Page:John Huss, his life, teachings and death, after five hundred years.pdf/139

 solution from the penalty and guilt of sin—absolutio plenaria a culpa et pœna. Acts not done from love of man cannot have God’s approval, and, it is probable, that a decree resulting in the killing of human beings does not proceed from the love of Christ, nor can the impoverishment of a people to provide the means for such killing be consonant with God’s will.

As for the pardon of sins, the Christian priest enjoys the right to absolve from penalty and guilt, but he can actually absolve only with the aid of a special revelation. Wise priests absolve only on condition that the sinner feels sorrow for his sin, promises to sin no more, and puts his confidence in God’s mercy, Ezek. 18: 21, 22. No one is capable of receiving indulgence unless he be disposed thereto by God’s grace. Pardon God alone can grant.

As for getting money for wars, it behooves the spiritual powers to employ spiritual weapons, not carnal; offer prayer, issue writings to convince the heart, and, if necessary, suffer death. “Vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.” Oh, that the Roman pontiff might accept and follow in humility this rule of Paul! Authority is not given Peter’s vicar and bishops to draw the material sword. Their weapons should be tears and prayers. Nor should the pope authorize war for what seems to be to his own advantage in securing and confirming secular power. These positions Huss proved from Scripture and quotations drawn from Augustine, Jerome, Gregory and St. Bernard. Conceding that the church, which is the body of the faithful-universitas fidelium-has the two swords, the spiritual and the material, he insists that the church consists of three parts—the soldiery, the clergy, and the people—and that the material sword is to be wielded by that part of the church which is made up of the soldiery. And as the church’s spiritual sword is not to be used by the soldiery of this world in the same way as it is used by the priests, so in like manner the material sword is not to be used