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CHAP. 11.

The

Waldenses.

his means confirmed and excited."-He studied Greek also at Bourges under Melchior Wolmar, who was secretly a Lutheran.2

But the principal documents, which I shall adduce under the present miscellaneous head, are two relating to a people who must always be the objects of regard to protestants, and who have formerly excited, and are at this very time beginning anew to excite a peculiar interest in this country. 3 I refer to the Waldenses. 4 It is well known that this people, in the valleys of Piemont, and thence dispersed in various other places, had maintained, at least from the time of Claudius of Turin, in the ninth century, a faithful and suffering testimony against the errors and the tyranny of Rome. To such a people the kindling up of the light of the reformation must indeed have been a cheering and auspicious event. Nor do they appear to have viewed it with any other feelings than those of joy and thankfulness, though the new reformers so soon and so much outstripped them in knowledge and celebrity, and, in fact, at first looked upon them with prejudice.5-In the year 1530, a deputation from that portion of the Waldenses, who were settled in Provence and the neighbouring parts of France, visited Berne, Basle, and Strasburg, for the purpose of conferring in those cities with Haller, Ecolampadius, Bucer, and Capito. The deputies were George Maurel, one of their ministers, and

1 Scult. 180.

3 See Mr. Gilly's Waldenses:" 1824.

Melch. Adam.

"Narrative of Researches among the

* See Milner iii. 437–511. (474–554.) Mr. Gilly attests the correctness of Mr. Milner's account of this people, in contradistinction to that given by Mosheim.

5 Seck. iii. 62. .

Peter Latomus. The design of their mission may best be learned from a written communication made by Maurel to Ecolampadius, which beautifully exhibits (as Scultetus expresses it,)" the pious simplicity and simple piety" of the people. I shall give a pretty copious abstract both of this paper and of Ecolampadius's reply, as I have found repeated allusions made to this correspondence, but no where such full notice taken of it as it appears to deserve.2-Thus Maurel addresses Ecolampadius.

A. D.

1530.

address to

"Hail, blessed colampadius! Having heard Their from many quarters, that He, who can do all Ecolampathings, has endued you with the blessing of his dius. Spirit, (as may easily be known from its fruits,) we have come, with ardent joy, from a distant country, hoping, and firmly confiding, that the same Spirit will, by your means, enlighten us, and unfold many things, which hitherto, through our ignorance and dulness, appear doubtful, or are altogether unknown to us; and that, I much fear, to the great injury of ourselves, and of the people who are placed under such incompetent teachers.-That you may understand the case, we inform you, that, such as we are, we are the instructors of a poor and feeble people, who, for more than four hundred years past, nay, as is often said amongst ourselves, from the very time of the apostles, have dwelt among

1 Mr. Jones, in his History of the Waldenses, calls them Morel and Burgoigne. I take Burgundus to designate the country of Latomus, as Delphinas (" of Dauphine") does that of Maurel. Perrin, in his " Luther's Forerunners," calls Latomus Masson, or Masçon.

2 Mr. Jones indeed professes to give Ecolampadius's letter "at length:" but what he has given is only a very small portion of it as it exists in Scultetus.

CHAP.
II.

the thorns, yet (as pious persons have readily perceived,) have not been left without the special favour of Christ; through which, though often pierced and tortured, we have still been delivered. In order, therefore, that you may advise and strengthen us poor people, (for a brother assisted by a brother is like a strong tower,) hear, if you please, our customs, and the order observed amongst us who are ministers." He then describes the admission of those who were candidates for the ministry, on their own application, first made to the ministers, and then by them announced to the assembled brethren."Those who are approved have a place assigned them for receiving instruction; for almost all of them come from the care of cattle, or from agriculture, have attained the age of twenty-five or thirty years, and are destitute of learning. Trial is made of them for three or four years, during two or three of the winter months only. They learn to read and write, 2 and commit to memory the whole of S. Matthew's and of S. John's Gospels, the Canonical3 Epistles, and a considerable part of those of S. Paul. They are then removed to a place where a number of those whom we style sisters live in a state of virginity, and they pass a year, or sometimes two years there ; still, it is confessed, chiefly employed in ordinary labours. After this, if still approved, they are admitted to the

1 Compare Milner, iii. 461. (500.)

2

It might perhaps be doubted whether "conjungere literas et legere" includes writing. Thuanus says, "They can all read and write," and that speaking of the Waldenses in Dauphiny. Milner, iii. 455. (494.)

3 Qu. Catholic.

4 I must confess myself at a loss to discover the design of this regulation.

office of presbyters and preachers, by the sacrament of the eucharist and the imposition of hands; and are sent forth to preach, by two and two. Those who have been longer in orders have always a precedency and preeminence over those more lately ordained." Their ministers all lived unmarried, but not always, he regrets to say, in chastity. They were supported by the voluntary contributions of the people, which formed a common fund for their maintenance. They practised handicraft trades, partly for the convenience of the people,' and partly to avoid idleness: but this was carried so far as to obstruct their obtaining an adequate skill in the holy scriptures.-They had frequent times of prayer, sometimes by night as well as by day; and they generally used the Lord's prayer before meat. They guarded, however, against superstition in adherence to particular times and forms. All their ministers met together once a year for consultation on their affairs, and to arrange their respective circuits; for they continued no more than two or three years in a place, except their old men, who were allowed to be stationary. On these occasions, before they separated, they mutually asked forgiveness of all offences. When any of their number fell into scandalous sin, he was separated from their company, forbidden to preach, and required to support himself by his own labour. But on this point advice was now par

'Or in compliance with the wishes of the people—“ ad plebis obsequium." This might seem to countenance Mosheim's statement, that the pastors were required to practise manual labours; in which, however, Milner (iii. (481.) 444.) does not concur. The paper, which I am abstracting, admits that the ministers were amply provided for by the liberality of the people.

A. D. 1530.

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ticularly requested. "Such," says Maurel" are “are the regulations respecting our ministers; which I have been convinced, since my arrival in this country, much need your judicious correction."

Then follows an account of the articles of their faith, including the Trinity, the divinity and incarnation of Christ, and redemption. Sacraments they held to be only " visible signs of an invisible grace," beneficial to the faithful, but not essential to salvation. "Here," he says, "I understand that we have erred, in admitting more sacraments than two." They firmly rejected every other intercessor than Christ; and held purgatory to be altogether a fiction of Antichrist. They thought private confession useful, but only for the sake of obtaining counsel and assistance, and that set times were not to be prescribed for it. They condemned all human inventions in religion, particularly the popish distinctions of days and of meats, and, above all, the mass. The ministers, besides attending the sick, visited all their people, in their various stations, once a year, heard their confessions, and gave them suitable admonitions. In preaching, the two associate ministers sat together, and first the senior spoke, then the younger. Having no magistrates of their own, but being subject to "them that believed not," they exhorted the people to choose competent persons to act as arbitrators and peacemakers among them. Such as obstinately disobeyed admonition, they excluded from their intercourse, and from hearing the word, that they might be ashamed; for, without the latter interdiction, they found excommunication disregarded by many. They did not administer the sacraments to their people these were received from "the mem

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