it thrive These worthy Confessors being found Overcomers by the Blood of the Lamb and word of their Testimony not loving their Lives unto the Death as it was experienced in the several Countries in the several Ages hereafter mentioned as at large is given you in P. Perrins Hist Viz. The Sufferings of the Waldenses Churches in Dauphine in the 12 13 14 and 15 Cent. Chap. 3. Their Sufferings in Piâ—dmont in the 14 15 16 Cent. ch 4. Their Sufferings in the Marquisate de Saluces 16 17 Cent. c. 5. Their Sufferings in the New Lands 16 Cent. c. 6. Their Sufferings in Calabria 14. and 16. Cent. c. 7. Their Sufferings in Province 12 13 14 15 16 Cent. c. 8. Their Sufferings in Bohemia 15 Cent. c. 9. Their Sufferings in Austria 14 and 15. Cent. c. 10. Their Sufferings in Germany 13 14 15. Cent. c. 11. Their Sufferings in England 12 13 Cent. c. 12. Their Sufferings in Flaunders 13 Cent. â— 13. Their Sufferings in Poland 12 14. Cent. Chap. 14. Their Sufferings in Paris 13 14. Cent. c. 15. Their Sufferings in Italy 13 14 15. Cent. Chap. 16. Their Sufferings in Dalmatia Croatia Sclavonia Constantinople Greece Philadelphia Digonicia Livonia Sarmatia Bulgaria in the 13. Cent. c. 17. Their Sufferings in Spain 13. C. c. 18. Their Sufferings by the cruel Wars managed against them by Pope Innocent the Third for eighteen Years together in conjunction with many Kings and Princes in the 13 Cent. together with other Wars carried on by other Popes and Kings of France and Spain in the 13 and 14 Cent. with the wonderful detriment that accrued also to the Enemy who lost somtimes an Hundred Thousand Men at a Siege you have largely set forth in Perrin's Hist of the Albigenses in 2 Books Their Sufferings at Merindal Cabriers by Fox p. 201. vol. 2. Their late Sufferings in our time by the Duke of Savoy in the Valleys of Piedmont 1655. is largely set forth by Sir Samuel Morland who was the Agent sent with the English Contribution Having thus finished the Historical Account of these Eminent Worthies I cannot but again remember you That this was the People that bore so great a witness for Believers and so firmly opposed Infants Baptism as by so many Arguments in the Seventh Chapter is made good to you A Postscript UPon the closing of my Papers Mr. Bunions Book in Answer to Mr. Pauls coming to hand called Differences about Baptisme no Far to Communion defending still That Churches may and ought to hold Fellowship with Unbaptised Persons I took my self concerned having briefly hinted to his former to give some short return to this also leaving his manifold Absurdities Contradictions unbrotherly Tauntings and Reflections Contemptions traducings the wisdome of Christ and his holy Appointments to be called to account by that hand that hath so well begun to reckon with him The little that I shall do herein is not to trace him in his Meanders or to answer his Reflections with Reflections but in a few things to discover how he hath darkned Counsel by words without Knowledg and whilst he pretends Brotherly love violates the very Law of Charity and under pretence of pleading for Truth introduceth hainous Error and fundamentally mistakes himself in both his Books Five of Six of which Fundamental Mistakes are here detected and which I conceive may be as full an Answer to both his Books as if Volumes wâ—re written thereto For according to the Maxime Frustra fit per plura quod fieri potest per panciora In vain we do that by much which may be done by less which therefore take as followeth viz. Mr. Bunians Fundamental Mistakes 1. Asserts Principles without Scripture to warrant them First By asserting that for a Principle and Practice in the Worship of God that hath neither footing nor Foundation in the Word of God and for which neither Precept nor Example is produced to warrant it A Presumption then which as nothing can savour more of Ignorance and Folly Isai 8.20 Jer. 8.9 so nothing more dangerous and destructive to Religion it self as Mark 7.7 8 9. Secondly 2. Positively contradicts Scripture Precepts and Practice In so positively thwarting and contradicting not only the Wisdom and Authority of Christ in his Commission who enjoynes Baptisme to be the next thing after Faith and Conversion Matth. 28.19 But the constant Practice of the Saints in obedience to it As for instance Acts 2.41 it is said Then viz. immediatly they that gladly received his Word were baptised and the same Day added and so continued in Fellowship and breaking of Bread c. Where you have the direct Order kept 1. Teaching 2. Baptizing Then 3. Church Fellowship and Breaking of Bread which is the standing Directory to the Worlds end and not Teaching Church-Fellowship and then Bâ—ptisme after So Acts 22.16 Ananias exhorts Paul after his Confession to arise and be baptised with a Why tarriest thou Though he had eaten nothing of three dayes Acts 9.9 being a Duty that admits not of Delays It was not Arise and go and break Bread with the Church but Arise and be Baptised in the first place And therefore the Jailor Act. 16.33 must after his conversion straitway yea in that same hour of the night without further delay be baptised as a thing not to be neglected for a moment And so also Cornelius in Acts 10.47 though he was Baptized so eminently with the Spirit yet must forthwith be commanded to be baptized with Water a thing by no means to be deserred as Peters words imply who upon his seeing him so filled with the Spirit saith Can any man forbid Water that these should not be Baptised c. No sure no man of Knowledg or Conscience can do it or will admit of delayes therein And the reason hereof is plain Because this was the Listing Espousing Covenanting Ingrafting Implanting Ordinance Believers being expresly said hereby to be planted into Christ Gal. 3.27 and Baptised into Christ Rom. 6.3 And which Baptizing and Planting into Christ is no other but an Orderly entring into the Visible Church or Body of Christ as so fully exprest 1 Cor. 12.12 An Order faithfully to be observed as a Fundamental Practice Heb. 6.2 which must be kept Eph. 2.21 and duly regarded 1 Cor. 11.1 2. upon the severe penalties threatned Mat. 5.19 2 Joh. 9. Act. 3.22 23. And which lies so full and clear in the Scriptures that it hath obtained an universal Consent by most that have owned the Christian Religion and in any Form professed the same whether Papists Protestants Independants Baptists In so much that Mr. Baxter himself in his plain Scripture proof p. 126. saith That if any shall be so impudent as to say it is not the meaning of Christ that Baptizing should immediatly follow Discipling they are confuted by the constant Example of Scripture So that saith he I dare say this will be out of doubt with all rational considerate impartial Christians So
Lord that hath so long lain under so much obloquy and reproach and been buried under so much Antichristian Rubbish in these Nations There are two material Objections that I conceive it will be necessary to obviate viz. First That Concerning the German Anabaptists Tâ—e miscarriages of the German Anabapt examined and the reproach from thence reflected upon the way removed And Secondly Concerning some of the Waldensian Confession th◠〈◊〉 seem to own the Baptizing of Infants To the first What has been more frequent in these latter Times then to reflect some grosâ— miscarriages of some that went under the name of Anabaptists in Luthers days upon the whole profession ever since To which I would say these few things That take it for granted that things were so 〈◊〉 matâ—â—â— of Fact that many Anabaptist did prove foâ— horribly wicked aâ— Spâ—â—hantiâ—s Slâ—â—den Osiander and others do report yet how unreasonable and uncharitable would it be to render all the people either in those times or since to be such Persons also and to judge an Error in the Principle from the Error in Conversation of some that have profest it for by the same Rule may not the purest State of the Church both in the Old and New Testament be sensured and judged who had their Chora's Judases and Diatrophes amongst them But that others that owned that Principle were Men of another Spirit both in that as well as former and latter times you have most ample and authentick Testimony from their greatest Enemies witness that honourable Caracter that Rainerius the bloody Inquisitor gives of them in those days P. 14. of those in France Cassander Bellarmine Anabaptists well reported of and Baronius P. 22. of those in Germany Mr. Baxter himself one of their severest Enemies in these Nations yet hath done himself and his opposites that Right as to witness to the Innocency of their conversation which you may please to read in his own words in his Book called the Defence of the Prin. of Love P. 7 viz. That Anabaptists are Godly Men that differ from us in a Point so difficult that many of the Papists and Prelatists have maintained that it is not determined in Scripture but dependeth upon the Tradition of the Church And I know as good and sober men of that mind as of theirs that are most against them and that he once motioned Tearms of Concord to the Anabaptists and was in as hopefull a way for peace with them as with most others And in his late large Book called a Christian Directory he is pleased to say P. 827. That Anabaptists may not only be admitted to Church Communion but may be tollerated in their practice also 1. Because they agree with us in all Points absolutely necessary to Communion 2. That the Ancient Christians had liberty either to Baptize on to let them stay till Age as they thought best And therefore Tertullian and Nazianzen speak against hast And Augustine and many Children of Christian Parents were baptized at Age and if so what greater Argument against Apostolical Tradition And 3. That the Controversie is of so great difficulty that is in all such Cases none that differ be tollerated we may not live together in the World or Church but endlesly excommunicate or persecute one another But in the next place I think it will not be unnecessary being upon this Point to give you some account from the best Authors of the matter of fact it self that has occasioned so much blunder in the world The Rusticks War concerning which you must understand there are two things especially reflected upon viz. First those many insurrections and disturbances that happened in Isuria and Sweâ—ia by times for the space of 22. yâ—â—rs viz. from 1502. to 1525 called the Clowns or Rusticks War wherein Munzer and several other Anabaptists were concerned in Luthers time And the other those horrible thing that are spoken of to have been in the City of Munster in Westphalia from the years 1532. to 1536. by Jâ— a Layden Mathias Gniperdoling c. As to that of the Clowns War Baronius I find in Baronius's Annals that in the year 1502. there was a Conspiracy of Husbandmen against the Bishops and Canons which was called the Rustick League which began from two Rusticks of which Conspiracy the principal Article was That they should shakâ— off every Yoâ—e and in imitation of the Helvetians should recover their liberty Which beginning sâ—ith Osiaâ—der Cent. 16. P. â—â—4 were the â—â—â—ludiâ—m of that great sedition of the Rustickâ— which was in its vigour 1525. Gnodol Gnodoliuâ— â—n his History of the Rusticks in Germany in the year 1525. Lib. 1. saith That in Sweâ—â—â— where they first began they did openly signifie that they were not Gospellers nor did flow together for the Gospels sake Vpon the account of Civil and Religious Liberty but because of Exactions The first Boars that rose were against Count Lyâ—siâ—â— to whom after an infinite number of Rusticks did joyn themselves crying up Gospel-Liberty after as well as Civil in both which they were so opprest by their Lords and Bishops which Spanhemius himself in his Diatroâ—e Misteria referâ— to Luthers Book of Christian Liberty as the occasion taken by them Bish Jew Bishop Jewel in Defence of the Apology of the Church of England Part 4. Chap 1. Diviâ—â—â—nâ— to Harding to his upbraiding the reformation saying What became of the Hundred Thousand Boares of Germany consumed by by the Sword of the Nobility for that their Sedition and Rebellion answers him thus The Boares of Germany of whom you speak for the greatest part were Adversaries unto Luther and understood no part of the Gospel but conspired together as they said against the cruelty and tyranny of their Lords as they had done 22. years before in the Conspiracy called Liga Sotularia the partners of which Conspiracy had for their word the Vergin Mary and in honour of her were bound to say five Ave Maries every day Papists as well as Protestants ingaged in the Rustick War and touching those latter Rebels Luther writ against them It is true Munzer was a busie man in Thuâ—ingia and stir'd up the People disposed to tumults by reason of oppression Osiander Osiander gives us in the 16 Century P. 36 37 c. the Twelve Demands of the Rusticks comprehending their Civil and Spiritual Liberties wherein people of all perswasions concerned themselves which was no other then their Neighbours the Switzers had successively undertaken before them And had Geneva where they did the like or any of the famous Men amongst the Cantons miscarryed in their attempt they and their Religion too might have fallen under as much obloquy as the chiefest of those people did in their defeat which the Papasts you find nevertheless do reflect upon the whole Reformation and that upon as good grounds as the Protestants have since reflected upon the Anabaptists because there were some of their perswasion
Cent. 3. Cap. 2. p. 6. We doubt not to affirm That the Churches of the Island of Britain did also remain in this Age. Balaeus Balaeus Cent 1. fol. 37. saith That the British Churches received the Nicen Confession of Faith against the Arians whence it was that Basil Chrysostome and others of the Greek Fathers make such frequent and great mention of the British Isles their reception of the Gospel and the Divine sense they had of the Power thereof ☜ that their Churches also were exactly constituted according to Christs pattern Jeffry of Monmouth in his Book Jeffr. of Monmou de Britanorum Gestis Lib. 8. c. 4. tells us That in the Countrey of the Britains Christianity flourished which never decayed even from the Apostles Time amongst whom saith he was the preaching of the Gospel sincere Doctrine and living Faith and such Form of Worship as was delivered to the Christian Churches by the Apostles themselves and that they even to Death it self withstood the Romish Râ—tes and Ceremonies and that about the Year 448 the English Saxons began to possess Britany and that about 593 they having made a compleat Conquest of the Britains began to settle their Heptarchy That in 596 Gregory Bishop of Rome sent Austin the Monck into England to bring the Saxons into a Conformity to the Church of Rome For as long as the British Churches possessed the Countrey they kept themselves sound in the Faith and pure in the Worship Order and Discipline of Christ as it was delivered to them from the Apostles or their Evangelists That they were great Opposers of the Church of Rome the antient Barde Taliessyence Taliessyence in his Welsh Verses recorded by Bede and translated by Fuller in his Ecclesiastical History 1. Book doth testifie viz. Wo be to the Priest yborne That will not cleanly weed his Corne And preach his Flock among Wo be to that Shepherd I say That will not watch his Fold alway As to his Office doth belong Wo be to him that doth not keep From Romish Wolves his Sheep With Staff and Weapon strong That about the begining of the Seventh Century Austin endeavoured to reduce the Britains as well as the Saxons to a Conformity with the Church of Rome at which time the old Britains were principally in Wales where Bangor on the North and Care-Leon on the South were the two principal Seats both for Learning and Religion In Bangor was a Colledg containing 2100 Christians who dedicated themselves to the Lord to serve him in the Ministry as they became capable To whom was attributed the Name of the Monks of Bangor Yet did they no waies accord with the Popish Monks of that or the following Age For they were not reduced to any Ecclesiastical Order but were for the most part Lay-men who laboured with their Hands married and followed their Callings only some of them whose Spirits the Lord fiâ—ted and inclined to his more immediate Service devoted themselves to the study of the Scriptures and other holy Exercises in order to the work of the Ministry Who sent forth many useful Instruments Fuller Lib. 1. p. 40. Balaeus Cent. 1. c. 70. Many of whom Austin got to a Councel he kept about Worcester-shire where he propounded to them the embracing the Romish Rites and to join with him in Preaching and Administring in their way which they refused Then as Rob. Fabian Fabian in his 5th Part c. 119. fol. 125. tells us He said to them Since you will not assent to my Hests generally assent you to me specially in three things The First in your keeping Easter D◠〈◊〉 Form and Time as it is ordered The Second That you give Christendome to Children And the Third That you Preach to the Saxons as I have exhorted you And all the other debate I shall suffer you to amend and reform amongst your selves But saith he they would not thereof To whom then Austin said That if they would not take peace with their Brethren They should receive war with their Enemies And if they disdained to preach with them the way of Life to the English Nation they should suffer by their hands the revenge of Death And which Austin accomplishod accorddingly by bringing the Saxons upon them to their utter ruine And thereupon saith Fabian that Faith that had endured in Britain for near 400 Years became near extinct throughout the Land An account of the Destruction of that famous Monastery of Bangor and those worthy Christians inhabiting the same you have thus briefly from Humphrey Lloyd Humph. Lloyd the learned Welch Antiquary in his Breviary of Britain p. 70 71. as followeth In Denby Shire saith he near the Castle of Holt is seen the Rubbish and Reliques of the Monastery of Bangor while the glory of the Britains flourished In the same were 2100 Monks very well ordered and learned divided into seven parts dayly serving God amongst whom those that were simple and unlearned by their handy labour provided Meat and Drink and Apparel for the Learned and such as applied themselves to their studies and if any thing was remaining they divided it unto the Poor That place sent forth saith he many hundred of excellently well-learned Men amongst whom it also vomited forth to the World Pelagius And afterwards by the Envy and Malice of Austin that arrogant Monck and the most cruel execution of his Minister Ethelfred Those worthy Men were destroyed the whole House from the very Foundation together with their Library more precious than Gold was razed down and demolished by fire and sword And hence it is manifest that this bloody Massacres of those glorioas Witnesses of Christ did arise from their Christian Courage and Zeal against those Antichristian impositions of the Romish Church The History of Christianity amongst the Antient Waldenses Of the Wâ—â—â—â—â—ses THe other Historical Account we are to give you is that of the Waldenses that eminent and famous Christian People who have not only given so large a Testimony to the truth before treated but by the Learned Vsher and many of our Protestant-Writers are owned to have been the true Church and from whom the Protestants do derive in Opposition to the Papacy Concerning whom the better to preserve the savour of their precious Memory We shall observe in their Story this following Method viz. 1. Give you an account of their several Names they are known by in History 2. Their Original and Antiquity 3. Their excellent and worthy Conversations as testified by their greatest Enemies 4. The Progress and Success of the Gospel in their hands aâ—d the Methods thereof 5. Their 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 W tness against and great Sufferings under Antichrist as I have collected them out of the best Historians both of their own and others Though as to their own Records as Perin and Morland inform us the Papists have used no small industry to raze and obliterate as they have had the opportunity though in spite of their utmost malice
of that kind Providence hath preserved something from themselves First As to the Names Their Names in Story by which they are known and distinguished in History you will find to be various viz. Sometimes from the Places and Countries of their abode Sometimes from their Men of Name sometimes from Reproach and Slander 1. From the Places of their abode 1. From the places of abode therefore called Lyonists or the poor People of Lyons from that City or County of Lyons in France Albigenses from the City Albi in Languedoc Tholouzions from the City Tholous in the same Province Arletenses from the City Arles the chief Seat of the Kings of Burgundy in Province Picards from Picardy Lumbards from Lumbardy in Italy Gazars either from a City so calle in Languedock or from the word of disgrace signifying Execrable 2. From their principal Leaders Sometimes by some of their Principal Leaders as Waldenses as many suppose from one Waldo a Citizen of Lyons though others suppose upon another account because they were so called long before his time as appears by the Book of Claudius Seiscelius a Councellor to Charles the Great in the 8th Century who mentions them by that Name in his Book Advers Waldenses who though a good man and in many things holding with them yet in some things against them which was 260 Years before Waldo's time Beringarians Sometimes they are called Beringarians from the famous Beringarius one of their Barbs or Elders sometimes Petro Brusians from that worthy Martyr Peter Bruis sometimes Arnoldists from Arnold another eminent Barb. and Martyr sometimes Henericans from Henericus sometimes Ioseplests from Joseph Lolarde from Lolard another of their eminent Barbs 3. From Nick-names Sometimes by Nick-names or terms of Disgrace viz. The Apostolici or Apostolick men The Cathart or Puritans the old name of reproach by which the Novatians and Donatists were called in the 4th Cent. Perfectionists because they prest after Holiness Publicanos because they said they were sent to publish the Gospel The Fratracili or the little Brethren and Fraticelli viz. Shifting Companions Passagenes from their Itinerat Preachings Credentes the Believers The Humiliati the humble Men. The Bon-homes the good Men. Siccars Cut-purses Gazars Execrable Turlupins because like Wolves they inhabited Woods Caves and Mountains Sometimes from slanderous lying Reflections As the Paterines as though they only worshipped the Father but refused to adore the Son because they would not fall down to the Host nor give reverence to their Breaden God And from like reason also Arians as denying thereby the Divinity of Christ Manichées because they denied the Civil Magistrates Authority to depend upon the Popes as men asserting therefore two Principles Deuyers of Baptisme because they denied that of Bapt. of Infants and their Inventions to be Christ's Ordinance Denyers of Marriage because they disowned that to be one of the Sacraments and that many of their Barbs lived single Lives Secondly As to their Original and Antiquity which you will find to be very Antient. The Antiquity of their Christianity Eusebius tells us in his Ecclesiastical History Lib. 5. p. 74. That there were Churches of them in those parts of France under Antonius Verus the Emperour An. 179. recording there a large Epistle written by them and as a Preamble thereto he makes this following Inscription Of the Martyrdom of Saints and cruel Persecution in France under Anton. Verus the Emperour It was the Country of France wherein the Theater of this Wrestling before-mentioned lay whose chief Cities and most frequented in respect of the rest in the same Region are Lyons and Viena by both which Cities the River Rhodonus doth run compassing that whole Countrey The holy Churches there sent their Letter touching their Martyrs unto the Churches throughout Asia and Phrygia making relation of their affairs after this manner The Servants of Christ inhabiting Vienna and Lyons Cities of France unto the Brethren throughout Asia and Phrygia having with us the same Faith and Hope of Redemption Peace and Grace and Glory from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord be multiplied Which excellent Epistle they mention at large and which also you may read in the Book of Martyrs In the Preface to the French Bible Morland and the first that ever was Prnted they say That they have alwaies had the full enjoyment of that Heavenly truth contained in the Holy Scriptures ever since they were enriched with the same by the Apostles themselves having in fair Manuscripts preserved the entire Bible in their Native Tongue from Generation to Generation Morland Hist p. 14. Rainerius Rainerius one of their grand Persecutors and chief Inquisitor in the time of Pope Innocent the Third in the thirteenth Century gives this account of their Antiquity Among all the Sects which are or ever were thereis none more pernicious to the Church of God than that of the Poor People of Lyons First Because it is of a longer duration some say it hath remained from the time of Pope Sylvester some from the times of the Apostles Theodore Belvedre Balvedre another of the Popish Missionaries saith that That Religion which he calls Heresie hath been alwaies in the Valleys of Angrogna in his Book De Pro. Fide p 37. Beza Beza affirms in his Book Historie des Homes illustres That the Waldenses were so called from their abode in the Valleis and straiter parts of the Alpes where they had from a long time retired themselves and one may say they were the Reliques of the Pure Primitive Christian Churches Some of them were called The Poor Men of Lyons who as some men have judged had for their Head a Merchant of Lyons named John and sirnamed Waldo but herein they abuse themselves because on the contrary this John was so named being one of the Waldenses Scultetus The Waldenses in their Letter to Ocolampadius affirm That their Churches had continued down in constant Succession from the Apostles times so Scultetus Anal. in Anno 1530. p. 295. Beza Beza as Peter Perin c. 6. tells us That the Seed of the most Antient Christian Church That was and hath been most miraculously preserved in the midst of the Darkness and Errors which have been hatcht by Satan in these later times And farther tells us That Constance upon the Revelations sheweth that the Reformation of the Church in the West parts of the World began in France and that from their source it spread it self through the rest of Europe In the next place you have some account of their Conversation Of their Conversation given by their Enemies themselves Rainerius Reinerius the Inquisitor aforesaid saith thus of them That whereas all others procure horror by their blasphemies against God this of the Lyonists hath a greater appearance of Piety in as much as they live uprightly before men and put their trust in God in all things and observe all the Articles of the
Creed only they blaspheme the Church of God and hold it in contempt and therein they are easily believed of the People And again Jacob de Riberia Secretary to the King of France in his Collections of Tholouse hath these words viz. The Waldenses or Lugdenses have continued a long time the first place they lived in was in Narbone in France and in the Diocess of Albie c. who disputed of Religion more subtilly than all others were after admitted by the Priests to Teach publickly not for that they approved their Opinion but because they were not comparable to them in Wit In so great honour was the Sect of these men that they were both exempted from all Charges and Impositions and obtained more benefit by the Wills and Testaments of the Dead than the Priests A man would not hurt his enemy if he should meet him upon the way accompanied with one of these Hereticks in so much that the safety of all men seemed to consist in their protection Du Plessis Myst Iniquit p. 331. Amongst the Rules and Directions Reinerius gives to discover these Hereticks by as he calls them these are written by him as you will find them in the Bib. Pat. printed at Paris 1624. Reinerius Hereticks saith he are known by Words and Manners They are in Manners composed and modest no pride in Apparel because they are therein neither costly nor sordid They transact their affairs without lying fraud and swearing being most upon Handicrafts Trades Yea their Doctors or Teachers are Weavers and Shoomakers who do not multiply Riches but content themselves with necessary things These Lyonists are very chaste and temperate both in Meats and Drinks who neither haunt Taverns or Stews They â—o much curb their Passians they are alwaies either working teaching or learning c. very frequent in their Assemblies and Worships c. They are very modest and precise in their words avoiding Scurrility Detraction Levity and Falshood Neither will they say so much as Verily Truly nor such like as bordering too much upon Swearing as they conceive but they usually say Yea and Nay Claudius Claudius Archbishop of Turin in his Treatise against the Waldenses gives this Testimony of them That as touching their Lives and Manners they have been alwaies sound and unreproveable without reproach or scandal amongst men giving themselves to their power to the observation of the Commandments of God Perins Hâ—st p 40. The Cardinal Baronius Baronius attributeth to the Waldenses of Tholouse the Title of good men and that they were a peaceable People Baron Tom. 12. An. 1176. 835. However he elsewhere saith Perin imputeth unto them sundry Crimes and that very falsly The Lord Hailon Bernard de Girard Lord of Haillon saith in his Histor of France Lib. 10. The Waldenses have been charged with wicked things they are not guilty of because saith he they stirred the Popes and great Men of the World to hate them for the Liberty of their Speech which they used in condemning the Vices and dissolute Behaviour of Princes and Ecclesiastical persons Viret Viret Lib. 4. c. 13. p. 249. speaks of the Waldenses as followeth The Papists saith he have imposed great Crimes and that very wrongfully upon those Antient Faithful People commonly called Waldenses or the poor People of Lyons whose Doctrine makes appear That the Pope is Antichrist and that his Doctrine is nothing else but Humane Traditions contrary to the Doctrine of Christ Jesus For which cause they have dealt against them as the Antient Panims did against the Christians accusing them that they killed their own Children in their Assemblies Many more Evidences might be brought from their Enemies who have been enforced by the force of Truth it self to give most honourable reports of them But let this suffice The next thing we shall acquaint you with The Progress of the Gospel amongst them is the great Progress and Success of their Doctrine Bullinger tells us That not only throughout France but Italy Germany Poland Bohemia and other Countries and Kingdoms of the World the Waldenses have made profession of the Gospel of Christ Jesus Bullin in the Preface to his Sermons Rainerius Rainerius saith That another thing that makes this Sect more considerable than all others is because it is more general For there is not any Countrey almost whereinto this Sect hath not crept Math. Paris M. Paris saith in his History of the Life of Henry the 3d in the year 1223. That the Waldenses had goodly Churches in Bulgaria Croatia Dalmatia and Hungaria George Mrel in his Memorials p. 54. asserts That notwithstanding al the bloody Persecutions that attended the Waldenses That in the Year 1160. There was in those days above eight hundred thousand Persons that made profession of the Faith of the Waldenses The Sea of Histories Sea of History tells us That in the Year 1315. there was in the County of Passau and about Bohemia to the number of fourscore Thousand Persons that made Profession of the Faith of the Waldenses Le Sieur de Popeliniere Popleniere hath set down in his History That the Religion of thâ— Waldenses hath spread it self almost in all parts of Europe even amongst the Polonians c. And that after the Year 1100 they have alwaies sowed their Doctrine little differing from that of the Modern Protestant and maugre all the Powers and Potentates that have opposed tâ—emselves against them they have defended it to this day Rainer Rainerius saith That in his time there were Churches of them in Constantinople Philadelphia Sclavonia Bulgaria and Digonicia and in Albania Lombardy Milain and in Romagnia Venice Florence c. Vignier Vignieâ— saith That after the Persecution of Picardy that they were dispersed abroad in Livonia and Sâ—rmatia Trithemius Trithâ—m recounts That they confessed in those times that the number of the Waldenses was so great that they could go from Cologne to Milan and lodg themselves with Hosts of their own Profession and that they had Signs upon their Houses and Gates whereby they might know them In the Year 1200. they were in such a manner multiplied that they possest at home the Cities of Tholouse Apamies Montauban Villâ—mur St. Antoin Puech Laurence Castres Lambes Carcasonen Beziers Narbonne Beaucaire Avignion Tarascon the Count Venicin in Dauphine Crest Arnaud and Monteil Amar. And had many great Lords who took part with them as Eaâ—l Raimiand of Tholouse and the Earle of Foix the Vicount Beziers Gaston Lord of Berne Earl of Carmaine and Earl of Brigor The Kings also of Arragon and England too dâ—d many times defend their Cause by reason of their Alliance with Earl Raâ—miand Hologary in the History of Foix. The means they used to propagate the Gospel The means by which Truth came to be so propagated by them were principally these First By the diligent care they had to instruct their Youth in the knowledg of the Scriptures and