"The facraments of the church of Chrift are two, baptifm and the fupper of the Lord.

"The receiving in both kinds for priests and people "was inftituted by Chrift.

"Maffes are impious; and it is madness to say maffes "for the dead.

"Purgatory is an invention of men; for they who be "lieve, go into eternal life, they who believe not, into "eternal damnation.

"The invocating and worshipping of dead faints is -"idolatry.

"The church of Rome is the whore of Babylon.

"We must not obey the pope and bifhops; because "they are the wolves of the church of Chrift.

“The pope hath not the primacy over all the churches "of Chrift, neither hath he the power of both words.

"That is the church of Chrift which heareth the fin"cere word of Chrift, and ufeth the facraments inftitu"ted by him, in what place foever it exist.

"Vows of celibacy are inventions of men, and occafiદ ons of Sodomy.

46

"So many orders are fo many characters of the beaft, "Monkery is a tinking carcale.

"So many fuperftitious dedications of churches, com"memorations of the dead, benedictions of creatures, pilgrimages, fo many forced faftings, so many fuperflu"ous feftivals, thofe perpetual bellowings (meaning the "finging and chanting) of unlearned men, and the ob"fervations of the other ceremonies, manifeftly hinder"ing the teaching and learning of the word, are diabo*lical inventions.

"The marriage of priests is lawful and neceffary."

Much hath been written in cenfure and commendation of this fect both by enemies and friends, by papifts and proteftants. If they have been grofsly mifreprefented and vilified on one fide, they have been amply vindicated and juftified on the other; but I will only produce the teftimonies of three witnelles concerning them, whom both fides muft allow to be unexceptionable, Reinerius, Thuanus,

and Mezeray.

Reinerius flourished about the year

1254; and his teftimony is the more remarkable, as he was a Dominican, and inquifitor general. "Among all the fects, which still are or have been, there is not any more pernicious to the church than that of the Leonists. And this for three reafons The first is, because it is older; for fome fay that it hath endured from the time of Pope Sylvefter; others, from the time of the Apostles. The fecond, because it is more general; for there is fcarce any country wherein this fect is not. The third, because when all other fects beget horror in the hearers by the outrageoufnefs of their blafphemies against God,

this

1 Inter omnes fectas, quæ adhuc funt vel fuerunt, non eft perniciofior ecclefiæ quam Leoniftarum. Et hoc tribus de caufis. Prima eft, quia eft diuturnior; aliqui enim defunt, quod duraverit atempore Sylveftri; aliqui, a tempore apoftolorum. Secunda, quia eft generalior; fere enim nulla eft terra, in qua hæc fecta non fit. Tertia quia cum omnes aliæ fectæ immanitate blafphemiarum in Deum audientibus horrorem inducant hæc Leoniftarum magnam habet fpeciem pietatis; eo quod coram hominibus jufte vivant, et bene omnia de Deo credant, et omnes articulos qui in fymbola continentur; folummodo Romanam ecclefiam blafphemant et clerum; cui multitudo laicorum facilis eft ad credendum. Reiner. contra Hæret. Cap. 4. p. 54. Edit. Ingolft. 1613. Uffer. ibid. Cap. 6. Sect. 11. Cap. 8. Sect. 1. Cave Hift. Litt. Vol. 2. ad ann. 1244. p. 302. Ufher hath added other remarkable teftimonies concerning the morals of the Waldenfes and their followers. Pontificius quidam inquifitor (Rerum Eohem Script. a Frehero edit, p. 231.) Leoniftarum five Waldenfium mores defcripturus, hujufmodi utitur præfatiuncula: Cognofcuntur hæretici per mores et verba. Sunt enim in moribus compofiti, et modefti; fuperbiam in veftibus non habent, &c. Miferrima profecto tempora in quibus compofiti et modefti mores hæreticorum haberentur infignia. De iifdem Claudius Seyfillius archiepifcopus Taurinenfis; (Seyfil. tract. adverfus errores et fectam Waldenfium. Edit. Paris. Ann. 1520. fol. 9.) Nonnihil etiam ad borum Valdenfium confirmandam tolerandamque feciom confert, quod præter hæc que contra fidem religionemque noftram affumunt, in reliquis ferme puriorem quam cæteri Chriftiani vitam agunt. enim nifi coacti jurant, raroque nomen Dei in vanum proferunt, promiffaque fua bona fide implent, et in paupertate pars maxima degentes, apoftolicam vitam doctrinamque fervare fe folus proteftantur: ob idque po teftatem ecclefiæ apud fe, velut innoxios et veros Chrifti difcipulos, refidere affirmant; pro cujus fide religioneque in egeftate vivere, et a nobis perfecu tionem pati pulchrum et gloriofum ducunt. Fratribus Bohemis, Waldenfium foboli, non diffimile perhibuit teftimonium, qui fideiipforum fuit inimiciffimus. Jacobus Liclenftenius Dominicanus. (Citatus a Joachim Camerario de Ecclef. Fratr. Bohem.) Dico (inquit) quod in moribus et vita boni funt, veraces in fermone, in caritate fraterna unanimes. Sed fides eorum eft incorrigibilis et pessima, ut patuit in tra&atu meo. Uffer. Cap. 6. Sect. 15.

Non

this of the Leonifts hath a great show of piety; because they live juftly before men, and believe all things rightly concerning God, and all the articies which ar contained in the creed; only they blafpheme the church of Rome and the clergy; whom the multitude of the laity is eafy to believe." The credit of Thuanus as an hiftorian is too well established to need any recommendation; and he is fo candid and impartial, as to distinguish, between their real opinions, and thofe herefies which were falfely imputed to them by their enemies. "Peter Valdo a wealthy citizen of Lyons about the year of Christ 1170 gave name to the Valdenfes. He (as Guy de Perpignan, bishop of Elna in Routhillon, who exercited the office of inquifitor againft the Valdenfes, hath left teftified in writing) leaving his house and goods, devoted himfelf wholly to the profeffion of the goipel, and took care to have the writings of the prophets and apoftles tranflated into the vulgar tongue-When now in a little time he had many followers about him, he fent them forth as his difciples into all parts to propagate the gospel-Their fixed opinions were faid to be thefe: that the church of Rome, becaule fhe hath renounced the true faith of Chrift, is the whore of Babylon, and that barren tree, which Chrift himfelf hath curfed, and commanded to be rooted up; therefore we must by no means obey the pope, and the bithops who cherish his errors: that the monaftic

m Petrus Valdus locuples civis Lugdunenfis anno Chrifti circiter MCLXX Valdenfibus nomen dedit. Is (ut monumentis teftatum reliquit Vidus Perpinianus præful Elnenfis, qui qua fitoris in Valdenfes munus exercuit) domo ac bonis relictis totum fe evangelicæ profeffioni devoverat, et prophetarum atque apoftolorum fcripta populari lingua vertenda curaverat-Cum jam multos fectatores exiguo tempore circa fe haberet, eos tanquam difcipulos ad evangelium promulgandum in omnes partis ablegat-Eorum hæc dogmata ferebantur; Ecclefiam Romanam, quoniam veræ Chrifti fidei renunciaverit, Babylonicam meretricem effe, et arborem illam fterilem, quam ipfe Chriftus diris devovit et revellendam effe præcepit; proinde minime parendum pontifici et epifcopis, qui ejus errores fovent: monafticam vitam ecclefiæ fentinam ac Plutonium effe; vana illius vota, nec nifi fædis puerorum amoribus fervientia: prefbyterii ordines magnæ beftiæ, quæ in Apocalypfii commemóratur notas effe: ignem purgatorium, folemne facrum, templorum encænia, cultum fanctorum, ac pro mortuis propitiatorium, Satanæ commenta effe. His præcipuis ac certis eorum doctrinæ capitibus alia afficta, de conjugio, refurrec tione, animæ ftatu poft mortem, et de cibis. Thuani Hift. Lib. 6. Sect. 16. Vol. I. p. 221. Edit. Buckley.

monaftic life is the fink of the church, and an hellish inftitution; its vows are vain, and fubfervient only to the filthy love of boys: the orders of the prefbytery are the marks of the great beast, which is mentioned in the Apocalyps: the fire of purgatory the facrifice of the mafs, the feaft of the dedications of churches, the worship of faints, and propitiations for the dead, are inventions of Satan. To these the principal and certain heads of their doctrine others were feigned and added, concerning marriage, the refurrection, the ftaté of the foul after death, and concerning meats." Mezeray, the celebrated hiftoriographer of France, is fhort, but full to our purpofe; for he faith, that " they had almost the fame opinions as those who are now called calvinifts." It cannot be objected that this is proteftant evidence, for they were all three members of the church of Rome.

In the thirteenth century, the Waldenfes and Albigenfes had spread and prevailed fo far, and were prevailing ftill farther, that the pope thought it neceffary to exert his utmost efforts to fupprefs them. For this purpoie the first croifade was proclaimed of Chriftians against Christians, and the office of inquifition was erected, the one to fubdue their bodies, the other to inflave their fouls. It is enough to make the blood run cold, to read of the horrid murders and devaftations of this time, how many of these poor innocent Chriftians were facrificed to the blind fury and malice of their enemies. It is

computed that in France alone were flain a million: and what was the confequence of these fhocking barbarities? No writer can better inform us than P the wife and moderate hiftorian

Aavoient a peu pres les mefmes opinions que ceux qu'on nomme aujourdhuy Calviniftes. Abrege Chronol. Philippe Augufte. p. 657 Edit. Amfterdam 1674.

• Vide Mede in Apoc. p. 503.

P Contra quos (Vahlenses) cum exquifita fupplicia parum proficerent, et remedio, quod intempeftive adhibitum fuerat, malum exacerbaretur, numerufque eorum in dies crefceret, jufti tandem exercitus confcripti funt: nec minoris molis bellum quam quod antea noftri adverfus Saracenos gefferant, contra eofdem decretum eft: cujus is exitus fuit, ut potius cæfi, fugati, bonis ac dignitatibus ubique fpoliati atque huc illuc diffipati funt, quam erroris convicti refipuerint. Itaque qui armis fe initio tutati fuerant, poftremo armis victi in Provinciam apud nos et Gallicæ ditionis Alpes vicinas confugerunt, latebrafque vitæ ac doctrinæ fuæ iis in locis repererunt. Fars in Cala

hiftorian Thuanus. "Against the Waldenfes (faith he): when exquifite punifhments availed little, and the evil was exasperated by the remedy which had been unfeafon ably applied, and their number increased daily, at lengthi complete armies were raised: and a war of no lefs weight, than what our people had before waged against the Sara cens, was decreed against them: the event of which was, that they were rather flain, put to flight, fpoiled every where of their goods and dignities, and difperfed here and there, than that convinced of their error they repent ed. So that they who at firft had defended themselves by arms, at laft overcome by arms fled into Provence and the neighbouring Alps of the French territory, and found a fhelter for their life aud doctrine in those places. Part withdrew into Calabria, and continued there a long while, even to the pontificate of Pious IV. Part paffed into Germany, and fixed their abode among the Bohemians, and in Poland and Livonia. Others turning to the weft obtained refuge in Britain." But there were others in this age, who proceeded not fo far as the Waldenfes and Albigenfes, and yet oppofed the church of Rome in ma ny respects. At the beginning of this century Almeric and his difciples were charged with several herefes, and were condemned by the fecond council of Paris in the year 1209. They might poffibly hold fome heterodox opinions; but their great offence was their denying the change of the substance of the bread and wine in the eu charift, their oppofing the worship of faints, images and relics, and their affirming that the pope was Antichrift, that Rome was Babylon, and that the prelates were the members and minifters of Antichrift: fo that thefe differed little from the Waldenfes and Albigenfes. William of St. Amour, a doctor of the Sorbonne, r wrote a treatise of the perils of the last times,' wherein he ap

plied

briam conceffit, in eaque diu ; atque adeo ufque ad Pii. IV. pontificatum, fe continuit. Pars in Germaniam tranfiit, atque apud Bohemos, et in Polonia et Levonia, larem fixit. Alii ad occidentem versi in Britannia perfugium habuerunt. Thuani Praefat ad Henric IV. p. 7. Edit. Buckley.

4 Dupin XIII. Siecle. Chap. 8. Spanhemii Hift. Christian. Saec. XIII. Cap. 9. Sect. 2.

Hift. Ecclefiaft. Magdeburg. Cent. XIII. Cap. 10. p. 588. Edit. Bafil. 1624. Dupin. ibid. Chap. 7. Spanhem. ibid. Cap. 6. Sect. 1.