Said Vives, in the same place, further declares: “I understand that in some cities of Italy the ancient custom is, to a great extent, still observed.”
By this he indicates, that at, as well as before his time, many there did not practice infant baptism; which is the purpose for which we have adduced this passage.
“These apparently were,” says H. Montanus, who has noted this, “a remnant from the Waldenses, who were also scattered into different parts of Italy.” Nietigh., page 89.
He then states, that in the year 1544 they delivered their confession of faith to Francis I., King of France, but that the following year, said King, through Minerius, miserably fell upon and exterminated them, in accordance with the sentence pronounced against them five years previously, at Aix, in the court of Provence, not far from Italy.
Their faith is further thus described: “That they, according to their ancient custom, did not recognize the Pope of Rome, and had always had a pure religion.”
Concerning baptism, they professed: “That it is an external visible sign, which signifies to us the renewing of the Spirit, and the mortifying of the members.” This confession, in substance, fully agrees with the one which we previously related from Jean Paul Perrin, as also, with what Reinerius admonishes, among the articles of their confession, as these were in his time, saying: “That they deemed infant baptism useless.” Mont., Nietigh., page 90.
We could expatiate and give more particulars, touching the Waldenses, in confirmation of the faith which they had in common with us, as also, that they confessed said faith until the times of the last martyrs, yea, also, that some of those martyrs proceeded from them; but as it is not our purpose to fill this book with words, but only to give the pith of the matter, which we think we have done, we will leave it as it is referring it to the judgment of the intelligent and impartial reader.
Before we leave this, we would state that mention is made, in this century, not only of the Waldenses, but also of certain churches in Thessalonica, in Greece, which are declared to have remained unchanged in faith from the time of Christ, and to agree in faith and practice with the Anabaptistic churches, in Switzerland. I will quote the account verbatim, which I have found in regard to this, in a certain tract entitled: The Spectacles, by which the Anabaptists of one faith may see, etc., by a lover of the truth, J. S., printed at Harlem, by Hans Passchiers, van Wesbusch, A. D. 1630.
In the preface, page 10, we read: “Since, my beloved, all the truly pious have a sincere joy and the greatest delight [to know], that many pious people are found upon earth, it has seemed good to me, to acquaint you with a brief testimony that has fallen into my hands: How, in the year 1540, or a little before, certain persons were brought captive by the Turks, from Moravia, to Thessalonica, in Turkey, and sold as slaves; which slaves there became acquainted with the (Thessalonian) Christians. Observing their life and conversation, they said to these Thessalonians, that in Moravia there lived a people who were like them in life and conversation, and were called Anabaptists; which kindled in the Thessalonians a zeal to examine the truth of the matter; and it further happened, as the testimony states,” etc.
Note.—Besides what we have noted concerning the churches at Thessalonica, Balthasar Lydius gives this account: “We will first speak of the Greek churches, who, in great numbers, are under the dominion of the Grand Turk; for in the city of Thessalonica, by the Turks now called Salonick, the Christians or Greeks have more than thirty churches, while the Turks, on the other hand, have only three; and so it is in other places in the vicinity. These churches do not recognize the Pope as the general head of the church.” This appears from the book of Nilus. Balth Lydii, 3. Tract. of the Waldenses, p. 33, col. 1. Nilus de Primatu Papa, p. 48, 51 edit., Wechel, A. D., 1608.