visited them, and learned to believe in Christ from them. The sudden death of a fellow-citizen, when he was by, made him resolve to live no longer like a mere man of business. He therefore began to preach the Gospel at Lyons, and was called "the Waldensian," because he did so. He also gave up all his riches to the service of his new Master; and when he found pious men fit for the work of preaching, he sent them out, two and two, into all the countries round, to carry the great message of God. And he caused parts of the Bible to be translated, and lent or gave copies to those who desired to read in their own tongue the wonderful works of God.

These labours were so greatly blessed, and "the Poor Men of Lyons," and Peter Waldo, became so well known, that the Pope began to fear he should lose all his power out of Italy and Spain. He therefore commanded the Archbishop of Lyons to prevent this "Reformation" from being carried any further, and a cruel persecution was immediately begun. How many were put to death no one could tell; but many escaped to the valleys of the Alps, where the glaciers and the avalanches, the torrents and the precipices, protected them from the fury of those who hated them for the sake of the Gospel. And some fled to other countries, and wherever they went, carried with them to some hearts the good news of the grace of God, for which they suffered. And before very long, it would not have been thought that the Kingdom of God had come nigh unto France at all. But we shall hear of the Waldenses in the valleys of the Alps again. In the times I am speaking of, France was not all

under one king, or government. Parts of it were under counts and dukes; and though some of them looked upon the King as over them, they did not ask him how they should rule their counties, and dukedoms, but did what they themselves thought good. The King of France took the side of the priests in this persecution of "the Poor Men of Lyons" and their disciples; but the Count of Toulouse, who was one of the great nobles of the south of France, did not. Some, perhaps, thought that he was a Waldensian, and not a Romanist; for in his dominions in Provence, were great numbers who would not have the Pope for their lord, and who did not go to the priests to know what they should believe, or what they should do. I suppose they had learnt this from the Waldenses, as the merchant, Peter, did; or they had learnt it as the Waldenses themselves had done; but they did not all think exactly as the "Men of the Valleys" did, and they were called Albigenses, from an old name of the country they lived in.

I cannot tell you about the differences between them and the Waldenses. They were not very great; and almost all we know about them, comes from their most wicked enemies, the Pope and his priests, who always told falsehoods about those whom they had destroyed, so that they might be thought to have done right in killing them. As if it could ever be right for any one to kill another, because he did not think in the same way as he did, about religious things! We know, that the real reason for the anger of the Pope against them was, that they did not obey him; yet there are some persons even now, who have be

lieved the falsehoods the priests told of these men, and call them heretics.

This is a nickname that used to frighten folks very greatly, in the days when every one thought that those who were called so were almost sure of a horrible death, and certainly could not go to heaven. Only those who fancy that everybody—whether he is able to think or not, and whether he have any learning and knowledge or not-ought to think as they do, call others heretics; and when they name any one so, they most frequently mean that he has read the Bible for himself, and for himself trusted in Jesus, and is looking forward to the day when every one shall give account of himself unto God. Never be afraid of ill names which are given you for doing as God has commanded you. It is not what men may say of you, or do to you, that is worth thinking about; but what God says of you, and will do unto you.

The Pope had often tried to persuade the Albigenses to obey him, but they would not; so he now sent a messenger to find out and punish the heretics. The Count of Toulouse was afraid of the Pope, but he did not wish that any of his people should be punished. He tried to be on the side of his people, and on that of the Pope at the same time; but the Pope would not suffer this. He sent a message to the King of France, and it was soon made known through France and England, that all who would fight against the Albigenses, should have all their sins pardoned; and the lands which were conquered, should be theirs. It was in this way that the popes always hired wretches, both kings and common people, to commit crimes for

them. And they blasphemously promised the forgiveness of sins, as the reward for doing abominable wickedness.

I cannot tell you the horrors of the war that followed; nor how the cowardly Count was forced to fight against his own subjects; and to help in conquering his own land for the benefit of others. One man was more spoken of than any other in this frightful war,-Simon de Montfort, the father of him of the same name, who headed the English barons against our King Henry the Third. The war was renewed again and again; and it lasted altogether for thirty-five years; and by the end of it, the most beautiful country in the world had been turned into a desert. There were few left who would not obey the Pope, and do his will in all things. For the Crusaders (so they called the armies which that wicked promise had raised, as if they were "soldiers of the cross") had savagely killed all the people they could meet with, whether they were heretics or not.

Many of the Albigenses had taken refuge in the valleys which still sheltered the Waldenses; and others had been scattered far and wide. In the country they had been driven from, there was something worse even than an army of Crusaders-" the Inquisition," about which "The Teachers' Offering" told you some years ago. It was begun during the war, by a monk named Dominic; it was intended to hunt out and slay those whom the sword spared. Nor did it leave off when peace was made, but went on with its horrid work, until there was no hope left of deliverance from the abominations of the Church of Rome.

Pictures from the Life of Jesus.

DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS,-It is our purpose in the following pages to present to you word-pictures from that best and most interesting book in the English tongue-the Bible. We have it in our mind to journey with you, from the manger at Bethlehem, to the cross outside the gates of old Jerusalem; to talk of HIM who once became a child Himself, and in imagination follow Jesus Christ, that-watching the acts of kindness which He did everywhere He went, and listening to the gentle words which proceeded out of His mouth,-we may learn something of His meekness and large-hearted love.

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