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the whole, for the document runs : we appoint them their lessons; they are, by the imposition of hands, admitted to the office of preaching.' Whatever may be the practice of the present Waldenses, their ancestors seem to have ordained ministers by the moderator, who was joined by his brethren in the act of laying on hands. Popular election was practised in the choice of all church officers. Leger tells us, that the lay elders were not only elected by the people at first, but the congregations, or heads of families, appointed every year the elder, who was to represent them in the synod. But, in regard to episcopal consecration, Mr. Ackland himself informs us, that this ornament of our church establishment, so justly cherished by us, is, unquestionably, no longer preserved among the Vaudois.' To all such assertions and surmises, therefore, we oppose what shall be now adduced from their ancient standards, the express declarations of their own historians, and the open accusations of their prelatical foes. Thus Perrin alleges,1 that the monk Reinerus reported many things concerning the vocation of the pastors of the Waldenses, which are mere fictions; as that they had a greater bishop and two followers, whom he called the elder son, and the younger, and a deacon; that he laid his hands upon others with a sovereign authority, and sent them where he thought good, like a pope.' Reinerus also affirms, that they considered prelates to be but Scribes and Pharisees; that the pope and all the bishops were murderers, because of the wars they waged; that they were not to obey the bishops, but God only; that in the church no one was greater than another; that they HATED the very NAME of PRELATE, as POPE, BISHOP,' etc. A similar statement of their views is given by Eneas Sylvius: the Roman bishop, and all bishops are equal. Amongst priests, or ministers of the gospel, there is NO DIFFERENCE. The name of a presbyter does not signify a dignity, but superior merit.' Mr. Faber quotes Pilichdorf, also, saying, they REJECTED the consecration of bishops, priests, churches, altars,' etc.

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We will now make some further extracts found connected with the Book on Antichrist, dated 1120, and 1126.3 In the article on marriage and orders, it is said: ✦ as touching orders, we ought to hold, that order is called the power which God gives to man, duly to administer or dispense unto the church the word and the sacraments. But we have nothing in the Scriptures touching such orders, as they pretend, but only the custom of the church.' Again, the article on chrism, or confirmation, is as follows:5 Now 1 In Powell, on Apost. Succ. p. 181, 2nd ed. authorities in Blair's Hist. of Wald. p. 514. They are Morland, pp. 142-160. Perrin, 1. iii, c. 1. Leger, i, p. 71, and further arguments at p. 505. 4 See Blair, ibid., p. 521. 5 See Blair's Hist. Wald. i, p. 522.

2 In ibid., p. 181.

3 See the

to speak of the chrism, which they at present call the sacra ment of confirmation, having no ground at all in the Scriptures,' etc. Speaking of the Romish prelacy it says, 'his ministers are called false prophets, lying teachers, ministers of darkness, a spirit of error, the whore in the Revelation, the mother of fornications, clouds without water, withered trees, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, waves of the raging sea, wandering planets, Balaamites and Egyptians.' And, therefore, let every one take notice, that antichrist could not come in any wise, but all these forementioned things must needs meet together, to make up a complete hypocrisy and falsehood, namely, the worldly-wise men, the religious orders, the pharisees, ministers, doctors, the secular power, with the worldly people conjoined. He wanted yet those hypocritical ministers, and human ordinances, and the outward show of those religious orders.' Again, to pass by other quotations, it is said, 'he covers his iniquity by the length or succession of time, and allegeth that he is maintained by certain wise and learned men, and by religious orders of certain votaries of single life, men and women, virgins and widows; and besides by a numberless people, of whom, it is said in the Revelation, that power is given him over every tribe, language, and nation, and all that dwell on the earth shall worship him.' In the third place, he covers his iniquity by the spiritual_authority of the apostles, (that is, the claim of apostolical succession,) against which the apostle speaketh expressly, 'we are able to do nothing against the truth, there is no power given us for destruction.' 2

We now go back to their earliest document, 'the celebrated Nobla Leyczon,' a metrical exposition of Scripture doctrine, which exhibits its date, A.D. 1100, in a line of the poem :

'It is now the completion of the eleventh hundred year.' From the character also of the writing, the structure of the language, and other internal marks of antiquity, it has been pronounced by competent judges to be a document of that period. In this it is said, that Christ called the twelve apostles, which were rightly so named.* The office of pastors is thus described: 5

For I dare say, and it is very true,

That all the popes which have been, from Sylvester to this present,
And all cardinals, bishops, abbots, and the like,

Have no power to absolve or pardon

1 See Blair's Hist. Wald. i, pp. 505, 506.

Vallenses, p. 9. and Blair's Hist. Wald. i, p. 473. 5 Ibid., p. 482.

2 Ibid., p. 509.

3 See Dr. Gilly's

4 Blair, ibid., p. 478.

Any creature so much as one mortal sin;
It is God alone who pardons, and no other.
But this ought they to do who are pastors,

They ought to preach to the people, and pray with them,
And feed them often with divine doctrine,

And chastise the sinners with discipline,

Namely, by declaring that they ought to repent.'

6

Finally, we refer to their catechism,' dated also in the year A.D. 1100.1 What is your faith,' asks the question. The true catholic and apostolical faith,' is the answer. Again, Dost thou believe in the holy church?

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No, for it is a creature; but I believe that there is one." What is that which thou believest, concerning the holy church?" 'I say, that the church is considered two manner of ways, the one substantially, and the other ministerially. As it is considered substantially, by the holy catholic church, is meant, all the elect of God, from the beginning of the world to the end, by the grace of God through the merit of Christ, gathered together by the Holy Spirit, and foreordained to eternal life; the number and names of whom are known to Him alone who has elected them. And, finally, in this church remains none who is reprobate. But the church as it is considered, according to the truth of the ministry, is the company of the ministers of Christ, together with the people committed to their charge, using the ministry by faith, hope, and charity.' By what dost thou know the church of Christ?' By the ministers lawfully called, and by the people participating in the truth of the ministry. By what marks knowest thou the ministers?' By the true sense of faith, by sound doctrine, by a life of good example, and by the preaching of the gospel, and by a due administration of the sacraments.' 'By what marks knowest thou the false ministers?' By their fruits, by their blindness, by their evil works, by their perverse doctrine, and by their undue administration of the sacraments.' 'By what knowest thou their blindness?' When, not knowing the truth which necessarily appertains to salvation, they observe human inventions as ordinances of God, of whom it is verified what Isaiah says, and which is alleged by our Lord Jesus Christ, Matt, xv, "This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.'" By what marks is the undue administration of the sacraments known?" When the priests, not knowing the intention of Christ in the sacrament, say, that the grace and the truth is included in the external ceremonies, and persuade men to the participation of the

1 Blair's Hist. Wald. i, p. 484.

6

6

6

2 Ibid., p. 486.

sacrament, without the truth of faith, of hope, and of charity. But the Lord chargeth those who are his to take heed of false prophets, saying, beware of the Pharisees,'

etc.

We need add nothing to what has been adduced. The presbyterian character of the Waldensian churches, both now and at all times, is indubitable; and the attempt to derive, as prelatists do, a divine right for prelacy, through them, is nothing less than solemn farce.

CHAPTER III.

THE ANTIQUITY OF PRESBYTERY.

THE SAME SUBJECT

CONTINUED.

I. THE LOLLARDS, THE SYRIAN, THE HUSSITE, THE BOHEMIAN, THE EPISCOPAL IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN 1785, THE REFORMED AND THE BISCAY CHURCHES, WERE ALSO PRESBYTERIAN.

WE have been challenged to produce one single church, from the days of the apostles to the period of the reformation, that was presbyterian in its polity. We have met this challenge. We have shown that ALL the churches founded by the apostles, by the apostolical fathers, and by the primitive fathers, were presbyterian, and that such also was the character of the churches in Gaul, at Alexandria, in Egypt, in Scythia, in Bavaria, in the East, in Britain, in Ireland, in Scotland, among the Culdees, the Paulicians, the Aerians, and the Waldenses. We now proceed to notice some others. The Lollards, or followers of Wickliffe, were presbyterian. See on this subject what has been already said.

The Syrian churches were presbyterian. For the evidence on this point see also our previous remarks.3

The churches established by the Hussites were also presbyterian. More than a century before the era of the Saxon reformation, even in the fourteenth century, protestants were found in Germany who maintained a long and obsti nate struggle for their religious rights against the church of Rome, until, in 1457, they assumed the form of an independent ecclesiastical body under the name of the United Brethren. These protestants were headed by the two celebrated martyrs and proto-reformers, whose blood continues

- 1On the subject of the Waldenses, the reader is referred to Blair's History of the Waldenses, Edin. 1833, 2 vols. 8vo. Jones's History of the_Waldenses, Lond. 1816, 2 vols. 8vo. Dr. Allix on the Churches of Piedmont, and Remarks on the Ancient Churches of the Albicanses. Sims's Historical Defence of the Waldenses. Faber's Vallenses and Albigenses. Dr. Wilson's Prim. Govt. of the Ch. pp. 211, 218, etc. Gilly's Waldensian Researches, and Vallenses. Powell on the Apost. Succ. Plea for Presbyterianism, etc. 2 B. iii, c. 2. 3 B. ii, c. 6.

to cry to heaven against her who is drunk with the blood of the saints. Now that they were presbyterian appears, first, from the fact that both these reformers, Huss and Jerome of Prague, were indebted for their views of Scriptural doctrine and order to the writings of Wickliffe, and how thoroughly imbued they are with the views of presbyterians we have already seen. The books of Wickliffe were carried into Bohemia by Peter Payne, principal of Edmund Hall, Oxford, one of his disciples. He fled to Bohemia, where he published some books of Wickliffe, which were greatly esteemed by Huss, Jerome, and the university of Prague. A young nobleman from Bohemia, who studied at Oxford, in 1389, carried with him on his return several tracts of Wickliffe, among which were those of the church ;' ' against the clergy,' etc. From him Huss obtained these books, and ever afterwards maintained the doctrines they contained. Secondly, from the express testimony of Huss himself. Thus, he says, All good bishops and pastors are as well the apostles' successors as the pope, nay, rather, he being a wicked man. John Huff, Articul. 4. Fox, p. 590. Lambert, p. 1120. Nay, they have greater and more excellent titles than to be called apostles' successors; for those that walk in obedience unto God's commandments, our Saviour calleth them his sisters, kinsfolk, and brethren. Matt. xii, 50. Ergo, the pope is not the right successor of Peter.' The disciples also of Huss and Jerome acted in conformity with this doctrine.5 Æneas Sylvius (afterwards Pius the second,) speaking of the Hussites, says, 'One of the dogmas of this pestiferous sect is, that there is no difference of order among those who bear the priestly office.' This account is confirmed by the historian Thuanus, who expressly speaks of their opinions as resembling those of the English dissenters. Huss undauntedly declaimed against the clergy, the cardinals, and even against the pope himself.6 He wrote a long treatise about the church, in which he maintains that the church consists of those only who are predestinate; that the head and foundation of it is Jesus Christ; that the pope and cardinals are only members of it, and the other bishops are successors to the apostles as well as they; that no one is obliged to obey them, if their commands are not agreeable to the law of God; and that an excommunication, which is groundless, hath no effect.' He wrote also three large volumes against the clergy; the first entitled 'The Anatomy of the Members of Antichrist.' The second, Of the Kingdom of the People, and the Life

4

2 Middleton's Evang.

1 See Conder's Analytic View of All Religions, p. 247. Biog. Life of Huss, vol. i, p. 30. Lond. 1816. 3 See also Bost's Hist. of the Moravians, pp. 11, 13. 4 Dr. Willet's Syn. Pap. p. 167. 5 Dr. Miller on the Min. 6 Middleton's Evang. Biog. 1, 35, 36.

p. 138.