Confession Of The Waldenses And Albigenses, Drawn Up By Those Of Merindol And Cabriere, And Sent To The King Of France.

XII. We hold the Old and the New Testament as the rule of our faith, and follow the Symbol or Creed of the Apostles. If any one be found who says that we confess another doctrine, we shall show, if permitted to do it legally before the regular judges, that he is greatly in error and deceives others.

The above Confession of the Waldenses and Albigenses is taken from Carolus du Moulin’s book of the Monarchy of the French, p. 65. A. Mell., 2d book, fol. 446, col. 1, 2, 3, from Joh. Crespin. Acta Mart., lib. 3. Lancelot du Voisin Poplin. Poplinerii Hist. Franc., lib. 1, edition 1585, fol 26. Joach. Camer. Hist. Narrat., p. 565. To be found in Car. Molin’s book, De Manarchia Francorum, in the third volume of his works, edition Paris, A. D. 1612, part 2, pp. 578, 579, 616, 617. Also, Jean Paul Perrin, Hist. of the Wald., 1st part, 1st book, cap. 13, pp. 49, 50.

Abraham Mellinus, having noted said confession, in his large work, says: “Thus far extends the confession of faith of the Waldenses and Albigenses, from whom those of Merindol and Cabriere have sprung; which confession we have placed at the close of the twelfth, and in the beginning of the thirteenth century, in order to anticipate and refute all the shameful doctrines which have been unjustly imputed, not only to the Waldenses, as has appeared above, but, particularly, also to the Albigenses, as though they had been Manicheans.” Hist. Mart., 2d book, fol. 446, col. 4.

But who cannot see from the above confession of faith, that it does not differ in substance from the confession of the Baptists? notwithstanding A. Mellinus endeavors to draw them to the Calvinists or so-called Reformed. For, to speak of but a few points, just look at their confession in the article concerning God; what do the Waldenses say there? “We believe,” say they, “that there is but one God, who is a Spirit, the Creator of all things, the Father of all, over and through or in all things, in us all, who is to be worshiped in spirit and in truth.” Here certainly no mention is made of three self-existent, separate persons in the Divine Being. However, by the confession of the Waldenses in this point, the truth of Father, Son and Holy Ghost constituting the one God, is not excluded; neither is this done in any way by the Baptists.

Besides the preceding, consider the article concerning the Son of God, or of the incarnation of Christ. What is the confession of the Waldenses in this respect? “We believe,” say they, “that Jesus Christ is the Son and image of the Father, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, by whom we know the Father.” Certainly, nothing is said here, that the eternal Son of God took his whole humanity, consisting of body and soul, from the substance of the virgin Mary, and that this assumed humanity died for us, but that the true, eternal Son of God remained alive, as the Calvinists say; but as the apostle says: “He (the man Christ) is the image of the invisible God,” Col. 1:15; and again: “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,” Col. 2:9, as is also declared in the confession of the Anabaptists.

Further, observe the article of the Waldenses respecting the office of authority. “We confess,” say they, “that kings, princes, and magistrates are ordained by the Lord as his ministers, unto whom obedience ought to be rendered.” But what do they add by way of explanation, that a Christian may fill such an office, as the Calvinistic church says? O no; but they say (that we must submit to it) according to the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; for he paid tribute, but exercised no temporal jurisdiction or dominion, drawing the sword of the heavenly word in the state of his humiliation; even as also the Anabaptists confess.

Continuing, notice their article respecting baptism. “We believe,” say they, “that the water in the sacrament of baptism is an external, visible sign, representing to us that which the power of God works within us, namely, the renewing of the spirit and the mortifying of our flesh in Christ Jesus, by whom we also become members of the holy church, in which church we show forth the confession of our faith and the reformation of our life.” Now, notice; is there a single word said in this whole article, about infant baptism, which latter is nevertheless so 276 strenuously maintained at the present day, by the Calvinistic church? O no; but the contrary is sufficiently expressed, when it is said: “That the water in the sacrament of baptism is an external, visible sign, representing to us that which the power of God works within us, namely, the renewing.” For, who does not know, that infants have no knowledge of this external, visible sign? much less, that they should understand, that said sign represents to them that which the power of God should work within them, namely, the renewing? And, to be brief, how can infants, who have never walked in the old life, be sealed, by baptism, unto a new life? In said article it is also said, “That baptism signifies the mortifying of the flesh.” But how can children be reminded by baptism, that they must mortify the flesh, who, before baptism, never lived after the flesh? Hence it follows, that the Waldenses, in this article, did not once, it appears, think of infant baptism.