estimable benefit;" but also, may "daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life."

There is an all-pervading influence in the religion of our Divine Lord and Master, which admits of application, not merely to the more momentous incidents of life, and the greater features of our character, but even to the transactions of every day, and to the slightest minutiæ of our feelings, tempers, and dispositions. Let us observe the reasoning employed in the Epistle for this day, and shall we not find it suitable at once for the martyr going to the stake, and labouring under the insults of his enemies; and also for the believer, who sitting peaceably in the undisturbed felicities of perfect freedom from religious persecution, finds himself liable to irritation at the petty vexations growing out of the contingencies of his domestic economy. We have here a lesson which should be before him, who is in danger of losing his life; and likewise before him, who is in danger of losing his temper. How many Christians are there, who when they have given way to extreme anger, plead in excuse, that "they had such provocation." But our holy religion calls upon us, not merely to be patient when we deserve the ills which meet us, but also when we deserve them not.

The image of a shepherd under which Christ is spoken of in the Gospel, had peculiar beauties to the imagination of Eastern hearers. Ministers should take instruction from those words of Jesus, "I know my sheep, and am known of mine." Little good will be effected in any parochial cure of souls, where there is not a personal knowledge of the wants and weaknesses, and various trials and temptations of the different individuals, whether rich or poor, who are confided to a pastor's care. The expression "hear my voice," is taken from the custom among Eastern shepherds of guiding their flocks, by calling aloud to them.

THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.

The Epistle, 1 Peter ii. 11. The Gospel, St. John xvi. 16.

The expression used in the Collect, "them that be in error," is applied especially to professing Christians; being chiefly in reference to practical departures from the strict principles of Christ's religion. The whole prayer furnishes a beautiful introduction to the Epistle.

How little the reading of the Bible ministers to a spirit of insubordination, and contempt of the powers that be, may be distinctly gathered from the contents of the Epistle for this day. Yet the Romish doctors would affect to say, that Bible reading has led to rebellion and anarchy. Certainly, it must have been despisers of God's written Word, and not followers of it, who ever sought to overthrow the foundations of legitimate government. It is remarkable, that St. Peter should be the Apostle chosen to record those words, "the king as supreme." Where is his own boasted supremacy here, of which the followers of the Pope of Rome talk so loudly?

The little while, and ye shall not see me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me," which seemed so inexplicable to the disciples, referred to the coming death of Jesus, when for a short period he should be removed from them, and to his subsequent resurrection when he should be restored to them again. We may well suppose, that the feelings of Christ's followers were acutely painful indeed, during the time when our Lord lay in the grave; and that great was the triumph of the evil one, and of his agents the high priests, and the Sanhedrim, when, as they concluded, they had for ever extinguished the Christian religion. Yet, in how short a time did God turn that sorrow into joy, and that joy into sorrow. When that assurance was realised, "I will see you again," then indeed did the hearts of the Primitive Church overflow with joy. How touching is the simple account given, (Luke xxiv.) where Jesus having shewed his wounded hands and feet to the eleven, it is added, "and while they yet believed not for joy and wondered." Oh! what shall be the feelings of the universal company of the redeemed, when they shall behold the adorable Saviour coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory-how shall they then lift up their heads, and rejoice with a joy that none shall take from them, while as they behold the splendour of that refulgent face once so "marred more than any man's," but now brighter than the sun in his meridian lustre, they shall recognise in it the features of their Lord and Master; and while they gaze upon him, may also say unto him, "we are thy people and the sheep of thy pasture."

THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.

The Epistle, St. James i. 7. The Gospel, St. John xvi. 5.

Every person acquainted with the evil of his own heart, will rejoice to think that as it is God alone who can "order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men," so he is engaged to do the same for his people; the promise being" sin shall not have dominion over you." Many children of the world" desire that which" God "doth promise;" but it is the children of grace only, who "love the thing which" he commandeth. The Collect for this day will be sincerely offered up by true Christians alone.

How such a blessed state of mind is produced, such a desire to be conformed more and more daily to the whole will of Jehovah ; we find from the Epistle. Faith and holiness are gifts and "every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above." All is of the free unconditional mercy and loving kindness of our heavenly Father, say the redeemed of the Lord,' "and of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures." What efficacy and power do we find here ascribed to God's Holy Word, preached or written; how anxious should we be that we and all should enjoy the glorious privilege of being within its range and influence? "Let every man be swift to hear,"

وو

says the inspired Apostle; let there be however, no rash opinions formed and promulgated, every man is also to be "slow to speak."

In the Gospel where our Lord tells his disciples, that though he had many things to say to them, yet they "could not bear them now," he refers probably to the doing away the ceremonial law, the rejecting of the Jews nationally, and the calling of the Gentiles. It is not among the least of the infallible marks of the divine origin of the Christian religion, how directly opposed it was to the strongest prejudices of those who first embraced it. Our Lord furnishes us also with a most useful example in that prudence and patience, with which he led on his disciples by degrees.

THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.

The Epistle, St. James i. 22. The Gospel, St. John xvi. 23.

The grand distinction of Christ's religion is, that it is the religion of the heart; that it addresses itself to the very spring and source of action; a thing which no other system ever could pretend to do; and which in fact, no other ever aimed at.

When the Gospel really influences us, then do we become "doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving" ourselves. The fountain being cleansed, the streams are pure; we do "the thing that is right," and also we speak aright; our conversation savours of the state of things within us, and ministereth grace unto the hearers. The tongue being unbridled and wantoning upon forbidden topics, whether positively unholy or merely idle and trifling, gives evidence that we are yet unchanged. That man's "religion is vain," which produces no better fruit.

"Whatsoever ye shall ask," says our Lord in the Gospel: This must be understood evidently with the limitation, that it be for the benefit of religion; it will be neither in character for pious persons to entreat, or God to give, what was not for the good of souls. When he tells them, "hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name," it is because, that hitherto the doctrine of his intercession had not been fully declared, till the atonement was about to be offered, in order to impress the connection between the two things. I say not that I will pray," they need not be told how ready their gracious Master was. When we find Jesus saying to his followers, "because ye have loved me," and that in the immediate prospect of their deserting him; we find abundant cause to admire the loving kindness of him who "will not quench the smoking flax," but making all allowance for the frailty of poor sinful helpless human nature, mixes encouragement with instruction. In the same spirit is that address of St. Paul, beloved we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak," though we rebuke and find fault, when necessary.

66

MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS.

A VINDICATION OF THE FAITH AND ANTIQUITY OF THE VALLENSIC AND ALBIGENSIC CHURCHES.

IN REPLY TO

The Bishop of Meaux's Argument against Protestantism, on the score of its alleged defectiveness in visible Perpetuity.

BY G. S. FABER, B. D.

SECTION IV.

Respecting the Faith of the ancient Vallenses and Albigenses.

By way, I suppose, of effectually depriving Protestantism of the support of an ALREADY existing visible Church, the writers of the Roman school have not unfrequently attempted to blacken the characters of the ancient Vallenses and Albigenses, by representing them as tainted with the Manichèan heresy.

To the full extent of this speculation the Bishop of Meaux has not thought it prudent to advance. According to his Lordship, the Albigenses indeed were Manichèans: but the Vallenses, however the Church of Rome might judge them to err on some points, were at least exempt from the stain of Manichèism; and they are pronounced by the Bishop to be mainly a sort of enthusiastic separatists, or a species of modern Donatists.*

of

That, in the earlier and middle ages, various tribes of Manichèans emigrated from the East into the West, seems on the whole to be established by at least very plausible evidence: but that the genuine Albigenses of southern France were persons this description, has certainly not been demonstrated by the learned Bishop of Meaux. His Lordship, to make good his argument, has indeed, like many of his predecessors, attempted to confound the two together: but direct testimony, united with his own concessions, utterly overturns the system, which, for the annoyance of Protestantism, he has laboriously endeavoured to

construct.

I. The Albigenses of southern France, if we may credit the Bishop, were certainly Manichèans: but the Vallenses of Piedmont certainly were not Manichèans. Consequently, in their very first principles of religion, the Vallenses differed from the Albigenses radically and essentially.

* Hist. des Variat. des Eglises Protest. livr. xi. § 86.

Thus speaks the Bishop of Meaux: but, in such a speculation, he is not borne out by the evidence of antiquity. Let the creed of the Vallenses be what it may, at all events it was the SAME as the creed of the proper Albigenses. Hence, if the latter were Manicheans, so likewise were the former: and if the former were not Manichèans, (which the Bishop admits,) so neither were the latter.

The IDENTITY of the tenets of these two ancient communities, with all due submission to so eminent a man as the Bishop of Meaux, is established on the fullest testimony.

1. When the Albigenses, in the thirteenth century, were partly exterminated and partly driven out of the south of France, by the crusade of de Montfort and the operations of the Inquisition, the chief part of the fugitives emigrated to the valleys of Piedmont, where they were cordially received as brethren by the Vallenses: and henceforth the two hitherto distinct Churches became inseparably united, the name of the Vaudois swallowing up the now obsolete name of the Albigeois.*

• Ad causam eorum pauperum de Lugduno, quos vulgus Valdenses appellat, dictos a Valdeo cive Lugdunensi, in loco dicto vulgariter Valgrant moram faciente, qui homo dives hæresiarcha primus hæresis sectæ Valdensium inventor fuit, secundum Scripturam, Qui bonis temporalibus renuncians, cœpit cum suis complicibus vitam apostolicam cum cruce et paupertate ducere. Et, experrectis viris ecclesiasticis, multos sibi discipulos sociavit, qui inde dicti sunt Pauperes, de Lugduno; qui, dicentes vivere sub obedientia apostolica, abilla tamen se separantes pertinaciter, respondebant, cum redarguerentur, Magis esse Deo obediendum quam hominibus. Fuerunt tandem et merito per militantem Ecclesiam damnati, sed non radicitus extirpati: quia, Lugduno fugientes ad ultimas Dalphinatûs partes, se transferentes in Ebredunensi et Taurinensi dioecesibus in Alpibus et intra concava montium accessu difficilia, plures ibi ex ipsis habitaverunt; ubi paulatim procurante satore zizaniæ, in copioso numero excreverunt, et demum palmites suos tristes in Liguriam, Italiam, et ultra Romam in Apuliam, transmiserunt. Et, quemadmodum Christus Redemptor noster discipulos suos binos mittebat ad prædicandum: siè et idiota et bestialis illius sectæ magniscius alios magistros inferiores per ipsum creatos et probatos, quos vulgo Barbas dicimus, ad docendum et prædicandum hujusmodi sectæ doctrinam, hunc inde binos mittere solitus fuit. Hi siquidem Barbæ creari solent per eorum supremum in civitate Acquila in regno Neapolitano: et in eorum creatione, quædam solet fieri solennitas. Nam, in derisum Romani Pontificis, eis nomina mutantur cum ad magisterium hujusmodi afficiuntur.

Cujus siquidem damnatissimæ hæresis cultores, quibus viri et mulieres vallis Clusionis Taurenensis dioecesis, et omnes mares et fœminæ vallis Frayxineriæ, ac plures vallium Argenteriæ et Loysiæ Ebredunensis dioecesis, a tanto tempore quod non est memoria hominum, in contrarium fuerunt proni, plus quam centum numero ex ipsis sponte confessi fuerunt, sequentes articulos, contra fidem nostram, tenuerunt, tenentque, et immobiliter observant.-Scriptum Inquisit. cujusp. anonym, de Valdens. ex cod. manuscript. G. in public, biblioth. Cantab. cited by Allix, on the anc. Church of Piedmont, pp. 324, 325. Oxon.

The Inquisitor adds, that the inhabitants of the valleys, among whom the expelled Albigenses found refuge and fellowship, were certainly known to have been heretics for at least an hundred years, or rather from a period, the beginning of which is beyond the memory of man.

In primis ponit et dicit ac probare intendit, quod ipsi homines vallis Frayxineriæ fuerunt a centum annis citra ultra, ac per tempora ipsa et alia a tanto tempore cujus initii memoria hominum non existit, fuerunt et de præsenti sunt hæretici.→