Page:The Church, by John Huss.pdf/216

164 when he adds, "And they wish to interpret," because if he is not a knower of hearts how does he dare to say that we wish to expound Scripture otherwise than we ought? But this statement is vented forth because we do not follow his pleasure and the pleasure of his colleague Stanislaus, and stand with them who deem themselves, with the doctors agreeing with them, the wise in the church. And even much more are they to be suspected of lying for they have not dared to charge us with not giving heed to the interpretation of the holy doctors.

But they add the biggest lie of all when they speak without applying the holy Scripture as written in Deut. 17:8–12. For this these doctors ought to know that we turn to sacred Scripture and affirm that it is the true Word of God, which also confirms our judgment. For that diligent expounder of Scripture, Nicholas of Lyra, on Deut. 17, says: "The opinion of no man, whatever his authority may be, is to be held if it plainly contains falsehood or error, and this appears by the promise made in the text, 'They shall pronounce for thee a sentence of truth,' and 'they shall teach thee according to His law.' From this it appears that, if they said what was false or plainly fell away from God’s law they were not to be heard." Thus much Lyra. And what has been said is confirmed by that word of the Lord: "Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou acquiesce in the judgment of the many to depart from the truth," Ex. 23:2. On this Lyra says that in the Hebrew it runs: "Thou shalt not fall away after the rabbins—that is, teachers or the great men—to commit sin." And further on, he says: "As you are not to fall away from the truth on account of the larger number who sit in judgment, and fall away from the truth, so you are not to fall away on account of those who have greater authority in giving judgment." Thus much Lyra.