Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

Though the charge that the Albigenses rejected marriage, baptism and the
supper, has been refuted in page 119, refuting the same charge against them
under the name Paulicians, the reader will notice that these charges are,
incidentally, farther refuted in the following. The Encyclopedia Britannica says
of them:
“The statement that they rejected marriage, often made by Roman Catholics,
has probably no other foundation in fact than that they denied marriage as a
sacrament; and many other statements of their doctrines must be received at
least with suspicion, as coming from prejudiced and implacable opponents.”
f265
Alanus, speaking of the Albigenses, says: “They rejected infant baptism. … It
does not appear that they rejected either of the sacraments.” f266 Collier says:
“They refused to own infant baptism.” f266 Brockett says: “Nothing is said by
Hoveden of their rejection of the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist,
which would certainly have been mentioned by so careful a writer as
Hoveden, had it existed. Indeed, his strongest objection to them was their
refusal to take an oath.” f266
Favin, a historian, is quoted as saying: “The Albigenses do esteem the
baptizing of infants superstitious.” Izam, the Troubadour, a Dominican
persecutor of these heretics, says: “They admitted another baptism.” f267
Chassanion is quoted as saying:
“I cannot deny that the Albigenses, for the greater part, were opposed to
infant baptism; the truth is, they did not reject the sacraments as useless, but
only as unnecessary to infants.”
They had no Campbellism in them. As Armitage observes: “They rejected the
Romish church and esteemed the New Testament above all its traditions and
ceremonies. They did not take oaths, nor believe in baptismal regeneration; but
they were ascetic and pure in their lives; they also exalted celibacy.” f268 Their
encouraging celibacy, as they believed in marriage, was probably for the
reason that Paul encouraged it temporarily, be-cause of persecution being
harder to endure in families than when single. f269
As refusing to take oaths was a practice of many of these ancient Baptists, I
here stop to say: While that matter with Baptists is a matter of little
importance, yet I believe they were, probably, nearer right than we are; for,
while by “swear not at all” our Savior alluded to only profanity, yet, as
Archbishop Whately observes, I believe that men who will tell a lie will swear
one as readily, once the penalty is out of the way; hence, instead of taking oath
annex the penalty of swearing a lie to telling it in court.
In church government the Albigenses were Baptists. A historian says: “Their
bards or pastors were every one of them heads of their churches, but they acted