The joy of a poor swineherd's son, who never 'dreamed of a crown, would be greater at the news of such a thing conferred on him, than he whose birth invited him to look for it, yea, promised to him as his inheritance; such a one's heart would stand but level to the place, and therefore could not be so ravished with it as another who lay so far below such a prefer

ment.

5. To fill up the joy of all these, "it is most necessary that the news be true and certain," or else all the joy soon leaks out. What great joy would it afford to hear of a kingdom befallen to a man, and next day, or month, to hear all crossed again, and prove false? Now, in the glad tidings of the gospel, all these do most happily meet together, to wind up the joy of the believing soul to the highest pin that the strings of his affections can possibly bear.

1. The news which the gospel hath in its mouth to tell poor sinners is good. It speaks promises, and they are significations of some good intended by God for poor sinners. The law-that brings ill news to town, it can speak no other language to sinners, but denunciations of evil to come upon them; but the gospel smiles on poor sinners, and planes the wrinkles that sit on the law's brow, by proclaiming promises.

2. The news the gospel brings is as great as it is good. It was that the angel said, "I bring you tidings of great joy." (Luke ii. 10.) Great joy it must needs be, because it is all joy. The Lord Christ brings such news in his gospel, as that he hath left nothing for any after him to add to it. If there be any good wanting in the tidings of the gospel, we find it elsewhere than in God; for in the covenant of the gospel, he gives himself through Christ to the believing soul. Surely the apostle's argument will hold "All things are yours; ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." (1 Cor. iii. 22.) The gospel lays our ducts close to the fountain of goodness itself, and he surely must have all, that is united to him that hath, that is, all. Can any good news come to the glorified saints which heaven doth not afford them? In the gospel we have news of that glory. "Jesus Christ hath brought life and immortality to light by the gospel." (2 Tim. j. 10.) The sun in the firmament discovers only the lower world. O! it hides heaven from us, while it shows the earth to us; but the gospel enlightens both at once. "Godliness hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Tim. iv. 8.)

3. The gospel doth not tell us news we are little concerned in; not what God has done for angels, but for us. "Unto you." saith the angel," is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord.” If love made angels rejoice in our happiness, surely the benefit which is paid into our nature by it gives a further pleasure to our joy at the hearing of it. It were strange that the messenger, who only brings the news of some great empire to be devolved on a person, should sing, and the prince to whom it falls should not be glad. And, as the gospel's glad tidings belong to man's nature, not to angels', so in particular to the poor soul, whoever thou art, that embraceth Christ in the arms of thy faith. A prince is a common good to all his kingdom; every subject, though ever so mean, hath a part in him-and so is Christ to all believers. The promises are so laid, that like a well-drawn picture, they look on all that look on them by an eye of faith. The gospel's joy is thy joy, that hast but faith to receive it.

4. The glad tidings of the gospel were unheard of, unlooked for, by the sons of men; such news it brings, as never could have entered into the heart of man to conceive, till God unlocked the cabinet of his own good pleasure and revealed the counsel of his will, wherein this mysterious piece of love to fallen man lay hid far enough from the prying eye of the most quick-sighted angel in heaven, much more from man himself, who could read in his own guilty conscience within, and spell from the covenant without, now broken by him, nothing but his certain doom and damnation. So that the first gospel sermon preached by God himself to Adam anticipated all thoughts of such a thing intended by him. O, who can conceive, but one that hath really felt the terrors of an approaching hell in his despairing soul, how joyous the tid ings of gospel mercy are to a poor soul, dwelling amidst the black thoughts of despair, and bordering on the very marches of the region of utter darkness! History tells us of a nobleman of our nation, in King Henry the Eighth's reign, to whom a pardon was sent a few hours before he should have been beheaded, which being not at all expected by him, so transported him that he died for joy. And if the vessel of our nature be so weakly hooped, that the wine of such an inferior joy breaks it, how then could it possibly be able to bear the full joy of the gospel tidings, which doth as far exceed this as the mercy of God doth the mercy of mortal man, and as the deliverance from an eternal death in hell doth a deliverance from a temporary death, which is gone before the pain can well be felt!

5. The glad tidings of the gospel are certainly true. It is no flying report, cried up to-day, and like to be crossed to-morrow; not news that is in every one's mouth, but none can tell whence it came, and who is the author of it; we have it from a good hand, God himself, "to whom it is impossible to lie." He from heaven voucheth it. "This is my beloved Son; hear him." (Luke ix.) What were all those miracles which Christ wrought, but ratifications of the truth of the gospel? Those wretches that denied the truth of Christ's doctrine were forced many times to acknowledge the divinity of his miracles; which is a pretty piece of nonsense, and declares the absurdity of their unbelief to all the world. The miracles were to the gospel as seals to a writing. They could not deny God to be in the miracles, and yet they could not see him in the doctrine; as if God would set his seal to an untruth. Here, Christians, is that which fills up the joy of this good news the gospel brings, that we may lay our lives upon the truth of it; it will never deceive any that lay the weight of their confidence on it. "This is a faithful say ing, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." (1 Tim. i. 15.) This bridge which the gospel lays over the gulf of God's wrath, for poor sinners to pass from their sins into the favour of God

ever

here, and kingdom of God hereafter, is supported with no other arches than the wisdom, power, mercy, and faithfulness of God; so that the believing soul need not fear, till it sees these bow or break. It is called the " lasting gospel." (Rev. xiv. 16.) When heaven and earth go to wreck, not the least iota or tittle of any promise of the gospel shall be buried in their ruins. "The word of the Lord endureth for ever, and this is the word which by the gospel is preached to you." (1 Pet. i. 25.)

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imprisonment, banishment, invasion by armed force, murder of wives and children, the axe of the executioner, the torture and fires of the Inquisition,-all, all have been employed by intolerance for their utter extermination. And yet they have survived these bloody persecutions. There remain still in the valleys of the Alps more than twenty thousand Waldenses who profess the faith of their fathers. Glorious witnesses of the truth, they are connected by an uninterrupted historical chain to the primitive Church, and their presence shows that the light of the Church has never been wholly extinguished in Christendom.

Are they not a living proof of the impotence of fanaticism? Ah! if the rage of men could have destroyed the Waldenses to the last man,' and have abolished their memory, it would have done it. But no: the sword of Popery and the sword of princes have not succeeded in their work of destruction. There is a God in heaven, who protects, who sustains right, justice, truth; and if, in his mysterious designs, he allows sometimes that iniquity and error obtain an apparent triumph, he imposes for them, as for the waves of the sea, bounds that Let us ever have, in the they may not pass. midst of the most violent tempests, a firm confidence in the decrees of the Lord, and our hope will not be deceived. The day of reparation will come: it must come, because justice and truth are eternal, like God.

The Waldenses of Piedmont are now freeas free as other citizens of that country; they enjoy the same rights; they can fill the same offices in the State; all the old acts of exclusion are rescinded, and the Piedmontese have been received at Turin with acclamations of joy. We will give at the close of this narrative, an account of the great national festival which was held on this occasion: but we must first show what has been the religious and civil condition of the Waldenses since the revolution of 1789. It will be then easier to under

stand their great joy and their deep gratitude to God for the complete emancipation they have obtained.

The principles of religious toleration, which were proclaimed in the eighteenth century, had not acquired much authority in Piedmont and Savoy. This country was governed by priests. The princes, instructed in the principles of ecclesiastical power, submitted themselves unreservedly to the dictation of Rome. The Waldenses were treated as an inferior caste, and as enemies. They had not been exposed, indeed, for sixty years, to be led to the scaffold: Europe would have shuddered with indignation and horror at such atrocities; but they were still subjected to the most oppressive tyranny. The law compelled them to be shut up in their valleys as in a prison; they were forbidden to occupy any civil office, or exercise any liberal profession; none of their communion could be

notaries or physicians. Their children were often abducted by priests, and when they complained, they were answered with threats and insults. A shameful proselytism was carried on among them. The Popish clergy had opened by the side of their churches a so-called house for catechumens, where they fed and clothed those unhappy persons who consented to sell their consciences for money. Heavy taxes were laid on the Waldenses, and they could hardly, by their diligent labour, supply themselves with the means of subsistence.

When the great revolution of 1789 burst upon Europe, like a thunderbolt, the poor oppressed people of Piedmont hoped that their lot would be amended. But they were still deceived in their expectation for several years. Their sovereign called them to fight under his banner against France. The Waldenses did their duty bravely and faithfully; they shed their blood on the battle-field to defend a country which had not allowed them the rights of citizens. But with all their zeal they were basely calumniated. As they met with some reverses in their contests with the French troops, the Popish clergy accused them of treason and of being accomplices with the enemy. The Romish population of Piedmont were rendered fanatical by these slanders; and, horrible to relate! a plot was formed to execute another St Bartholomew against the Waldenses! The crime was to be perpetrated in the night of 14th to 15th May 1793. A band of assassins, to the number of 700, had sworn to attack the communes of Saint John and La Tour, and to put all to fire and sword. It was the easier for Papists to effect this massacre, as all the Waldenses, capable of bearing arms, were encamped then upon the summits of the mountains, to resist the invasion of the French. The conspirators would then have found all the women, children, old men, and they would have been able to butcher these without obstacle or resistance. Happily, this infernal plot was revealed opportunely by two Roman Catholics more humane than the rest. The Waldensian soldiers, being warned, returned in haste to their homes, and the conspirators dared not execute their design. The list of names of these wretches was produced in court at Turin, but the government did not institute a judicial prosecution: fearing, apparently, to involve many priests in this frightful conspiracy!

In 1797 the Waldenses obtained some concessions. But what were these? They were allowed to have physicians of their own religion. They were promised protection against the taking away of their children, and a diminution of part of the taxes with which they were loaded. They had leave, lastly, to repair their churches, and even to enlarge them, if this was judged absolutely necessary. This is all! No real liberty; no equality of rights between them and the Roman Catholics; all the prohi

bitions were continued, and yet the priests complained that the Waldenses had obtained too much! Detestable spirit of intolerance! it tramples under foot the first principles of jus tice ! it calls evil good, good evil, and thinks it does God service when doing the work of Satan!

Two years after, in 1799, Piedmont passed under the French rule. Then, for the first time, since their origin, the Waldenses enjoyed real liberty of conscience and of worship. They became citizens like others, and could be appointed to all public offices. But, alas! this favour cost them dear. Their valleys, succes sively traversed by the French, Germans, Russians, &c., were completely devastated. The fields were uncultivated, the houses burnt, the churches destroyed. The most necessary articles of living were enormously dear. The rich could hardly subsist, and the poor died from want. The pastors especially found themselves in the most destitute condition. They no longer received pecuniary aid from England, Holland, and Prussia. War had interrupted all com. munications. How could ministers of the gospel supply their most pressing wants! The members of Consistory went from house to house, to solicit a morsel of bread for these spiritual guides, and the general poverty prevented often the satisfying of their wants. Some pastors then engaged in secular employ ments, in order to support their families; others tried to bear patiently these severe pri. vations.

At last, the horizon became brighter. Napoleon visited Piedmont in 1805, and learning what was the condition of the pastors, he gave them a salary from the public treasury. The Waldenses were faithful to their new sovereign. They were doubly attached to him, by their oath and by gratitude. Some of them served with distinction in the French armies; they acquired high rank by their bravery, and showed that they were worthy of commanding others.

But the restoration of 1814 came. The king of Sardinia, Victor-Emanuel, recovered possession of Piedmont. The Waldenses hoped that they would be allowed the same rights as the Romanists. Vain hope! Victor-Emanuel re turned with a numerous company of Jesuits and bishops; he had for his confessor a disciple of Loyola. These priests persuaded the prince that the laws of the French government were anti-catholic and wicked, that they ought to restore the old order of things, and that the Romish religion must alone prevail.

It is easy to imagine the surprise, the grief, the consternation of the Waldenses, wheu, by a royal edict, they were put back precisely in the state where they were fifteen years before. After having enjoyed liberty, they again became slaves! The iron yoke which had oppressed their fathers, weighed

heavily on their necks! Shame to kings who allow themselves to be in bondage to Jesuitism! What could the Waldenses do? They had no force to oppose their oppressors, and they yielded to despotism, lifting their hands to God, the protector of the feeble and the innocent. The clergy resorted to trick after trick. They would fain have compelled the restoration of the whole amount of taxes which had been levied on the property of the Romish Church, by the French government. If this demand had been enforced, the Waldensian pastors and their flocks would have been reduced to utter beggary. But the intendant of the province, more generous than the members of the clergy, prevented these extravagant claims from being allowed.

We will not recite all the exactions which have annoyed the Waldenses from 1815 to the present time. The bishops of Pignerol (the principal city of these valleys), undertook anew to convert the heretics in their manner. They published pastoral letters full of false arguments against Protestantism, and distributed them to every family. Observe, that the Waldensian pastors had no right to publish in their turn any reply; for the law restricting the press authorized the attacks, but forbade any defence. The Waldenses had not even leave to introduce Protestants books from foreign countries; and if they succeeded in procuring some, it was by means of the British and Prussian ministers. Romanists call loudly for the liberty of the press among nations where they are in the minority; but everywhere else, they refuse it as long as possible to their adversaries.

Another kind of tyranny which was renewed in the valleys, consisted in exercising a constant proselytism, without shame or restraint. A convent was rebuilt at the very centre of the Waldensian population, under the name of the Priory of the Sacred Religion. Eight monks were installed there, with the express design of labouring for the rooting out of heresy. The poor Waldensians knew by long experience how Popish monks effect conversions, and they were now satisfied that these violent and fraudulent methods had not been abandoned. The concerters went from family to family, to intimidate some, to make fine promises to others, and they succeeded in seducing some ignorant or unprincipled persons. Thus, in a single year, in a time of famine, they added to the Romish Church about twenty individuals. Who are they? ignorant and worth less persons. But no matter: Popery looks less at quality than quantity. The Waldenses had not the right, on their part, to make proselytes. If they tried to lead a Roman Catholic to their communion, they were punished severely. Rome did in these valleys what the Czar Nicholas is reproached for doing in Russia against Papists: namely, she reserved

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to herself alone the privilege of religious proselytism.

The Waldenses were constrained to be soldiers; but they could not, whatever their personal merit, attain to the grade of officers. They were punished for the same things for which others were rewarded. They were forbidden to reside more than three days out of the territory, in any town whatever, of Piedmont, as if they had been infected with the plague! Orders were given to them, at different times, to sell the property which they had purchased under the French government, beyond their immediate homes. In a word, the three small valleys which they cultivated were transformed into a sort of dungeon. They must remain there shut up, like Jews in certain quarters of German cities; and as all the population could not find employment nor subsistence in so narrow a space, many of the Waldenses had no other resource but to quit for ever their native soil. They went away weeping, and sought among strangers the means of subsistence.

Such was their situation-not in the barbarous dark ages-not in a time of universal fanaticism-but only a few months ago. It would have been worse still, if they had not been protected at the court of Turin by the Protestant princes of Europe. Count de Walbourg, Prussian ambassador, had received from king Frederick William special instructions concerning the Waldenses. He was their constant friend. He went to visit them, noted their wants, pled often their cause with the king of Sardinia, and collected subscriptions to found an hospital in the valleys. This establishment was indispensable; for if a sick Waldensian entered a Popish hospital, he was annoyed till his last breath by odious intrusions of priests.

England showed also to the Waldenses a kind sympathy. The British ambassador was, like the Prussian, their advocate at Turin. English Christians, touched by their pitiable lot, made large collections for them. We ought to mention, in particular, the honourable Colonel Beckwith, who, after nobly doing his duty in the British army, had taken up his residence among the Waldenses. An influential and generous man, he devoted a part of his fortune to diffuse instruction in these mountains which he adopted as his country. He contributed to found more than eighty schools; and his memory will be ever blessed among that people, to whom he has been a most devoted friend.

Still the Waldenses experienced no favourable change in their lot, when, all at once, the cry of reformation was sounded from one end of Italy to the other, and repeated by all classes of the people. "Reform of all old abuses and superannuated laws! Civil and political reform ! Reform in the rights of princes and privileges

of the clergy!" This was what was called for, with common consent, at Rome, Florence, Naples, Turin-by the whole Italian nation. Many honourable inhabitants of Piedmont, at the head of whom figured four Romish bishops, addressed a petition to the king, Charles Albert, to request the emancipation of the Jews. Surely the Waldenses could not be overlooked in this movement for general freedom. When the Jews could be admitted to the rights of citizenship, why should the disciples of Christ be held in a state of humiliating inferiority? It would have been the most shocking contradiction. So, the inhabitants of the Waldensian valleys were included in the act of civil vnd political emancipation, published the 25th February last in the official Gazette of Turin.

It would be impossible to depict the tears of joy which flowed from all eyes, when this glad news circulated, like lightning, among the Waldenses. What thanksgiving, what congratulations, what prayers! Six hundred years of pains and sufferings were at last repaired! At night, bonfires were kindled by the inhabitants on the summits of their mountains, and produced, by their reflection upon the snows of the Alps, a magnificent effect. The village of La Tour was illuminated, and the Roman Catholics themselves joined at Pignerol in these demonstrations of joy.

But this was only the beginning of the great festival. It was agreed that a national solemnity should be held at Turin, and that the delegates of all the communes of the kingdom should attend. The Waldenses were assigned a prominent place in the procession, marching under a distinct banner. Listen to the narrative of an eye-witness; we borrow the following account from a letter of a Waldensian, published in a Swiss journal :—

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.... The committee appointed to conduct the festival, decided by acclamation that the Waldenses should be placed at the head of the corporations of the capital. They have long enough been the last,' said they; let them for once, at least, be first!' The banner under which we marched, wrought by our brethren of Turin, bore, on a blue velvet ground, this simple inscription in large silver letters: A Carlo-Alberto Vidaliesi riconoscenti-The grateful Waldenses to Charles-Albert.'

upper and more intelligent classes, the acclamations were redoubled, the demonstrations be came more earnest. I saw priests, on our route, throw their hats in the air, and cry with all their might: Live our brothers the Wal. denses!

"When the banners borne by the train defiled one before the other, the scene be came still more touching. Imagine what we felt at the sight of these people, met toge ther from the ends of the kingdom, and many of whom had never heard the Waldenses spoken of but as abominable heretics. Now they reached to us cordially the hand, called us their brothers, and rejoiced with us that the chains which had held us in oppression. for so many ages were broken. How are the times changed! How many prejudices has this great act of justice overthrown in a moment!

"It was especially when, called in our turn to pay our respects to the king, we had to pass amidst the body of students and merchants, that the grasping of hands, mutual embracings, and shouts of congratulation, became truly ecstatic. To the cries, a thousand times repeated, of Live our brothers the Waldenses! was associated then the words (unheard of before in Turia) Lice liberty of worship! Live liberty of conscience! and the like.

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At this moment we arrived on the Place du Chateau. This ground which, more than once, had been covered with innumerable crowds to witness the punishment of a Waldensian heretic committed to the flames, presented then a very different spectacle. The place was filled; the balconies, the windows, the turrets of the castle, showed dense rows of heads one above another. But from the bosom of this vast crowd was no longer heard the old cry: Death to the heretic! on the contrary, the cry which escaped from all mouths was the same we had heard already so many times: Live our brothers the Waldenses!

During the rest of our march, the scenes were repeated which I have already described. I will only say that, from this day forward, Piedmont is truly a country for us, and the Piedmontese are brethren. All our past pain is forgotten. Our people seem to breathe in another air. Fathers feel that a new prospect is opened to their children, and bright joy pervades all faces."