Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

Says Robert Baird:
“There is nothing in the organization or action of these churches that in the
slightest degree savors of prelacy. And, in answer to our inquiries on this
subject, the pastors have, without exception, stated that prelacy has never
existed in these valleys; and that such has ever been the uniform opinion of
their ancestors, so far as it has been handed down to them. As to their bishops,
spoken of in some of their early writings, they believe that they were nothing
more than pastors. They say what is undeniable, that their histories speak
continually of their barbes, as being their religious teachers and guides, but
that the word bishop is hardly over met with.” f425
Reinerius says of the sect in general: “They say the bishops, clergy and other
religious orders are no better than the scribes and Pharisees.” f426 As Armitage
remarks:
“This relates to character, however, but they did not despise a true Christian
ministry, for the same writer, who was a resident of Lombardy, says there
they had ‘elders.’ Yet, there is nothing to show that they had any order of
ministers amongst them as a universal thing; or even regularly located pastors,
as we should deem them. They had barbes, or preachers, but on the principle
of the seventy disciples which Jesus sent forth two by two. These were not
divided into orders, but into three moral classes, from which the mistake has
arisen concerning an episcopal form of church government.” f427
Of them Preger, than whom there is no higher authority, says that all:
“ecclesiastical authority was vested in the congregation., so that there was no
room for bishops.” f428 “Reinerius represents them as holding that all men in
Christ’s church stand on an exact parity.” f427
Armitage says:
“In this fraternity of preachers, in the absence of orders, distinction was made
between them as major and minor. This arose from the custom of sending
them out in twos, a young man and an elder, that the younger might learn
from the elder.” f429
This may explain Mosheim’s statement, that “The government of the church
was committed by the Waldenses to bishops, presbyters and deacons,” while a
foot note says, “the bishops were also called majoralies or elders.” f430
Prof. Whitsitt, of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says: “At first
there was no distinction between clergy and laity.” That is, as we have seen, no
kind of prelatical distinction was between their ministers and members. f431
They had (as are the general secretaries or superintendents of missions. among
Baptists of to-day) general superintendents. But, as Dr. A.H. Newman
observes: “The early Waldenses. … refused to employ the word bishop to