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CHAPTER VI.

The Symbolic Books of the Waldenses.

Few works are more wanted, or, if executed by a religious, learned, and philosophic pen, would be more interesting or instructive, than a history of the second appearance of the Manichæans in the west, and the important consequences, both in church and state, with which it was attended.

It is known to every learned reader, that, some time after the death of Manes, the European Manichæans retreated, and carried their doctrines with them into the east. They returned into Europe about the beginning of the ninth century; and, during that and the following centuries, they and their disciples, under various appellations, as Paulicians, Albigenses, Bogards, and Brethren of the Free Spirit, spread themselves over Europe, in several sects, equally hostile to the church and state.

The Waldenses are of a different extraction, and the horrid principles, with which the sects of Manichæan extraction have been charged, cannot with justice be imputed to the disciples of Waldo. The same exception may be made in favour of some other denominations of Christians, vvho, during the period we have mentioned, separated from the church of Rome. But, in the course of time, some portions of the se adopted, in a greater or less degree, several of the obnoxious principles of the Manichæans; so that, speaking generally, the two following

opinions prevailed in most of their communities; that the individual possession of worldly goods is unlawful; and that no person in office, either in church or state, can validly exercise his functions, if he be not in the state of grace. It is obvious that the practical results of these opinions are equally inconsistent with the tranquillity of the state, and the settlement of the church, and lead to the greatest excesses.

Soon after the Reformation, a curious correspondence took place between the Waldenses and Ecolampadius. It is to be found in Scultet's Annales Evangelii renovati, (Hist. Lit. Reformationis; Harmanni Von der Hart, p. 160.) The consequence was, that some time after Calvinism was established at Geneva, it was embraced by the Waldenses; but they retained with it a considerable part of their tenets and discipline. In the year 1630, a plague having broke out, which destroyed a great proportion of their clergy, they applied for spiritual succour, to the reformed churches of France, and insensibly adopted their creed, rites and discipline.

The original and reformed creeds of the Waldenses may be seen in LEGER, Histoire Generale des Eglises Vaudoises, lib. 1. c. 17. and in BOYER, Abrégé de l'Histoire des Vaudois, c. 2. p. 15. and in the valuable History of the Waldenses, recently published by MR. JONES.

CHAPTER VII.

The Symbolic Books of the Bohemians.

BEFORE the Reformation, Bohemia was a scene of great religious dispute. On the death of the celebrated John Huss, who had been burned on the charge of heresy, his followers retired to a mountain, in the district of Bohemia, and called it Tabor. Under Ziska, their first chief, and Rasa, his successor, they maintained a fierce war against their sovereign; and justified it on the ground, that Huss was innocent of the heresies with which he was charged, and was therefore unjustly put to death; but they unaccountably admitted as an incontestible principle, that real heretics were worthy of punishment. From a mountain, on which they fixed their head quarters, they were called Taborites. Splitting into parties, one party retained this appellation, the other was called Calixtines: both required the cup for the laity; but, while the latter would have been satisfied with the cup, and a gentle correction of abuse, the former insisted on a total alteration of church discipline, and an unqualified restoration of it to what they considered its pristine simplicity. The Calixtines were disposed to peace; the Taborites breathed nothing but war. "They had imbibed," says Mosheim, "the most barbarous sentiments, with respect to the obligation of fixing vengeance on their enemies, against whom they breathed nothing but vengeance and fury, without any mixture of huConf.

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manity or compassion." In 1433, the council of Basil sent Eneas Sylvius and other legates, to confer with them. By allowing the cup to the laity, in the administration of the sacrament, they reconciled the Calixtines to the Roman Pontiff; but the Taborites remained inflexible: by degrees, however, they grew tired of the war, and insensibly retired to the peaceful occupations of trade and agriculture. A confession of the faith of the Calixtines, and a confession of faith of the Taborites were signed at the synod of Cuttenburgh, in 1441. They are inserted in l'Enfan's Histoire de la Guerre des Hussites et du Concile de Basle. T. 2. p. 119, 132. A confession of the Bohemians is inserted in the " Harmony of the Confessions of the Faith of the Christian and Reformed Churches, published at Cambridge in 1580."

The Taborites, however, after their retirement from the war, persisted, but with greater moderation, in their projects of reform: and in 1522, having heard of Luther's reformation, sent a considerable number of deputies to him, to solicit his friendship and good offices. On many subsequent occasions, they shewed an attachment to the Saxon churches.

Previously to their signing the Confession of faith which has been mentioned, they had signed one in 1532, in the Bohemian language. This is extremely rare: it was afterwards translated into Latin, with the title, Confessio Fidei ac Religionis Baronum ac Nobilium regni Bohemia, Serenissimo ac invictissimo Romanorum, Bohemia, &c. regi; Vienna, Austria, sub anno domini 1535, oblata. It is to be found in the Corpus et Syntagma Confessionum Fidei, Pars II. Luther prefixed to it a preface, not approving it entirely, but approving the greatest part of it; and considering that the rest might be tolerated. Two editions of it were published by them, one in German, in 1572, the other in Latiu, in 1612.

After the death of Luther, most of the Bohemians veered to Calvinism. They then became dissatisfied with their former creed; and, it is said, destroyed all the copies of their confession, which fell into their hands.

The disputes increasing, and Poland and Switzerland being

equally disturbed by them, a congress was held, of the Bohemian brethren, the Lutherans, and the Switzers, in 1570, at Sendomer. There they agreed on a formulary, generally called the Consent of Faith at Sendomer. This document, and a curious account of the congress, at which it was framed, was published by Jablonski, at Berlin, in 1731, with the title, Historia Consensus Sendomerensis.

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But the agreement was of short duration; and almost immediately after it was signed, the majority of the Bohemians entered into communion with the Helvetic churches. In the 1620, a general union of all the Bohemian churches was effected at Astrog, under the name of the Church of the United Brethren. By the terms of this agreement, the external form of the church was nearly Lutheran, the articles of faith, nearly Calvinistic.

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