Hus Faces the Council
For four months with little food or care, Hus waited for the promised opportunity to present his defense before the council, but it never came. Six months after his capture, in June of 1415, an emaciated Hus was transported from the dank dungeon to the council hall; and, there, resplendent in their robes and crowns, sat the pompous charlatans. Instead of being able to defend himself before his accusers with God’s Word, however, Hus was only permitted to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to their questions. Day after day, he was dragged from the dungeon to the council and forced to answer the same accusations over again. The bishops badgered Hus to recant, to save his life and his eternal soul; but, even in his sickly state, Hus had the strength in Christ to stand his ground.
The last day of Hus’ trial was on June 8, 1415. The cardinals sat in full regalia on seats like thrones, with an army of bishops surrounding them, and read Hus’ statements from his book, ‘On the Church’. To his persecutors, Hus’ writings against the church’s false practices were enough to condemn him to death. When accused of not being a true Christian, Hus responded, “I hope, by God’s grace, that I am truly a Christian, not deviating from the faith. I would rather suffer the penalty of a terrible death than wish to affirm anything outside of the faith or transgress the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Despite his humble attitude and contrite heart, John Hus was condemned to burn at the stake.
To be continued…
Date: 31st August 2024
Martyr: John Hus
Location: Not specified
Source: God’s Generals – The Martyrs
Author: Roberts Liardon
Suffering Saturday 106
Previous post
Next post