Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/499

 the emperor answered: 'No man doth live without fault.' 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.'

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.

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?'

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