Wesley Corpus

At a time when the broachers of a new doctrine” (as new as the Bible) “were kindling the fire of sedition, and shaking the foundations of thrones and kingdoms,”--big words, but entirely void of truth!--“was held the Council of Constance. To this was cited John Huss, famous for propagating errors, tending to wrest the sceptre from the hands of Kings.”--Equally true ! “He was obnoxious to Church and State.” To the Church of Rome; not to the State in any degree. “Protestant and Catholic legislators enacted laws for burning heretics.” How wisely are these jumbled together; and the Protestants placed first ! But pray, what Protestant legislator made such laws, either before or after the Catholic ones? I know, one man, Servetus, was burned at Geneva; but I know not that there was any law for it. And I know, one woman, Joan Bocher, was burned in Smithfield, much against the mind of King Edward. But what is this to the numbers who were inhumanly butchered by Queen Mary; to say nothing of her savage husband? “But the same laws were executed by Queen Elizabeth and King James.” How? Did either of these burn heretics? Queen Elizabeth put two Anabaptists to death; but what was this to the achievements of her sister? He adds a well-devised apology for the Romish persecutions of the Protestants as necessarily resulting from the nature of things, and not from any wrong principles. And this he illustrates by the treatment formerly given to the Methodists, “whose love-feasts and watch-nights roused the vigilance of the Magistrate, and influenced the rage of the rabble.” Indeed, they did not. Not only no Magistrate ever objected either to one or the other, but no mob, even in the most turbulent times, ever interrupted them. But to the Council: “Huss strikes at the root of all tem poral power and civil authority. He boldly asserts, that all Princes, Magistrates, &c., in the state of mortal sin, are deprived, ipso facto, of all power and jurisdiction. And by broaching these doctrines, he makes Bohemia a theatre of intestine war. See the Acts of the Council of Constance in L’Abbe’s Collection of Councils.” I have seen them, and I can find nothing of all this therein. But more of this by and by.