Summary Of Baptism In The Fifteenth Century.

[In the beginning of this century, the decree Statutum ex Officio, of King Henry IV., of England, published against the Wickliffites, is mentioned.

Thereupon follows a recital of fifteen articles of said Wickliffites, which by the inquisition were laid before them, for recantation; the twelfth article of which declares, that a child, though it die unbaptized, will be saved; and the thirteenth article, that neither the Pope, nor the prelates, nor any ordinary, can compel any one to swear; the other articles are against the superstitions of the Roman church.

Another article charged against these people, namely: that if they had an infant, they would not have it baptized by the hands of a priest in church.

William Thorpe is charged with five articles, the last of which is: That he taught that one ought not to swear.

Thirteen articles, mostly against the Roman superstitions, are ascribed to John Huss, the thirteenth or last of which declares that one ought not to swear in any wise.

A notice concerning the followers of John Huss; also, the article of holy baptism, as professed by the Taborites.

An account for the year 1455, of many Waldenses in the bishopric of Reichstadt, who had twelve teachers; also of some of them who resided in Austria, A. D. 1471, and in the bishopric of Eichstædt, A. D. 1475.

The edict of King Matthias against the Moravians, or Moravian Brethren, who are called Old Waldenses, as also Baptists (Anabaptists), is shown for the year 1481.

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Conclusion to the fifteenth century; in which it is shown by different reasons, how it comes, that there were so few public testimonies of the old continuous Waldenses. Here we take our leave, with the close of this century.]

In this following century we find some persons who are opposed to oaths, some to war, some to infant baptism, and other articles in opposition to the Roman church; of which we will give a brief account.

A. D. 1401.—A certain celebrated writer relates, from John Fox’s English History of the Persecutions, that then, in the month of January, King Henry IV. held a parliament at London, in which a decree or bloody edict was issued against the Wickliffites, of whose belief against infant baptism and oaths we have already written, in speaking of their leader John Wickliffe; and who at that time, after the English custom, were called Lollards. This decree or edict was called: Statutum ex Officio, or Edict of King Henry IV. against the disciples of Wickliffe, in England. See 2d book of the History of the Persecutions, fol. 514, and fol. 515, from John Fox’s Angl., fol. 481.