church has not seen, says that he did not dare to command any one to marry and not to remain continent, for he says: "Every one hath his own gift of God, one after this manner, one after that," I Cor. 7:7. The apostle did not wish to command anything except what the Lord commanded through him and so what was useful to the one obeying. For there are many counsels for others which are not counsels for us, because of our weakness or ignorance, so that one may marry in the Lord without mortal sin, when, however, it would be better to keep his virgin state, but he is ignorant, believing the opposite. Therefore, the apostle says: "Every one has his own gift from God, one after this manner, one after that." And the words follow: "But if they cannot contain, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn." Some things, therefore, are more useful to some which for others would be less useful. Hence, it would be a notable mistake to think that all Christ's counsels would be profitable for all men if they fulfilled them to the letter. And hence a son is not bound to obey his father under pain of mortal sin, when the father commands that the son possess nothing or that he marry. In a similar way, it is also with a daughter, who cannot lawfully be forced to remain a virgin till death or be forced to marry.
Likewise, if that statement of the doctors be true that "the apostolic seat of the Roman church is to be obeyed by inferiors in all things," etc., it follows that Wenzel, king of the Romans and king of Bohemia, and likewise Sigismund, king of Hungary, would be continually sinning mortal sins, for they have not given obedience to the commandments of the Roman church and Pope Boniface with his cardinals, and resigned their kingdoms, the former the kingdom of the Romans, the latter the kingdom of Hungary.[1] And this is
- ↑ This act of Boniface IX, 1403, referred to by the university of Prague, Doc., 500, was a deposition of Wenzel in favor of Ruprecht, who had been chosen king of the Romans by three of the electors, 1400. Ruprecht threatened to pass over to the obedience of the Avignon line. See also Huss's Reply to Palecz, Mon., 1: 329.
