History of the Ancient Christians Inhabiting the Valleys of the Alps

485 Pages·2009·22.2 MB·English

HISTORY
OS THE
ANCIENT CHRISTIANS
TIlE VALLEYS OF THE ALPS.
1. THJo~ WAI,DJo:NSES.
II. THJo~ ALBIGENSES.
III. THE VAUDOIS.
WITH
AN ESSAY ON THEIR PRESENT CONDITION,
By REv. ROBERT BAIRD, D.D.
"ltD
A RECOMMENDATORY LETTER FROM
REV. SAMUEL MILLER, D.D.
rBOfEll8OBOFEl'CLUIUTICAL HI&TOBY"IID CHUBCH OOVERItKEltT lit THETHEOLOGICAL
SEXJII"BY. FatlfCE'J'Oif. lIEW 'EIUIEY.
G R IFF I T HAN D S I M 0 N,
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,
HISTORY
orTHE
OLD W ALDENSES
ANTERIOR TO THE"REFORMATION.
WITH ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES,
FJlOK KODEJU'I
HISTORIANS AND THEOLO,GIANS.
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RECOMMENDATORY LETTER,
ADDRESSED TO THE PUBLISBEJUl:
BY SAMUEL MILLER, D. D.,
P80'18808 0' ECCUSIASTICAL HISTORY un CHURCH GOVEIlIUIENT UW THE
THEOLOGICAL SEMIl'ARY AT PIlIl'CETOIf.
GIIfTLIMlK,-
IT has givenmeno small pleasure to learnthatyooareengaged In pobUeh
ing an American edition of theRn. lluPAUL PIRRlIf'S..Binaryrf1M Olll
Walderw" anteriorw1MBtfurmation." In theexecution of this undertaking,
you areundoubtedly rendering an importantservice to thecauseofevangelical
truthand order. Itisindeed wonderful1hataworksointeresting,and sotrul,
instructive and valuable, which has been more tlian two centuriea beforethe
public, and which was translated into theEnglish language morethanahun
dredyearsago,should neverhavebeen ginn from thepress on this aideofthe
Atlantic:_work,too,sooften inquiredafter,so(requentlyquoted,and deemed
of such high authority inthe departmentto which it belongs. I cannot help
hoping and belleving thatyour enterprizewill befavorably received, and luit
ably rewarded. Such a work ought, undoubtedly, tobewithin thereach orall
whoare disposed toinquire whatthe Churchof Godhas beenin itsbest da,.
sincethe Ap08tolicage.
The promleeoftheSaviourtohisapoltleswas, thatthe gatesof hell should
never prevail against hischurch. This promise seems tosecure to his people
tnt thereshall be. inall agee,I.IId inthe worstof timee,a true and subillm
tisllypure Church; that is, that there shallalwaysbea bodyof people,more
orle88numeroul.whoshallhold fast thedoctrlneeand orderofChrist'Shoa..
in some good degree, inconformity with the model ofthe primitive Church.
Accordingly,it is not difficult to showthat, ner since the rise of the ..MaD
ofSin,"therehasbeen asuccessionofthosewhomtheScriptureaItyle, ..Wlto
neSBes for God"_,,Witnessel for thetruth;" who havekeptalive"the faith
once delinred to the saints;"and hne, in lome good degree of faithfulll8l8,
maintained the ordinancea and disciplinewhich the inlpired apostlea, in the
Master'sDame,committed to the keepingofthe Church.
~ong theaeWitneBIes,the first that we diltinctly read of were the PnIl
nalll. TheyrOleabout A. D.660. A.very interesting accountof theeepioa
peopleilgiven In MII.nR'1 Eccleaiaatical Hiltoryoftheseventhcentury;I.IId
astillmoreexteDdeclanddiBtiDo&account,Inthe&1'. ADutB~"liWarlct
lieWur-,BodI••pt«L
UCOMMENDATORY LETTER.
While the Pauliciam were still maintaining their faithful testimony, the
Waldeme,arose; or, rathermore probably, these two denominations had acom
monorigin,and acommonfailh. The name Waldemc" the most common and
popular one of those humble and devoted people, was evidently derived-not
from Peter Waldo, butfrom the placc'!f thcirabodc. The following statement
of the learned and ingenious Robert Robimon,adivine of Cambridge, in Eng
land, who died more than halfa centuryago, placesthe originof this name in
whatI suppose to be thetrue light.
" From the Latin, Valli" cametheEnglish,"alky; theFrench and Spanish,
HIMI the Italian,"aldUi; the Low Dutch, "al/cyc; the Provencal,"aux,"au
dail; the ecclesiastical Valkmu, Valdcme" Ualdeme" and Waldemu. The
worda simply signify "alliel,-the inhabitants of valIies, and no roore. It
happened thattheinhabitants ofthe Pyrencesdid notprofess the Catholicfaith.
b felloutalso thatthe inhabitants ofthevalIiesabouttheAlpsdid notembrace
tbat faith. It happened, moreover, in the ninth century, that one Valda, a
friend and coullsellor of Btrengariu" and a man of eminence, who had many
followers, did notapprove ofthe Papal discipline and doctrine. And it came
topase,aboutan hundred and thirty years after, tbat a rich merchantofLyons,
who was called Valdua, because he received his religious opinions from the
inhabitants of the valIies, openly disavowed the Roman religion, supported
many to teach the doctrines believed in theval1ies,and became the instrument
oftheconversionofgreatnumbers. Allthesepeoplewerecalled\VALDENsn."·
The same people, that is, a people who substantially agreed in faith and
practice, were called by different namesderived from tbeir placesof residence;
flOlll the names ofdistinguished leaders; and from avariety ofminorpeculiari
lies:-8S .BlbigCfIIU, from their principal seat being in the neighborhood of
.I1l1N, in Frnce; Bohemian Brethren,from their beingfound inlarge numbers,
inBoAemia; Calhari, or Puritan" from their opposition to the corruptions of
&bePspacy; Leoni,u, or Poor men of£yom, from their chief residence in the
city of Lyon,; Petrobru8liam,.Brnoldi"" and Henriciam, from the names of
distinguished ministersand leaders; and avarietyofotherappel1Jtions,familiar
10thestudents ofecclesiastical history. Thesenames, however, will be found
10 fully enumerated and explained in the History itself, which I here recom
mend, thatfurther remark upon them here isaltogetherunnecessary.
hwould not be strictIyaccurateto say,thatamongthelarge bodyofchurches
bearing thegeneral name of JValdemu, there were no diversities of opinion in
reprd to any points; stillit may be said, with entire confidence and safety,
~&,onall leading points, there wasagreatuniformityofpractice. Theirown
Coafessions ofFaith, drawn up andpublishedat different times, nay the very
UODaation.andcalumniesoftheirenemiesleave us atno loss in regard to this
..Usr.
TIae following statement may be consideredasa fairand impartialSynopaU
of Uleir religious principlesand prsctices. These,indeed, mayall begathered
fromthe pagesof theensuinghistory; butitis judged beetto exhibit a sum
maryofthem inthis place,for the purposeofexcitingthe attention,anddirect
ingthe inquiriesof those who shall undertake to examine for themselves the
Dumerous and di'ersified doeumenta wbichareembraced in thisvolume.
The,. sealousl,. contended for the doetrl~ of the Trinity-the Divinityof
• ~'tIBedl6itu1ktzlRIItcIrcAa,cbaP'MSop._'."\.
RRCOMMKKDATOBY LRTTER.
Chri.t-the fall of oorrace in and by the first sin of Adam-the entire de
pravity ofhuman nature--thevicariousnatureofthe atonement-thesovereign,
unconditional'election of all who aresaved, beforethe foundation ofthe world
-justificationby theimputed righteousness of Christ-the neceuity of regen
erationand continued sanctification by the powerof lhe Holy Spirit-the per
leverance of the aaint8-4Uld theendless punishmentofthe finally impenitent.
Inregardto allthesepointstheyadoptedwhatweareaccostomed,inlatertim.,
to denominate Ozlrlinum, withscarcely a single deviation.
Butthatwhichattractedmostattention in their day,and created most enmity
agaiDStthem in the dominantChurch,was theiradoptionand publicationofthe
following opinions and practicesbearingon thesystemofRomanism.
They renounced the Church ofRomeasmystical Babylon,abhorredthePope
88 the ..Man of Sin,"and rejected all thetraditions of the Papacyas of DO
authority among Christians. They held that there were only two sacramenta,
Baptismand the Lord'sSupper; thatthe otherfifle, so namedbytheRomanisll,
han nojust title to bllcalled sacraments; and that ofthe five, three, viz. con
firmation, penance,and extreme unction, have no foundation whatever in the
word ofGod. Thatall God1atAa-" and God-mother" in the baptism ofinfanta,
are to be ~ected,excepting the parent" whoalone ought to rresent theirchi!
dftlll, iftheyare living,and ofa soitable character. Butthatif the parentia,.
desd,ordestituteofChristian character,then thechildren oughtto be presented
byany whoarewillingtobecome responsiblefortheirChristianeducation. That
futs and festival days, and saints' days, have no authority in Scripture,and
ooght notto beobserved. That no day ought tobe k~ptholy butthe Lord'.
dar. That the true Church consists of all those who have knowledge of the
Gospel,and walkaccording to its principlesand rules. That purgatory,tnln
soblltantiation,prayersfor the dead, and to saints,auricular confession,and all
image worship, were all departures from primitivepurity and simplicity,and
oughtall tobe rejected with abhorrence. They pronounced theconsecration of
churches,churchyards, church bells, and all things of a similarnature, to be
superstitious,and the inventionof covetous priests to increase theirgains, by .
extorting from the people, fees and oblations. They maintained the doctrine
of Presbyterianparityamong thetr clergy; rejecting I'll diversity of rank and
orderin the priesthood. The)' had also Ruling Elders in their chorchea,and
conducted their ecclesiasticalaffairs bya Synod,-in which pastors and elder.
cametogether to deliberate and decide on all their affairs. In regard to draa,
theirministers werecontent with a ttimple blade coot, instead of the pompoo.
vestments of the Romish clergy. Contrary to the assertions of some,. it i.
perfectly plain, from their Confession of Faith, that they practised infantbap.
tism, and that they baptized by sprinkling oraffusion. They tsught that the
clergywereallowed tomarry,and thatthedoctrineofthe celibacyof theclergy
was a doctrine of devils, leading to enormous moral mischief. They were
charged by their enemies with denying the lawfulness of defensive war, of
capital punishmenta; oftakingoaths,eveninjudicial process; and of exercla
IDgthe officeofthe civil magistrate. All thesecharges,howver,theysolemnly
• WIL~IA.JOKEI,eneminentDepUet,inbie"HiatoryoftheWeldeDaca,"buMIm'1a)ti.._
J.s,..,.
lateda.penertedtheplaia'"docamutaofthMepioaaW\m-of\\a\R\\l,..
to....tMat.".ufbe orutl.peclobaptie\l,u\Opw....~._~
1IiIIMiuill• IDO&IadMirableJIOIftioa.
aacoIlIOIQU.TORT Lft'TI:a.
denied,and declared thatthey weremereBlandera. They taughtthatthe88cra
menta, though appointed by Christ,and thoughbindingonall Christians,were
yetnotnecea88rytosalvation; that is, that all sincerebelievers in Christ,who
had noopportunity ofattendingon thOlle ordinances, or who were preventedby
anymistake from attendingon them, would still certainly besaved.
Mostofthesestatements are confirmed bythe adversaries ofthe Waldenses,
who,wilhno viewtodothemhonor,representthem asholdingthe opinionsjust
mentioned,as evidencesofenormousand evendamnable heresies. Afew speei
aeneof this testimonywillappear to the impartialreader perfectly conclusive.
LindanuJ, a Roman Catholio bishop of the seeof Ghent, who wrote in de
felICe of the teneta of the Church of Rome,about theyear 1560,represents
.1cIIn Camn .. the inheritorofthe doctrine ofthe Waldenses.·
Mutray, the learned hifltoriograpnerof France,in his Abridgmentof Chro
.ology,speakingofthe Waldenaes, UYB, "They heldnearlytheumeopinions
u thoaewhoare now called OJ/rini,".tIt
Gua1Jtr, a Jesuitical monk, in hiB chronological tables, drew up a catalogue,
eonBistingof Beven and twenty particulars, in which heBhows thattheprinei
pleeofthe Waldenses,and thOBe ofthe OJ/rini,t.,coincidedwitheach other.;t:
EtltitU reproached Luther, that hB had only renewed the heresies of tbe
Waldenses and AlbigenBes, of WickliJf and of John Husa, which had been
loDgagocondemned.
Be/Jarmi~asserts, that thB identical belief which waa publicly taught and
profesaed in the wl1ies of Piedmont, in tbB year 820,and onwards, was the
WiryiamBwhich iB1ltthisdayprofessedandownedbytheReformed Churches.;
fknebranJ, a Benedictine monk, born in 1537,in the third bookof his Chro
Dioles,callsthe doctrine ofClautk and his followers, in rejecting the traditions
of'Rome, Ca/vifliltic doctrines; and denominates the WaldenBes, CaJriniltl.
These simple hearted pious people little imagined,three hundred yearsago,
when theywereexecratedwithso much biltemesa, andperaecutedwith somuch
cruelty,that the time would evercome,whentheiropinionsandpracticeswould
beregarded 88a model; and analliancewiththem claimed88a precious privi
lege! Yat 80 ith88 happened in the allwiae providence of God. There iB
bardly a PrOlest3ntdenominationofChristians which hasnotsetthem up 88a
kiDd ofexemplarofprimitive purity, and b088tedofaconformity totheireccle
siastical character. Yet how oRen, to this hour, have their opinions been
mistaken, and grievoQslymisrepresented! The friends of Prelacy have oflen
ecmfidently olaimed them as their spiritual ancestors; when nothinK can be
plainer,from their Confeaeionl ofFaith,and theirwhole historytaken together,
thaD that Presbyterian parity, and the government of the Church byRuling
Biders, and byecclesiastical courts of review and control, were the uniform
principle and practice of this remarkable community. SomB short pasuges,
whiehseemto speak.diJferentlanguage, may be easilyexplained infull con
IiatellCy willi theforegoingltatement, byappealing to the mOllt authentic his
1oriaDs·1
•JORES'.Hi~ory oftheW.JdeD_,Vol.n.p.87. t Ibid. t Ibid•
• lApr, putI.p.174.
• SeeBUD"Wakl_.L606. Seeu.olIoun..cODdDaatioDorKUDer'. E.c1cle--i.
-.........B.iII.oaI7b.eLr..,D....."dieCreedaadeoa"'ouordieW.w.-. AD
IrP-..Iwrften00Ilre.die...\lUi-
6
Ouranti-pedobaptiltbrethrenalsolayclaimtotheWaldeDIelaltheadvooatee
of their creed, both 88tothe aubjecta and the mode of Baptilm. The moet
cursorypenlealoftheenauingvolume will convince everyimpartialreaderthat
there il no foundation whatnerfor thil claim.
Butthere is onenotorioul, unquestionable fact,which is lufficient,of itself,
torefute the allegation, both ofPrelatiatsand anti-pedobaptists,inregardtothe
Waldeoles; and tbatii, thataftertheReformationon thecontinentofEurope,
and tbe organization of theReformed Churcbes, on tbe Presbyterian plan,ill
France,Switzerland, Germany,&c.,theWaldenaesacknowledged them88true
churches; held communion with tbem; received ministers from tbem,and in
everyvarietyof way, manifested that they reeognized their regular CbriadaD
eharacter, and the validityof their miniltry. This, aurely, could never haft
beendone, ifthe WaldenBes badmaintainedthe divine rightof Prelacy,orthe
obligation oftbeanti-pedobaptiltsystem.
I could wish that anotherwork, which has been highly interelting to me,
were morefamiliar tothereligioulpublic than I auppose it tobe. I mesathe
History of tbe Waldenses, andan exbibition of their Creedsand Confe8liODl,
bySirSAMUELMORLAND,an English gentleman,wbowas Bent,by the Englilh
government, nearlytwocenturies ago, onanembassy to thatpeople. The 00
casion ofhi8embassy was aremarkableone,and attended with very remarlra
blecircumatances. In 1655tbe WaldenaeaofPiedmont, underthesanguinary
policy of the Duke of Savoy, in wbose territory they resided, were persecuted
in themOltcrueland ferocious manner. Impelled bytbe pitiles8 bigotryofthe
Ramisb clergy, the Duke ordered hi8emi8saries to go round to thevillages of
these pious, devoted people,and toinform everyfamily, that theymuat either
eonformto tbe Cburch of Rome, ordepartin three day8 from his dominions,
under thepenaltyof death, and theconfiaeationofall theirproperly!
Iti8 difficult toconceive oftbe distres8 occaaioned by this proclamation. It
'WIla DOWin the middle ofavery severewinter. Thousands offamilies were
eompelled immediatelytoabandonalltheirdomesticabodes and comforts. The
aged, thesick,themotheradvanced inpregnancy,themotber recentlyconfined,
and not yetrisenfrom the bedofmaternalconfinement,the delicatefemale, the
helpl881 childrenandyoung people,wereall compelledto8urrendereverycom
fort, toencounter frost and snow,andalmost impassable road8, in the midstof
anuncommonly severe8888on,aDd to go, they knewDot where.
The poor persecuted sufferera begged and prayed-that if they 1I1tU1 lea..
their homes,theymight be favored with the respite of a few weeka, until the
rigor of winter should beover. Bntall invain. Theywerecompelled togo
atonce. No sooner Jrad theyquitted their houses, than armed 80ldien,with
unfeelingviolence,broke intothem, plunderingand bearing away whatever of
value had beenlenbehind. Theseferocious wretcbesnext proceeded to IllYel
their habitations tothe ground; tocutdownthe tree8andall the improvelllenle
which IUrroanded them; and to bum and destroy what they could not carry
away. Notcontenteven with this, they punued the fugitives, and maall8CftlCl
them in the most inhuman manner. The order had been toquitthe country
unl..theywould consenttogoto111888. Buteventhiswascruellyprevented.
TIl., tortured theWOlDenand childrenbyeV8rfdmce\lW.cm\e\\1 ~~ ""1:'
pet~hoppj..oII Ibe Ia... of tome; dubilll ou\ \he\m.\:aa CIt ~
~ IberotJb; Dai1iIJ6 IOIDe10 abe tIeea,wi"'-\he\!au ~......,\~