of Christ." The martyr replied, "I place my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; he will never take from me the cup of salvation; yea, I firmly believe, he will give me to drink of it this very day in his kingdom." Finally, they put on his head a paper mitre, (on which figures of devils were painted, and the word ARCH-HERETIC written in large characters) pronouncing these words: "We deliver thy body to the civil power, and thy soul to the devil." Huss replied: "I rejoice to wear this crown of ignominy for his sake who wore a crown of thorns for me." They repeated: "We commit thy soul to the devil." "But I," said the martyr, "commit my spirit into thy hands, O Lord Jesus! unto thee I commend my soul, which thou hast redeemed!"" The ecclesiastical power having now exercised its authority to the uttermost, it remained for the emperor to give orders for the final execution of the sentence against Huss. He doomed him to the flames, and commanded the duke of Bavaria to see the sentence promptly executed. The martyr was escorted by 800 soldiers to the place of execution. On the way he sang psalms and hymns with such composure and lively joy, that his enemies remarked, that he went to death as if he were going to a wedding feast. When he reached the stake he knelt down and prayed with great fervency. The spectators were so much struck by his behaviour that some exclaimed: "What this man spoke in the house we know not; but surely he prayeth like a Christian." He was now tied to the stake with wet cords, and a chain fastened round his body. Before the fire was kindled, the Duke exhorted him to revoke his errors. He replied, "I have no errors to revoke; I endeavoured to preach Christ with plainness; and I am now prepared to seal my doctrine with my blood." As soon as the faggots were lighted, Huss, having once more commended his soul to God, began to sing a hymn, which he continued till he was suffocated by the smoke. Thus was this faithful confessor of the truth honored to be ranked with those worthies of old," who overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and loved not their lives unto the death." His countrymen long cherished the memory of Huss. His name and character were held in high veneration; and for many years, the day of his martyrdom, July the 6th, was observed in Bohemia with religious solemnity. Before the close of the year 1415, in which he suffered, the principal nobility of Bohemia sent the following testimony to the Council of Constance, in honor of his character. "We know not from what motives you have condemned John Huss, Bachelor of Divinity, and preacher of the gospel. Ye have put him to a cruel and ignominious death, though convicted of no heresy. We protest, with the heart as well as with our lips, that he was honest, just, and orthodox; that for many years he had his conversation among us with godly and blameless manners; that during these many years he explained to us the gospel, and the books of the Old and New Testaments, according to the exposition of the holy doctors, approved by the church; and that he has left writings behind him, in which he abhors all heresy. He taught us to detest every thing heretical. He exhorted us to the practice of peace and charity; and his own life exhibited a distinguished example of these virtues." Not satisfied with consigning Huss to the flames, the Council of Constance shortly after proceeded to the condemnation of his faithful friend and co-adjutor, Jerome of Prague, who has been called the LAY REFORMER, because he was neither a monk nor an ecclesiastic: yet he had studied in several universities, and was possessed of considerable erudition. He travelled to England, and spent some time in the university of Oxford. Here he perused the writings of Wickliffe, and on returning to his native city, avowed himself a disciple of this forerunner of the Reformation. And finding that the same tenets were held, and zealously propagated in Bohemia, by John Huss, an inti macy soon commenced between them, which was never interrupted and as during their lives they had been associated in the defence of evangelical truth against popish errors; so they were honoured to be companions in tribulation, and to seal their testimony with their blood, in the same place and in the same manner. Contrary to the entreaties of his friend, Jerome followed him to Constance, where he arrived towards the end of April, 1415. All his endeavours to obtain a hearing in the Council, in order to vindicate his opinions and character from the malignant aspersions of his enemies, proved ineffectual. This determined him to return to Bohemia; but he had not proceeded far, when he was arrested, loaded with chains, and conducted back to Constance. He was cited before the Council, under pretence of instituting an examination into the doctrines he held; but his fate had been previously fixed, and the clamour assailed his ears from every quarter: "Away with him, burn him, burn him!" After standing for some time in mute astonishment, he at length exclaimed: "If nothing but my BLOOD can satisfy you, God's will be done." Hereupon he was conveyed to a dungeon, to await the determination of the Council. One of his friends, through a crevice in the wall, accosted him in these words-" Fear not, Jerome, to die in the cause of that truth, which you have defended in life." He replied, "I have LIVED defending the truth: the harder task, to DIE for it, yet remains. But God, I trust, will support me against flesh and blood." This conversation was overheard, and Jerome was in consequence removed to a His head was fastened to a post in such a manner as to render it impossible for him to move it. In this torturing posture he was kept for two days, and but scantily supplied with bread and water. This brought on a severe disease, and Jerome sent for a confessor to prepare him for death. tower. His adversaries considered this a favourable opportunity to obtain their point. Every artifice of persuasion and menace was tried to induce Jerome to recant. Long he remained firm; but at length his constancy forsook him, and he read, though with the most evident reluctance, his recantation in the very words prescribed by his enemies. His fetters were now knocked off; but with the grossest perfidy he was still retained in prison and new charges were advanced against him. The Council were divided in opinion. The moderate party deprecated all further proceedings against him, on the ground both of injustice and impolicy. But their arguments had no effect. A new trial was instituted, and the most violent and bigotted of his enemies were appointed his judges. This roused the spirit of Jerome. He abhorred their per fidiousness; he saw he had no favour to expect from those, whose " very mercies were cruel." His recantation stung his conscience, and he earnestly implored the pardon of God, and determined cheerfully to sacrifice his life in the defence of the gospel. With more than heroic boldness he appeared before his judges, replied to all the charges brought against him; and finally disowned his recantation, declaring it to be the most enormous crime he had ever committed; and bitterly lamented, that the fear of torture and' death, had so far prevailed over him, as to make him defame those holy men of God, Wickliffe and Huss. Like his friend Huss, he was condemned to be burnt. When the sentence was pronounced upon him, he said— "You have condemned me to death unjustly, but I shall leave a sting in your consciences, and a worm that shall never die. I appeal to the sovereign Judge of all the earth, before whose tribunal I cite you to appear." When he arrived at the stake, he kneeled down and prayed, commending his soul to God. The executioner coming behind him to kindle the fire, Jerome called out-"Come forward and kindle it before my face." His last audible exclamations were "O Lord, have mercy upon me, and pardon my transgressions. Thou knowest I have loved thy truth." He suffered martyrdom on the 30th of May, 1416. |