God . Copies of the Bible were rare ; therefore its precious words were committed to memory . Many were able to repeat large portions of both the Old and the New Testament . Thoughts of God were associated alike with the sublime scenery of nature and with the humble blessings of daily life . Little children learned to look with gratitude to God as the giver of every favor and every comfort .
Parents , tender and affectionate as they were , loved their children too wisely to accustom them to self-indulgence . Before them was a life of trial and hardship , perhaps a martyr ' s death . They were educated from childhood to endure hardness , to submit to control , and yet to think and act for themselves . Very early they were taught to bear responsibilities , to be guarded in speech , and to understand the wisdom of silence . One indiscreet word let fall in the hearing of their enemies might imperil not only the life of the speaker , but the lives of hundreds of his brethren ; for as wolves hunting their prey did the enemies of truth pursue those who dared to claim freedom of religious faith .
The Waldenses had sacrificed their worldly prosperity for the truth ' s sake , and with persevering patience they toiled for their bread . Every spot of tillable land among the mountains was carefully improved ; the valleys and the less fertile hillsides were made to yield their increase . Economy and severe self-denial formed a part of the education which the children received as their only legacy . They were taught that God designs life to be a discipline , and that their wants could be supplied only by personal labor , by forethought , care , and faith . The process was laborious and wearisome , but it was wholesome , just what man needs in his fallen state , the school which God has provided for his training and development . While the youth were inured to toil and hardship , the culture of the intellect was not neglected . They were taught that all their powers belonged to God , and that all were to be improved and developed for His service .
The Vaudois churches , in their purity and simplicity , resembled the church of apostolic times . Rejecting the supremacy of the pope and prelate , they held the Bible as the only supreme , infallible authority . Their pastors , unlike the lordly priests of Rome , followed the example of their Master , who " came not to be ministered unto , but to minister ." They fed the flock of God , leading them to the green pastures and living fountains of His holy word . Far from the monuments of human pomp and pride the people assembled , not in magnificent churches or grand cathedrals , but beneath the shadow of the mountains , in the Alpine valleys , or , in time of danger , in some rocky stronghold , to listen to the words of truth from the servants of Christ . The pastors not only preached the gospel , but they visited the sick , catechized the children , admonished the erring , and labored to settle disputes and promote harmony and
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