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VOL. III. RICHN
John Huss
Both oi" these Bohemian Protestant priests of
the fifteenth century were burned at the stake
in Constance, the border-town between Germany
and Switzerland. Huss was condemned by the
Council of Constance and led out July 6, 1415,
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to a field halt* a mile beyond the City "Walls,
where he was burned to death. His voice was
heard in prayer while the flames were around
him. Huss was a pious priest. He was educated
at the Prague University and in the year
1401 was elected the dean of the faculty of
philosophy when he was only twenty-six
years of age. He was made rector of the ??
University the next year, 1402. His marvellous
eloquence and earnestness as a
preacher early attracted the attention of
scholars, the king, courtiers and people. Although
accused by his ecclesiastical oppo- J
nents, even before this period, of being a
disciple of Wiekliffe, these accusations did J
not prevent his gaining great favor with
court and people. Queen Sophia, wife of J
King Vinceslas, appointed him her confes- i.
sor, which post he held to the time of his I
death. The reform movement in Bohemia
had been aroused long before this date by
the gross immorality of the clergy, Dominican
and Augustine monks. Gambling, hunting,
tournaments, quarrels and immorality ^
were prevalent among the highest clergy.
At no time was a reformation more neces- -j
sary. By the preaching of other pious
priests, previous to Huss, who were known <;
as "the truest and most obedient sons of j
the Church," the flame of reform spread. ]
During the lifetime of Huss occurred that
political "schism" in the Church of Rome.
the simultaneous reign of two antagonistic
i. . Popes, which also reacted upon the religious 1
struggle in Bohemia. Huss took no part in
this prolonged controversy which involved
all the Roman Catholic nations of Europe. L?
Huss, like Luther a century later, protested
against the sale of indulgences, and also against
the decision that forty-five articles, taken from
Wickliffe's writings, were heretical. It was not
until the year 1408 that the Church of Rome
considered IIuss an enemy. In the year 1400
-p?-y^eT Huss was the recognized leader of the Reform
1 '0 movement, which had now gained great strength.
IkS ' ^ Archbishop at this time excommunicated
Huss despite the appeal of Huss to the new
Pope, John XXTIT. Huss still retained his '
influence in the court and university despite
the Archbishop.
f In 1412 war broke out between Pope Gregory
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IOND, NEW ORLEANS. ATLANTA. JU1
and Jerome
By HENRY M. HALL
and Pope John. The latter sent preaehers to
Prague that year to gain money for the war.
by the sale of "indulgences." This abuse the
Bohemian Church Reformers had long opposed.
' Huss preached strongly against the
granting of these indulgences. He brought the
matter before the University of Prague, when
he and Jerome of Prague, greatly enthused
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me oiuucma. iierume uaa Deen a great traveler
and had visited Palestine and other countries.
When at Oxford he copied "Wickliffe's writings,
and in 1410 when he returned to Prague, he
&9titmng.
HELEN HUNT JACKSON.
Like a blind spinher in the sun,
I tread my days;
[ know that all the threads will run
Appointed ways;
know each day will bring its task;
Vnd, being blind, no more I ask.
do not know the use or name
Of that I spin;
only know that some one came,
And laid within
dy hand the thread, and said, 1i Since you
^.re blind, but one thing you can do."
Sometimes the threads so rough and fast
And tangled fly,
! know wild storms are sweping past,
And fear that I
Shall fall, but dare not try to find
1 i* " * 1 "
\ sarer piaee, since i am Wind;
3nt listen, listen, day by day,
To hear their tread
iVTio bear the finished web away,
And cut the thread,
Vnd bring God's message in the sun,
'Thou poor blind sinner, work is done."
?Selected.
eloquently advocated them. When the sale of
indulgences was thus attacked three of the
students were publicly executed. Pope John
renewed the decree of excommunication against
Hugs, by which he was prohibited to preach;
all true Christians were forbidden to have intercourse
with him; food denied to be given him,
an religious services to be suspended in every
town he entered," "Christian burial was to he
refused him, and his Bethlehem chapel to be
destroyed." Such was the decree of this "infallible
vicar of God on earth," because Huss
opposed the sale of the (Pope's) indulgences.
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\l Presbyter/an e
iern Presbyter/an
ME 28. 1911. NO. 26.
of Prague 1
Such money was to be used to make war on 9
the other Pope! In view of the corruptions of
the clergy and quarrels of these Popes, can we "j
wonder that many pious men were willing to I
risk their lives to reform the Church?
The king and adherents of Huss persuaded
him to leave Prague for awhile and retire to
the castle of one of the friends of Reform.
While there (like John Wesley in the eighteenth
century) he preached to large numbers of the
country people in the open fields. Many of
his writings at this period affirm more and more
strongly that "the Bible was the only true
source of Christian belief." This assertion
incensed the papal ecclesiastics more than
any of his other opinions. In the year 1413
King Sigismund of Hungary, brother of the
king of Bohemia, persuaded Pope John to
summon a council at Constance. In 1414
John Huss was begged by King Vinceslas
to appear before the council at Constance,
apparently hoping that religious dissensions
might be compromised. He assured Huss
that, "if he could not abide by the decision
of the council, he should return unharmed."
King Sigismund also gave Huss a "safeconduct."
In October, 1414, in company
with three Bohemian nobles as a guard for
his safety, Huss started upon his fatal journey.
Despite the remonstrances of the Bohemian
lords and the "safe-conduct," the
"Iron" Bishop of Letomyst had Huss imprisoned,
after he had been in Constance
but a short time, where he was treated very
barbarously for several months, in the distant
castle of Qottliebon.
The trial of John Huss began June 5,
1415. Many absurd accusations were made
against him, but he was not permitted to
speak in behalf of what he actually believed.
He freely admitted that "he believed in the
holy Scriptures more than in papal authority.''
He said he could not retract with his
lips opinions he held in his heart." As he
would not recant, his execution took place July
6, 1415. This crime of the Council of Constance
led to a great revolt from the Church in Bohemia.
.Jerome was also condemned by the
council, and on May 30, 1416, he, like Huss, was
burned to death at the stake. Braceiolini, the
Papal Legate, wrote of him as follows: "None
of the Stoics endured death with so brave and
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not drink poison as willingly as this man submitted
himself to the flames."
John Hubs and Jerome of Prague are still
greatly honored and revered in Bohemia, where