Finding therefore in the courfe of reading, very honourable mention made of the Waldenfes and Albigenfes, by very refpectable Authors: I was thereby induced to make a more minute inquiry into their biftory, their rife and progrefs, their lives and doârines, and the treatment which they met with in the world, and for what caufe they endured all kinds of perfecu tion, and against whom the princes of this world bent all their forces, to exterminate from the face of the earth, as the very pests of mankind, and fuch as were not fit to live. The more I read, the more I admired their doctrines, Spirit, temper, conduct and behaviour; and eafily per ceived they were the fimple followers of him whofe kingdom is not of this world, and of whom the world is not worthy; I found them to be the excellent of the earth, fuch as followed the Lomb wherefoever he led them; and bearing in their fuffering bodies the dying of the Lord Jefus, that the life of Chrift was manifefted in them, and by their mortified lives and pure doctrines they teftified that the world and its deeds were evil. That many of these were poor is not to be wondered at: for in them was literally fulfiled what is faid, that, "No man might buy or fell, fave he that had the mark, or the name of the beaft, or the number of his his name, (a) which is very particularly applied to them. So the canon of Lateran, under Pope Alexander the third, made against the Waldenfes and Albigenfes enjoins, upon pain of anathema, that no man presume to entertain or cherish them in his house or lend, or exercise traffic with them. The Synod of Tours, in France, under the fame Pope, "Orders under the like intermination, that no man should prefume to receive or affift them, no not so much as to hold communion with them in felling or buying; that being deprived of the comforts of humanity, they may be compelled to repent of the error of their way. (b)" From hence we need not wonder that they were poor. their appearance in France, in Lyons, they were called in derifion, the poor of Lyons. But that they were not evil doers, we have the teftimony of their enemies. Sancho Reinerus, an apoftate, and a perfecutor of the Waldenfes in the thir teenth Centuary writes, Amongst all the Sects, none is more pernicious than that of the poor of Lyons (i. e. the Waldenfes) for three reafons, 1. Because it is the most ancient. Some aver their existance from the days of Silvefter; others from the very time of the Apoftles. 2. Because it is fo univerfal; for there is hardly a country into which this Sect And as they first made and about the city of (a) Rev. xiii., 16, 17. (b) Ufher. Newton's Defertations. has not crept. 3. Because all others render them. felves deteftable by their blafphemies; but this has a great appearance of godlinefs, they living a righteous life before men, believing right of God, confeffing all the articles of the creed, only hating the pope of Rome, &c. (a) Such is the teftimony of this virulent renegade, which is no small encomium on this perfecuted flock of Chrift when an avowed enemy and a violent apoftate owns there was no other crime could be laid to their charge but that of hating Antichrift, and all his abominations. It feems pretty clear from various authorities, that they carried the pure reformation into Bohemea, even a Century before the time of John Hufs, as early as 1170, and therefore exifted long before they went by the name of Waldenfes or Albigenfes, yea several writers will have it that they never were tainted with the corruptions of Rome, but have kept themselves free from the Mother of Harlots all along. For when both the Greek and Latin Churches were abominably corrupted thefe poor fheep were fcattered up and down in their obfcure retreats, and now and then ventured out, when there was the leaft profpect of being any way useful, at the hazard, and often at the expence of their lives; fo that in the midst of that general apoftacy and darkness (a) Crantz's Hiftory of the Brethren, it it is obferved a real feed was fill left. "For juft at that time, when the purity of the Greek church both in doctrine and in worship was daily declining, even among the people; the Waldenfes in 1176 arrived at Bohemia. These joined thofe Bohemians, who were ftill tenacious of the rites of the Greek church. They fhewed them the de fects of their religious exercises; and introduced a purer knowledge of the Chriftian faith according to the word of God. By this means the upright were confirmed in the faith, and fuch as were fallen afleep, again awakened. These united Waldenfes and Bohemians held, in many places, their private, in others public meetings; and fent miffions from Bo hemia to England, Hungary, Brandenburg, Pomerania, &c. affifted their fuffering brethren of the Waldenfes in their dift efs, and fupplied them with minifters from the feminary of their brethren in Italy, whither, as to an univerfity, they fent their youth from Bohemia. This continued above two hundred years till 1391, when being discovered through the imprudence of two of their preachers, they were cruelly perfecuted, and, for the moft·· part despersed abroad in the adjacent countries!" (a) From hence se fee the origien of the reformation, even in England, which I make no doubt begun to dawn (a) Stroufky de Repub. Bohem. in in the fime of the Conqueror. For we are informed that "he would not permit any one in his power to buy or fell any thing whom he found disobedient to the apoftalic fee." (a) Some have thought that the Waldenfes and Albigenfes were the two witnesses spoken of in the eleventh chapter. of Revelations, thus fays Bishop Newton, "But the true witneffes, and as I may fay, the Proteftants of this age were the Waldenfes and Albigenfes, who began to be famous at this time, and being difperfed into various parts and places, were diftinguished by various appellations. Their first and proper name feemeth to have been Vallenfes, or inhabitants of the valleys; and fo faith one of the oldeft writers, Ebrord, who wrote in the year 1212 they call themselves Vallenfes, because they abide in the valley of Tears, alluding to their fituation in the valleys of Peidmont; they were called Albigenfes from Albi, a city in the fouthern parts of France, where alfo great numbers of them were fituated." (b) He then gives us a pretty large Abfract of their Creed from Perrin's History, a part of which will be found in the enfuing Hiflory. Nay, the Bishop looks upon Waldo to be the Angel which proclaims the fall of Babylon, or Rome in Rev. xiv. 8. (a) Ex Ufferio de Suceeff. Ecclef. Cap. 7. "But |