Letters of John Huss Written During His Exile and Imprisonment/Letter 53, To John of Chlum
LETTER LIII.[1]
TO JOHN OF CHLUM.
My very dear benefactor in Jesus Christ,—It is no slight satisfaction to me to be able to write to you. Your letter, dated yesterday, has made me understand, first, how will be unveiled and exposed to the light the iniquity of this perverse assembly, of the great prostitute spoken of in the Apocalypse, with whom, spiritually, the kings of the earth pollute themselves, by quitting the truth of the Lord, in order to assist the lies of antichrist, by seduction, fear, or in the hope of acquiring by this alliance the advantages of the world.
I understood, secondly, that the enemies of the truth begin to be alarmed. Thirdly, I recognized the charitable order, the intrepid firmness, with which you confess the truth; and, lastly, I saw with joy that you wished to put an end to the vanities and laborious servitude of the age, and combat for our Lord Jesus Christ; to serve whom, is, as St Gregory expresses it, to reign. He who faithfully serves him will be served by him in the celestial realms. He has said, “Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” The kings of this world do not act in this manner towards their servants; they love them only as long as they are useful and necessary to them. This is not the conduct of Jesus, the King of Glory, who crowned the holy apostles, Peter and Paul, introducing the former into the celestial kingdom by crucifixion, &c, the latter by decapitation; the first after having been imprisoned four times, and delivered by an angel; the second after having been beaten thrice with rods, once stoned, often afflicted, and twice shipwrecked, and having lingered two years in prison. Now they no longer suffer anxieties and torments, but enjoy a sweet and unchangeable peace, as well as infinite joy: Peter and Paul reign already with the King of Heaven; they are already among the angelic choir, they behold the King of kings in his magnificence; no sorrows afflict them, and they are filled with ineffable happiness. May these glorious martyrs, now united to the King of Glory, deign to intercede for us, that, strengthened by their assistance, we may participate in their glory, after having suffered with humility; since the all-powerful God has declared it is for our welfare that we suffer in this world. Amen.
Written on the Festival of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
If you can, write to me again, I beseech you, in the name of the Lord. I conjure you also to salute most particularly the Queen, my sovereign; advise her to hold fast to the truth, and not to be scandalised on my account, as if I were a heretic. Salute for me also your wife, whom I conjure you to love in Christ; for I trust she is amongst the children of God, through observing his commandments.
Salute all the friends of the truth.
- ↑ Hist. et Monum. Johann. Huss, Epist. xxii.