# Various Testimonies That The Waldenses Rejected Infant Baptism.

12th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: VARIOUS TESTIMONIES THAT THE WALDENSES REJECTED INFANT BAPTISM.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

In Jacob Mehrning’s History of Baptism there is
introduced the testimony of Reinerius, in former
times a priest of the order of Dominicans, who lived
in and about the time of the rise of the Waldenses,
and who gives the following with regard to their
belief: “They (the Waldenses) say, that the washing
of baptism given to infants is of no use.” See
concerning this, Bibliotheca Patrum, Tom. 13,
page 300. Also, H. Montan. Nietigh., page 86,
which also agrees with the confession that Jean Paul
Perrin relates in his History of the Waldenses, art. 7.

On pages 618 and 619, several articles are quoted
from a very ancient book, which, in papistic manner,
are imputed to them as errors, though they
spoke correctly and according to truth with regard
to them.

1. They reject all the sacraments of the church
(that is, as they were administered according to the
Romish custom).

2. Of the sacrament of holy baptism they say,
that the questions of the catechism are put in vain
[that is, to infants, who do not comprehend such
questions, and do not have the ability to reply to
them; whereby they sufficiently rejected infant baptism,
which it was not customary to administer
without putting said questions to the unintelligent
infants.]

3. That the absolution which is pronounced over
infants (at baptism) is useless.

4. That the sponsors (who were accustomed to
recite the creed as out of the child’s mouth) do not
understand what they answer to the priests.

By the fourth as well as the third article, not only
is infant baptism itself abolished, but also its appurtenances
of absolution and sponsors are derided and
declared a vain, useless, and ridiculous performance.
But in the first article already, where it is
said, that they rejected all the sacraments of the
(Roman) church, among which sacraments infant
baptism was not one of the least, but one of the
chief ones; it is plainly taught, that they did not
believe at all in infant baptism, but like other ancient
papal institutions, trampled it under their feet
and rejected it.

From said ancient book, which is ascribed to
Reinerius, the Waldenses are charged with various
other things respecting their faith; of which, in the
ninth and tenth charge, the following is said with
reference to baptism (page 629, art. 9): “As regards
baptism, some (he means the Waldenses) err,
saying: ‘Infants are not saved by baptism, Mark
16:16. But he that believes and is baptized, shall
be saved; but the child does not believe, and, hence,
is not saved (by baptism).’ Thereupon the priest
Reinerius replies: ‘The child is baptized upon the
faith of the parents;’ ergo.”

Art. 10 confirms the preceding; only it treats also
of something more, namely, of the imposition of
hands, which was customarily done among the
Waldenses, at baptism, to the adult candidates.
They also reprove therein the practice which the
priests had, of interrogating the sponsors who would
269
come with children to baptism, in an unknown
tongue, to which the sponsors then replied, without
knowing, however, what they had been asked.
This the Waldenses also take as a reason for rejecting
infant baptism and the pedobaptistic superstitions.
However, to this, said Reinerius replies:
“Suffer little children to come unto me.” Matt. 19.

On page 733, de Centuria XIII., cap. 5, fol. 216,
217, it is stated from Cesarius, that the Waldenses
and Albigenses rejected baptism and said that baptism
possessed no virtue and was of no use; which
they understood of infant baptism, which is administered
without doctrine and faith; for otherwise the
Waldenses esteemed the baptism of Christ, which
is administered according to his ordinance, very
highly.

P. J. Twisck, beginning to write of the Waldenses
for the year 1100, calls them by the name of Brethren,
and says that they opposed infant baptism.
His words are these: “It is evident from the writers,
that in these times and shortly after, there existed
the Waldensian or Albigensian Brethren, who opposed
the papal errors and infant baptism.” Chron.,
page 423, col. 1.

This is confirmed by the writers of the Introduction
to the Martyrs Mirror, page 50, col. 1, who say,
With, or from, Baronius, that among other things
they held, that infant baptism is not necessary to
salvation.

We finally come to the testimony of Jean Paul
Perrin Lionnoys, who, according to the translation
of B. Lydius, also confirms the foregoing, although
the translator, Lydius, as well as J. M. V., after the
manner of pedobaptists has endeavored to give said
belief of the Waldenses a different appearance; however,
it will appear sufficiently from the matter itself,
who has been the more honest, the author or the
translator. We will therefore enter upon our work
and commit this to the judgment of the reader.

In the third chapter of the first book of the History
of the Waldenses, various things of which the
papists accused the Waldenses are related, some of
which were true, and some false. Among them,
mention is made of their views against infant baptism,
which is expressed in these words: “The
fourth calumny was, that they rejected infant baptism.”
Lib. 1, part 1. Hist. Waldenses, cap. 3,
page 6, col. 1, from St. Bernh., Hom. 66 on Cant.

These things, B. Lydius (page 10) endeavors to
refute, as though the Waldenses deferred the baptism
of their children, not in consequence of their
belief, but from necessity through want of teachers;
in which he agrees with his colleague, Abraham
Mellinus, preacher of the Calvinists, in St. Anthony’s
Polder; who, remarking that various writers
testify that the Waldenses left their children unbaptized,
says (Hist. Mart. 435, col. 3): “That the
children of the Waldenses often got to be rather
old, before they could receive baptism, was not a
voluntary matter on their part, but was owing to
the lack of teachers; for the harvest among them
was great, but the laborers few, who could administer
the sacraments, especially baptism, which they
held in great esteem. Hence, as their ministers
were frequently scattered far and wide, through the
violence of persecution, or had gone into other
countries to preach, they were often compelled to
postpone the baptism of their children, and thus it
happened that their children not seldom got to be
almost of age, before they could obtain baptism.”
Thus far, A. Mellinus.

But who does not see, that this is only a fabrication,
yea, an artifice, by which not only Lydius, but
also Mellinus, both strong Calvinists, seek to force
it upon the Waldenses that they omitted infant baptism
not as a matter of faith, but of necessity. For,
that they needed not to omit it from necessity, or
through want of teachers who administered baptism,
if, otherwise they had held infant baptism to
be right, appears from various authors; for they
had their churches, which could not well be without
teachers, not only in kingdoms, principalities, earldoms,
and provinces, but even in nearly every city,
as we shall show more fully in the proper place.
Who, then, can believe, that they from necessity,
through want of teachers, left their children unbaptized,
yea, suffered them to grow up until they became
of age, without baptism?

It is evident, therefore, that they did not leave
their children unbaptized from necessity or through
want of teachers, but because of their belief; as
holding that baptism without faith could not conduce
to salvation, as is manifest from the confessions
which they professed in those times already. Thus
both B. Lydius and A. Mellinus have committed
no small blunder, in endeavoring to force infant
baptism upon the Waldenses, of which they apparently
never thought in such a light, and to deprive
them of baptism upon faith, which they had confessed
so many times.

But, as the compass, though its point be turned
East, West, or South, ultimately returns to North;
so it is also with the truth: though she be forced
from her proper place, she will eventually return to
it. This is the case here; for, said translator, who
first intended to prove, that the Waldenses administered
baptism not only upon faith, but also without
faith, to infants, states in another place, that it
was always administered with faith and repentance.
For, what else is indicated by the words, that they
received the sacraments (that is, not only the Supper,
but also baptism) with faith and repentance,
and this invariably? as is stated in the first book of
the third part of the History of the Waldenses,
cap. 9, page 138, col. 1, art. 8.

If, then, not only the second, but also the first
sacrament, as it is called, namely baptism, is received
with faith and repentance, it cannot be said that it
was administered to infants, seeing these have
neither knowledge nor ability either to believe, or to
manifest repentance, and, hence, lack the whole
foundation upon which baptism was administered by
the Waldenses.

In the tract of the Waldenses, as to which are the
works of antichrist, several reproaches against the
Pope of Rome and the Roman church are treated
of; among other things, it is said, after the second
article has been treated: “The third work of antichrist
consists in this, that he ascribes the renewing
of the Holy Ghost to the external, dead faith
270
(namely, to the creed which the sponsors used to recite
at baptism, as from the mouth of the children),
and that he baptizes the children in that faith, pretending
that by it baptism and regeneration must
be obtained.” History of the Waldenses, 3d book,
3d part. Tract against Antichrist, Art. 3, page 162,
col. 1, page 163, col. 2.

In another place there is quoted, from Reinerius,
this accusation against the Waldenses: “They also
censure many things in the (papal) sacraments, and
say that the baptism of infants is of no avail to
them.” B. Lydius, Tractaet van de Kerke, page 86,
col. 1.

Having, then, sufficiently proved, that the true
Waldenses were not only called Anabaptists, but
that they also actually rejected infant baptism, we
will proceed to other articles of their doctrine, which
they had in common with the present Baptists.155





---

Page: http://history.truechristian.church/stories/mm-various-testimonies-that-the-waldenses-rejected-infant-baptism/

[Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Various+Testimonies+That+The+Waldenses+Rejected+Infant+Baptism.&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AVarious+Testimonies+That+The+Waldenses+Rejected+Infant+Baptism.%0A%0APage%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fstories%2Fmm-various-testimonies-that-the-waldenses-rejected-infant-baptism%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+mm-various-testimonies-that-the-waldenses-rejected-infant-baptism%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+12th+century+%28source+section%29%0A%0A%23%23+Correction+or+addition%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Sources+and+evidence%0APlease+include+book%2Fpage+references%2C+archive+links%2C+or+first-hand+documentation.%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Image+credit+%28if+applicable%29%0ACreator%2C+source%2C+and+permission+or+public-domain+basis.%0A%0A%0A%0ASubmitted+for+review%3B+this+issue+does+not+publish+changes+automatically.)