Morelstshiki (i. e. self-immolators), also called the ^^ Voluntary Martyrs," a Russian sect of fanatics, whose wild and savage practices are more like those of ancient Scandinavians than of professing Christians of the 10th century. It is difficult to know what are the dogmas of these voluntary martyrs, because they have no printed books, and they do not confide to foreigners the mysteries of their sect. Regarding the Old and New Testament as having been corrupted, it is said that they give themselves the right to change it. They recognise God the Father, manifested to men under the double form of Jesus Christ and the H0I3' Ghost. They reject the true death and resurrection of Jesus, main- taining that the body placed in the sepulchre by Joseph of Arimathea was not the Lord's body, but that of an obscure soldier. They think that Christ will soon re- turn, and make his triumphant entrance into Moscow, and that thither his disciples will hasten from every part of the earth. They do not observe the Sabbath. Their only religious holiday is Easter. They then celebrate the Lord's Supper with bread which has been buried in the tomb of some saint, supposing that it thus receives a kind of mysterious consecration. Their meetings are held on Saturday night. The following are a few lines of one of their hymns: "Be firm, mariners! Triumph over the tempest! Fear neither fire nor whirlwind. Christ is with us. He will collect the faithful in his vessel. His masts will not break; his sails will never be rent ; and he will hold the helm firmly, and land us in a safe haven. The Holy Spirit is with us; the Holy Spirit is in us." Their custom is to meet together on a certain day in the year in some retired place, and, having dug a pit, to fill it with wood, straw, and other combustibles, while thej' are singing weird hymns, like that of which we have given an extract, relating to the ceremony. Fire is then applied to the piled fuel, and numbers leap into the midst of it, stimulated by the tri- umphant hymns of those around, to purchase a supposed martyrdom by their suicidal act. Others, without sac- rificing life, cruelly mutilate their bodies, like the fanat- ics of India, who throw themselves beneath the trium- phal car of their idol. These sectarians are to be found chiefly in the north of Russia, especially Siberia, but
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they fire also represented on the banks of the Volga. Tliere arc a few at ^Moscow, St. Petersburg, Riga, Odes- sa, etc. They try to make proselytes in the army, but the imperial jwlice pursue their missionaries, and when they are disct)vered punish them most cruelly. The Russian government has endeavored to suppress them by means of very severe measures, but has thus far failed in doing so. See Marsden, Hist, of Christian Churches and S(Ct.% ii, 231, 232.
Morely (or Morelly) (Lat. Morelius), Jkan Bai'tisti:, a French Protestant divine, noted for his at- tempts to introduce into the Church a democratic or- ganization such as it had in apostolic times, was born at Paris about 1510. But little is known of his early per- sonal history. He suddenly became noted by his crit- icism of the -fourth book of Calvin's Institution Chre- tieiine, in an essay on ecclesiastical discipline, in which he tried to prove that the laity ought to have power to decide on all important questions of doctrine, morals, election of pastors, etc., privileges assigned by the Ge- neva Reformer to a Consistory, and fortified his the- ory by declarations of Scripture and the usages of the primitive Church. lie submitted the same in man- uscript to Calvin ; but Calvin returned it with the ex- cuse that he had not time to peruse so long a treatise on a subject already settled by the Word of God. Morely then liad it printed under the title, Truite de la disci- pline et police Chretiennc (Lyons, loGl). The modera- tion, the force of argument, the clearness of exposition displayed in it found little countenance with the Calvin- istic churches, and wlien in 15G2 he presented it to the National Synod held at Orleans it was rejected. This condemnation appeared rather strange to a large num- ber of the Reformed ; among others, Soubise expressed himself strongly against this proceeding to Theodore de Beza, who, however, succeeded in quieting him. Morely retired to Tours, where lie found a violent ad- versary in the pastor of Saint-Germain, and thence to Geneva (Nov. 1562). Here he was ere long summoned before the Consistory, and asked to retract. This he refused to do, but projjosed to submit the matter to the judgment of Farel, De Viret, and Calvin. The latter would not accept the part of arbiter, saying he would not ])lace himself above the synod, which had con- demned his book. Even Morely's request to give him permission to defend himself in writing was not grant- ed; on the contrary, the Consistory treated him as an obstinate heretic, and (Aug. 31, 15G3) excommunicated him; bis book, referred to the council, was condemned to be burned (Sept. 17), and all bookstores were forbid- den to expose it for sale, all citizens and inhabitants of Geneva warned not to purchase it for reading, and all who possessed copies of it were ordered to bring them, and those who knew where there were any, to de- nounce them within twenty-four hours at the risk of severe punishment in case of non-compliance. More- ly left Geneva, but the passion of the Calvinistlc cler- gA' ceased not to manifest itself against him. When in 15CC he acted as tutor to the son of Jeanne d'Albret, the Consistory did not rest satisfied until he was dismissed from that family. The National Synods of Paris (1505) and Nimes (1572) also condemned his Traite de la Discipline, as well as his liepotise, which he published against A71 Apology of the Calviniftic Doctrine, xan- ously attributed to Chandieu and Yiret. On the oth- er hand, a goodly number of persons of rank, several churches of Languedoc, those of Sens, Jleaux, and oth- ers, approved and shared bis opinions concerning church organization, and demanded with him that the laity should have a vote in the election of elders, pastors, etc. Ramus, too, became interested, and insisted upon that right. The author of all this agitation in 1572 dropped out of sight. He is supposed to have died towards the end of (he IGtli century in London, I^ngland, His plan of congregational lay representation in ecclesiastic gov- ernment is now realized essentially in most Protestant churches, after three hundred years of controversy. Be-