Vol 02 - THE HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES.

THE HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES
IN the reign of King Henry the Second, about the year of our Lord 1178, in the city of Tholouse was a great number of men and women, whom the pope's commissioners persecuted, and condemned for hereticks; of whom some were scourged, some chased away, and some compelled to abjure. We have not a particular account of their opinions; only that they denied the sacramental to be the natural body of CHRIST. About the same time sprang up the doctrine and name of them, which were called Waldenses. Not long before this time, rose up Francis and Dominic, maintaining blind hypocrisy, no less than proud prelacy. As these labored to corrupt the sincerity of the Christian religion; so it pleased CHRIST, working against them, to raise up the Waldenses, to testify against their pride and hypocrisy.
The name of the Waldenses came of Waldus, a man of great substance in the city of Lyons; the occasion whereof is declared by divers writers as follows. About the year of our Lord 1160, it chanced that divers of the heads of the city of Lyons were talking and walking, as their manner was, especially in the summer-time. One of them (the rest looking on,) fell down by sudden death. Waldus being amongst them, beholding the matter more earnestly than the others, and terrified with so heavy an example, was stricken with a deep and inward repentance; whereupon followed a careful study to reform his life. And first, he began to minister large alms to such as needed. Secondly, to instruct himself and his family in the knowledge of God's word. Thirdly, to admonish all that resorted to him on any occasion, to repentance and amendment of life. Whereby, partly through his large giving to the poor, partly through his diligent teaching and wholesome admonitions, more people daily came about him; whom when he saw ready and diligent to learn, he began to give out to them certain rudiments of the Scripture, which he had translated himself into the French tongue.
For as he was a wealthy man, so he was also not unlearned: for, by old parchment monuments, -it appears, that he was both able to translate the Scriptures, and to collect the mind of the doctors upon the same. The bishops seeing him so to intermeddle with Scripture, and to have such resort about him, could not bear that the Scripture should be declared by any other; neither would they take the pains to declare it themselves. So, being moved with great malice against the man, they threatened to excommunicate him, if he did not leave off that practice. Waldus, neglecting the threatnings of the wicked, said, a That God must be obeyed rather than man." The more diligent he was in setting forth the true doctrine of CHRIST, the more their fierceness increased. Insomuch that when they saw their excommunication despised, they ceased not to persecute, with sword and banishment, till they had driven both Waldus, and all the favorers of his preaching, out of the city.
Their chief Doctrines were these:
I. Only the Holy Scripture is to be believed in matters pertaining to salvation.
II. All things are contained in Holy Scripture which are necessary to salvation; and nothing is to be admitted as such, but what is commanded in the Word of God.
III. There is only one Mediator; other saints are in no wise to be made mediators, or to be invocated.
IV. There is no purgatory; but all men, either by CHRIST are justified to life, or without CHRIST are condemned.
V. All masses sung for the dead are wicked, and to be abrogated.
VI. Men's traditions are not to be reputed necessary to salvation. Such difference of meats, variety of degrees and orders of priests, friars, monks, and nuns; superfluous holidays; sundry benedictions, and hallowing of creatures; vows and -peregrinations, ought to be abolished.
VII. The supremacy of the pope, usurped above all churches, and especially above all realms and governments, is to be denied; neither is any degree to be received into the church, but only bishops, priests, and deacons.
VIII. The communion under both kinds is necessary to all people, according to the institution of CHRIST.
IX. The church of Rome is the very Babylon spoken of in the Apocalypse; and the pope is the very antiCHRIST.
X. The marriage of priests, and of ecclesiastical persons is godly, and also necessary in the church.
XI. Such as hear the word of GOD, and have a right faith, are the right church of CHRIST. And to this church the keys of the church are to be given, to drive away wolves, to institute true pastors, to preach the word, and to minister the sacraments.
These Waldenses were dispersed in divers places, of whom many remained in Bohemia; who, writing to their king, Uladislaus, to purge themselves against slanderous accusations, gave up their confession, with an apology of their Christian profession; defending, with strong and learned arguments, the same, which is now received in most reformed churches. Concerning the Supper of the Lord, their faith was, that it was ordained to be eaten, not to be showed and worshipped; to be received at the table, not to be carried out of the doors; according to the ancient use of the primitive church.
Eneas Sylvus, writing of their doctrines, reporteth thus of them:
"'They hold,,that the bishop of Rome is equal with other bishops: that there is no difference of degree among priests: that no priest is to be esteemed for any dignity of his order, but for the worthiness of his life.
" That the souls of men departed, enter either into everlasting pain, or everlasting joy: that no fire of purgatory is to be found: and that to pray for the dead is vain, and a thing only found out for the lucre of priests.
" That the images of GOD, (as of the Trinity,) and of the saints, are to be abolished. The hallowing of water is a mere jest. The religion of begging friars was found out by the devil. That priests should not heap up riches in this world: and that the preaching of the word is free for all men called thereunto.
" That no sin is to be tolerated, for any respect of a greater commodity to ensue thereupon. The confirmation which bishops exercise with oil, and extreme unction, are not to be counted among the sacraments of the church. Auricular confession is but a toy. That baptism ought to be administered only with pure water, without any mixture of oil. The temple of the Lord is the wide world. The majesty of God is not to be restrained within the walls of temples, monasteries, or chapels.
" That priests' apparel, ornaments of the high altar, patins, and other church-plate, serve in no stead: that it matters not in what place the priest consecrates, or ministers to them that require it: that it is sufficient to use the sacramental words only, without any other ceremonies.
" That the suffrages of saints are craved in vain; they being not able to help us: and' that a man ought to cease from labor on no day, but only upon the Sunday."
These assertions of the Waldenses are the less to be doubted, being published by a pope's pen; so that we may the better know both what they were, and also that the doctrine, now taught in the church, is no new doctrine, which here we see both taught and persecuted almost 40O years ago.
As I have spoken hitherto concerning their doctrine; so now we will touch on the order of their life and conversation, as we find it registered in a certain ancient book. The manner of the Waldenses is this: 11 They, kneeling upon their knees, continue in their prayers with silence, so long as a man may say Pater poster 30 or 40 times. And they do this every day with great reverence, anrutVL -su hi -as are of Yneir own rdiigion,'boin'betore dinner and after; likewise before supper and after; also what time they go to bed, and in the morning when they rise, and at certain other times, as well in the day as in the night. Before they go to meat, the elder beginneth thus, in their own tongue: u GOD, which blessed the five barley-loaves and two fishes in the desert, bless this table, and what is set upon it: in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen!"
And likewise when they rise from meat, he giveth thanks, saying the words of the Apocalypse: " Blessing, and worship, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor, virtue, and strength, to God alone, for ever and ever. Amen!" And addeth, moreover, " God reward them in their bosoms, and be beneficial to all them that be beneficial to us. And the God which has given us corporeal feeding, grant us his spiritual life; and God be with us, and we always with him." To which they answer again, a Amen!" After their meat, they teach and exhort amongst themselves, conferring together upon their doctrine.
In their teaching they were so diligent and painful, that Reinerius (an extreme enemy against them,) testifieth, that one of them, to turn a certain. person away from our faith, and to bring him to his, in the night, and tail the winter-time, swam over the river called Ibis, to come to him, and teach him. Moreover, they were so perfect in the Scriptures, that the said Reinerius says, he beard and saw a man of the country unlettered, who could recite the whole book of Job word by word; with divers others who had the whole new testament by heart. He adds, n There was none durst stop them, for the multitude of their favorers. I have often been at their examination, and there were numbered forty churches infected with their heresy; insomuch, that in one parish of Cammach, there were ten schools of them." The same Reinerius, when he has said all he can against them, is driven to confess this; cc This sect Math a show of great holiness: They live justly before men; and believe all things well of God; and hold all the articles contained in the creed; only they blaspheme the church."
After they were driven out of Lyons, they were scattered into divers places, (the providence of God so disposing,) that the sound of their doctrine might be heard abroad in the world. Some went to Bohemia; many into the provinces of France; some into Lombardy; others into other places. But as the cross commonly followeth the sincere preaching of God's word, so neither could these be suffered to live at rest. There are yet to be seen the consultations of lawyers, archbishops, and bishops, for the abolishing and extirpating of them, written above 30O years ago; whereby it appeareth, that there was a great number of them in France.
" There was also a council kept in Thoulouse about 355 years since, against these Waldenses; who were condemned in another council at Rome before. What great persecutions were raised against them in France by the bishops, appears by their own writings. Some of their words are these:’ Who is such a stranger, that knows not the condemnation of the Waldenses, the hereticks, so many years ago; so famous, so public, followed with so great labors, expenses, and travel of the faithful, and sealed with so many deaths of these infidels, so solemnly condemned, and so publicly punished' In Bohemia likewise, after that,. the same people, called by the name of Thaborites, (as Silvius recordeth) suffered no little trouble.
Reinerius speaketh of one in the town of Cheron, a glover, who was brought in at this time to examination, and suffered martyrdom. There isalso an old monument of process, wherein it appeareth that 443 were brought to examination in Pomerania, Marchia, and places thereabouts, about the year of our. Lord 1391."
And thus much touching the origin, doctrine, and first persecutions of the Waldenses.