"JESUS BE WITH YOU.

"To all our faithful and well beloved brethren in Christ Jesus,[66] health and salvation be with you all: Amen! These are to put you in remembrance, and to admonish you, my brethren, hereby acquitting myself of that duty which I owe unto you all, in the behalf of God, principally touching the care of your souls' salvation, according to that light of the truth, which the most high God hath bestowed on us, that it would please every one of you to maintain, increase, and nourish, to the utmost of your power, without diminution, those good beginnings and examples which have been left unto us by our forefathers, whereof we are no ways worthy. For it would little profit us to have been renewed by the fatherly visitation, and the light which hath been given us of God, if we give ourselves to worldly, carnal conversations, which are diabolical; abandoning the principle which is of God, and the salvation of our souls, for this short and temporal life. For the Lord saith, 'What doth it profit a man to gain the whole world, and to lose his own soul?' For it would be better for us never to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to do the contrary. Let me therefore intreat you, by the love of God, that you decrease not, or look back; but rather increase the charity, fear, and obedience, which is due unto God, and to yourselves, amongst yourselves; and stand fast in all these good principles, which you have heard and understood of God, by our means: and that you would remove from amongst you all vain conversation and evil surmises, troubling the peace, the love, the concord, and whatsoever would indispose or deaden your minds to the service of God, your own salvation, and the administration of the truth, if you desire that God should be merciful to you in your goods temporal and spiritual: for you can do nothing without Him; and if you desire to be heirs of his glory, do that which He commandeth: If you would enter into life, keep my commandments. (Matt. xix. 17.)

"Likewise be careful that there be not nourished among you any sports, gluttony, whoredom, dancings, nor any lewdness, nor riot, nor questions, nor deceits, nor usury, nor discords; nor support nor entertain any persons of a wicked conversation, or that give any scandal or ill example amongst you; but let charity and fidelity reign amongst you, and all good example; doing to one another as every one desires should be done unto him; for otherwise it is impossible that any should be saved, or can have the grace of God, or be good men in this world, or have glory in another. And therefore, if you hope and desire to possess eternal life, to live in esteem and credit, and to prosper in this world, in your goods temporal and spiritual, purge yourselves from all disorderly ways, to the end that God may be always with you, who forsakes not those that trust in him. But know this for certain, that God heareth not, nor dwelleth with sinners, nor in the soul that is given unto wickedness, nor in the man that is subject to sin. And therefore let every one cleanse the ways of his heart, and fly the danger, if he would not perish therein. I have no other things at this present, but that you would put in practice these things; and the God of peace be with you all, and go along with us, and be present among us in our sincere, humble, and fervent prayers, and that He will be pleased to save all those his faithful, that trust in Christ Jesus.

"Entirely yours, ready to do you service in all
things possible, according to the will of God.
"Bartholomew Tertian."

XX. Behold the life and doctrine, instruction and practice, of the ancient Waldenses.[67] How harmless, how plain, how laborious, how exceeding serious and heavenly in their conversations! These were the men, women, aye children too, who, for above five hundred years, have valiantly, but passively maintained a cruel war, at the expense of their own innocent blood, against the unheard of cruelties and severities of several princes, nuncios, and bishops; but above all, of certain cruel inquisitors, of whom their historians report, that they held it was a greater evil to conceal a heretic than to be guilty of perjury; and for a clergyman to marry a wife than to keep a whore. In short, to dissent, though never so conscientiously, was worse than open immorality. It was against the like adversaries these poor Waldenses fought, by sufferings throughout the nations, by prisons, confiscations, banishments,[68] wandering from hill to valley, from den to cave; being mocked, whipped, racked, thrown from rocks and towers, driven on mountains,[69] and in one night thousands perished by excessive frost and snow, smothered in caves, starved, imprisoned, ripped up, hanged, dismembered, rifled, plundered, strangled, broiled, roasted, burned; and whatsoever could be invented to ruin men, women, and children. These Waldenses, you Protestants pretend to be your ancestors: from them, you say, you have your religion; and often, like the Jews of the prophets, are you building their praises in your discourses: but, O look back, I beseech you, how unlike are you to these afflicted pilgrims! What resemblance is there of their life in yours? Did they help to purchase and preserve you a liberty and religion, can you think, at the loss of all that was dear to them, that you might pass away your days and years in pride, wantonness, and vanity? What proportion bears your excess with their temperance;[70] your gaudiness with their plainness; your luxury and flesh-pleasing conversations with their simplicity and self-denial? But are you not got into that spirit and nature they condemned in their day; into that carnality and worldly mindedness they reproved in their persecutors, nay, into a strain of persecution too, which you seem to hide under a cloak of reformation? How can you hope to refute their persecutors whose worst part perhaps was their cruelty, that turn persecutors yourselves? What have you besides their good words, that is like them? And do you think that words will send off the blows of eternal vengeance? That a little by-rote babble, though of never so good expressions in themselves, shall serve your turn at the great day? No, from God I tell you, that whilst you live in the wantonness, pride, and luxury of the world, pleasing and fulfilling the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, (1 John, ii. 14-17,) God detests you all, and laughs you and your worship to scorn. Never tell me, I am too rash; it is the devil that says so; he has got two scriptures by the end in these days: one, that there is none that doth good: and why?[71] That he may persuade all it is impossible to overcome him: which is the reason so many are overcome; although glory is promised to none but conquerors. The second, that we must not judge, lest we be judged: that is, whilst we are guilty of the same things that are equivalent, lest we are judged. But away with Satan and his hypocrisy too: I know what I say, and from whom I speak: once more I tell you all, whether you will hear or forbear, that unless you forsake your pride, luxury, avarice, and the whole variety of vanities, and diligently mind the eternal light of God in your hearts, to obey it; wrath will be your portion for ever. Trust not your souls upon misapplied Scriptures; he that is a child of God must be holy, for God is holy; and none are his sons and daughters but those who are adopted by the eternal Spirit, and led thereby. (1 Pet. i. 15, 16; Rom. viii. 1-16.) It was a holy, plain, humble, divine life, these poor suffering Christians both professed and practised, refusing to converse with such as lived in the superfluities and excess of the world; for which, if you will believe their very adversaries, they were persecuted: "For," says Rainerius,[72] a great writer against them, "they used to teach, first, what the disciples of Christ ought to be, and that none are his disciples but they that imitate his life; and that the popes, cardinals, &c., because they live in luxury, pride, avarice, &c., are not the successors of Christ; but themselves only, in that they walk up to his commandments; thus," says he, "they win upon the people." But if so, that none are Christians but those that imitate Christ, what will become of those who call themselves Christians and yet live at ease in the flesh, not regarding the work of the holy cross of Christ in their hearts, that crucifies them that bear it to the world, and the world to them? This was the true ground of their sufferings, and their loud cries against the impieties of the greatest; not sparing any ranks, from the throne to the dunghill, as knowing their God was no respecter of persons. And now, if you would follow them indeed, if you would be Protestants in substance, and learn your enemies a way worth their changing for—else better words go but a little way—if you would obtain the heavenly inheritance, and you would be eternally blessed, be ye persuaded to forsake all the pride and pomp of this vain world. O mind the concerns of an everlasting rest! Let the just and serious principle of God within you be the constant guide and companion of your minds, and let your whole hearts be exercised thereby, that you may experience an entire reformation and change of affections, through the power of that divine leaven which leavens the whole lump, viz. body, soul, and spirit, where it is received; to which, and its work in man, our blessed Lord likened the kingdom of God which He came to set up in the soul: that so having the joys and glory of another world in your view, you may give your best diligence to make your calling and election to the possession of them sure and certain; lest, selling that noble inheritance for a poor mess of perishing pottage, you never enter into his eternal rest. And though this testimony may seem too tedious, yet could it by no means be omitted.—To authorize our last reason, of converting superfluities into the relief of distressed persons, although one would think it so equal and sober, that it needs no other authority than its own, yet I shall produce two testimonies so remarkable, that as they ever were esteemed truly good, so they cannot be approved by any that refuse to do the same, without condemning themselves of great iniquity. Oh, you are called with an high and holy call; as high as heaven, and as holy as God; for it is He that calls us to holiness through Christ, who sent his Son to bless us, in turning us from the evil of our ways; and unless we are so turned we can have no claim to the blessing that comes by Christ to men.

XXI. It is reported of Paulinus,[73] bishop of Nola in Italy, that, instead of converting the demesnes of his diocese to particular enrichment, he employed it all in the redemption of poor slaves and prisoners: believing it unworthy of the Christian faith, to see God's creation labour under the want of what he had to spare. All agree this was well done, but few agree to do the same.

XXII. But more particularly that of Acacius,[74] bishop of Amida, given us by Socrates Scholasticus, in this manner: "When the Roman soldiers purposed in nowise to restore again unto the king of Persia such captives as they had taken at the winning of Azazena, being about seven thousand in number, to the great grief of the king of Persia, and all of them ready to starve for want of food: Acacius lamented their condition, and calling his clergy together, said thus unto them, 'Our God hath no need of dishes or of cups, for He neither eateth nor drinketh; these are not his necessaries; wherefore, seeing the church hath many precious jewels, both of gold and silver, bestowed of the free-will and liberality of the faithful, it is requisite that the captive soldiers should be therewith redeemed, and delivered out of prison and bondage, and they perishing with famine should therewith be refreshed and relieved.'" Thus he prevailed to have them all converted into money; some for their immediate refreshment, some for their redemption, and the rest for coastage or provision, to defray the charges of their voyage. Which noble act had such an universal influence, that it more famed the Christian religion among the Infidels, than all their disputes and battles: insomuch that the King of Persia, a Heathen, said, "The Romans endeavour to win their adversaries both by wars and favours;" and greatly desired to behold that man, whose religion taught so much charity to enemies; which, it is reported, Theodosius, the emperor, commanded Acacius to gratify him in. And if the Apostle Paul's expression hath any force, that "He is worse than an infidel who provides not for his family;" (1 Tim. 5;) how greatly doth his example aggravate your shame, that can behold such pity and compassion expressed to strangers, nay, enemies, and those infidels too, and be so negligent of your own family; (for England, aye, Christendom, in a sense, if not the world, is no more;) as not only to see their great necessities unanswered, but that wherewith they should be satisfied, converted to gratify the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life? But however such can please themselves, in the deceitful daubing of their mercenary priests, and dream they are members of Jesus Christ, it is certain that things were otherwise in the beginning; for then all was sold, and put into a common purse, to supply indigences: (Acts, iv. 32-37:) not mattering earthly inheritances, further than as they might, in some sense, be subservient to the great end for which they were given; namely, the good of the creation. Thus had the purest Christians their minds and thoughts taken up with the better things, and raised with the assurance of a more excellent life and inheritance in the heavens, that will never pass away. And for any to flatter themselves with being Christians, whilst so much exercised in the vanities, recreations, and customs of the world, as at this very day we see they are, is to mock the great God, and abuse their immortal souls. The Christian life is quite another thing.

And lest that any should object, many do great and seemingly good actions to raise their reputation only; and others only decry pleasure, because they have not wherewithal, or know not how to take it; I shall present them with the serious sayings of aged and dying men, and those of the greatest note and rank, whose experience could not be wanting to give the truest account, how much their honours, riches, pleasures, and recreations, conduced to their satisfaction, upon a just reckoning, as well before their extreme moments as upon their dying beds, when death, that hard passage into eternity, looked them in the face.

CHAPTER XXI.

Serious dying, as well as living testimonies of Men of Fame and Learning, viz.