_A. D. 1507._--“In this year,” writes P. J. Twisck, “the Vaudois, Waldenses, or believers were cruelly persecuted in Hungary, and delivered the confession of their faith, together with an apology, to Uladislaus, King of Bohemia, refuting the calumnies of their enemies, and proving that they had not separated from the Roman church without good reasons. Of these people, papistic writers themselves confess, that they led an innocent and pious life, though they nevertheless cruelly sought to kill and exterminate them.” _Chron., page 930, col. 2_, from _Henr. Boxh., fol. 27_.
NOTE.--Touching the confession which the aforementioned Waldenses, A. D. 1507, delivered to King Uladislaus, as well as their defense which they delivered A. D. 1508, nothing at all is therein said of infant baptism, though that would have been the proper time to explain themselves in this respect. See _A. Mell., fol. 616, col. 1–4_, and _fol. 617, col. 1–3_. As to their confession of the year 1504, which was corrupted or adulterated with human institutions, by the Hussites, we have already spoken.
_A. D. 1521._--One Ludovicus Vives, of Valencia, commenting on the words of Augustine, in the _27th chapter_ of the _1st book of the City of God_: With what admonition we address the baptized, says: “That no one be mislead by this passage, [I would state, that] no one was formerly admitted to holy baptism, save he who had attained his years, and understood himself what the holy water signified, and desired to be washed with it; yea, when he desired it a second time or oftener.”
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._