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4. The Waldenses Amid the gloom that
settled upon the earth during the long period of papal supremacy, the
light of truth could not be wholly extinguished. In every age there were
witnesses for God--men who cherished faith in Christ as the only
mediator between God and man, who held the Bible as the only rule of
life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath. How much the world owes to
these men, posterity will never know. They were branded as heretics,
their motives impugned, their characters maligned, their writings
suppressed, misrepresented, or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from
age to age maintained their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage
for the generations to come. The history of God's
people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome's supremacy
is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few
traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of
their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace
of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether
persons or writings, she sought to destroy. Expressions of doubt, or
questions as to the authority of papal dogmas, were enough to forfeit
the life of rich or poor, high or low. Rome endeavored also to destroy
every record of her cruelty toward dissenters. Papal councils decreed
that books and writings containing such records should be committed to
the flames. Before the invention of printing, books were few in number,
and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little
to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose. No church within the
limits of Romish jurisdiction was long left undisturbed in the enjoyment
of freedom of conscience. No sooner had the papacy obtained power than
she stretched out her arms to crush all that refused to acknowledge her
sway, and one after another the churches submitted to her dominion. In Great Britain
primitive Christianity had very early taken root. The gospel received by
the Britons in the first centuries was then uncorrupted by Romish
apostasy. Persecution from pagan emperors, which extended even to these
far-off shores, was the only gift that the first churches of Britain
received from Rome. Many of the Christians, fleeing from persecution in
England, found refuge in Scotland; thence the truth was carried to
Ireland, and in all these countries it was received with gladness. When the Saxons
invaded Britain, heathenism gained control. The conquerors disdained to
be instructed by their slaves, and the Christians were forced to retreat
to the mountains and the wild moors. Yet the light, hidden for a time,
continued to burn. In Scotland, a century later, it shone out with a
brightness that extended to far-distant lands. From Ireland came the
pious Columba and his co laborers, who, gathering about them the
scattered believers on the lonely island of Iona, made this the center
of their missionary labors. Among these evangelists was an observer of
the Bible Sabbath, and thus this truth was introduced among the people.
A school was established at Iona, from which missionaries went out, not
only to Scotland and England, but to Germany, Switzerland, and even
Italy. But Rome had fixed
her eyes on Britain, and resolved to bring it under her supremacy. In
the sixth century her missionaries undertook the conversion of the
heathen Saxons. They were received with favor by the proud barbarians,
and they induced many thousands to profess the Romish faith. As the work
progressed, the papal leaders and their converts encountered the
primitive Christians. A striking contrast was presented. The latter were
simple, humble, and Scriptural in character, doctrine, and manners,
while the former manifested the superstition, pomp, and arrogance of
popery. The emissary of Rome demanded that these Christian churches
acknowledge the supremacy of the sovereign pontiff. The Britons meekly
replied that they desired to love all men, but that the pope was not
entitled to supremacy in the church, and they could render to him only
that submission which was due to every follower of Christ. Repeated
attempts were made to secure their allegiance to Rome; but these humble
Christians, amazed at the pride displayed by her emissaries, steadfastly
replied that they knew no other master than Christ. Now the true spirit
of the papacy was revealed. Said the Romish leader: "If you will
not receive brethren who bring you peace, you shall receive enemies who
will bring you war. If you will not unite with us in showing the Saxons
the way of life, you shall receive from them the stroke of
death."--J. H. Merle D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation of
the Sixteenth Century, b. 17, ch. 2. These were no idle threats.
War, intrigue, and deception were employed against these witnesses for a
Bible faith, until the churches of Britain were destroyed, or forced to
submit to the authority of the pope. In lands beyond the
jurisdiction of Rome there existed for many centuries bodies of
Christians who remained almost wholly free from papal corruption. They
were surrounded by heathenism and in the lapse of ages were affected by
its errors; but they continued to regard the Bible as the only rule of
faith and adhered to many of its truths. These Christians believed in
the perpetuity of the law of God and observed the Sabbath of the fourth
commandment. Churches that held to this faith and practice existed in
Central Africa and among the Armenians of Asia. 64 But of those who
resisted the encroachments of the papal power, the Waldenses stood
foremost. In the very land where popery had fixed its seat, there its
falsehood and corruption were most steadfastly resisted. For centuries
the churches of Piedmont maintained their independence; but the time
came at last when Rome insisted upon their submission. After ineffectual
struggles against her tyranny, the leaders of these churches reluctantly
acknowledged the supremacy of the power to which the whole world seemed
to pay homage. There were some, however, who refused to yield to the
authority of pope or prelate. They were determined to maintain their
allegiance to God and to preserve the purity and simplicity of their
faith. A separation took place. Those who adhered to the ancient faith
now withdrew; some, forsaking their native Alps, raised the banner of
truth in foreign lands; others retreated to the secluded glens and rocky
fastnesses of the mountains, and there preserved their freedom to
worship God. The faith which for
centuries was held and taught by the Waldensian Christians was in marked
contrast to the false doctrines put forth from Rome. Their religious
belief was founded upon the written word of God, the true system of
Christianity. But those humble peasants, in their obscure retreats, shut
away from the world, and bound to daily toil among their flocks and
their vineyards, had not by themselves arrived at the truth in
opposition to the dogmas and heresies of the apostate church. Theirs was
not a faith newly received. Their religious belief was their inheritance
from their fathers. They contended for the faith of the apostolic
church,--"the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."
Jude 3. "The church in the wilderness," and not the proud
hierarchy enthroned in the world's great capital, was the true church of
Christ, the guardian of the treasures of truth which God has committed
to His people to be given to the world. Among the leading
causes that had led to the separation of the true church from Rome was
the hatred of the latter toward the Bible Sabbath. As foretold by
prophecy, the papal power cast down the truth to the ground. The law of
God was trampled in the dust, while the traditions and customs of men
were exalted. The churches that were under the rule of the papacy were
early compelled to honor the Sunday as a holy day. Amid the prevailing
error and superstition, many, even of the true people of God, became so
bewildered that while they observed the Sabbath, they refrained from
labor also on the Sunday. But this did not satisfy the papal leaders.
They demanded not only that Sunday be hallowed, but that the Sabbath be
profaned; and they denounced in the strongest language those who dared
to show it honor. It was only by fleeing from the power of Rome that any
could obey God's law in peace. The Waldenses were
among the first of the peoples of Europe to obtain a translation of the
Holy Scriptures. Hundreds of years before the Reformation they
possessed the Bible in manuscript in their native tongue. They had the
truth unadulterated, and this rendered them the special objects of
hatred and persecution. They declared the Church of Rome to be the
apostate Babylon of the Apocalypse, and at the peril of their lives they
stood up to resist her corruptions. While, under the pressure of
long-continued persecution, some compromised their faith, little by
little yielding its distinctive principles, others held fast the truth.
Through ages of darkness and apostasy there were Waldenses who denied
the supremacy of Rome, who rejected image worship as idolatry, and who
kept the true Sabbath. Under the fiercest tempests of opposition they
maintained their faith. Though gashed by the Savoyard spear, and
scorched by the Romish fagot, they stood unflinchingly for God's word
and His honor. Behind the lofty
bulwarks of the mountains--in all ages the refuge of the persecuted and
oppressed--the Waldenses found a hiding place. Here the light of truth
was kept burning amid the darkness of the Middle Ages. Here, for a
thousand years, witnesses for the truth maintained the ancient faith. God had provided for
His people a sanctuary of awful grandeur, befitting the mighty truths
committed to their trust. To those faithful exiles the mountains were an
emblem of the immutable righteousness of Jehovah. They pointed their
children to the heights towering above them in unchanging majesty, and
spoke to them of Him with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of
turning, whose word is as enduring as the everlasting hills. God had set
fast the mountains and girded them with strength; no arm but that of
Infinite Power could move them out of their place. In like manner He had
established His law, the foundation of His government in heaven and upon
earth. The arm of man might reach his fellow men and destroy their
lives; but that arm could as readily uproot the mountains from their
foundations, and hurl them into the sea, as it could change one precept
of the law of Jehovah, or blot out one of His promises to those who do
His will. In their fidelity to His law, God's servants should be as firm
as the unchanging hills. The mountains that
girded their lowly valleys were a constant witness to God's creative
power, and a never-failing assurance of His protecting care. Those
pilgrims learned to love the silent symbols of Jehovah's presence. They
indulged no repining because of the hardships of their lot; they were
never lonely amid the mountain solitudes. They thanked God that He had
provided for them an asylum from the wrath and cruelty of men. They
rejoiced in their freedom to worship before Him. Often when pursued by
their enemies, the strength of the hills proved a sure defense. From
many a lofty cliff they chanted the praise of God, and the armies of
Rome could not silence their songs of thanksgiving. Pure, simple, and
fervent was the piety of these followers of Christ. The principles of
truth they valued above houses and lands, friends, kindred, even life
itself. These principles they earnestly sought to impress upon the
hearts of the young. From earliest childhood the youth were instructed
in the Scriptures and taught to regard sacredly the claims of the law of
God. Copies of the Bible were rare; therefore its precious words were
committed to memory. Many were able to repeat large portions of both the
Old and the New Testament. Thoughts of God were associated alike with
the sublime scenery of nature and with the humble blessings of daily
life. Little children learned to look with gratitude to God as the giver
of every favor and every comfort. Parents, tender and
affectionate as they were, loved their children too wisely to accustom
them to self-indulgence. Before them was a life of trial and hardship,
perhaps a martyr's death. They were educated from childhood to endure
hardness, to submit to control, and yet to think and act for themselves.
Very early they were taught to bear responsibilities, to be guarded in
speech, and to understand the wisdom of silence. One indiscreet word let
fall in the hearing of their enemies might imperil not only the life of
the speaker, but the lives of hundreds of his brethren; for as wolves
hunting their prey did the enemies of truth pursue those who dared to
claim freedom of religious faith. The Waldenses had
sacrificed their worldly prosperity for the truth's sake, and with
persevering patience they toiled for their bread. Every spot of tillable
land among the mountains was carefully improved; the valleys and the
less fertile hillsides were made to yield their increase. Economy and
severe self-denial formed a part of the education which the children
received as their only legacy. They were taught that God designs life to
be a discipline, and that their wants could be supplied only by personal
labor, by forethought, care, and faith. The process was laborious and
wearisome, but it was wholesome, just what man needs in his fallen
state, the school which God has provided for his training and
development. While the youth were inured to toil and hardship, the
culture of the intellect was not neglected. They were taught that all
their powers belonged to God, and that all were to be improved and
developed for His service. The Vaudois
churches, in their purity and simplicity, resembled the church of
apostolic times. Rejecting the supremacy of the pope and prelate, they
held the Bible as the only supreme, infallible authority. Their pastors,
unlike the lordly priests of Rome, followed the example of their Master,
who "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." They
fed the flock of God, leading them to the green pastures and living
fountains of His holy word. Far from the monuments of human pomp and
pride the people assembled, not in magnificent churches or grand
cathedrals, but beneath the shadow of the mountains, in the Alpine
valleys, or, in time of danger, in some rocky stronghold, to listen to
the words of truth from the servants of Christ. The pastors not only
preached the gospel, but they visited the sick, catechized the children,
admonished the erring, and labored to settle disputes and promote
harmony and brotherly love. In times of peace they were sustained by the
freewill offerings of the people; but, like Paul the tentmaker, each
learned some trade or profession by which, if necessary, to provide for
his own support. From their pastors
the youth received instruction. While attention was given to branches of
general learning, the Bible was made the chief study. The Gospels of
Matthew and John were committed to memory, with many of the Epistles.
They were employed also in copying the Scriptures. Some manuscripts
contained the whole Bible, others only brief selections, to which some
simple explanations of the text were added by those who were able to
expound the Scriptures. Thus were brought forth the treasures of truth
so long concealed by those who sought to exalt themselves above God. By patient, untiring
labor, sometimes in the deep, dark caverns of the earth, by the light of
torches, the Sacred Scriptures were written out, verse by verse, chapter
by chapter. Thus the work went on, the revealed will of God shining out
like pure gold; how much brighter, clearer, and more powerful because of
the trials undergone for its sake only those could realize who were
engaged in the work. Angels from heaven surrounded these faithful
workers. Satan had urged on
the papal priests and prelates to bury the word of truth beneath the
rubbish of error, heresy, and superstition; but in a most wonderful
manner it was preserved uncorrupted through all the ages of darkness. It
bore not the stamp of man, but the impress of God. Men have been
unwearied in their efforts to obscure the plain, simple meaning of the
Scriptures, and to make them contradict their own testimony; but like
the ark upon the billowy deep, the word of God outrides the storms that
threaten it with destruction. As the mine has rich veins of gold and
silver hidden beneath the surface, so that all must dig who would
discover its precious stores, so the Holy Scriptures have treasures of
truth that are revealed only to the earnest, humble, prayerful seeker.
God designed the Bible to be a lessonbook to all mankind, in childhood,
youth, and manhood, and to be studied through all time. He gave His word
to men as a revelation of Himself. Every new truth discerned is a fresh
disclosure of the character of its Author. The study of the Scriptures
is the means divinely ordained to bring men into closer connection with
their Creator and to give them a clearer knowledge of His will. It is
the medium of communication between God and man. While the Waldenses
regarded the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, they were not
blind to the importance of a contact with the world, a knowledge of men
and of active life, in expanding the mind and quickening the
perceptions. From their schools in the mountains some of the youth were
sent to institutions of learning in the cities of France or Italy, where was a more
extended field for study, thought, and observation than in their native
Alps. The youth thus sent forth were exposed to temptation, they
witnessed vice, they encountered Satan's wily agents, who urged upon
them the most subtle heresies and the most dangerous deceptions. But
their education from childhood had been of a character to prepare them
for all this. In the schools
whither they went, they were not to make confidants of any. Their
garments were so prepared as to conceal their greatest treasure--the
precious manuscripts of the Scriptures. These, the fruit of months and
years of toil, they carried with them, and whenever they could do so
without exciting suspicion, they cautiously placed some portion in the
way of those whose hearts seemed open to receive the truth. From their
mother's knee the Waldensian youth had been trained with this purpose in
view; they understood their work and faithfully performed it. Converts
to the true faith were won in these institutions of learning, and
frequently its principles were found to be permeating the entire school;
yet the papal leaders could not, by the closest inquiry, trace the
so-called corrupting heresy to its source. The spirit of Christ
is a missionary spirit. The very first impulse of the renewed heart is
to bring others also to the Saviour. Such was the spirit of the Vaudois
Christians. They felt that God required more of them than merely to
preserve the truth in its purity in their own churches; that a solemn
responsibility rested upon them to let their light shine forth to those
who were in darkness; by the mighty power of God's word they sought to
break the bondage which Rome had imposed. The Vaudois ministers were
trained as missionaries, everyone who expected to enter the ministry
being required first to gain an experience as an evangelist. Each was to
serve three years in some mission field before taking charge of a church
at home. This service, requiring at the outset self-denial and
sacrifice, was a fitting introduction to the pastor's life in those
times that tried men's souls. The youth who received ordination to the
sacred office saw before them, not the prospect of earthly wealth and
glory, but a life of toil and danger, and possibly a martyr's fate. The
missionaries went out two and two, as Jesus sent forth His disciples.
With each young man was usually associated a man of age and experience,
the youth being under the guidance of his companion, who was held
responsible for his training, and whose instruction he was required to
heed. These co laborers were not always together, but often met for
prayer and counsel, thus strengthening each other in the faith. To have made known
the object of their mission would have ensured its defeat; therefore
they carefully concealed their real character. Every minister possessed
a knowledge of some trade or profession, and the missionaries prosecuted
their work under cover of a secular calling. Usually they chose that of
merchant or peddler. "They carried silks, jewelry, and other
articles, at that time not easily purchasable save at distant marts; and
they were welcomed as merchants where they would have been spurned as
missionaries."-- Wylie, b. 1, ch. 7. All the while their hearts
were uplifted to God for wisdom to present a treasure more precious than
gold or gems. They secretly carried about with them copies of the Bible,
in whole or in part; and whenever an opportunity was presented, they
called the attention of their customers to these manuscripts. Often an
interest to read God's word was thus awakened, and some portion was
gladly left with those who desired to receive it. The work of these
missionaries began in the plains and valleys at the foot of their own
mountains, but it extended far beyond these limits. With naked feet and
in garments coarse and travel-stained as were those of their Master, 72
they passed through great cities and penetrated to distant lands.
Everywhere they scattered the precious seed. Churches sprang up in their
path, and the blood of martyrs witnessed for the truth. The day of God
will reveal a rich harvest of souls garnered by the labors of these
faithful men. Veiled and silent, the word of God was making its way
through Christendom and meeting a glad reception in the homes and hearts
of men. To the Waldenses the
Scriptures were not merely a record of God's dealings with men in the
past, and a revelation of the responsibilities and duties of the
present, but an unfolding of the perils and glories of the future. They
believed that the end of all things was not far distant, and as they
studied the Bible with prayer and tears they were the more deeply
impressed with its precious utterances and with their duty to make known
to others its saving truths. They saw the plan of salvation clearly
revealed in the sacred pages, and they found comfort, hope, and peace in
believing in Jesus. As the light illuminated their understanding and
made glad their hearts, they longed to shed its beams upon those who
were in the darkness of papal error. They saw that under
the guidance of pope and priest, multitudes were vainly endeavoring to
obtain pardon by afflicting their bodies for the sin of their souls.
Taught to trust to their good works to save them, they were ever looking
to themselves, their minds dwelling upon their sinful condition, seeing
themselves exposed to the wrath of God, afflicting soul and body, yet
finding no relief. Thus conscientious souls were bound by the doctrines
of Rome. Thousands abandoned friends and kindred, and spent their lives
in convent cells. By oft-repeated fasts and cruel scourgings, by
midnight vigils, by prostration for weary hours upon the cold, damp
stones of their dreary abode, by long pilgrimages, by humiliating
penance and fearful torture, thousands vainly sought to obtain peace of
conscience. Oppressed with a sense of sin, and haunted with the fear of
God's avenging wrath, many suffered on, until exhausted nature gave way,
and without one ray of light or hope they sank into the tomb. The Waldenses longed
to break to these starving souls the bread of life, to open to them the
messages of peace in the promises of God, and to point them to Christ as
their only hope of salvation. The doctrine that good works can atone for
the transgression of God's law they held to be based upon falsehood.
Reliance upon human merit intercepts the view of Christ's infinite love.
Jesus died as a sacrifice for man because the fallen race can do nothing
to recommend themselves to God. The merits of a crucified and risen
Saviour are the foundation of the Christian's faith. The dependence of
the soul upon Christ is as real, and its connection with Him must be as
close, as that of a limb to the body, or of a branch to the vine. The teachings of
popes and priests had led men to look upon the character of God, and
even of Christ, as stern, gloomy, and forbidding. The Saviour was
represented as so far devoid of sympathy with man in his fallen state
that the mediation of priests and saints must be invoked. Those whose
minds had been enlightened by the word of God longed to point these
souls to Jesus as their compassionate, loving Saviour, standing with
outstretched arms, inviting all to come to Him with their burden of sin,
their care and weariness. They longed to clear away the obstructions
which Satan had piled up that men might not see the promises, and come
directly to God, confessing their sins, and obtaining pardon and peace. Eagerly did the
Vaudois missionary unfold to the inquiring mind the precious truths of
the gospel. Cautiously he produced the carefully written portions of the
Holy Scriptures. It was his greatest joy to give hope to the
conscientious, sin-stricken soul, who could see only a God of vengeance,
waiting to execute justice. With quivering lip and tearful eye did he,
often on bended knees, open to his brethren the precious promises that
reveal the sinner's only hope. Thus the light of truth penetrated many a
darkened mind, rolling back the cloud of gloom, until the Sun of
Righteousness shone into the heart with healing in His beams. It was
often the case that some portion of Scripture was read again and again,
the hearer desiring it to be repeated, as if he would assure himself
that he had heard aright. Especially was the repetition of these words
eagerly desired: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin." 1 John 1:7. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John
3:14, 15. Many were undeceived
in regard to the claims of Rome. They saw how vain is the mediation of
men or angels in behalf of the sinner. As the true light dawned upon
their minds they exclaimed with rejoicing: "Christ is my priest;
His blood is my sacrifice; His altar is my confessional." They cast
themselves wholly upon the merits of Jesus, repeating the words,
"Without faith it is impossible to please Him." Hebrews 11:6.
"There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved." Acts 4:12. The assurance of a
Saviour's love seemed too much for some of these poor tempest-tossed
souls to realize. So great was the relief which it brought, such a flood
of light was shed upon them, that they seemed transported to heaven.
Their hands were laid confidingly in the hand of Christ; their feet were
planted upon the Rock of Ages. All fear of death was banished. They
could now covet the prison and the fagot if they might thereby honor the
name of their Redeemer. In secret places the
word of God was thus brought forth and read, sometimes to a single soul,
sometimes to a little company who were longing for light and truth.
Often the entire night was spent in this manner. So great would be the
wonder and admiration of the listeners that the messenger of mercy was
not infrequently compelled to cease his reading until the understanding
could grasp the tidings of salvation. Often would words like these be
uttered: "Will God indeed accept my offering? Will He
smile upon me? Will He pardon me? " The answer
was read: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and
I will give your rest." Matthew 11:28. Faith grasped the
promise, and the glad response was heard: "No more long pilgrimages
to make; no more painful journeys to holy shrines. I may come to Jesus
just as I am, sinful and unholy, and He will not spurn the penitential
prayer. 'Thy sins be forgiven thee.' Mine, even mine, may be
forgiven!" A tide of sacred joy
would fill the heart, and the name of Jesus would be magnified by praise
and thanksgiving. Those happy souls returned to their homes to diffuse
light, to repeat to others, as well as they could, their new experience;
that they had found the true and living Way. There was a strange and
solemn power in the words of Scripture that spoke directly to the hearts
of those who were longing for the truth. It was the voice of God, and it
carried conviction to those who heard. The messenger of
truth went on his way; but his appearance of humility, his sincerity,
his earnestness and deep fervor, were subjects of frequent remark. In
many instances his hearers had not asked him whence he came or whither
he went. They had been so overwhelmed, at first with surprise, and
afterward with gratitude and joy, that they had not thought to question
him. When they had urged him to accompany them to their homes, he had
replied that he must visit the lost sheep of the flock. Could he have
been an angel from heaven? they queried. In many cases the
messenger of truth was seen no more. He had made his way to other lands,
or he was wearing out his life in some unknown dungeon, or perhaps his
bones were whitening on the spot where he had witnessed for the truth.
But the words he had left behind could not be destroyed. They were doing
their work in the hearts of men; the blessed results will be fully known
only in the judgment. The Waldensian
missionaries were invading the kingdom of Satan, and the powers of
darkness aroused to greater vigilance. Every effort to advance the truth
was watched by the prince of evil, and he excited the fears of his
agents. The papal leaders saw a portent of danger to their cause from
the labors of these humble itinerants. If the light of truth were
allowed to shine unobstructed, it would sweep away the heavy clouds of
error that enveloped the people. It would direct the minds of men to God
alone and would eventually destroy the supremacy of Rome. The very existence
of this people, holding the faith of the ancient church, was a constant
testimony to Rome's apostasy, and therefore excited the most bitter
hatred and persecution. Their refusal to surrender the Scriptures was
also an offense that Rome could not tolerate. She determined to blot
them from the earth. Now began the most terrible crusades against God's
people in their mountain homes. Inquisitors were put upon their track,
and the scene of innocent Abel falling before the murderous Cain was
often repeated. Again and again were
their fertile lands laid waste, their dwellings and chapels swept away,
so that where once were flourishing fields and the homes of an innocent,
industrious people, there remained only a desert. As the ravenous beast
is rendered more furious by the taste of blood, so the rage of the
papists was kindled to greater intensity by the sufferings of their
victims. Many of these witnesses for a pure faith were pursued across
the mountains and hunted down in the valleys where they were hidden,
shut in by mighty forests and pinnacles of rock. No charge could be
brought against the moral character of this proscribed class. Even their
enemies declared them to be a peaceable, quiet, pious people. Their
grand offense was that they would not worship God according to the will
of the pope. For this crime every humiliation, insult, and torture that
men or devils could invent was heaped upon them. When Rome at one
time determined to exterminate the hated sect, a bull was issued by the
pope, condemning them as heretics, and delivering them to slaughter.
They were not accused as idlers, or dishonest, or disorderly; but it was
declared that they had an appearance of piety and sanctity that seduced
"the sheep of the true fold." Therefore the pope ordered
"that malicious and abominable sect of malignants," if they
"refuse to abjure, to be crushed like venomous
snakes."--Wylie, b. 16, ch. 1. Did this haughty potentate expect to
meet those words again? Did he know that they were registered in the
books of heaven, to confront him at the judgment? "Inasmuch as ye
have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren," said
Jesus, "ye have done it unto Me." Matthew 25:40. This bull called
upon all members of the church to join the crusade against the heretics.
As an incentive to engage in this cruel work, it "absolved from all
ecclesiastical pains and penalties, general and particular; it released
all who joined the crusade from any oaths they might have taken; it legitimatised
their title to any property they might have illegally
acquired; and promised remission of all their sins to such as should
kill any heretic. It annulled all contracts made in favor of Vaudois,
ordered their domestics to abandon them, forbade all persons to give
them any aid whatever, and empowered all persons to take possession of
their property."--Wylie, b. 16, ch. 1. This document clearly
reveals the master spirit behind the scenes. It is the roar of the
dragon, and not the voice of Christ, that is heard therein. The papal leaders
would not conform their characters to the great standard of God's law,
but erected a standard to suit themselves, and determined to compel all
to conform to this because Rome willed it. The most horrible tragedies
were enacted. Corrupt and blasphemous priests and popes were doing the
work which Satan appointed them. Mercy had no place in their natures.
The same spirit that crucified Christ and slew the apostles, the same
that moved the blood-thirsty Nero against the faithful in his day, was
at work to rid the earth of those who were beloved of God. The persecutions visited for many centuries upon this God-fearing people were endured by them with a patience and constancy that honored their Redeemer. Notwithstanding the crusades against them, and the inhuman butchery to which they were subjected, they continued to send out their missionaries to scatter the precious truth. They were hunted to death; yet their blood watered the seed sown, and it failed not of yielding fruit. Thus the Waldenses witnessed for God centuries before the birth of Luther. Scattered over many lands, they planted the seeds of the Reformation that began in the time of Wycliffe, grew broad and deep in the days of Luther, and is to be carried forward to the close of time by those who also are willing to suffer all things for "the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 1:9. |
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