book i
.
[27] Before the pope.
[28] “Etiam igne ad audientiam posito.”
LETTER II.
TO ZAWYSSIUS, HIS CALUMNIATOR.
Grace to you and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ. It has come to my ears that you have accused me of heresy. If this be true, send me word, and you shall know then, by the grace of God, what is the faith which I confess, which I defend, which I do not dissemble in the shade, but which I profess as becomes a true Christian. And, would to God that your eyes might be opened as to the manner in which, for nearly thirty years, you have shorn your flock in Praschatitz. Where do you dwell? How do you labour? How do you feed your flock? You have forgotten these words of the Lord:--“Wo unto the shepherds, who only care for themselves, and do not feed their sheep!” Tell me, I pray you, are you penetrated with that part of the gospel of Christ, which says--“_The good shepherd goeth before his sheep, and his sheep follow him; for they know his voice_.” The time will come when you must render an account of your sheep and of your numerous benefices, concerning which it is said in your own ordinances, that he who can live upon one, cannot retain another without committing a mortal sin.
Meditate, then, on these things, and accuse not your neighbour of heresy. If you know him to be a heretic, you ought to warn him, according to the Apostle’s precept, a first and a second time; if he refuse to listen to you, avoid him; and even should you be chosen to condemn him, still you must demonstrate by the Scriptures, that you condemn him justly, and deliver over his books to the flames.
I write you these few lines, to warn you fraternally, according to the precept of Christ, which tells us:--“If thy brother has just sinned, warn him in secret.” Receive, then, my words, my brother, and declare, if you have thus spoken of me. Prove that I am a heretic, and I will, with humility, correct myself, and you shall receive a reward for having rescued a man from error. Nevertheless, I hope by the grace of Almighty God, that my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is as great as yours, and that I am not less prepared to die for it with humility.
LETTER III.
TO MASTER MARTIN AND TO MASTER NICOLAS OF MYLIEZYN.
[He consults them on the subject of the interdiction pronounced against him from the pulpit.[29]]
May peace be with you, that peace that is not given with the world, with the flesh, and the devil. The Lord has said:--“You shall have tribulations in the world; but if you persevere in well doing, who can do you harm?” I burn with an ardent zeal for the gospel; and my soul is sad, for I know not what to resolve on. I have meditated on these evangelic words of our Saviour (John, chap. x.):--“The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them and scattereth the sheep.”
I have also meditated on these words from St Matthew, (chap. x.):--“But when they persecute you in one city, flee ye into another.” Of these two precepts, so different to each other, which ought I to follow? I know not.
I have meditated on the letter of St Augustin, to an illustrious bishop, who consulted him in a like case. Augustin thus terminates his answer:--“He who takes to flight, and does not deprive, in so doing, his church of the evangelical ministry, does what the Lord has commanded him; but he who, in his flight, takes away spiritual food from the flock of Jesus Christ, is an hireling, who, when he sees the wolf approaching, fleeth, because he careth not for his sheep. It is because thou hast consulted me, well-beloved brother, that I write thee these things, which appear to me to be according to both truth and charity; but I invite thee not to follow my counsel, if thou findest a better. What can be more advisable, in such an extremity, than to offer up prayers to God to have pity on us, after the example of some holy men, who have obtained by their prayer, not to abandon the Church of God, and who have persevered in their good resolutions, even in the very teeth of their enemies?” Such is the opinion of St Augustin.
Inform me, then, if you acquiesce in these words; for although the necessary aliment of God’s Word is not wanting to my flock, my conscience reproaches me with my absence, as a scandalous act.
I fear, on the other hand, that my presence during the term of my interdiction might be the means of tearing this food away from my flock, and of depriving them of the Holy Communion and other advantages, which concern Salvation. Therefore, let us pray humbly to Almighty God, that he may deign to reveal to us what I ought to do in the present circumstance, in order that I may dwell in the right way. The advice that the blessed St Augustin expresses in his letter, is wise: he establishes in fact, that in circumstances where we may be anxious for ourselves alone, flight is permitted, and he cites on the point the example of St Athanasius; but should the whole flock be exposed, we must resign ourselves to our lot, in order to do what may prove most useful to the Church.
FOOTNOTE:
[29] He also asks his friends whether he ought to quit his church; and it is probable that he wrote this letter before leaving Prague.
LETTER IV.
TO THE RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRAGUE.
Venerable Rector, I have received great consolation from your letter, in which you declare, amongst other things, that “the just man shall not be afflicted, whatever may befall him;” from which you infer, that temporal tribulations, and my separation from my friends, ought not to discourage me, neither sadden nor cast me down, but, on the contrary, should fortify and make me glad. I accept with gratitude this consolation. I cling to the words of Scripture, and say, If I am just, no trouble, whatever it may be, could sadden me, so as to turn me from the path of truth. If I live, and wish to live holy, in Christ, it is necessary that I suffer persecution in the name of Christ; for as it was necessary that Christ should suffer in order to enter into glory, we also should bear our crosses, miserable beings as we are, and should imitate him in his passion.
I protest, then, venerable Rector, that I have never felt myself overwhelmed by persecution; that I am only borne down by my sins, and by the errors of the Christian people. What, indeed, are the riches of the world to me? What affliction can their loss cause me? What is it to me to lose the favour of the world, which makes us swerve from the path of Christ? What signifies infamy, which when supported with humility, proves, purifies, and illuminates the children of God in such a manner, that they shine and radiate, like the bright sun, in their Father’s kingdom? And, lastly, what is death, if this miserable life be torn from me? He who loses it in this world triumphs even over death, and finds true life in the next.
But men, blinded by luxury, vainglory, and ambition, understand not these things. Others are turned away from the truth by fear, and languish on in a strange perplexity, deprived of charity, patience, and of every other virtue. On the one hand, they are urged on by knowledge of the truth; and, on the other, by the fear of losing their reputation, or of exposing their wretched bodies to death. For my own part, I will expose mine to it (I trust with the assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ), if his mercy comes to my assistance; for I do not desire to live in this corrupted age, unless I can lead to repentance myself and others, according to the will of God. This is what I ardently desire for you; and I exhort you, as well as all those united to you, to hold yourselves ready for the combat; for behold already appear the preludes to the beginnings of Antichrist: the combat is near, and the poor bird[30] must flap his wings against the wings of Behemoth, and against this tail of Antichrist, that always engenders abominations.
The prophet has shewn it to us when he declares, that he who teaches falsehood is the tail of Antichrist, and a grave old man is the head. The Lord will confound both one and the other; he will confound the pope and his preachers, his officers and his doctors, who, under a false name of holiness, conceive abominations. What greater abomination is there than that of the prostitute, who abandons herself publicly to every comer? Nevertheless, the abomination is greater still of him who, sitting in high places, offers himself, as if he were God, to the adoration of all;[31] traffics in spiritual things, and sells all that he possesses not. Woe, then, unto me if I preach not against such an abomination! Woe unto me if I weep not, if I write not against it! Can you find one man for whom such things are not a calamity? Already the great eagle takes its flight and cries to us: “Woe! woe to the inhabitants of the earth!”
FOOTNOTES:
[30] John Huss alludes to his name, which, in the Bohemian, signifies _goose_.
[31] “Adhuc major est abominatio bestiæ, quæ parata est a quocumque veniente adorari.”
LETTER V.
TO JOHN BARBAT.
[Huss consoles him, and justifies himself by exposing why he preferred obeying God, who had commanded him to preach, to the pope, the archbishop, and all those who had prohibited him from so doing.]
I salute you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I have learned, my beloved friends,[32] your grievous affliction. Look upon it as for your good; for it is to bring to light your firmness and your constancy, that you have fallen into various temptations.
I also, my very dear friends, have been tempted; and I rejoice at last that I am called a heretic for the gospel’s sake, and excommunicated like a rebellious and wicked man. To fortify in me the sweet calm of my soul, I have called to mind the life and words of Christ and the Apostles (Acts, iv.). I remembered in what manner Annas, the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and all the kindred of the high priest, when they addressed the Apostles, prohibited them from speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. “_But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard._” And when the same priests prohibited them a second time from preaching, they replied (Acts, v.), “_We ought to obey God rather than man_.”
It is true that the pagans, the Jews, and the heretics, all regulate their conduct on this precept of the obedience that is due unto God. Alas! this maxim blinds those who are not Christians, but not the Apostles, nor the true disciples of Christ.
St Jerome says:--“If the master or bishop prescribes what is not contrary to the faith or the Scriptures, the servant should obey. But if he commands what is contrary to these, we must rather obey the Master of the soul, than the master of the body.” And in another place he adds:--“If the emperor orders you, to do that which is good, execute the will of the emperor; should he require you to do ill, answer, ‘It is better to obey God than men.’”
St Augustin also says, in his _Sermon on the Words of the Lord_:--“If my earthly presence commands that which you ought not to do, despise this power, and fear a higher one. Consider the different degrees of human power. Do you obey the under officer, if the proconsul orders you the contrary? And if the proconsul orders you to do one thing, and the emperor another, would you attempt to disobey the latter for the former? If the emperor commands you to do that which is prohibited by God, despise the emperor and obey God. We ought, then, to resist the power of the devil or of men, when they suggest any thing against God; and in doing so, we resist not, but obey even God’s commands.” Such are the sentiments of St Augustin.
Gregory also says, in his last _Treatise on Morality_:--“Know, therefore, that evil should never be done from mere obedience.” St Bernard writes in one of his letters:--“To do evil after the orders of any one, is not to obey, but to disobey.” And St Isidore maintains, that if he who is in authority does and orders a thing which is not according to the Lord, or violates the written law, and orders it to be overstepped, to him ought to be applied these words of St Paul: “If an angel should descend from heaven, and preach to you a gospel different from that which we preach, let him be accursed!” He also declares, that whoever forbids you to do what is commanded by the Lord, ought to be held in execration by all who love the Lord--he ought to be regarded as a false witness and a sacrilegious person.
It would appear from these words, that these names are applicable to those who interdict the preaching of the Divine Word, and that such persons are excommunicated according to the words of the Prophet, “Cursed be those who resist thy commandments!” Jerome expresses the same feeling as is experienced by myself, when he thus writes to Rusticus, Bishop of Narbonne:--“Let no bishop abandon himself to envy and anger, through an infernal jealousy, because the priests exhort the people, preach in the churches, and bless the multitude.” I declare, then, to those who prohibit me to do these things, that he who interdicts priests from doing that which God commands, professes himself to be superior to Jesus Christ.
Bede, in speaking of our Saviour, repeats this passage:--“Go ye into the village that is over against you, and immediately you shall find an ass tied, and a colt with him: loose them, and bring them to me: and if any man say any thing to you, say ye, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will let them go.” Jesus Christ, says Bede, teaches mystically the doctors, by these words, that if they meet with any obstacle, if any one prevents them from freeing sinners from the bonds of the devil, from drawing them to God in confessing the faith, they ought not, for this reason, to renounce preaching his word, but should, on the contrary, continue to insinuate it into their souls; for the Lord has need of such labourers to edify his Church. Who could, in fact, quote all that the saints have written, when teaching us, that it is better to obey God than man?
Our oppressors oppose to us these words:--“All, therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do,” (Matth. xxiii.); but they are reduced to silence by the prohibition which follows:--“But do not ye after their works.” God says, (Deut. xxiv.)--“Do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.” The Lord desires, therefore, that he who obeys, should only do so after his own commandments. It is also said, (1 Pet. ii.)--“Servants be subject to your masters with all fear.” And the Apostle further adds:--“Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.” Not, however, in things in which they are wickedly inclined; for that would be to obey the devil. The will of God and the Holy Scriptures, therefore, teach us, that obedience to superiors is obligatory only in lawful matters. I have clung firmly to this truth, and have preferred in my sermons, to inculcate obedience to God, rather than to the pope and the archbishop, or any others that may oppose this saying of Christ.
I put my name to these words, in order to teach you how to confront the emissaries of the devil.[33]
FOOTNOTES:
[32] Although this letter was more particularly addressed to John Barbat, Huss intended it to be read to several others.
[33] “Ut sciatis canibus diaboli obviare.”
LETTER VI.
TO THE BELIEVERS IN PRAGUE.
[He felicitates them on the constancy with which they listen to the word of God.]
John Huss, a servant of Jesus Christ in hope, to all those who love God, who confess his law, in expectation of the Saviour, with whom they desire to live for all eternity!
Grace be with you, and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, who offered himself as a victim for our sins, to deliver us from this world of affliction, and from eternal damnation, according to the will of God the Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever!
Dearly beloved,--Having learned your zeal and your progress in the word of God, I render thanks unto the Lord, that he has deigned to enlighten you to such a point that, perceiving the frauds of antichrist and his ministers, you may not allow yourselves to be turned away from the truth.
I feel a lively confidence that his mercy will crown the work of regeneration commenced in you, and that he will not permit you to turn aside from the truth, whence many diverge through fear of danger, apprehending man, a weak sinner as he is, more than the all-powerful God, who has power both to kill and bring to life; to destroy and to save; to preserve his faithful believers in the midst of grave and numerous perils; and to give them in exchange for a brief space of suffering an eternal life of inexpressible happiness. Wherefore, beloved, do not let yourselves be borne down by terror; and do not be frightened if the Lord should tempt some of you, by allowing the ministers of antichrist to exercise their tyranny over you. God himself has said to his servant, (Prov. iii.), “Be not afraid of sudden fear, nor of the power of the wicked falling upon thee; for the Lord will be at thy side, and will keep thy foot, that thou be not taken.” And he has also said, by the mouth of his prophet David, “I am with him in his day of trial: I will deliver him.”
Knowing that, dearly beloved, consider, with St James, that it is fortunate for you to fall into various temptations; because the trial of your faith worketh in you patience, and that contributes to render you perfect and entire, failing in nothing.
St James also says,--“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him.” Remain steadfast, therefore, in the truth, and act in every thing like true children of God. Have full confidence; for Christ has overcome, and you will overcome also. Remember always Him who suffered so much at the hands of sinners; relax not in your good resolution; but, laying down together the whole burden of your sins, rush to the combat with your eyes fixed steadfastly on Jesus, who established our faith, and who, for a glorious object, despising shame, suffered the ignominy of the cross, and is now seated on the right hand of God.
The Creator, the King, the Sovereign Master of the world, without being forced to it by his Divine nature, humbled himself, notwithstanding his perfection, to our nature. He came to the assistance of us, wretched sinners, and supported hunger, and thirst, and cold, and heat, and fatigue, and want of sleep; he suffered, whilst instructing us, sorrow, and grave affronts from the priests and scribes, to such a point that they called him a blasphemer, and declared him to be possessed of a devil, averring that he was not God, whom they excommunicated as a heretic, whom they drove out of their city, and crucified like one accursed.
If, then, Christ supported such things from the priests--he who healed all kinds of diseases, without any earthly recompense, by his word alone; who cast out devils, raised the dead, and taught the word of God; who never did injury to any one; who committed no sin, and who endured every thing from his enemies, because he discovered their wickedness;--if he supported such things, why should we be astonished that the ministers of antichrist, who are more avaricious, more debauched, more cruel, and more cunning than the Pharisees, now persecute the servants of God, overwhelm them with insult, excommunicate, imprison, and kill them?
Remember what our Lord and our King said:--“If the world hate you, know that it hated me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as being of it; but because you are not of the world, and because I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember what I say unto you; the servant is not greater than his master: if they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also; they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they have not known Him who sent me.”
Remember also the prophecy of our Divine Saviour, which declares that his elect will suffer persecution from the world, that is, from the wicked, who know neither God the Father, nor our Lord Jesus; for although they confess with their lips that they know God, yet they deny him by their reprobate actions. It is of them that St Paul spoke to Titus, when he declared that their works are avarice, simony, debauchery, and contempt of the word of God, placing human traditions above the word of God, and performing no work of humility, charity, temperance, and Christian love.
Therefore is it, that the wicked will not cease to persecute the saints as long as the war lasts between Christ and antichrist; for St Paul has told us, that all who desire to live purely in Christ shall suffer persecution, but the wicked shall advance in the path of perdition, always deceived, and deceiving others.
St Paul teaches us by these words, that all pious men will suffer persecution for Christ’s sake; the wicked will be seduced, and will seduce others, and their heart will swell with malice for their own destruction. It is of them that our Saviour has spoken in these words:--“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. They shall scourge you; the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death; and ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” This persecution shall last till the day of judgment.
The Lord spoke in this way to his disciples, in order that they might, if possible, escape from such evils. He elevated their understanding, that they might be prudent, and might be able to recognise, by their works, the devouring wolves whose voracity would swallow up the whole world.
He also shewed them by what signs they might know false prophets, the latter not agreeing with the true prophets, either in the explanation of the Holy Scriptures, or in their works. There are false Christs, calling themselves the chief disciples of Christ, and yet who prove themselves, by their works, to be his greatest adversaries. These will seek, by every means, to smother and suppress the Word of God; for it condemns their insolence, pride, avarice, simony, and other evil works.
They have made an irruption into the churches and places of worship, to prevent the Word of God being preached there; but Jesus Christ has not permitted them to bring their criminal undertaking to a prosperous end. I understand that they intend destroying the chapel of Bethlehem, and that they interdict sermons in the other places where the Word of God is taught. But I feel a firm confidence that God will not permit them to succeed. They wanted to entwine the simple bird[34] in the snare of citations and anathemas; and they have already set their ambush even for some of you. But if that bird, which is a mere domestic fowl, whose flight is circumscribed, and far from lofty, has broken through their nets, how much more will other birds, that soar aloft as they announce the Word of God, despise such ineffectual wiles. They have thrown their nets, and displayed their anathemas, like the image of a bird of prey, to cast terror all around; they have flung about their fiery darts from the quiver of antichrist, in order to prohibit the Word of God and His worship; but the more they strove to disguise their real nature, the more they rendered it visible; and in seeking to stretch forth their traditions like nets, they broke them to pieces; in their anxiety to gain the peace of the world, they destroyed not only it, but, at the same time, the spiritual peace; and in their attempts to injure others, they wounded themselves most.
What happened to the priests of the Jews has befallen them; for they have lost that which they were endeavouring to retain, and have fallen into what they were striving to avoid. They hoped to succeed in stifling and putting down the truth, which always conquers; and they were ignorant that its very essence and characteristic consisted in this, that the more attempts were made to dim its lustre, the more it shone brightly forth--the greater the endeavour to suppress it, the more it soared aloft.
Pontiffs and priests, the scribes and Pharisees, Herod and Pilate, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, formerly condemned the Truth; they crucified it and buried it; but it rose from the tomb and conquered them all, sending forth in its stead twelve preachers of the Word.
This same Truth, instead of acting feebly and inefficiently, has sent to Prague mighty eagles, surpassing all other birds, by their piercing sight, and which, by the grace of God, fly aloft in the air, and win over others to Jesus Christ, who will strengthen all those who are faithful to Him. He has said--“I will be always with you, even unto the end of the world.” If, then, God, the most powerful and just of defenders, is with us, what evil work can prevail against us? What fear, what death, can separate us from Him? In what shall we be the worse, if, for His sake, we were to lose our friends, the honours of the world, or even our miserable life itself? We shall, at last, be delivered from our load of misery; we shall receive a hundredfold riches infinitely more precious, friends more dear, delight more perfect, of which death cannot despoil us; for he who dies for Christ will surely partake the triumph: he is freed from all misery of every kind, and enjoys eternal bliss, to which our Lord Jesus Christ deigns to conduct us all!
Beloved brethren, and sisters no less dear to me, I write you this letter, that you may remain fervent in the truth, which you have acknowledged, and that you may not pay less attention than before to the Word of God, on account of the cruel threats of his enemies; for God is faithful to you, and will both strengthen you and keep you from evil.
In fine, I beseech you, dearly beloved, to pray for those who, with the grace of God, announce the truth; pray for me also, that I may write and preach still more against the malice of hell, and that God may accord me in this combat that support which is so necessary in order properly to defend his Word. You know that I do not hesitate to expose this miserable body to the peril of death for God’s truth, being well aware that nothing will be wanting to us in his Word, and that his Gospel must be propagated more and more every day. Moreover, I desire to live for those who suffer violence, and who have need of the preaching of the Word, in order that the malice of antichrist may be laid open, and the good not be made its victims. I preach, therefore, in other places, and I officiate for those of whom I speak, being convinced that God’s will must be accomplished in me, whether I suffer or die by antichrist. But should I proceed to Prague, I am certain that snares will be there laid for me, and that you will be persecuted by my adversaries, who serve not God, but prevent others from serving him. We pray to God for them, however, that, if any of the elect should happen to be amongst them, they may be converted to the truth. May God accord you full understanding of these things which I write you; may he grant you perseverance; and may your heart be worthy of all these blessings, through the merits of Jesus Christ, who suffered for us the most cruel and ignominious death, leaving us his example, that we may suffer the same, according to his holy will. Amen.
FOOTNOTE:
[34] Huss alludes here to his own name, which, in Bohemia, signifies “_goose_.”
LETTER VII.
TO THE SAME.
[The same subject.]
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all the believers in Prague who sincerely love his holy Gospel!
I, John Huss, the servant of God, do supplicate and conjure you, well-beloved, not to abandon the truth which God, in his mercy, has imparted to you. That power which has begun to operate in us, whom he has chosen out, will continue, I feel convinced, still to do so, and will give us, in our temptations, perseverance and strength. I myself only live by his mercy and grace. I can declare, with St Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know I shall abide and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith.” So did St Paul write from his prison in Rome to the Philippians.
I also say unto you, dearly beloved, that although I am not in prison, I would willingly die for Christ, and be with him; and I say also that I should be well pleased to preach to you again the Word of God, for your salvation. I do not know which of these would be for the best; for I have full confidence for myself in the mercy of God, and also fear that some evil may arise amongst you, which may occasion persecutions against the true believers, and be the cause of eternal perdition to those who believe not. These rejoice and desire most ardently not only to smother in me the Word of God, but also to shut the asylum of Bethlehem, where I have preached the Gospel of Christ to you; but if God consent not, their efforts will be vain; and if he permit it, such a misfortune will come to pass on account of the wicked, as Bethlehem, where the Lord was born, and Jerusalem, where he redeemed us, were seen to be overwhelmed to the lowest foundation.
As to us, let us render thanks to God, submitting constantly to his divine power, which always assists those who love Him, and sets those free who suffer for His sake, allotting their persecutors to eternal torments. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, not to let yourselves be cast down, but rather to pray to our Saviour Jesus Christ to give you constancy to persevere in the faith to the end; and be persuaded that he will accord you the free and unmolested preaching of his Word, and that he will augment your strength in order to defend you from the fury of that antichrist, against which he has prophesied in his holy Scriptures.
LETTER VIII.
TO THE CHURCH OF PRAGUE.
Master John Huss, servant of God, to all who in Prague are the elect of God, and who love our Lord Jesus Christ and his Word, wishes mercy and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dearly beloved, I congratulate you on your listening assiduously to the Word of God; and our merciful Saviour will assuredly send you firm and faithful guides. May God, through our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, grant you mercy, peace, and grace, for all good things, in order that what you have well commenced in him, you may conclude in like manner, and may persevere in doing so even unto the end. Acknowledge, therefore, and draw on you the mercy of God, who sent his Son into this world for our sakes; who allowed his Son to become man, and to be humiliated, despised, and condemned by all, to such a point that, when the people were called in by the priests to choose between two prisoners, they delivered, in preference to Jesus Christ our Saviour, a robber and murderer, and laughed to scorn our Lord, who said, by the mouth of Jeremiah, “Lend an ear, and behold my anguish;” and again, “See if any pain is comparable to mine.”
He cried out to his Father, “My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?” Such were his plaintive words whilst suffering on the cross an ignominious death, and exposed to the blasphemies of the priests, who insulted him at the foot of the cross, exclaiming, “He put his confidence in God; let God deliver him if he can! Thou who couldest destroy the temple, now come down from thy cross!” His cry was, “My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?” And why did he utter that exclamation? In order that we may recognise and admire his immense mercy; and that, supporting with him the outrages of the wicked, we may look for our refuge in Him alone: in order, in fine, that we may publicly shew our gratitude for his Divine compassion, which has redeemed us from everlasting damnation.
Such has been towards us the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who recommended his disciples to say, into whatever house they entered, “Peace be with you!” And when he raised up the dead, he said to them also, “Peace be with you!” And before his death, when conversing with his disciples, “I leave you my peace!” Wherefore, dearly beloved, I implore him to accord you that same peace. May peace be with you from the Lord, that you may live honestly and soberly--in calm, in justice, and in piety; and that you may conquer your enemies and those of God--the devil, the world, and the flesh. Peace be with you from the Lord, that you may love each other, and your enemies also. Peace be with you, that you may listen to his Word with attention and humility. Peace be with you, that you may speak wisely and well, and that you may escape from your enemies. Peace be with you, that you may learn how to be silent with advantage; for whoever listens with humility never disputes evil-mindedly with any one; he who speaks prudently triumphs over the fool; and he who is silent in proper season, rarely acts against his conscience.
On account of all these things, may peace, grace, and mercy be with you! peace, that you may have a tranquil conscience; grace, that your sins may be forgiven you; and mercy, that you may be delivered from unquenchable fire! May, then, peace be with you all, after this miserable life, in the bosom of eternal felicity, from God, the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
LETTER IX.
TO THE HEARERS OF THE WORD OF GOD AT PRAGUE.
[He fortifies them, and inspirits himself against the anathemas of the pope.]
I, Master John Huss, &c. &c., call on you, dearly beloved, not to allow yourselves to be disturbed on account of my absence, or on account of the maledictions with which the enemies of God overwhelm me. I have faith in my Saviour, and I feel confident that all things will happen, both to you and to me, for our good. Only beware of sin, and pity the fate of those who, believing that they are acting well, oppose God and his holy Word: like the Jews of old, who crucified Jesus Christ and stoned Stephen, and of whom both Christ and Stephen said, “They know not what they do.” They cannot hurt me, whether they prepare my cross with blasphemy; or overwhelm me, like another Judas, with abuse which they shout out in public; or, in fine, fling stones against the gate of the temple, and overthrow it. In doing such things, it is against themselves that they labour; and it is they who ought to tremble.
They have imagined certain practices of worship in conformity with human ordinances, in order to subject to their will men of simple minds, and induce such to follow them; but God will bestow on his believers the knowledge necessary to discern such practices, and to recognise in them mere human traditions, by means of which their inventions lead astray weak minds, separating them from the law of God, and crushing them to the earth, by terrifying them with the thunders of anathemas.
God enjoins to pray for such men as we believe to be in error, and to declare them condemned of God; but he has not ordered such snares to be laid in his temple against innocent men. Perhaps, to judge by their letters, they act in memory of the eternal damnation of Dathan and Abiram, who, unworthy as they were, had presumed to pretend to the priesthood.
They designate, by these letters, all the priests who improperly usurp the sacerdotal functions through love of riches, pleasure, dignities, or other gratifications of the flesh. They pour out anathemas, and vociferate like senseless disciples of Judas, as simonists and reprobates really are. Let us pray to God, dearly beloved, that he may deign to continue to us his blessings: no anathema will then be able to reach us, but the Sovereign Pontiff, Jesus Christ, will bless us, saying, “Come ye, blessed of my father, receive the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world.”
Let us eagerly long for this blessing, dearly beloved; let us seek for it and await its coming, living piously in this world, in order to enjoy eternal life in the regions of heaven, by the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord, blessed for ever and ever.
LETTER X.
[Huss, whilst reminding believers of all the benefits with which the Lord has loaded us in his first coming, elevates their souls to the expectation and hope of the second coming and final judgment.]
John Huss, servant of God, to all believers, peace and mercy from God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Strengthen your hearts, dearly beloved, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is nigh. You know that Christ has come once already; ponder on it therefore, and fortify your hearts by grace, and by the trial of affliction. Reflect, dearly beloved, that the Son of God, himself God Eternal, became man, and humbled himself in order to help us. The immortal Physician came to heal our incurable sores: the all-powerful Lord came, not to trouble the dead, but to vivify the living, and redeem his elect from eternal death.
The King of the world, the Supreme Pontiff, came to accomplish, by his works, the law of God. He came into the world, not to rule over the world, but to give his life for the redemption of a great number. He came, not like a usurer, to swallow up the riches of the world, but to redeem, by his blood, those whom sin had sold to the devil. He came, omnipotent as he is, to suffer a bloody and ignominious death from the Pharisees under Pontius Pilate, in order to free us from the power of Satan. He came not to destroy the elect, but to save them; as he himself has said, “I have come that they may have life;” that they may have life here by his grace, and still more abundantly in eternity; that everlasting life, reserved for all the elect, which is unattainable to the proud, the luxurious, the avaricious, the violent, the ambitious, the intemperate, the effeminate--all, in fact, who are opposed to his words; but which shall be enjoyed by the elect alone, who listen to his law, who accomplish it by their works, and who suffer persecution.
Meditate, therefore, in your souls on these benefits which our Lord Jesus Christ has heaped on us by his first coming, and strengthen your hearts, dearly beloved, by grace and affliction; for the second coming of Jesus Christ is near, and, with it, the sentence of the Great Judge, infinitely wise, infinitely just, infinitely formidable, from whom neither the great nor the learned of this world can escape; whom they can neither move by favour nor by gifts; and with whom will come the just, the preachers of his Word, and all that have been unjustly persecuted in the world.
Nigh, then, draws the judgment of that severe and redoubtable Judge, whose regard the wicked will not venture to encounter; the judgment of Him at whose word all iniquity will be laid open: at his command the bodies of the evil-doers shall be delivered to the flames, and their souls shall dwell for all eternity with the devils, after having heard from the mouth of God that just and terrible sentence, “Depart to the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Meditate, then, dearly beloved, on these two things--the benefits of the Saviour at his first coming, and his justice and judgment at his second advent--and fortify your hearts by grace and the cross. And when you suffer, arouse yourselves; lift up your heads (that is to say, your minds), for your deliverance is nigh at hand,--your deliverance from every misery, and from the eternal damnation which we shall be saved from at the voice of that equitable Judge, who has said, “Come to me, blessed of my Father, receive the heavenly kingdom that is prepared for you.” Amen.
LETTER XI.
TO THE SAME.
[John Huss justifies himself, by the example of Christ, for having quitted Bethlehem.]
Dearly beloved, the birth-day of the Son of God is near at hand; purify, therefore, your dwelling, and let it be clean of all sin; listen attentively and piously, according to your opportunity, to the Word of God, and pay no attention to the evil-doers who forbid you to meet at Bethlehem. They have endeavoured to lead you astray on account of me, and now they no longer have that motive. As for those who declare that I took to flight, I can reply, that I acted of my own free will, in order to obey the Divine Word, and follow the example of him who has said--“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet as a testimony against it. And if you are persecuted in one city, flee to another.” And when the Jews sought to put him to death before his hour was come, he often withdrew himself from their hands. St John, in fact, has written--“Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, unto a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.” But the Jews sought for him, and often asked amongst themselves--“Why comes he not on a feast day?” For the priests and Pharisees had ordered whoever should discover his retreat, to inform them of it, in order that he might be followed. It is not, therefore, surprising that, in compliance with such an example, I should have withdrawn, and that the priests should ask where I am.
Learn then, dearly-beloved, that it is through the example and recommendation of Christ that I removed to a distance from you, through fear of being to the wicked an occasion of eternal condemnation, and to the good a cause of sadness and mourning. I fled, in order that impious priests might not prohibit the preaching of the word of God, and that you might not be deprived, on my account, of the Divine truth, for which, by the grace of God, I am ready to die. Know also, dearly beloved, that it was necessary that Christ should suffer within the period prescribed by his Father. Be assured, that whatever God may have determined in relation to me, his will shall be done; and should he deem me worthy to die for his name, he will summon me to martyrdom; but if, on the contrary, my life is to be prolonged for the preaching of his word, in like manner that is also in his will.
Undoubtedly, some of your priests desire my return to Prague, and would willingly see me there again, in order to their chanting the offices and the mass being dispensed with: it is they whom the holy preaching of the Gospel offends, on account of their avarice, their pride, and their adulteries. But you, who love God’s word, and who make every effort to unite yourselves to him, would be well pleased to see me, and would gladly have me amongst you in a spirit of charity, like one of your dear friends. For my part, I long to behold you again, in order to be able to announce to you God’s word; for the principal care of the ministers of the Church ought to be to announce, in all sincerity and with fruit, the gospel of Christ, in order that the people may be acquainted with the will of God, may avoid many evils, and be led into the right path for living irreproachably. Woe, then, to such priests as neglect the word of God! Woe to them who, when they can announce it, live nevertheless in effeminacy and idleness! Woe to them who prevent the word of God from being preached and listened to!
Happy, on the other hand, are they who attend to it, who guard it in their hearts, and who preserve it in themselves by good works. Christ has blessed them, saying,--“Happy are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.” May Christ, blessed for evermore, augment for us all this great happiness! Amen.
LETTER XII.
TO THE SAME.
[He celebrates the joys and blessings of our Lord’s birth-day.]
My very dear brethren, Although I am separated from you in body, not being perhaps worthy to preach to you any longer the word of God, nevertheless, the love with which I yearn towards you constrains me to approach and address you in a few words. This is the day, dearly beloved, on which the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds--“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” And immediately, a multitude of the heavenly host were heard to cry out,--“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men.”
Knowing that, dearly-beloved, rejoice; for, this day a Child is born of inestimable price, a man-God, in order that glory may be to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men. Rejoice; for, this day is born for us a Mediator, that man may be reconciled with God, and that this peace may be spread over the earth. Rejoice; for, to us is born a Physician, to make sinners pure from sin, to deliver them from the power of Satan, to redeem them from eternal damnation, to impart to all a heavenly joy, that glory may be to God on high, and on earth peace, good-will toward men. Rejoice; for, to us is born a King, to fill us with joy; a High Priest, to pour on believers the Divine blessing; a Father, to adopt us as his children for all eternity. To us is born a well-beloved Brother, a Master in every kind of knowledge, a veritable Chief, a Judge of most perfect equity, that glory may be to God on high, and on earth peace, good-will toward men. Rejoice, sinners, for He who is born is the Son of God, the High Priest who absolves all that repent, in order that glory may be to God on high, and on earth peace, good-will toward men. Rejoice, for this day the holy bread, that is to say, God has made himself food for men, in order to satisfy, with His body, all that hunger. Rejoice; for, this day is born the Redeemer of the world, the Saviour of sinners. Rejoice; for, this day an immortal God is born, in order that mortal man may live for ever. Rejoice, for the Lord of the universe lay poor in a stable, in order that our poverty might be changed into riches. Rejoice, dearly-beloved, that the predictions of the prophets and of the saints have been fulfilled. Rejoice, for the omnipotent Father and the Son, abounding in wisdom and grace, are given to us, that glory may be to God on high, and on earth peace, good-will toward men. Rejoice, then, dearly-beloved, for the angel said--“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.” And what was that joy? That a Saviour was born who would deliver us from all our miseries, and free us from sin. The Son of God is given us, that great joy may be with us, and glory to God on high, and on earth peace, good-will toward men. Let us endeavour to insure that this Infant which is born to us may accord us that good-will, that peace, and that joy, which lasts for ever and ever. Amen.
LETTER XIII.
[He impresses on the believers of Prague the necessity of zeal, and of a desire to hear God’s Word, and recommends them not to renounce these things on account of the scandals arising from wicked preachers.]
I desire ardently, dearly-beloved, that you may be delivered by Jesus Christ from all your sins, and that, despising the vanities of this world, you may overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. I am anxious that, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, you may suffer all things with patience, with a view to salvation, and that you may persevere even unto the end in your trials and afflictions. That is what I demand for you, dearly-beloved, in my prayers; for God is my witness that I laboured for upwards of twelve years in the vineyard of the Lord, and that my greatest consolation in my ministry was to perceive your zeal in listening to the divine Word, and the serious repentance of a great number.
Wherefore, dearly-beloved, I conjure you, by the passion of Jesus Christ, to hold firmly to his Gospel, and so to conduct yourselves that it may bring forth fruit in all your actions. Be not shaken in your faith, and regard not those who, having placed only an uncertain foot in the path, have turned aside elsewhere, and have become the most violent enemies of God and of his disciples.
You know, dearly-beloved, that Christ’s disciples, who held converse with him, withdrew, and refused to follow him farther. Yet Christ came to separate men from one another, for he has said--“I have come to separate the son from his father, and the daughter from her mother.” And also--“You shall be delivered up to men, and persecuted for my name’s sake.” And in order that we may not be shaken by this abandonment of his disciples, or frightened by persecution or death, our Saviour added--“A hair of your heads shall not fall without the will of God.” If, then, a single hair cannot perish, how can believers themselves perish? Wherefore, dearly-beloved, preserve a real faith and a sure hope; remain steadfast in the love of God’s Word; listen with the most ardent affection to those whom the Saviour has sent you, in order that they may preach his Gospel with constancy, and resist the devouring wolves and false prophets of whom Christ has spoken, when he said--“False prophets will come, and will lead astray many.” Christ teaches believers to beware of them, and to recognise them by their works, which are avarice, simony, contempt of God’s Word, persecution of believers, calumny, zeal for human traditions, &c. These men, in fact, wear sheep’s clothing: they assume the externals of the Christian, and, as they are, within, devouring wolves, they rend and devour Christ’s flock. It is of such that Christ has said to his disciples:--“Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves; be, then, prudent as serpents, and simple as doves.” Let them be prudent, said he, that they may avoid, like serpents, to allow themselves to be crushed, and to permit the head of the Church of Christ to perish in them: let them be simple as doves, in order to suffer with patience the cruelty of the wolves. And we, dearly-beloved, already behold these wolves clearly before us; but let us not suffer them to lead us astray, and turn from the path by which we are striving to arrive at heavenly joys.
Preserve firmly faith, hope, charity, humility, mildness, justice, modesty, temperance, sobriety, patience, and the other virtues, adorning yourselves with good morals and good works. Rejoice that you suffer persecution, for Christ has said--“Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for behold your reward is great in heaven.” Who, then, is there that possesses faith, hope, and charity, who will not support with patience, contempt, and ignominy, for the love of his Saviour, when he is well assured of receiving a hundredfold advantage in everlasting life?
In the expectation of these things, remember this saying of Christ, that “an affliction shall come such as never had been seen from the beginning of the world.” And why? the Apostle tells us--“that a time shall come when men will not receive the sound doctrines, but will listen to false teachers with greedy ears;” they will leave the truth and cling to fables. Thus is now accomplished the prophecy of St Paul, who declares, that all who desire to live purely in Christ will suffer persecution; and the impious will triumph in their ruin.
Receive, therefore, dearly-beloved, the exhortation of St Peter; beware of allowing yourselves to be led astray with others, by the error of the wicked; do not permit your mode of life to be disturbed; but increase in the grace of God, in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and pray that God may graciously accord happy success to my preaching, wherever a want of it may be felt, in the towns and villages, fields and forests, in every place where I may be useful, in order that the word of God may not be stifled in my mouth; uphold and console each other under the protection of God the Father, of his well-beloved Son, and of the Holy Spirit, who can preserve you from all evil, and procure for you eternal joy. To him be praise and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
LETTER XIV.
TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWN OF LUNA.
[John Huss recommends union, and teaches them to endure insults rather than to avenge them.]
Master John Huss, an unworthy servant of God, to the believers residing in the town of Luna. Peace, and the protection of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with you!
My very dear brethren, Although I cannot see you externally with my eyes, but only with my mental vision, I am nevertheless acquainted with your charity and your constant faith in God and in his Gospel. I know that the Saviour has united you in faith, peace, charity, and attention to his word, so that I find amongst you, more than in any other town of Bohemia, that concord which so deeply rejoices my heart. I conjure you, therefore, dearly-beloved,--I whose features are unknown to you, but who am attached to you sincerely in God--I conjure you, in the interest of your salvation, to love one another; to remain united, and to let no man come between and divide you; for this precious unity, which subsists between you by the true faith, will save you in the presence of God; and God, through his mercy, will, in return, give you strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Meditate on these things, dearly-beloved, and allow no schisms, or treachery, or jealousy, or violence, to spring up amongst you. Should any obstinate disseminator of disturbance and discord arise amongst you, warn him like a brother, but do not enter into any disputes before the judges or courts of law; for that would cause the destruction alike of your fortune, body, and soul. Study to avenge the insults offered to God, rather than your own. Alas! it is in this point that the whole world is mistaken; for all men are more ready to avenge their own injuries than those of God. And that is the broad path opened by Antichrist; and, above all, dangerous to us who are priests, and who desire to see the ordinances of men more rigorously observed than the commandments of God. Such, or such a priest, monk, or prelate, is a fornicator or adulterer with impunity, and yet he insists on having his own ordinances observed, under pain of excommunication! In like manner, they do not inflict punishment on the laity who sin against God; but should one of them presume to say--“My brethren, you have unjustly condemned me!” they at once strike with the sword, because any one has raised his voice against the injustice of his clerical judge.
I have full confidence that the Lord will keep you free from these evils, so that you may observe his word rather than the ordinances of men. As long as you observe his word, no one can do you harm. Wherefore, dearly-beloved, meditate deeply on these two things, which are eternal and imperishable--condemnation and everlasting life. The former will draw you into fire that lasts for ever, dreadful torments, and a devouring and endless sojourn with devils; but in eternal life all will be perfect joy, absence of affliction and suffering, and a residence with God himself and his angels. For, as St Paul says--“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” We shall, therefore, be indeed blessed when we enjoy this beatitude, of which the delights will be perfect and without drawback, and we shall then behold who shall be condemned;--there all sins hidden in the hearts of men shall be laid bare; there we shall reap a joy and a consolation of which we shall never be deprived; there, in fine, we shall be happy if we suffer anything here for Jesus Christ; for, as gold is tried by fire, so shall we be proved by the cross and by affliction, under the hand of Him that has produced the world from nothingness. We shall therefore be happy, if we persevere to the end in well-doing.
Let us bear in mind, dearly-beloved, that the world is wasting away, that death is at hand, and that we are here only on a pilgrimage. Live, therefore, first of all piously, renouncing your sins; next, aspire to heavenly joys; and, lastly, love God with all your heart, and have confidence in him, that he may deck you out with his glory, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and may make you sharers in his reign. Amen.
LETTER XV.
THE PRIEST WYCHEWITZE TO JOHN HUSS AND HIS FRIENDS.
To you, dearly-beloved in the Lord, be salvation and all that is most precious in the bosom of Jesus Christ--to you whom I love in the truth, and not I alone, but all who have knowledge of the truth that dwells in you, and will always remain there, through the grace of God! I felt a most lively joy when our brethren came and bore testimony to your true doctrine, informing us of the manner in which you walk in the light. I have learned, dear brethren, with what rigour Antichrist is proving you, by inflicting on believers various and most grievous tribulations; and I feel no astonishment, if, amongst you, as already almost everywhere in the world, the law of Christ has such violent assaults to sustain from his enemies. Let us, then, strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God, and in his infinite goodness: and let us be confident that he will not permit his faithful followers to wander aside from their object, provided we love him as we ought to do, with all our heart. There would be no suffering borne by you, if iniquity did not abound. Be not, therefore, shaken by any tribulation, or any trial, supported for the sake of Christ; for we know with certitude, that they whom the Lord judges worthy to be his children, are proved by him in affliction: our merciful Father sends us persecutions in this miserable world, in order to receive us afterwards into his grace. The great Workman proves and purifies the gold, before he receives it into his incorruptible treasury: the period of our life here below is brief and transitory: the life which we hope for hereafter is full of delight, and eternal. Let us, therefore, labour whilst we can to secure our being admitted into this happy rest. What do we behold in this perishable life, if not grief and mourning, and what ought above all to afflict the faithful,--a too great abandonment and contempt of the law of God.
Let us, then, strive to attain, as much as is necessary, to durable and eternal things, detaching our souls from those which pass away and perish. Consider the ancient fathers, the saints of the old and new alliance: have they not all traversed this same ocean of tribulation and persecution? Were not some sawed in two, others stoned, others put to death with the sword? All have passed by a difficult road, and so followed the footsteps of Christ, who said, “Let him who serves me, follow my steps.” Wherefore, placing before you the example of so many saints who have preceded us, and being pressed on all sides by sin, let us patiently await the combat which is offered us, our eyes fixed on the foundation of our faith--on that Jesus who suffered the trial of the cross; let us implore him who suffered every indignity from the hands of sinners to support our souls; let us combat firmly against his enemies, loving his law, and not being false workmen; but let us act faithfully, and labour for the Lord, in the hope of an eternal reward.
Thou, my dear Huss, my well-beloved brother in Christ, although my eyes have never beheld thee, thy features are well known to me by faith and affection; for this world cannot disjoin those whom the love of Christ strongly binds together. Rejoice in the grace that has been accorded thee: exert thyself like a valiant soldier of Christ: preach and exhort, by thy word and thy example: recall all that thou canst into the way of truth; for the truth of the gospel ought not to be held back on account of some vain censures and antichristian excommunications. Impart, then, strength to the members of Christ that are enfeebled by Satan; and even should Antichrist be raised to the very topmost point of power, his reign will soon finish. I rejoice, above all, that in your kingdom, and elsewhere, God animates hearts, that support with joy, captivity, exile, and even death, for Christ’s word.
What more shall I say to you, dearly-beloved? I know not; but I confess that my heart would dissolve with delight, if I could thus strengthen and console myself under the law of the Lord. I salute, from the bottom of my soul, all the believers and faithful disciples of the truth; and, in particular, Jacobel, thy coadjutor in the preaching of the Gospel, requesting him to pray in his church to the Lord for me.
May the God of peace, who raised from the dead the Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ, our Sovereign Lord, render you capable of all well-doing, in order that by his acting with you as he may deem fit, you execute his will. All your friends, who have heard your constancy spoken of, salute you. I desire most ardently to receive a letter from you; for be assured that it affords me no trifling consolation.
Written at London, on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin, in the year of our Lord 1410.[35]
FOOTNOTE:
[35] The signature runs thus:--“Vester servus cupiens in labore fieri socius, Ricus Wychewitze, infimus Sacerdotum.”--This letter has been erroneously attributed by several historians to Wyckliff.
SECOND SERIES.
LETTERS WRITTEN BY JOHN HUSS, AND OTHER PERSONS, AT THE PERIOD OF THE COUNCIL OF CONSTANCE.
The letters of this Second Series were all written in the nine months which elapsed between the departure of John Huss for the Council, in October 1414, and the last day of June 1415, which immediately preceded his execution. They form one of the most curious monuments of this celebrated period, and present an irrefragable testimony in favour of John Huss against his judges. We perceive in the early ones, by the eagerness of the populations to flock to him on his passage, how great was already the authority of his name and doctrines in Germany. In reading those which come after, we are present at the grand scenes of the Council; and had we not the concluding ones before us, we should never perhaps know to what a degree this man, so intrepid and so firm in his faith before God and men, was to the end filled with gratitude towards his benefactors, torn with solicitude for his flock, full of love toward his friends, and actuated by feelings of mercy towards his persecutors.
The letters of this series were collected without order of date by Peter Maldoniewitz, and were so published by Luther. We have classified them with great care, some from the indications given by Huss himself, and the rest in the order of the events which they narrate. Some letters of Huss’s friends have been included in the collection, and add to the interest of this correspondence, at once so dramatic and so truly Christian.[36]
FOOTNOTE:
[36] For the history of this period of Huss’s life, consult _The Reformers before the Reformation_, vol. ii.,