all that, you spake here of doctors.' And the cardinal of Cambray, according to his accustomed manner, said: 'Truly they who have made and gathered these articles, have used great lenity and gentleness, for his writings are much more detestable and horrible.'[1]
Nineteenth article. The church militant standeth in three parts.The nineteenth article: 'The nobles of the world ought to constrain and compel the ministers of the church to observe and keep the law of Jesus Christ.' I answer, that it standeth thus, word for word, in my book. 'Those who be on our part do preach and affirm that the church militant, according to the parts which the Lord hath ordained, is divided, and consisteth in three parts: that is to say, ministers of the church, who should keep purely and sincerely the ordinances and commandments of the Son of God; and the nobles of the world, who should compel and drive them to keep the commandments of Jesus Christ; and of the common people, serving to both these parts and ends, according to the institution and ordinance of Jesus Christ.'
Twentieth article.The twentieth article: 'The ecclesiastical obedience is a kind of obedience which the priests and monks have invented without any express authority of the holy Scriptures.' I answer and confess, that those words are thus written in my book. Three kinds of obedience.I say that there be three kinds of obedience, spiritual, secular, and ecclesiastical. The spiritual obedience is that which is only due according to the law and ordinance of God, under which the apostles of Jesus Christ did live, and all Christians ought to live. The secular obedience is that which is due according to the civil laws and ordinances. The ecclesiastical obedience is such as the priests have invented, without any express authority of Scripture. True obedience ruled by God's commandment.The first kind of obedience doth utterly exclude from it all evil, as well on his part who giveth the commandment, as on his, also, who doth obey the same. And of this obedience it is spoken in Deut. xxiv. 'Thou shalt do all that which the priests of the kindred of Levi shall teach and instruct thee, according as I have commanded them.'
Twenty-first article.The twenty-first article: 'He that is excommunicated by the pope, if he refuse and forsake the judgment of the pope and the general council, and appealeth unto Jesus Christ, after he hath made his appellation, all the excommunications and curses of the pope cannot annoy or hurt him. I answer, that I do not acknowledge this proposition; but indeed I did make my complaint in my book, that they had both done me, and such as favoured me, great wrong; and that they refuse to hear me in the pope's court. For after the death of one pope, I did appeal to his successor, and all that did profit me nothing. And to appeal from the pope to the council it were too long; and that were even as much as if a man in trouble should seek an uncertain remedy. Appealing unto Christ.And, therefore, last of all, I have appealed to the Head of the church, my Lord Jesus Christ; for he is much more excellent and better than any pope, to discuss and determine matters and causes, forasmuch as he cannot err, neither yet deny justice to him that doth ask or require it in a just cause; neither can he condemn the innocent. forbidden by the cardinal of Cambray.Then spake the cardinal of Cambray unto him, and said: 'Wilt thou presume above St. Paul, who appealed unto the emperor, and not unto Jesus Christ?' John Huss answered: 'Forasmuch then as I am the first that do it, am I, therefore, to be reputed and counted a heretic? And yet notwithstanding St. Paul did not appeal unto the emperor of his own motion or will, but by the will of Christ, who spake unto him by revelation, and said: Be firm and constant, for thou must go unto Rome. And as he was about to rehearse his appeal[2] again, they mocked him.
Twenty-second article.A knot found in a rushThe twenty-second article: 'A vicious and naughty man liveth viciously and naughtily; but a virtuous and godly man liveth virtuously and godly.' I answer, my words are these: 'That the division of all human works is into two parts; that is, that they be either virtuous or vicious; forasmuch as it doth appear, that if any man be virtuous and godly, and that he do any thing, he doth it then virtuously and godly. And, contrariwise, if a man be vicious and naughty, that which he doth is vicious and naughty.' For as vice, which is called crime or offence (and thereby understand deadly sin), doth universally infect or deprave all the acts and doings of the subject (that is, of the man who doth them), so likewise virtue and godliness do quicken all the acts and doings of the virtuous
