Here they preached to the people; here they expounded their doctrines, here stood their unconsecrated altar, and here even the holy sacrament was administered. Their priests were unornamented except by beards of immoderate length. Tythes were entirely disallowed. The clergy had no property; but were supplied with all necessaries, in kind, by the people. Images were wholly forbidden. No prayers to saints were permitted; no holidays; no set fasts; no canonical hours. Half the sacraments were discarded. Religious houses, or monastic institutions, were considered as an abomination. Their baptismal font was unconsecrated. Their dead were buried in unhallowed ground. They were, however, punctual in their attendance on divine service, and made use of severe penalties to enforce reverence for it!"

During these transactions in Bohemia, the doctrines of Huss were spreading in Poland, by the labours of Procopius Rasus, and others. They promoted the translation of the Bible into the Polish language; and such was their success, that divine service was performed in the church of the holy cross in Cracow, in the vernacular tongue, by Bohemian clergymen. But here too the torch of persecution was soon lighted; and in 1439, five Bohemian teachers were publicly burnt at Posen, by authority of the popish bishop.

Rokyzan, the Calixtine deputy at the Council of Basle, was fully convinced of the truth of the doctrines taught by Huss; but the hope of being promoted to the archbishopric of Prague, induced him to be satisfied with the before-mentioned compact, and in other respects to use his endeavours to preserve the Bohemians in union with the church of Rome. In 1435, the Consistory elected him archbishop; but the pope refused to confirm the election, and to invest him with the archiepiscopal dignity, unless he would consent to give up the Bohemian Compact altogether, and even the use of the cup in the sacrament.

On receiving this decision, he appeared willing to promote a general reformation in religion, being zealously urged to this by the more pious of his hearers. Nor did he content himself with verbal professions; for by his exertions at the Diet in 1450, he prevailed on the different estates of the kingdom, to

"send a deputation to Constantinople, and solicit a re-union with the Greek church, from which the Bohemians had first received the gospel. But before this could be effected, the Turks took Constantinople, and thus terminated the Greek empire.

Every hope of receiving assistance from this quarter being thus extinguished, the Taborites entreated Rokyzan, with increased urgency, to undertake a general reform of all popish errors in doctrine and ceremonies, and besought him, for the glory of God, and from love to the souls of men, not to forsake them in this extremity, but to deliver the people from the fatal delusion by which they were ensnared. Their importunity displeased him; for, though convinced of the truth of their cause, he was of too temporising a spirit, to be willing to give up his worldly honours, and suffer reproach for the name of Christ. He did indeed acknowledge the necessity of reformation, but alleged as an excuse for his want of zeal, that the majority of the Hussites were still too rude and ignorant; adding, that all he could do was to advise the more pious among them, to form an association, and edify themselves in private by prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures, and edifying books; and having presented them with a few, he dismissed them in an angry manner, desiring them to trouble him no more.

In some time, however, he relented, and obtained permission for them from the reigning sovereign, George Podiebrad, to retire to the lordship of Litiz, on the confines of Moravia and Silesia, which had been laid waste during the war, and there to establish a colony, and regulate their worship and discipline according to their consciences. By this permission the foundation was laid for the ancient Church of the Brethren.

SECTION III.

Life and Martyrdom of JOHN Huss and JEROME of Prague.

AMONG the bold confessors of divine truth, during the struggle for religious liberty in Bohemia, no one is more deserving of our notice than JOHN Huss; not only on ac

count of his personal virtues, as a servant of God; but because the Church of the Brethren originated among his followers.

John Huss was born in the year 1373, at Hussenitz, a village in Bohemia. His parents gave him as good an education as their limited means allowed; and by his genius and application he successfully overcame the difficulties, which the want of affluence threw in his way. He pursued his studies in the university of Prague, and in 1408 obtained the degree of Bachelor of Divinity, and was appointed Professor of Theology. A private citizen of Prague, having built the church called Bethlehem, for the purpose of having the gospel preached both in the German and Bohemian languages, Huss was nominated minister of it, and commenced his clerical functions in the year 1409. Sophia, consort of Wenceslas, king of Bohemia, appointed him her confessor, and highly esteemed him.

The writings of Wickliffe were the means used by God for illuminating the mind of Huss with divine truth. When these writings first came into Bohemia, Huss was greatly prejudiced against them, having been condemned by the pope as heretical. Yet this did not deter him from perusing them, and the more carefully he compared their contents with the Bible, the more was he convinced of the truth of the doctrines advanced by Wickliffe. Such was his veneration for him, that he used to call him an angel sent from heaven to enlighten mankind; and often remarked, that it was the happiest moment of his life, when he became acquainted with his writings; and that he looked forward to his meeting with that great and good man in heaven, as an event which would heighten his everlasting felicity.

As long as Huss chiefly censured the vices at court and the profligacy of the people, the clergy were unanimous in their commendations, and represented him as one by whom the Spirit of God spake to man. But when he began to protest against the power of the Popes, the sale of indulgences and other errors and superstitions, and insisted that the Holy Scriptures contained the only rule of faith and Christian practice, they changed their tone, and denounced him as an incorrigible heretic.

Some persons of rank, who had taken offence at his free

censure of their vices, complained of it to Wolbrant, archbishop of Prague, the king being present. The prelate sent them away with this answer: "Huss took an oath at his ordination, that he would speak the truth without respect of persons. ." Not long after, when Huss attacked the vices of the clergy, the archbishop requested the king to silence him. The Monarch replied in his own words: "Huss, you know, promised at his ordination to speak the truth without respect of persons."

Undismayed by the gathering storm, Huss continued boldly to declare the truth and defend the evangelical principles contained in Wickliffe's writings, strongly commending their perusal, together with the holy scriptures, to the students. His reputation, both as a professor and preacher, increased daily and procured him the esteem of many, especially among those to whom his ministry had been rendered useful, and their number was not small. His exemplary life gained him the respect even of such, as were not savingly influenced by the doctrine he taught.

The well-earned popularity of Huss, and his growing success, now began to alarm his adversaries. Archbishop Shinek, Wolbrant's successor, issued a mandate for the suppression of Wickliffe's works. This man was so ignorant, that after his elevation to the archiepiscopal see he had to learn to read; in consequence of which he was, by way of derision, called Alphabetarius, or the A B C doctor. Huss resolutely opposed the mandate, and being joined by the members of the university of Prague, appealed to Pope Gregory XII. The appeal was indeed received; but the new prelate, wishing to ingratiate himself with his holiness, represented in such strong terms the danger, to which the church was exposed from the wide spreading heresy of Huss and his followers, that a papal bull was issued, commanding that Wickliffe's works should be burnt.

Armed with this authority, the Prelate lost no time in having it executed: Huss and his friends entered a solemn protest against these proceedings, and appealed to pope John XXIII.*

* It is a very curious fact, that at this period there were three Popes, i. e. three infallible heads of the church, each having his partizans

who summoned him to appear in person at Rome. This however was dispensed with, through the intercession of the royal family and nobility of Bohemia, and the members of the university of Prague, and his defence committed to three proctors. After several fruitless endeavours on their part to accommodate matters, Huss was declared contumacious, and excommunicated; and by a papal interdict, all religious worship was suspended in the city of Prague.

These unjust proceedings did not abate the zeal of Huss. He commended his cause to Jesus Christ, and published a solemn appeal to HIM, as the only Head of the church. In order to lessen the confusion and agitation which prevailed in Prague, in consequence of the papal interdict, he retired to his native village, and preached there and in the neighbouring towns, and even in the open fields, those doctrines which he knew and felt to be the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. His success equalled his zeal; the knowledge of the gospel was widely diffused, and those things which were intended to impede its progress, rather accelerated the march of divine truth. During this retirement he wrote and published several treatises, exposing the more palpable errors and absurdities of popery.

In the year 1414 Pope John XXIII. convened the celebrated Council of Constance, before which Huss was summoned to appear. He cheerfully obeyed the summons, and declared, that he deemed it an honor to have so fair an opportunity afforded him for clearing himself of the imputation of heresy; for at that time he had not the remotest idea of separating from the Romish communion, firmly believing that all the doctrines he taught, were in perfect accordance with the articles of the Romish confession, and that his opponents were as much the enemies of the church as of himself. In all the towns, through which he passed, he was received with enthusiasm, and the street and roads were thronged by people of all ranks.

and living in open hostility against one another, and each styling himself the true vicar of Christ on earth; viz. Gregory XII. at Rimini, John XXIII. at Rome, and Benedict XIII. at Avignon.