NOTE.--John of Ferrara,... in Italy, said about this time, among many other articles, that the Pope, by sheer violence, and without right, had seized countries and cities; that the clergy carried their conscience in their caps, and that they were more avaricious and worse than the laity; that the churches and monasteries of the clergy were nets with which to draw to themselves the property of the laity, etc. _P. J. Twisck, Chron. for the year 1412, p. 770, col. 2._
Concerning this there is the following account: “At this time (A. D. 1412), also at Paris, various excellent, learned men rose against popery, pointing out the errors and abuses of the Roman church; by which they gained small thanks from the clergy.” _Catal. Test., fol. 857, Meru., fol. 910_, compared with the _Chronijck van den Ondergang, p. 771, col. 1_.
_A. D. 1415._--At this time John Huss lived, who, having examined and studied the books and writings of John Wickliffe (of whom we said in the preceding century, that he opposed infant baptism, and the swearing of oaths), retained and accepted therefrom, among other articles, that it does not become a Christian to swear.
How and in what manner the writings of John Wickliffe fell into the hands of John Huss, and how eagerly he exercised himself therein, is described by _A. Mellinus, 2d book, p. 495, col. 1_; but that he ever, by this means or otherwise, learned the article of non-swearing, Mellinus, as well as other Calvanists, would deny, saying: “That which is imputed to him, regarding his unwillingness to swear, has respect only to the abjuration of his faith, or religion, but not to the oath itself.”
Besides that I have never found such an explanation in any credible writer of that time, though I have earnestly sought to investigate it; the circumstances of the matter itself, however, indicate that the article of non-swearing was one of the articles of his faith.
TOUCHING THE ARTICLES OF FAITH WHICH JOHN HUSS HAD DERIVED FROM THE WRITINGS OF JOHN WICKLIFFE.
Sebastian Franck writes as follows: “John Huss, a disciple and fellow believer of this Wickliffe, received the Wickliffite doctrine from Jerome of Prague, who carried it with him from England to Bohemia as a sacred treasure.”
Continuing, he relates the articles which John Huss had learned and adopted from Wickliffe’s writings.
1. “That the Roman church has no right to divide the sacrament, and has wrongfully deprived the laity of one form.
2. “That the Roman bishop is just like other (ordinary) bishops.
3. “That under all circumstances there is no purgatory.
4. “To pray for the dead is vain and unavailing, and is invented by the avarice of the priests.
5. “Images of God and the saints are not to be tolerated, and should be abolished.
6. “The wicked devils have invented the unspiritual mendicant orders.
7. “The priests ought to be poor, and live only from alms.
8. “Outward, auricular confession is altogether false and man’s invention. It is sufficient to confess one’s sins in the closet to God.
9. “The ceremonies and usages of the (Roman) church are vain things.
10. “Touching several things concerning the sacrament, etc.
11. “The time is uselessly consumed by the seven hours.[191]
[191] Prayers which the priests of the Roman Catholic church have to read from the breviary at stated seasons of the year. _Trans._
12. “There is no merit in the fasts instituted by the church, and in many other errors.
13. “Men shall not swear in any wise. Hence he said to those who urged him vehemently to swear an oath: ‘I am afraid every way; if I swear, eternal death is my portion; but if I swear not, I cannot escape your hands; but it is better that I fall into your hands without sin than to sin in the sight of God.’”