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Vows of celibacy are inventions of men, and occafions of Sodomy.

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So many orders are fo many characters of 'the beast.

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Monkery is a ftinking carcass.

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So many fuperftitious dedications of 'churches, commemorations of the dead, bene⚫dictions of creatures, pilgrimages, to many 'forced faftings, fo many fuperfluous feftivals, thofe perpetual bellowings (meaning the finging and chanting) of unlearned men, and the obfervations of the other ceremonies, manifeftly hindering the teaching and learning of the word, are diabolical inventions.

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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 misreprefented and vilified on one fide, they have been amply vindicated and justified on the other; but I will only produce the teftimonies of three witneffes concerning them, whom both fides muft allow to be unexceptionable, Reinerius, Thuanus, and Mezeray. Reinerius (5) florifhed about the year1254;

caufis. Prima eft, quia eft diuturnior; aliqui enim dicunt,

2

quod duraverit a tempore Sylveftri; aliqui, a tempore aposto

lorum.

1254; and his teftimony is the more remarkable; as he was a Dominican, and inquifitor general.

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Among all the fects, which ftill are or have been, there is not any more pernicious to the church than that of the Leonifts. And this for three reafons. The firft is, because it is older; for fome fay that it hath indured from the time of pope Sylvefter; others, 'from the time of the apoftles. 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

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lorum. Secunda, quia eft generalior; fere enim nulla eft terra, in qua hæc fecta non fit. Tertia, quia cum omnes aliæ fecta 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 fymbolo 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. 1254. P. 302. Ufher hath added other remarkable teftimonies concerning the morals of the Waldenfes and

their followers. Pontificius quidam inquifitor [Rerum Bohem. Script. a Frehero edit. p. 231.] Leoniftarum five Waldenfium mores defcripturus, hujufmodi utitur præfatiuncula: Cognof cuntur hæretici per mores et verba. Sunt enim in moribus compofiti et modefti; Juperbiam 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 horum Valdenfium confirmandam tolerandamque fectam confert, quod præter hæc quæ contra fidem religionemque noftram affumunt, in reliquis ferme puriorem quam cœteri Chriftiani vitam agunt. Non

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horror in the hearers by the outrageoufnefs of their blafphemies against God, this of the Leonists hath a great show of piety; because they live juftly before men, and believe all things rightly concerning God, and all the • articles which are contained in the creed; only they blafpheme the church of Rome ' and the clergy; whom the multitude of the laity is easy to believe.' The credit of Thuanus as an hiftorian is too well established to need any recommendation; and he is (6) fo candid and impartial, as to distinguish between

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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 folos proteftantur: ob idque poteftatem ecclefiæ apud fe, velut innixios et veros Chrifti difcipulos, refidere affirmant; pro cujus fide religioneque in egeftate vivere, et a nobis perfecutionem pati, pulchrum et gloriofum ducunt. Fratribus Bohemis, Waldenfium foboli, non diffimile perhibuit teftimonium, qui fidei ipforum 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 peffima,

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multos fectatores exiguo tempore circa fe haberet, eos tanquam difcipulos ad evangelium promulgandum in omnes partes ablegat-Eorum hæc dogmata ferebantur; Ecclefiam Romanam, quoniam veræ Chrifti fidei renunciaverit, Babylonicam meretricem effe, et arborem

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their real opinions, and thofe herefies which were falfly imputed to them by their enemies. Peter Valdo a wealthy citizen of Lyons about the year of Chrift 1170 gave name to the Valdenfes. He (as Guy de Perpignan, bishop of Elna in Rouffillon, who exercifed the office of inquifitor against the Valdenses, hath 'left teftified in writing) leaving his house and goods, devoted himself wholly to the profeffion of the gospel, 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 followes about him, he sent them forth as his disciples into all parts to propagate the gofpel-Their fixed opinions were faid to be these that the • church of Rome, because the hath renounced the true faith of Chrift, is the whore of Babylon, and that barren tree, which Chrift ' himself hath curfed, and commanded to be rooted up; therefore we must by no means

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Sobey the pope, and the bifhops who cherish his errors that the monaftic life is the fink

illam fterilem, quam ipfe Chrif tus diris devovit et revellendam effe præcepit; proinde minime parendum pontifici, et epifcopis, qui ejus errores fovent: monafticam vitam ecclefiæ fentinam ac Plutonium effe; vana

• of

illius vota, nec nifi fædis puerorum amoribus fervientia: prefby terii ordines magnæ beftiæ, quæ in Apocalypfi commemoratur, notas effe: ignem purgatorium, folemne facrum, templorum encænia, cultum fanc

torum,

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* of the church, and an hellish institution; 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 mass, the feafts of the dedications of churches, the worship of faints, and propitiations for the dead, are inventions of Satan. To these the

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principal and certain heads of their doctrin others were feigned and added, concerning marriage, the refurrection, the ftate of the foul after death, and concerning meats.' Mezeray, the celebrated hiftoriographer of France, is fhort, but full to our purpofe; for (7) he faith, that they had almost the fame opinions ' as those who are now called Calvinifts.' It cannot be objected that this is protestant evidence, for they were all three members of the church of Rome.

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In the thirteenth century the Waldenses and Albigenfes had fpread and prevailed fo far, and were prevailing ftill farther, that the pope

torum, ac pro mortuis propiti atorium, Satanææ commenta effe. His præcipuis ac certis eorum doctrinæ capitibus alia afficta, de conjugio, refurrectione, animæ ftatu poft mortem, et de cibis. Thuani Hift. Lib. 6. Se&t. VOL. III.

thought

16. Vol. 1. p. 221. Edit. Buckley.

(7) avoient à peu près les mefmes opinions que ceux qu'on nomme aujourd' huy Calviniftes. Abregé Chronol. Philippe Augufte. p. 657. Edit. Amfterdam 1674.

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(S) Vide

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