of any.
Their garments were so prepared as to conceal their greatest treasure,--the
precious manuscripts of the Scriptures. These, the fruit of months and
years of toil, they carried with them, and whenever they could do so
without exciting suspicion, they cautiously placed some portion in the way
of those whose hearts seemed open to receive the truth. From their
mother's knee the Waldensian youth had been trained with this purpose in
view; they understood their work, and faithfully performed it. Converts to
the true faith were won in these institutions of learning, and frequently
its principles were found to be permeating the entire school; yet the
papal leaders could not, by the closest inquiry, trace the so-called
corrupting heresy to its source.

The spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit. The very first impulse of the
renewed heart is to bring others also to the Saviour. Such was the spirit
of the Vaudois Christians. They felt that God required more of them than
merely to preserve the truth in its purity in their own churches; that a
solemn responsibility rested upon them to let their light shine forth to
those who were in darkness; by the mighty power of God's word they sought
to break the bondage which Rome had imposed. The Vaudois ministers were
trained as missionaries, every one who expected to enter the ministry
being required first to gain an experience as an evangelist. Each was to
serve three years in some mission field before taking charge of a church
at home. This service, requiring at the outset self-denial and sacrifice,
was a fitting introduction to the pastor's life in those times that tried
men's souls. The youth who received ordination to the sacred office saw
before them, not the prospect of earthly wealth and glory, but a life of
toil and danger, and possibly a martyr's fate. The missionaries went out
two and two, as Jesus sent forth His disciples. With each young man was
usually associated a man of age and experience, the youth being under the
guidance of his companion, who was held responsible for his training, and
whose instruction he was required to heed. These co-laborers were not
always together, but often met for prayer and counsel, thus strengthening
each other in the faith.

To have made known the object of their mission would have insured its
defeat; therefore they carefully concealed their real character. Every
minister possessed a knowledge of some trade or profession, and the
missio