October 3, 2021

For I proclaim the name of the LORD: ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.  Deuteronomy 32:3-4

Following the summons from Rome, the king and queen of Bohemia, university leaders, nobility, and government officers came together and sent a written appeal to the pontiff that Huss be allowed to send a representative to Rome. The pope responded by proceeding immediately to the trial and condemnation of Huss (without his presence) and then declared the city of Prague “under interdict.” (This pronouncement was designed to strike terror in the minds of people. The power to bring down temporal and spiritual judgements against any area thus smitten included the closing of all churches and religious services as well as denial of burial of the dead in consecrated ground.) These and other measures—all designed to fuel imagination and fear—were in the arsenal of Rome to control the consciences of the people. Many superstitiously denounced Huss as the “cause of all their calamities” and demanded he be caught and delivered to Rome. For a brief time, Huss retreated to his native village. And once the tumult subsided, he returned to Bethlehem Chapel preaching with even more determination and greater power the precious truths of God’s Word. The spiritual battle* continued to rage all around. Those who were being transformed by the Biblical message were growing in number. Jerome, a student of Huss in university days, joined him in the work of reform. These two personalities proved to be a great balancing of excellent counsels. Their unity of labors extended needed reforms more rapidly.

Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor . . . And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9a,12b

Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27b

*For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12