Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-11-10

| character; some of the tenrts ascribed to
! them reminding us Of the A4labaptists Of
! Munster. cthers ef the mo lern and harm
| less Quaker. We must not too nearly
assiml!ate these opposers of the Roman
church to those who seeded li.em it at \
later age. Amongst them were opinions
which all existing churches contemplate
with equal abhorrenee. One very bold
opinion deserves to be partlcuIarised. be-
cause if it were as prevalent as our an
thor describes it to have been. it would
have decided the character of the refor-
nation. i a rcformatian had at this time
been permitted. The Manicbe ms belle
we'd in two rival powers, both eternal, a
Good and an Evil Spirit, who divide the
universe between them and in portion
tIonng ali things between these two RI
val spirits, they hat. made a division ev-
en- Of the sacred Scriptures. They as
signed the Old Testament to the Evil
Power, the New othe Good; of course
/ they rejected the former, and adopted on
| ly the 'tatter. 1t is7ssd that this rejec
ton of the Old Testament was prevalent
heresy in Languedoc.
| In one thing. however. all ;hcse vari-
Gus sects concurre4-in their hostility to
the church of Rome. This hostility had
spread over all Provence and Languedoc,
and amongst all orders Of the people
The relisioels bad sought other teachers,
and the irreligious had openly thrown off
the authority Of their priests. A priest
was an object Of general contempt, or of
still stronger feelings of aversion ; the
tonsure exposed Its wearer to ridicuIe !;
the property of, the church. which must
ultimately rest for its security on the
faith of the people, was in imminent dam
ger; arrival hierarchy was ABOUT to be in
stituted; one synod of its bishops had
already been convened; in fine, great
spiritual rebellion had broken out.
Now the knights Of the north of France
were in the full ardor of the crusades-
burning with fercest authe,loxy-and
were quite as willing to save their souls
by the destru elton Of the hereto as The
slaughter of the inlidel. The battle. too,
was near home. and there were forfeited
lands and lordships to be acquired. The
church had not to look for a champion;
one word was sufficient to precipitate
upon this devoted Languedoc all the cru
sading spirit. the bisotry, the cupidity.
the military passion of the north.
Pope Innocent gave shat word. limo
cent had been bred .jurist. Severe, land
Of indomitable resolution, whatever the
high law he administered Pronounced
he was not the man to shrink from exc
cutting. i lie sat on the papal throne at
time when the most exorbitant ideas
prevailed of the power and pre-eininence
O. that spiritual monarchy he was called
upon to administer. On him rested, as
he deemed, the government ofthe Chris
tan world; he was responsibe--he, that
man!-for the faith of Christendom-re-
sponsib!e even for its future course and
character.
Woe to him, if any cf the nations Gem
miued to his charge should wander from
the true path, whilst he had tie power to
restrain them! This great magistrate Of
the faith, looking from his supreme eie-
walton. behed the south of France in o.
pen, undIsguised. uncompromising rebel
lion. He issued his edict for its suppress
sion. He found without difficulty ST.
mon de Montlort and St. Dominic to
carry his decree into execution. Domi-
mic, whose name is forever associated with
the horn Tors of Tie Inqulsition, was him
self no lnhuman, IlarI-hearted monster;
when he was q student, and famine ia :
ged in the town, he sold every thing he
! had. even his books, to relieve the dis.
tress of the poor: lie only killed the bo-
DIV to save the soul. AS TO De Montfort,
he was. according to cur reading of his
character, a coarse, brutal fanatIc-belie
wing. doubtless, in the sacredness OF his
mission, and for that very reason ming
ling with it the more unscrupulouslF his
projects Of personal ambition.
| On both sides it must be allowed that
! fAnaticism ragged high; on both sides mar
| tyrdom was received with the greatest
alacrity' In castle near the town of
Barbonne. some Albigenses had taken
refuge. They were beseged and the
legate of the Pope offered life to such OF
them as would abjure their errors. A
knight crusader, who heard this offer
made, was indignant that his just and
plous revenge upon the obstinate here
tics should thus be disappointed. 'You
need not fear,' said the Iegate, paci(ying
the soldler-.very few of them will be
converted The whole of them, men
and women, to the number of $40, ran
to the pile that had been prepared fol
them, and threw themselves upon the
flames.
In a cottage by the road side, four Do
minican monks were engaged in then
devotions. A troop of armed Albigenses
approached, and entered the cottage. -
The kueelins Dominicans heard theli
steps they did not rise-they extended
their necks to receive the blow of death,
with the same readiness, and the same
placity, as if It had been the holy sacra-