany, it is sufficient to say that they are em- ployed in 41 hospitals, schools, and other charitable institutions, as well as in many parishes as district visitors.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 37 In addition to this they have flourishing houses in Jerusalem, Smyrna, Constantinople, Pittsburg in North America, and other places. Five sisters are engaged in the German hospital in London. The King and Queen of Prussia have mani- fested a warm interest in the institution, and the church authorities especially feel its value. Dr. Khan, general superintendent of the synod of Rhenish Prussia and Westphalia, recommended it strongly in a circular letter to his clergy; and other ecclesiastical synods have noticed it favour- ably. It is satisfactory to be able to add the testi- mony of an eminent German physician, who after assisting for three years in a hospital served by paid nurses, had seen the working of the Kaisers- werth deaconesses in another hospital. He had been greatly annoyed by the necessity of perpetu- ally watching the nurses, to see if they drank them- selves or allowed the patients to receive anything from without, and whether they executed the med- ical orders with care and cleanliness. He had found the utmost watchfulness of. little use, and even where the nurses complied with the external regulations, they exercised no beneficial influence on the minds of the patients. And this is gene- rally the case with nurses who work for gain, f38 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. though there may be exceptions. The toil is great, the duties often disgusting, the pecuniary remuneration in comparison small. | He proceeds to state that where the voluntary system of nursing exists, no intemperance is ever seen. Every service is performed with the utmost kindness, cleanliness, order, and punctuality. If a shade of ill-humour is seen, owing to the in- gratitude of patients, or the difficulty of pleasing them, a word of encouragement is sufficient to make such nurses recommence their work of love with fresh zeal and redoubled patience and _perse- verance. He says he never heard a medical man complain of a deaconess interfering with his orders, or giving her opinion on a patient’s case; and he considers that the tone of mind of the patients is raised by the deaconesses. To their teaching and example he ascribes a happy change in many cases. To the objection raised by some that the patient must not be alarmed about himself, he answers, that he never had the slightest reason to suppose that any of the deaconesses had through her spirit- ual attendance injured the bodily welfare of a single patient; on the contrary, he had seen much benefit from it to the body. Upon reflecting on the result to my own mind of my brief visit to Kaiserswerth, I cannot but ad-KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 39 mire the extensive field of usefulness thus open to earnest, active, and pious women, I am pleased with the number, character, and definiteness of the objects provided for their labours, and struck with the appearance of health and happiness which characterizes its inmates, with the daylight of hap- piness which beams in the midst of sickness and suffering. I could not but contrast the aimless existence of many of my own countrywomen, the dreary regions of the fashionable world, with the wide field under cultivation by this band of sis- ters, who, by Gon’s blessing, penetrate year by year further into the wilderness and rescue so many of their fellow creatures from evils more to be dreaded than want, pestilence and the sword. Am I wrong in thinking that many, who have sought in a Church “ wise in her generation” opportuni- tres for usefulness denied to them in their own, might if rightly trained and directed, have worthily followed in the footsteps of the deaconesses of the primitive Church? At the same time, however, that we would recommend such an institution ag that at Kaiserswerth, as a fitting sphere for the la- bours of earnest and devoted women, we would warn all to try themselves, lest under the influence of a temporary excitement they take a step which they may afterwards desire to retrace. The hap-40 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. piness of a deaconess does not arise from external circumstances, it is a peace which the world can- not give. She must be prepared to live away from the world, without any society but. that of a few sick persons and children, without beauti- ful services; to believe, in the midst of unbelief and sin, in the holy Catholic Church and the Com- munion of Saints. She must be always watching for her Lorp’s coming, for in the midst of the pestilence and near the field of battle is her post. Whilst we would remind all that the first duty of a daughter is to show piety at home,—that we must not try to serve Gop by neglecting the duties imposed by Him,—that if we have been unfaithful in that which is least, we shall also be unfaithful in much,—we would ask each whether she is standing all the day idle, when the Master hath called her to labour in His vineyard,—wheth- er it cam be said of her, ‘‘ she hath done what she could ?” ® At the yearly festival, 1855, eleven deaconesses were to be ordained, the number was however only eight, for, two days previously, three were ordained and sent to Frankfort, because two sisters had there died suddenly of the cholera. They started not only undismayed, but so ful] of joyful courage, that they sang as they were going the hymn ‘‘ Oh that I had a thousand tongues.”ALRPERNDIX., ee SERVICE FOR THE ORDINATION OF DEACONESSES. HYMN I. O, glorious Prince of life, defend Thy poor house here on earth ; extend To it Thy shielding care, and deign That here be never done in vain The smallest work of love ; and fill Each soul with strength to do Thy will. And oh, let Mary’s spirit blest Alike on every sister rest, That they, in hope, through grief and pain, May bear Thy yoke, and count it gain: And if oppressive it should be, Say to their hearts, ‘‘ Come, follow Me, For I am with thee—I am He Who bore the Cross on Calvary.”’ Then with fresh courage we’ll arise, Pursue our journey to the skies, Fight for the home we have in view, And following Thee, our foes subdue. As thou Thyself, in days gone by, Supportedst uncomplainingly,KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. In silence and in gentleness, And in a spirit full of peace, For us the yoke of love,—impart, We pray Thee, Lorp, to every heart That peace, which worketh full of love, And wearies not : grant this, to prove That Thou art in us, and that we Even on earth are still with Thee. O Lorp, our Saviour and Defence, We seek no earthly recompense ; But be our home Thy mercy-seat, And we shall tread with willing feet Our pathway here; and striving still Our lowly duties to fulfil, Stand waiting for that harvest bright Reserved for those who walk in light. M.A Address. We are to-day assembled in the presence of our Lorp to celebrate a holy solemnity, to make a sol- emn, but joyful covenant. In order fully to understand the deep meaning of this ceremony, let us imagine ourselves standing amongst the first members of the Church of Curist at Jerusalem, that model of all Christian churches upon earth, just founded by the Apostles, walking in the fear of the Lorp, and fulfilled with the con- solation of the Hoty Guost. Here, in this newly-planted garden. of the Lorp, when the number of the disciples was mul-KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 43 tiplied, were felt those wants and weaknesses which exist everywhere on earth. There were widows and orphans, poor and sick members who required daily assistance, but whose needs were overlooked for want of regular care. Then the twelve called together the multitude of the dis- ciples, and commanded them to choose out seven men, of good report, full of the Horny Guosr and of wisdom, to assist the widows and orphans, to take care of the sick and poor, as servants of the Church, or deacons. They then prayed, and laid their hands on them, and ordained them to the office of deacons. Not long after the Church, in like manner, ap- pointed female assistants, to provide for the wants of the sick and the poor, as servants of the Church, or deaconesses. The Apostle speaks with praise of Phoebe, as of one in the service of the Corin- thian Church, who had been a succourer of many, and of himself also. (Rom. xvi. 1.) These deaconesses laboured after the Apostolic times, for many centuries, profitably in the Church of Curist. Their charity embraced the poor, the sick, prisoners and children; and in the fourth century forty were active in the Church at Con- stantinople. To-day these seven women before us desire to44 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. be appointed to a similar work of love in ‘the service of the Church, as those forty,—as Phceebe in Cenchreea, as the seven deacons in Jerusalem. They are of good report, as those deacons; they have prayed for the Hoty Sprrir, and the wis- dom from above (Acts vi. 3); they hold the mys- tery of the faith in a pure conscience (1 Tim. iii. 9); for, feeling their own impurity and sin- fulness, they have turned with penitence to the Saviour of sinners, and He has made known to them the covenant of grace, and purified their hearts by faith, They have also been proved, as S. Paul required of the deacons (1 Tim. iii. 10); they have gone through a long period of proba- tion, that we might see whether they were skilful and unblameable in the service of the sick and poor (1 Tim. iii. 10); they have, under the direc- tion of the superior and the physician, exercised themselves in the bodily care of the sick and poor, whose servants they are to be; and, under the direction of the Clergyman, learnt to satisfy the spiritual wants of those under their care, as far as is consistent with their office. Whenever they could, they have relieved the afflicted and the miserable, and have diligently followed every good work. (1 Tim. v. 10.) Having been found worthy to fulfil the dutiesKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. AB of deaconess, we will to-day, in the Name of the Hoty Triniry, admit them to this office. But it is fitting, my dear sisters, that here, in the presence of Gop and this congregation, the duties to which you are about to devote your- selves should again be laid before you. You are to be servants of the Church of Gop as deaconesses, especially as ministers of her sick and poor; but also, if need be, of prisoners and destitute children: it will therefore be your duty, according as you shall be specially directed, to serve in a threefold capacity, as (1.) Servants of the Lorp Jzsvs. (2.) Servants of the sick and poor, for Juzsus’ sake. (5.) Servants one to another. First, as servants of the Lorp Jxrsus. You are not only bound, as every Christian, to live to the honour of Gop, but you have also made it the special object of your life to serve Him with all your powers in the sick and weak members of His Body. You are therefore so much the more bound to die to all the pleasures, honours, riches, and joys of the world; to seek your joy in this service of love, through gratitude to Him, Who took upon Him the form of a servant, and suf- fered death for you, even the death of the Cross.A6 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. You are not to seek for abundant earthly re- ward in this service: if you have food and raiment, you must be therewith content. You must not seek honour from man; you must go forth unto Jusus, bearing His reproach. You must not seek earthly pleasure and ease; you must deny yourselves, and take up your cross daily and follow Him. What an honour is yours! You are to minister to Him, Whom it is the highest honour of the holy angels to serve,—the King of kings and Lorp of lords,—to serve Him as His handmaid, to wait upon Him in His members. As Mary of Bethany had always before her eyes the one thing needful, and therefore rejoiced to sit at Jesus’ feet, but was also ready, when it was permitted her, to wait upon and to anoint Him,—as she did not shrink from expense, trouble, or the derision of men,—so must you always desire, on the one hand, to hear Jxsus, on the other to serve Him with a love which beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Then will His glorious promises be yours. He will say to you, ‘‘T was naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Whoso receiveth a little child in MyKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 47 Name, receiveth Me.” Come, ye blessed of My Faruer, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (S. Matt. xxv. 36, 34.) Secondly, as servants of the sick and poor, for Jusus’ sake. As S. Paul made himself servant unto all, that he might gain the more, so must you be specially servants of the sick and poor, not to obtain praise from them, but out of love and submission to the Lorp, Whose representatives you are. Therefore you must not serve them with such in- dulgence as might strengthen their perverse will, but always with the holy zeal of parental affection striving to win their souls for the Lorp. Thirdly, as servants one to another. It is your duty, my sisters, when several of you are working together, to show that love which leads us in lowliness of mind to esteem others better than ourselves. (Phil. ii. 8.) Whosoever will be great among you, let her be the servant of all. If you are one, by a living faith in our common Lorp and Saviour, you are more nearly related to one another than if you were united by the closest ties of blood. You are ac- knowledged as daughters by the Great High Priest, Who says to you, ‘‘ By this shall all men know48 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. that ye are My disciples, if ye love one another.” (S. John xiii. 35.) As such, Christian servants, it is your duty, Finally, with childlike obedience to respect the authority of the superiors of the deaconess-in- stitution who are over you in the Lorp, and labour among you with parental love. In the presence of Gop and this congregation I now demand of you, Are you determined faithfully to fulfil these duties belonging to the office of a deaconess, in the fear of the Lorn according to His Holy Word ? Answer. Yes. May Juxsus Curist, the chief Shepherd and Bishop of your souls, seal your profession and vow with His yea and Amen, and own you for ever as His. Amen. Draw near, and give me and the superior your hands in confirmation of your promise. Kneel down.? The triune Gop, Gop the Fa- THER, Son and Hoty Guost, bless you, make you faithful unto death, and give unto you the crown of everlasting life. Amen. Let us who are here assembled, and desire for these deaconesses salvation and blessing, pray for them. @ The deaconesses are ordained with imposition of hands.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 49 O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the“Lorp our Maker, (The congregation kneel.) Farurr of mercy, Who hast led these Thy servants to Thy Son, so that they have given themselves up to Him for His own possession, and desire to serve Him with all the powers of their body and soul in adminis- tering to the sick and poor; we humbly beseech Thee, be merciful unto them and direct their hearts into Thy love’ and into the patient waiting for Cunist, that they may live and work in Thee and rejoice in Thy favour always. O Lorp Jxsus, Thou merciful High Priest, Who hast purchased these souls with Thy Blood ; Thine they are: they have devoted themselves to Thy service. Enlighten them with the bright beams of Thy truth, strengthen the weak by Thy power, and give them an abundant measure of Thy meekness and humility, that they may ac- knowledge themselves unprofitable servants be- fore Thee, and desire to be and do nothing of themselves, but only to the honour of Thy glo- rious Name. OQ Gop the Hoty Guost, Thou Spirit of peace ; replenish them with Thy peace, that they, as Thy messengers, may bring peace to the homes and families of the sick, and the circle of sisters; 550 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. grant that they may be ever adorned with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, and may be so governed by the spirit of obedience towards all their superiors, feeling that in performing their commands they are obeying Thee. (Heb. xiii. 17; ES. Pet. 11. (85 sl Cor:-xiv, 34.) Grant them to know, O triune Gop, that they serve Thee and not man; pour out Thy peace upon them like a river. (Isa. xlviii. 18.) Let Thy free Sprerr sustain them, that they may always feel that it is good for them to be in Thy service, that godliness hath the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. And when duty calls them afar off, go Thou with them as Thou didst with Jacob. Keep them by Thine angels in all their ways, lest at any time they dash their feet against a stone; lead them with Thy Fatherly hand; guard them by Thy watchful eye, that when they walk through the dark valley they may not fear, and in the hour of death clothe them with the white gar- ments of Thy righteousness (Rev. iii. 5), and give them palms of victory in their hands (Rev. vii. 9), and grant unto them the crown of life. (Rey. ii. 10.) Amen. Amen.KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. HYMN II. ( Before the Celebration of the Holy Communion.*) Lorp, let them of those flve be found, Who when they hear the joyful sound Of Thy return, shall bear Their shining lamps, and on that morn To greet Thy Second Advent’s dawn, With joyful hearts prepare. O Lorn, we make our prayer to Thee, That faith, and hope, and charity, May all their hearts inspire : O Thou, of ev’ry light most bright, Before Whom darkness turns to light, Quicken each good desire. Preserve their souls in faithfulness, Come quickly, heal, renew, and bless ; Grant that each hour may be So counted, blessed Lorn, as Thine, That some good deed in each may shine, Each day be given to Thee. Exhortation. Ye have now entered as servants of QOurisr into His vineyard ; to you is entrusted the joy- ful duty of ministering to your Saviour in Hig sick and weak members. Arise, then, arise my sisters, gird yourselves as the wise virgins for His * The newly-ordained deaconesses receive the Lorp’s Supper.52 KAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. service. Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him, with your lamps in your hands. He standeth at the door and knocketh, in the form indeed of a servant, in the sick and mis- erable around you. Open then unto Him (Rey. iii. 19,) feed Him in the hungry, clothe Him in the naked (S. Matt. xxv. 40,) receive Him in His little ones (S. Matt. xviii. 5,) visit Him in the prisoners, bind up His wounds in the sick, and accompany Him in the dead to His last resting place. Yours is a blessed office, but one also beset with difficulties; how soon will the hands become weary and the knees feeble! (Isa. xxxv. 3.) Yet, thanks be to Gop, ye know the Bridegroom of your souls, when He comes to you, in other form than that of a servant; ye know Him as the Lorp of Glory, Who anoints with the oil of gladness of His Hoy Sprrir; therefore have ye desired this feast of mercy. Ye say, I have need to be fed of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And lo! He is here, the King of Glory, and saith, ‘‘ Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.’? There He, the Bridegroom standeth, in glorious Majesty ; He desires to adorn you with His wedding gar- ment,—to give you Himself, and all His DivineKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. 53 power, in the Communion of His Body and Blood. O ye have well done that ye are come; all things are ready. Open, then, your hands, your mouth, your heart, and receive of His fulness grace for grace. (S. John i. 16.) Yea, taste and see how gracious the Lorp is. Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. During the administration ts sung, O Curist, Thou Lamb of Gop, Who takest away the sins of the world: have mercy upon us. O Curist, Thou Lamb of Gop, Who takest away the sins of the world: have mercy upon us. O Curist, Thou Lamb of Gop, Who takest away the sins of the world: grant us Thy peace. Amen. The Thanksgiving. Concluding Hymn. Source of all bliss and joy divine, My deepest love, O Lorn, is Thine ; To feed, to clothe, to solace Thee, Oh, Saviour !*this is guanted me. When in true thanki;!ove we bear The poor man’s burden, grief and care, These words to us are sent from Thee, ** Come, O ye blessed, unto Me.”’ All those who little children love, Whose tender hearts with pity moveKAISERSWERTH SISTERHOOD. For ev’ry sufferer here below, For the lone captives in their woe ; Those who behold the poor’s sad tears, And still their weeping and their fears, To them a bright reward Thouw lt be, A shield, a guard, a panoply, With heavenly fire then fill each heart, O, Jesus, and to us impart Still more of love, untilit be Our highest, chief felicity, On earth to minister to Thee. Then the blessing is sung, The grace of our Lorp Jusus Curist, and the love of our Gop, and the fellowship of the Hoty Guost, be with us all. Amen. Lt QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EXAMINATION. The following is a series of questions for self- examination, prepared with especial reference to deaconesses by Pastor Fliedner. He has arranged others for those whoX ooo 591 Tb