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 colaborers, 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.
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.
(See Appendix.)
The Waldenses were among the first of the peoples of
Europe to obtain a translation of the Holy Scriptures. (See Appendix.) 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 colaborers
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,
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. (See Appendix.)
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 legitimatized 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.