The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe/Volume 3/Here follow seven Articles, said to be drawn out of the Treatise which John Huss wrote against Stephen Paletz

by John Foxe

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Here follow seven Articles, said to be drawn out of the Treatise which John Huss wrote against Stephen Paletz.

 

First article.⁠The first article: 'If the pope, bishop, or prelate, be in deadly sin, he is then no pope, bishop, nor prelate.' Answer: I grant thereunto, and I send you unto St. Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostome, Gregory, Cyprian, and Bernard; who do say moreover, that whosoever is in deadly sin, is no true Christian; how much less then is he pope or bishop? Of whom it is spoken by the prophet Amos, 'They have reigned and ruled, and not through me; they became princes, and I knew them not,' &c. But afterwards I do grant, that a wicked pope, bishop, or priest, is an unworthy minister of the sacrament, by whom God doth baptize, consecrate, or otherwise work, to the profit of his church: and this is largely handled in the text of the book by the authorities of the holy doctors; for even he who is in deadly sin, is not worthily a king before God, as appeareth in 1 Kings xv.; where God saith to Saul by the prophet Samuel, 'Forasmuch as thou hast refused and cast off my word, I will also refuse and cast thee off, that thou shalt be no more king.'

The emperor's judgment of John Huss.⁠While these things were thus entreating, the emperor, looking out of a certain window of the cloister, accompanied with the county Palatine, and the burgrave of Nuremberg, conferring and talking much of John Huss: at length he said, that there was never a worse or more pernicious heretic than he. In the mean while, when John Huss had spoken these words as touching the unworthy king, by and by the emperor was called, and he was commanded to repeat those words again; "which after that he had done, his duty therein being considered, the emperor answered: 'No man doth live without fault.' The cardinal of Cambray.⁠Then the cardinal of Cambray, being in a great fury, said: 'Is it not enough for thee that thou dost contemn and despise the ecclesiastical state, and goest about, by thy writings and doctrine, to perturb and trouble the same, but that now also thou wilt attempt to throw kings out of their state and dignity? The Paletz began to allege the laws, whereby he would prove that Saul was king even when those words were spoken by Samuel; and therefore that David did forbid that Saul should be slain, not for the holiness of his life, of which there was none in him; but for the holiness of his anointing. And when John Huss repeated out of St. Cyprian, that he did take upon him the name of Christianity in vain, who did not follow Christ in his living: Paletz answered, 'Behold and see what a folly is in this man, who allegeth those things which make nothing for the purpose; for albeit any man be not a true Christian, is he not, therefore, true pope, bishop, or king? when these are names of office, and to be a Christian, is a name of merit and desert: and so may any man be a true pope, bishop, or king, although he be no true Christian.' Then said John Huss: 'If pope John XXIII. were a true pope, wherefore have ye deprived him of his office? The emperor answered: 'The lords of the council have now lately agreed thereupon, that he was true pope; but for his notorious and manifest evil doings, wherewithal he did offend and trouble the church of God, and did spoil and bring to ruin the power thereof, he is rejected and cast out of his office.'

Second article.⁠The second article: 'The grace of predestination is the bond whereby the body of the church, and every part and member thereof, is firmly knit and joined unto the head.' Answer: I acknowledge this article to be mine, and it is proved in the text out of Romans viii., 'Who shall separate us from the charity and love of Christ,' &c.? and John x. 'My sheep hear my voice; and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, neither shall they perish eternally, neither is there any man which shall take them out of my hands.' This is the knot of the body of the church, and of our spiritual head Christ, understanding the church to be the congregation of the predestinate.

Third article.⁠The third article: 'If the pope be a wicked man, and especially a reprobate, then, even as Judas the apostle, he is a devil, a thief, and the son of perdition, and not the head of the holy militant church, forasmuch as he is no part or member thereof.' Answer: My words are thus: 'If the pope be an evil or wicked man, and especially if he be a reprobate, then even as Judas, so is he a devil, a thief, and the son of perdition. How then is he the head of the holy militant church? whereas he is not truly any member, or part thereof: for, if he were a member of the holy church, then should he be also a member of Christ; and if he were a member of Christ, then should he cleave and stick unto Christ by the grace of predestination and present justice; and should be one Spirit with God, as the apostle saith in 1 Cor. vi., 'Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?'

Fourth article.⁠The fourth article: 'An evil pope or prelate, or reprobate, is no true pastor, but a thief and a robber.' Answer. The text of my book is thus: 'If he be evil or wicked, then is he a hireling, of whom Christ speaketh, He is no shepherd, neither are the sheep his own: therefore, when he seeth the wolf coming, he runneth away and forsaketh the sheep. And so, finally, doth every wicked and reprobate man.' Therefore, every such reprobate, or wicked pope or prelate, is no true pastor; but a very thief and a robber, as is more at large proved, in my book. Then said John Huss, 'I do limit all things, that such persons as touching their desert, are not truly and worthily popes and shepherds before God; but, as touching their office and reputation of men, they are popes, pastors, and priests.'

Then a certain man rising up behind John Huss, clothed all in silk, said: 'My lords! take heed lest John Huss deceive both you and himself with these his glosses, and look whether these things be in his book or not; for of late, I had disputation with him upon the searticles, in which I said, that a wicked pope, &c., was no pope, as touching merit and desert; but, as touching his office, he was truly pope. Whereupon he used these glosses which he had heard of me, and did not take them out of his book.' Then John Huss, turning himself unto him, said, 'Did you not hear that it was so read out of my book? and this did easily appear in John xxiii., whether he were true pope, or a very thief and robber.' Then the bishops and cardinals, looking one upon another, said, that he was a true pope, and laughed John Huss to scorn.

Fifth article.⁠The fifth article: 'The pope is not, neither ought to be called, according unto his office. Most holy; for then the king ought also to be called Most holy, according to his office. Also the tormentors, lictors, and devils, ought also to be called Holy.' Answer. My words are otherwise placed, in this manner: 'So ought a feigner to say, that if any man be a most holy father, then he doth most holily observe and keep his fatherliness: and if he be a naughty and wicked father, then doth he most wickedly keep the same. Likewise, if the bishop be most holy, then is he also most good; and when he saith that he is pope, it is the name of his office.' Whereupon it followeth, that 'the man who is pope, being an evil and reprobate man, is a most holy man; and consequently by that his office he is most good.' And forasmuch as no man can be good by his office, except he do exercise and use the same his office very well; it followeth, that 'if the pope be an evil and reprobate man, he cannot exercise or use his office well: forasmuch as he cannot use the office well, except he be morally good [Matt, xii.], How can you speak good things, when you yourselves are evil? 'And immediately after it followeth, 'If the pope, by reason of his office, be called Most holy, wherefore should not the king of Romans be called Most holy, by reason of his office and dignity? when the king, according to St. Augustine's mind, representeth the Deity and Godhead of Christ, and the priest representeth only his humanity. Wherefore, also, should not judges, yea, even tormentors, be called Holy, forasmuch as they have their office by ministering unto the church of Christ?' 'These things are more at large discoursed in my book; but I cannot find or know,' saith John Huss, 'any foundation whereby I should call the pope Most holy, when this is only spoken of Christ: Thou only art most holy: thou only art the Lord, &c. Should I then truly call the pope Most holy?'

Sixth article.⁠The sixth article: 'If the pope live contrary unto Christ, albeit he be lawfully and canonically elected and chosen, according to human election, yet doth he ascend and come in another way than by Christ.' Answer. The text is thus: 'If the pope live contrary to Christ, in pride and avarice, how then doth he not ascend and come in another way into the sheepfold, than by the lowly and meek door, our Lord Jesus Christ?' But admit, as you say, that he did ascend by lawful election (which I call an election principally made of God, and not according to the common and vulgar constitution and ordinance of men), yet for all that, it is affirmed and proved, that he should ascend and come in another way: for Judas Iscariot was truly and lawfully chosen of the Lord Jesus Christ unto his bishopric, as Christ saith in John vi., And yet he came in another way into the sheepfold, and was a thief, and a devil, and the son of perdition. Did he not come in another way when our Saviour spake thus of him, He that eateth bread with me, shall lift up his heel against me? The same also is proved by St. Bernard unto pope Eugenius. Then said Paletz: 'Behold the fury and madness of this man; for what more furious or mad thing can there be, than to say, Judas is chosen by Christ, and notwithstanding he did ascend another way, and not by Christ? 'John Huss answered: 'Verily both parts are true, that he was elected and chosen by Christ, and also that he did ascend, and came in another way; for he was a thief, a devil, and the son of perdition.' Then said Paletz: 'Cannot a man be truly and lawfully chosen pope, or bishop, and afterwards live contrary to Christ? And that, notwithstanding, he doth not ascend by any other ways.' 'But I,' said John Huss, 'do say, that whosoever doth enter into any bishopric, or like office, by simony, not to the intent to labour and travail in the church of God, but rather to live delicately, voluptuously, and unrighteously, and to the intent to advance himself with all kind of pride, every such man ascendeth and cometh up by another way, and, according unto the gospel, he is a thief and a robber.'

The seventh article: 'The condemnation of the forty-five articles of John Wickliff made by the doctors, is unreasonable and wicked, and the cause by them alleged is feigned and untrue; that is to say, that none of those articles are catholic, but that every of them be either heretical, erroneous or offensive.' Answer: 'I have written it thus in my treatise: The forty-five articles are condemned for this cause, that none of those forty-five is a catholic article, but each of them is either heretical, erroneous or offensive. O Master Doctor! where is your proof? you feign a cause which you do not prove, &c. as it appeareth more at large in my treatise.' Then said the cardinal of Cambray: The cardinal of Cambray.⁠'John Huss, thou didst say that thou wouldst not defend any error of John Wickliff's; and now it appeareth in your books, that you have openly defended his articles.' John Huss answered: 'Reverend father! even as I said before, so I now say again, that I will not defend any errors of John Wickliff's, neither of any other man's: but, forasmuch as it seemed to me to be against conscience, simply to consent to the condemnation of them, no Scripture being alleged or brought contrary and against them, thereupon I would not consent or agree to the condemnation of them; and forasmuch as the reason which is copulative cannot be verified in every point, according to every part thereof.'

 

Now there remain six articles of thirty-nine. These are said to be drawn out of another treatise which he wrote against Stanislaus de Znoyma.