Church, her influence seemed steadily to increase. About the close of the
eighth century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of the
church the bishops of Rome had possessed the same spiritual power which
they now assumed. To establish this claim, some means must be employed to
give it a show of authority; and this was readily suggested by the father
of lies. Ancient writings were forged by monks. Decrees of councils before
unheard of, were discovered, establishing the universal supremacy of the
pope from the earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth,
greedily accepted these deceptions.(84)
The few faithful builders upon the true foundation(85) were perplexed and
hindered, as the rubbish of false doctrine obstructed the work. Like the
builders upon the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day, some were ready to
say, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much
rubbish; so that we are not able to build.”(86) Wearied with the constant
struggle against persecution, fraud, iniquity, and every other obstacle
that Satan could devise to hinder their progress, some who had been
faithful builders became disheartened; and for the sake of peace and
security for their property and their lives, they turned away from the
true foundation. Others, undaunted by the opposition of their enemies,
fearlessly declared, “Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which
is great and terrible;”(87) and they proceeded with the work, every one
with his sword girded by his side.(88)
The same spirit of hatred and opposition to the truth has inspired the
enemies of God in every age, and the same vigilance and fidelity have been
required in His servants. The words of Christ to the first disciples are
applicable to His followers to the close of time: “What I say unto you I
say unto all, Watch.”(89)
The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more general.
Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to them. The
most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men were so
completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to have
lost its sway. While priests and bishops were themselves pleasure-loving,
sensual, and corrupt, it could only be expected that the people who looked
to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and vice.
Another step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh century,
Pope Gregory VII. proclaimed the perfection of the Roman Church. Among the
propositions which he put forth, was one declaring that the church had
never erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scriptures. But the
Scripture proofs did not accompany the assertion. The proud pontiff also
claimed the power to depose emperors, and declared that no sentence which
he pronounced could be reversed by any one, but that it was his
prerogative to reverse the decisions of all others.(90)
A striking illustration of the tyrannical character of this advocate of
infallibility was given in his treatment of the German emperor, Henry IV.
For presuming to disregard the pope’s authority, this monarch was declared
to be excommunicated and dethroned. Terrified by the desertion and threats
of his own princes, who were encouraged in rebellion against him by the
papal mandate, Henry felt the necessity of making his peace with Rome. In
company with his wife and a faithful servant, he crossed the Alps in
midwinter, that he might humble himself before the pope. Upon reaching the
castle whither Gregory had withdrawn, he was conducted, without his
guards, into an outer court, and there, in the severe cold of winter, with
uncovered head and naked feet, and in a miserable dress, he awaited the
pope’s permission to come into his presence. Not until he had continued
three days fasting and making confession, did the pontiff condescend to
grant him pardon. Even then it was only upon condition that the emperor
should await the sanction of the pope before resuming the insignia or
exercising the power of royalty. And Gregory, elated with his triumph,
boasted that it was his duty to pull down the pride of kings.
How striking the contrast between the overbearing pride of this haughty
pontiff and the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who represents Himself
as pleading at the door of the heart for admittance, that He may come in
to bring pardon and peace, and who taught His disciples, “Whosoever will
be chief among you, let him be your servant.”(91)
The advancing centuries witnessed a constant increase of error in the
doctrines put forth from Rome. Even before the establishment of the
papacy, the teachings of heathen philosophers had received attention and
exerted an influence in the church. Many who professed conversion still
clung to the tenets of their pagan philosophy, and not only continued its
study themselves, but urged it upon others as a means of extending their
influence among the heathen. Serious errors were thus introduced into the
Christian faith. Prominent among these was the belief in man’s natural
immortality and his consciousness in death. This doctrine laid the
foundation upon which Rome established the invocation of saints and the
adoration of the Virgin Mary. From this sprung also the heresy of eternal
torment for the finally impenitent, which was early incorporated into the
papal faith.
Then the way was prepared for the introduction of still another invention
of paganism, which Rome named purgatory, and employed to terrify the
credulous and superstitious multitudes. By this heresy is affirmed the
existence of a place of torment, in which the souls of such as have not
merited eternal damnation are to suffer punishment for their sins, and
from which, when freed from impurity, they are admitted to heaven.(92)
Still another fabrication was needed to enable Rome to profit by the fears
and the vices of her adherents. This was supplied by the doctrine of
indulgences. Full remission of sins, past, present, and future, and
release from all the pains and penalties incurred, were promised to all
who would enlist in the pontiff’s wars to extend his temporal dominion, to
punish his enemies, or to exterminate those who dared deny his spiritual
supremacy. The people were also taught that by the payment of money to the
church they might free themselves from sin, and also release the souls of
their deceased friends who were confined in the tormenting flames. By such
means did Rome fill her coffers, and sustain the magnificence, luxury, and
vice of the pretended representatives of Him who had not where to lay His
head.(93)
The scriptural ordinance of the Lord’s supper had been supplanted by the
idolatrous sacrifice of the mass. Papal priests pretended, by their
senseless mummery, to convert the simple bread and wine into the actual
“body and blood of Christ.”(94) With blasphemous presumption, they openly
claimed the power of creating God, the Creator of all things. Christians
were required, on pain of death, to avow their faith in this horrible,
Heaven-insulting heresy. Multitudes who refused were given to the
flames.(95)
In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible of all the
engines of the papacy,—the Inquisition. The prince of darkness wrought
with the leaders of the papal hierarchy. In their secret councils, Satan
and his angels controlled the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst
stood an angel of God, taking the fearful record of their iniquitous
decrees, and writing the history of deeds too horrible to appear to human
eyes. “Babylon the great” was “drunken with the blood of the saints.” The
mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance upon that
apostate power.
Popery had become the world’s despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the
decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of men, both for time and for
eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of
Rome had been extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently
performed, its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were honored and
liberally sustained. Never since has the Roman Church attained to greater
dignity, magnificence, or power.
But “the noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.”(96) The Holy
Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the
priests. Like the Pharisees of old, the papal leaders hated the light
which would reveal their sins. God’s law, the standard of righteousness,
having been removed, they exercised power without limit, and practised
vice without restraint. Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men
shrank from no crime by which they could gain wealth or position. The
palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some
of the reigning pontiffs were guilty of crimes so revolting that secular
rulers endeavored to depose these dignitaries of the church as monsters
too vile to be tolerated. For centuries Europe had made no progress in
learning, arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual paralysis had
fallen upon Christendom.
The condition of the world under the Romish power presented a fearful and
striking fulfilment of the words of the prophet Hosea: “My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I
will also reject thee:... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I
will also forget thy children.” “There is no truth, nor mercy, nor
knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and
stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth
blood.”(97) Such were the results of banishing the word of God.
4. THE WALDENSES.
[Illustration: Chapter header.]
Amid the gloom that settled upon the earth during the long period of papal
supremacy, the light of truth could not be wholly extinguished. In every
age there were witnesses for God,—men who cherished faith in Christ as the
only mediator between God and man, who held the Bible as the only rule of
life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath. How much the world owes to these
men, posterity will never know. They were branded as heretics, their
motives impugned, their characters maligned, their writings suppressed,
misrepresented, or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from age to age
maintained their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage for the
generations to come.
The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon
Rome’s supremacy, is written in heaven, but they have little place in
human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the
accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate
every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything
heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy. Expressions
of doubt, or questions as to the authority of papal dogmas, were enough to
forfeit the life of rich or poor, high or low. Rome endeavored also to
destroy every record of her cruelty toward dissenters. Papal councils
decreed that books and writings containing such records should be
committed to the flames. Before the invention of printing, books were few
in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there
was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.
No church within the limits of Romish jurisdiction was long left
undisturbed in the enjoyment of freedom of conscience. No sooner had the
papacy obtained power than she stretched out her arms to crush all that
refused to acknowledge her sway; and one after another, the churches
submitted to her dominion.
In Great Britain, primitive Christianity had very early taken root. The
gospel received by the Britons in the first centuries, was then
uncorrupted by Romish apostasy. Persecution from pagan emperors, which
extended even to these far-off shores, was the only gift that the first
churches of Britain received from Rome. Many of the Christians, fleeing
from persecution in England, found refuge in Scotland; thence the truth
was carried to Ireland, and in all these countries it was received with
gladness.
When the Saxons invaded Britain, heathenism gained control. The conquerors
disdained to be instructed by their slaves, and the Christians were forced
to retreat to the mountains and the wild moors. Yet the light, hidden for
a time, continued to burn. In Scotland, a century later, it shone out with
a brightness that extended to far-distant lands. From Ireland came the
pious Columba and his co-laborers, who, gathering about them the scattered
believers on the lonely island of Iona, made this the center of their
missionary labors. Among these evangelists was an observer of the Bible
Sabbath, and thus this truth was introduced among the people. A school was
established at Iona, from which missionaries went out, not only to
Scotland and England, but to Germany, Switzerland, and even Italy.
But Rome had fixed her eyes on Britain, and resolved to bring it under her
supremacy. In the sixth century her missionaries undertook the conversion
of the heathen Saxons. They were received with favor by the proud
barbarians, and they induced many thousands to profess the Romish faith.
As the work progressed, the papal leaders and their converts encountered
the primitive Christians. A striking contrast was presented. The latter
were simple, humble, and scriptural in character, doctrine, and manners,
while the former manifested the superstition, pomp, and arrogance of
popery. The emissary of Rome demanded that these Christian churches
acknowledge the supremacy of the sovereign pontiff. The Britons meekly
replied that they desired to love all men, but that the pope was not
entitled to supremacy in the church, and they could render to him only
that submission which was due to every follower of Christ. Repeated
attempts were made to secure their allegiance to Rome; but these humble
Christians, amazed at the pride displayed by her emissaries, steadfastly
replied that they knew no other master than Christ. Now the true spirit of
the papacy was revealed. Said the Romish leader: “If you will not receive
brethren who bring you peace, you shall receive enemies who will bring you
war. If you will not unite with us in showing the Saxons the way of life,
you shall receive from them the stroke of death.”(98) These were no idle
threats. War, intrigue, and deception were employed against these
witnesses for a Bible faith, until the churches of Britain were destroyed,
or forced to submit to the authority of the pope.
In lands beyond the jurisdiction of Rome, there existed for many centuries
bodies of Christians who remained almost wholly free from papal
corruption. They were surrounded by heathenism, and in the lapse of ages
were affected by its errors; but they continued to regard the Bible as the
only rule of faith, and adhered to many of its truths. These Christians
believed in the perpetuity of the law of God, and observed the Sabbath of
the fourth commandment. Churches that held to this faith and practice,
existed in Central Africa and among the Armenians of Asia.
But of those who resisted the encroachments of the papal power, the
Waldenses stood foremost. In the very land where popery had fixed its
seat, there its falsehood and corruption were most steadfastly resisted.
For centuries the churches of Piedmont maintained their independence; but
the time came at last when Rome insisted upon their submission. After
ineffectual struggles against her tyranny, the leaders of these churches
reluctantly acknowledged the supremacy of the power to which the whole
world seemed to pay homage. There were some, however, who refused to yield
to the authority of pope or prelate. They were determined to maintain
their allegiance to God, and to preserve the purity and simplicity of
their faith. A separation took place. Those who adhered to the ancient
faith now withdrew; some, forsaking their native Alps, raised the banner
of truth in foreign lands; others retreated to the secluded glens and
rocky fastnesses of the mountains, and there preserved their freedom to
worship God.
The faith which for many centuries was held and taught by the Waldensian
Christians, was in marked contrast to the false doctrines put forth from
Rome. Their religious belief was founded upon the written word of God, the
true system of Christianity. But those humble peasants, in their obscure
retreats, shut away from the world, and bound to daily toil among their
flocks and their vineyards, had not by themselves arrived at the truth in
opposition to the dogmas and heresies of the apostate church. Theirs was
not a faith newly received. Their religious belief was their inheritance
from their fathers. They contended for the faith of the apostolic
church,—“the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”(99) “The
church in the wilderness,” and not the proud hierarchy enthroned in the
world’s great capital, was the true church of Christ, the guardian of the
treasures of truth which God has committed to His people to be given to
the world.
Among the leading causes that had led to the separation of the true church
from Rome, was the hatred of the latter toward the Bible Sabbath. As
foretold by prophecy, the papal power cast down the truth to the ground.
The law of God was trampled in the dust, while the traditions and customs
of men were exalted. The churches that were under the rule of the papacy
were early compelled to honor the Sunday as a holy day. Amid the
prevailing error and superstition, many, even of the true people of God,
became so bewildered that while they observed the Sabbath, they refrained
from labor also on the Sunday. But this did not satisfy the papal leaders.
They demanded not only that Sunday be hallowed, but that the Sabbath be
profaned; and they denounced in the strongest language those who dared to
show it honor. It was only by fleeing from the power of Rome that any
could obey God’s law in peace.
The Waldenses were among the first of the peoples of Europe to obtain a
translation of the Holy Scriptures.(100) Hundreds of years before the
Reformation, they possessed the Bible in manuscript in their native
tongue. They had the truth unadulterated, and this rendered them the
special objects of hatred and persecution. They declared the Church of
Rome to be the apostate Babylon of the Apocalypse, and at the peril of
their lives they stood up to resist her corruptions. While, under the
pressure of long-continued persecution, some compromised their faith,
little by little yielding its distinctive principles, others held fast the
truth. Through ages of darkness and apostasy, there were Waldenses who
denied the supremacy of Rome, who rejected image worship as idolatry, and
who kept the true Sabbath. Under the fiercest tempests of opposition they
maintained their faith. Though gashed by the Savoyard spear, and scorched
by the Romish fagot, they stood unflinchingly for God’s word and His
honor.
Behind the lofty bulwarks of the mountains,—in all ages the refuge of the
persecuted and oppressed,—the Waldenses found a hiding-place. Here the
light of truth was kept burning amid the darkness of the Middle Ages.
Here, for a thousand years, witnesses for the truth maintained the ancient
faith.
God had provided for His people a sanctuary of awful grandeur, befitting
the mighty truths committed to their trust. To those faithful exiles the
mountains were an emblem of the immutable righteousness of Jehovah. They
pointed their children to the heights towering above them in unchanging
majesty, and spoke to them of Him with whom there is no variableness nor
shadow of turning, whose word is as enduring as the everlasting hills. God
had set fast the mountains, and girded them with strength; no arm but that
of Infinite Power could move them out of their place. In like manner He
had established His law, the foundation of His government in heaven and
upon earth. The arm of man might reach his fellow-men and destroy their
lives; but that arm could as readily uproot the mountains from their
foundations, and hurl them into the sea, as it could change one precept of
the law of Jehovah, or blot out one of His promises to those who do His
will. In their fidelity to His law, God’s servants should be as firm as
the unchanging hills.
The mountains that girded their lowly valleys were a constant witness to
God’s creative power, and a never-failing assurance of His protecting
care. Those pilgrims learned to love the silent symbols of Jehovah’s
presence. They indulged no repining because of the hardships of their lot;
they were never lonely amid the mountain solitudes. They thanked God that
He had provided for them an asylum from the wrath and cruelty of men. They
rejoiced in their freedom to worship before Him. Often when pursued by
their enemies, the strength of the hills proved a sure defense. From many
a lofty cliff they chanted the praise of God, and the armies of Rome could
not silence their songs of thanksgiving.
Pure, simple, and fervent was the piety of these followers of Christ. The
principles of truth they valued above houses and lands, friends, kindred,
even life itself. These principles they earnestly sought to impress upon
the hearts of the young. From earliest childhood the youth were instructed
in the Scriptures, and taught to regard sacredly the claims of the law of
God. Copies of the Bible were rare; therefore its precious words were
committed to memory. Many were able to repeat large portions of both the
Old and the New Testament. Thoughts of God were associated alike with the
sublime scenery of nature and with the humble blessings of daily life.
Little children learned to look with gratitude to God as the giver of
every favor and every comfort.
Parents, tender and affectionate as they were, loved their children too
wisely to accustom them to self-indulgence. Before them was a life of
trial and hardship, perhaps a martyr’s death. They were educated from
childhood to endure hardness, to submit to control, and yet to think and
act for themselves. Very early they were taught to bear responsibilities,
to be guarded in speech, and to understand the wisdom of silence. One
indiscreet word let fall in the hearing of their enemies, might imperil
not only the life of the speaker, but the lives of hundreds of his
brethren; for as wolves hunting their prey did the enemies of truth pursue
those who dared to claim freedom of religious faith.
The Waldenses had sacrificed their worldly prosperity for the truth’s
sake, and with persevering patience they toiled for their bread. Every
spot of tillable land among the mountains was carefully improved; the
valleys and the less fertile hillsides were made to yield their increase.
Economy and severe self-denial formed a part of the education which the
children received as their only legacy. They were taught that God designs
life to be a discipline, and that their wants could be supplied only by
personal labor, by forethought, care, and faith. The process was laborious
and wearisome, but it was wholesome, just what man needs in his fallen
state, the school which God has provided for his training and development.
While the youth were inured to toil and hardship, the culture of the
intellect was not neglected. They were taught that all their powers
belonged to God, and that all were to be improved and developed for His
service.