We come now to the creed and organization of the Waldensian Church. First,
as regards the rule of faith, it expresses its belief in the supremacy of
the Word of God in terms precisely identical with the Sixth Article of the
Church of England. And, in a document previously referred to, declares, "We
do protest before the Almighty and All-just God, before whose tribunal we
must all one day appear, that we intend to live and die in the holy faith,
piety, and religion of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that we do abhor all
heresies that have been and are condemned by the Word of God.
"We do embrace the most holy doctrine of the prophets and apostles, as
likewise of the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds. We subscribe to the four
councils, and to all the ancient fathers, in all such things as are not
repugnant to the analogy of faith." They protest against the assumptions
and the encroachments of the papacy much in the same way as do the
Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England; they also accept the
opinions of evangelical Christendom in relation to the fall of
man--justification by faith alone; redemption through the merits of the
lord Jesus Christ; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; fruitfulness in good
works as the necessary result of a living faith; the character of worship
acceptable to God; the obligations and privileges of the Lord's day, and
of the two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, as appointed by the
Lord Jesus Christ, and binding upon the grateful observance of His
believing people. It is not true, as has sometimes been asserted, that they
have ever rejected the practice of infant baptism. They have prepared and
enjoined the use of a very sound and full catechism, in which the children
of the Waldenses are carefully instructed previous to their admission to
the Lord's table.
So far we have sketched the leading points in the creed of the Waldensian
Church. We now come to its organization. There seem to have been three
epochs, so to speak, in reference to this feature of its history. For some
eleven hundred years it remained as a portion of the universal and
primitive church, rejecting the encroachments of the papal power, and the
corruptions of Christian doctrine which that power imposed, not by
authoritative enactments so much as by irregular influences, upon the
greater part of the Western Church. During this time the church in the
valleys of Piedmont retained that system of church government and worship
which had been accepted by most, if not all, sections of the Christian
Church in the third and fourth centuries. It was, therefore, during this
period that the Waldensian Church enjoyed the privilege of that episcopacy
which she never rejected as a matter of principle, but became deprived of
by circumstances which gave her no choice. In proof of this I refer to that
passage in the letter of Jerome to Riparius respecting Vigilantius, whose
zealous and persevering opposition to the worship of saints, images, and
relics, &c., had greatly provoked the irascible monk of Bethlehem. "I saw
(says Jerome) a short time ago that monster Vigilantius. I would fain have
bound this madman by passages of Holy Writ, as Hippocrates advises to
confine maniacs with bonds; but he has departed, he has withdrawn, he has
hurried away, he has escaped, and from the space between the Alps, _where
Cottius reigned_,[B] and the waves of the Adriatic, his cries have reached
me. Oh, infamous! he has found _even among the bishops_ accomplices of his
wickedness."
Here then we learn that in the country inhabited by the Waldenses there
were bishops opposing the corruption and contending for the priests of the
Christian faith. Nor was this confined even to Northern Italy; for we learn
that two centuries later Gregory the Great, who was pope from A.D. 590 to
604, censures Seremius, bishop of Marseilles, for not only forbidding the
adoration of images (which Gregory says he would have commended), but for
actually destroying the images themselves. Towards the middle of the eighth
century the prelates of the Gallican Church especially distinguished
themselves by their determined opposition to such doctrines as the worship
of images and relics, masses for the dead, purgatory, celibacy of the
priests, supremacy of the popes, &c., errors inculcated, it would seem, by
the English monk Boniface, who has been called the apostle of Germany.
The correspondence between Pope Zachary and Boniface further reveals the
existence of a Christian community in Germany, holding a faith more
evangelical, and observing a ritual more scriptural, than that which Rome
was seeking to impose; _e.g._, Zachary says in his tenth letter: "As for
the priests, whom your fraternity report to have found (who are more
numerous than the Catholics (_sic_) wandering about disguised under the
name of bishops or priests, not ordained by Catholic (_i.e._, Romish)
bishops, who deceive the people) ... they are false vagabonds," &c.
But the most interesting proof of the existence of evangelical resistance
to popish corruption is that afforded by the conduct of Claude, bishop of
the metropolitical see of Turin, and in such close proximity to those
valleys whose history we are considering.
Claude, bishop of Turin, was a native of Spain, and so incidentally brings
to mind the remembrance of the fact that Spain, too, had upon her soil in
days gone by those who loved "to worship God in sincerity and truth." He
was chosen by Louis the Meek for the bishopric of Turin, on the ground of
his scriptural piety and evangelical eloquence. Being attacked by Jonas,
bishop of Orleans, and others, he defended himself with great ability; and
in reply to the charge that he was seeking to establish a new sect, he
answers, "I, who remain in the unity of the Church, and proclaim the truth,
aim at forming no new sect; but, as far as lies in my power, _I repress
sects_, schisms, superstitions, and heresies; I have combated, overthrown,
and crushed them, and, by God's assistance, I shall not cease to do so to
the utmost." These words of Claude, "I repress sects," seem clearly to
imply that in the diocese of Turin disaffection to Romish innovation had a
recognized existence, and definite, though not of necessity an
independent, organization; and that Claude, standing firm upon the platform
"of the faith once delivered to the saints" as the true centre of unity,
was attaching to himself all those whose principles were analogous to the
ancient church of the valleys. And I think we may fairly assume that the
fifteen years' episcopate of so distinguished a prelate must have given a
great assistance to that portion of his people who sought "to stand in the
old ways." Indeed the Marquis de Beauregard, in his _Historic Memoirs_,
expressly states that this bishop had a great number of adherents, that
they were anathematized by the pope, persecuted by the lay princes, chased
from the open country, and _so forced to take refuge in the mountains_,
where they have kept their ground from that time, always checked, but
always endeavouring to extend themselves. (Vol. ii. p. 50.)
After the time of Claude, however, the connection of the church in the
valleys with that to which it originally belonged became probably less and
less distinct, owing to the more decided growth of corruption and the
extension of papal influence, so that, as regards the greater portion of
Europe, primitive faith and practice was submerged by papal superstition
and tyranny. Therefore about this time, as appears from the Waldensian book
entitled _Antichrist_, the church of the valleys entered on what we call
its second epoch, and became isolated as regards organization, though not
as regards doctrine, from the earlier church. This epoch may be regarded as
reaching down to about the seventeenth century. I fix upon this date
because of the remarkable providence which befell the Vaudois Church in
1630.
This was none other than a pestilential visitation brought into the valleys
by the French troops, who were at this time occupying the valleys. By this
terrible plague some ten thousand of the Vaudois perished, including twelve
pastors. Only three pastors being now left, application was made to Geneva
for assistance, and pastors being sent from thence introduced a polity
which was Presbyterian rather than Episcopalian. Still the marked deference
to authority, the succession of the ministers elected by their predecessors
from time to time, the orderly administration of the sacraments, the use of
the creeds and of a liturgy, the entire absence of any protest against the
orders of the ministry customary in the early church, while so much is so
pointedly said respecting corruptions of doctrine, clearly sustain the
inference that the Waldensian Church adapted herself to the form of
organization adopted by the reformed churches of the continent not from
choice, but from such a concurrence of circumstances as completely
vindicates her from any wilful departure from the traditions of her earlier
history.
It was at this time also, and from the circumstance that the pastors
supplied from Geneva could only officiate in the French tongue, that the
French language was used in worship.
This brings me to notice the organization of the Waldensian Church as it
now exists, and has existed for the last two hundred years. The full and
formal confession of faith is that which was agreed upon by the synod of
1655, and confirmed in the years 1839 and 1855.
The Evangelical Waldensian Church, in its widest sense, embraces all those
churches whom God in His mercy has condescended to preserve from time
immemorial, and subject to numberless persecutions in the valleys of the
Italian Alps. It also includes those churches which have been more recently
added. As regards organization, the Waldensian is subdivided into parishes,
and is governed by means of a general assembly of the parish, a consistory,
synod, and table.
The general assembly of the parish is composed of all the members of the
church, being men who are twenty-five years of age. To this assembly
belongs (_a_) the nomination of the pastors; (_b_) the deputies to synod;
(_c_) the elders and deacons; (_d_) the initiative of any proposal for
altering the constitution of the church.
It is always presided over by the pastor, or, in his unavoidable absence,
by a member of the consistory chosen for the purpose.
The Consistory is composed of the pastor, who presides, the elders, and the
deacons, the last of whom have only a deliberative vote. Its functions are
to provide for the spiritual wants of the parish, and also the poor and
sick; to assist in the distribution of the elements at the administration
of the Holy Communion; to nominate the teachers and superintend the
schools, either wholly or in association with the communal council; also to
administer church discipline; distribute parochial charities and funds for
religious purposes. On this behalf each consistory appoints its own
treasurer.
The Synod is the representative assembly of the Vaudois Church, and
consists of all recognized pastors and certain laymen chosen by the
parishes. It takes cognizance of every matter affecting the welfare and
duties of the church; it alters, adds, or abolishes all rules and
regulations connected with its administration or discipline; it directs the
course of theological study and admission to the ministry; it nominates the
members of the table or any special bodies of commissioners for particular
occasions; it superintends all evangelic work, whether in the valleys or
its numerous mission stations in other places. It now meets yearly, but in
former times its meetings were seldom, and were attended by a
representative of the civil power.
THE TABLE is the executive of the Vaudois Church, and consists of five
members, the moderator, assistant moderator, and secretary being pastors,
with two laymen. The table is appointed by the synod from year to year, and
responsible to that body in respect of its operations.
The officers of the Vaudois Church are pastors, evangelists, elders, and
deacons. To exercise the office of pastor a person must be set apart by the
laying on of hands, previous to which he must ([alpha]) have attained
the age of twenty-three, ([beta]) have the requisite gifts for the work
of the ministry, ([gamma]) be of irreproachable character, ([delta])
receive a certificate from his university or other place of education,
([epsilon]) profess convictions in harmony with the doctrines and
discipline of the Vaudois Church. These points are decided by the table, in
concert with the whole body of the pastors of the church. Furthermore, a
pastor is not allowed to have the sole care of a parish before he has
reached the age of twenty-five years.
It is not necessary to speak of the functions of the evangelists, as the
name itself is explicit, and the office one common to all evangelical
churches, although denominated by a different title, _e.g._ catechist,
reader, lay missionary.
The elders are lay members of the church of well-known religious character,
residing in the parish, and not receiving any benefit from the funds they
may be called upon to administer. At an election of an elder for the first
time he is required before installation to undergo an examination by a
commission from the consistory of his own parish, assisted by a pastor from
the nearest adjoining parish. The elder is chosen for life, unless he
voluntarily resigns, or falls into a breach of church discipline, or
becomes incapacitated by failing health; in the latter case, however, he
retains the title of honorary elder.
_The deacons_ must have much the same qualifications as the elders. They
are elected for five years, and their special work is the care of the sick
and needy. In addition to a zealous observance of the Lord's-day, the
Waldensian Church pays a religious regard to Christmas-day, New-year's-day,
Ascension-day, and Good Friday, which last it keeps with great solemnity as
a fast-day common to the whole Church of Christ.
FOOTNOTES:
[B] The Cottian Alps are to the north of Mount Viso, and among them are the
valleys of the Waldenses.