this excellent man, the seventh of July was, for many years, held sacred among the Bohemians. In some places large fires were lighted in the evening of that day upon the mountains, to preserve the memory of his sufferings; round which the country-people would assemble, and sing hymns.

As a specimen of the composed spirit of this excellent martyr, in the midst of this virulent persecution, we will subjoin one of his letters, which he wrote from the prison, to his friends in Bohemia.

"My dear friends, let me take this last opportunity of exhorting you to trust in nothing here; but to give "yourselves up entirely to the service of GOD. Well "am I authorized to warn you not to trust in princes, "nor in any child of man, for there is no help in them. "GOD only remaineth stedfast. What HE promiseth, << he will undoubtedly perform. As to myself, on his "gracious promise I rest. Having endeavoured to be his "faithful servant, I fear not being deserted by him. "Where I am, says the gracious Promiser, there shall my ❝ servants be.—May the GOD of heaven preserve you! "This is probably the last letter I shall be enabled to "write. I have reason to believe, I shall be called upon "to-morrow to answer with my life.-Sigismund hath, in "all things, acted deceitfully. I pray, GOD forgive him! "You have heard in what severe language he hath spoken " of me."

There are several other letters in Fox's acts and monuments, in old English; to which we must refer our readers. They all breathe the same spirit of piety, firmness, and inward consolation.

JEROM OF PRAGU E,

THE LAY-REFORMER.

REAT were the commotions, which prevailed in the world, about the time of the promulgation of the gospel in Germany. The truth had every kind of prejudice to encounter; nor did the kingdom of darkness yield to its power without violent struggles and disorder. And all Protestants, who are Protestants indeed, and who

know the grace of GOD and his gospel, have reason to bless that wonderful providence, by which many of the European nations were delivered from the grossest darkness and ignorance, and by which indeed even popish nations have been led to the revival of knowledge, and to disdain in part the blind submission, they once universally shewed to the corrupted see of Rome.

Jerem of Prague was the companion and co-martyr of doctor Huss, to whom he was inferior in experience, age, and authority; but he was esteemed his superior in all polite and liberal endowments. He was born at Prague, and educated in that university, where he was admitted master of arts; and promoted the doctrine of Wickliffe in conjunction with Huss. He travelled into most of the states of Europe, and was every where esteemed for his happy elocution, which gave him great advantages in the schools, where he promoted what Huss had advanced. The universities of Paris, Cologne, and Heidelberg, conferred the degree of master of arts upon him. He is said also to have had the degree of master of arts conferred upon him at Oxford; but it is certain, that he commenced doctor in divinity, in the year 1396. He began to publish the same doctrine with doctor Huss in 1408, and it is averred, that he had a greater share of learning and subtilty than his excellent friend. However that may be, the council of Constance kept a very watchful eye upon him, and esteemed him to be a very dangerous person to the interests of Rome. While he was in England, and most probably when at Oxford, he copied out the books of Wickliffe, and returned with them to Prague. By that great man's evangelical writings, it pleased GOD to work upon him, and upon his friend doctor Huss, to the acknowledgment of his truth. England, therefore (as we observed in the life of Wickliffe) may claim the honour of beginning the Reformation; and may it be the last country upon earth to lose it! At present, it must be owned, such is the national corruption of manners, the prevailing luxury of the times, and the practical atheism and irreligion of many among us, that it will be through GOD's mercy, if we are not consumed by his judgments, and given up for a prey to our enemies.

Jerom was cited before the council of Constance, on the seventeenth of April 1415, when his friend doctor Huss was confined in a castle near that city. He arrived at Constance in the same month, when he was informed how his friend had been treated, and that he also would be seized:

Upon

Upon which, Jerom retired to Iberlingen, an imperial city, from whence he wrote to the emperor and council to desire a safe conduct; and one was presented to him, which gave him permission to come, but not to return. He then caused a protestation to be fixed up, wherein he declared, that he would appear before the council to justify himself, if a proper safe conduct was granted: And he demanded of the Bohemian lords an act of his declaration. After this, he began his journey to return into Bohemia: But he was stopt at Hirschau, by the officers of John, the son of prince Clement, count Palatine, who had the government of Sultzbach: And Lewis, another son of the same prince, carried Jerom of Constance, where he was to answer the same accusation as had been exhibited against doctor Huss, who was martyred on the seventh of July.

Jerom had many friends at the council, who bore him great affection, and tried all they could to bring him to a recantation; as they were convinced he had no prospect of escaping if he took his trial, because the emperor had declared that he should be exemplarily punished. His friends prevailed, and he was brought before the council, in the nineteenth session, held the twenty-third of September, when he read a public abjuration of his doctrines, thinking thereby to elude his prosecution.

In this retractation, he is said to have anathematized the doctrines of Wickliffe and Huss; to have protested, that he was of the same sentiments with the Romish church; and to have professed, that he would follow its doctrine, particularly about the keys, the sacraments, the orders, the offices, and the censures of the apostolic see; as also concerning indulgences, the relics of saints, ecclesiastical liberty, and the ceremonies. It is farther said, that he thereby approved the condemnation of the articles which the council prescribed; acknowledged they were faithfully extracted from the works of Huss, and that he was justly condemned. But he was carried back to prison, notwithstanding this recantation, and was accused of insincerity. New articles of accusation were brought against him, and it was alledged, that it would be dangerous to set him at liberty. He immediately repented of his abjuration, and of condemning Huss. He desired audience of the council, and was twice heard in the general congregations held in May, 1416, when one hundred and seven heads of accusation were proposed against him, which he endeavoured to answer, and made an oration, wherein he declared that he repented of his recantation, and of having approved

the

the condemnation of Wickliffe and Huss. Dupin also says, that the fathers of the council were fully satisfied of his relapse, and sent for him to the twenty-first session, held the thirtieth of May. The bishop of Londi, who preached the sermon previous to the condemnation of Huss, now preached another to usher in the fate of ferom. When the sermon was ended, the martyr, unjustly stigmatized a heretic, declared he still persisted in his last retractation, and told them, that they would condemn him wickedly and unjustly. But (says he) after my death, I will leave a sting in your conscience and a nail in your hearts,

ЕТ СУТО VOS OMNES, UT RESPONDEATIS MIHI CORAM ALTISSIMO ET JUSTISSIMO JUDICE, POST CENTUM AN

NOS: That is, "I cite you all to answer to me before the "most High and the most just Judge, within a hundred "years." He was then condemned as a heretic relapsed, delivered over to the secular power, and led away to death, which he endured with great constancy.

Such is the account given by the popish writers: But the Florentine secretary, Poggius, who was a spectator of all he relates, and gave a full account of the matter to Aretin the pope's secretary, is more circumstantial and inpartial in his relation of this affair. He tells us, (as we shall see below) that as Jerom was returning to Bobemia, he was brought back to Constance by the Duke of Bavaria; and, the next day, carried as a prisoner before the council, where it soon appeared, that his abjuration had slipt from him in an unguarded hour through the weakness of the flesh. Poggius, who was one of the best judges of the age, asserts, that Jerom spoke with such a quickness of sentiment, such a dignity of expression, and such strength of argument, that he seemed to equal the noblest of the ancient compositions. When some members of the council called out to him to put in his answers, he told the assembly, that the objections against him were the effects of prepossession and prejudice: That, therefore, to justice, they should permit him to lay open the whole tenor of his doctrine, life, and conversation, whereby he could indubitably weaken and invalidate all the prepossessions, which ignorant zeal and open malice had rendered too strong against him in his unhappy condition. He was told, he could not expect such indulgence. This exhausted his patience, and he exclaimed to the whole assembly in these terms. "What barbarity "is this! For three hundred and forty days have I been through all the variety of prisons. There is not a "misery

"misery, there is not a want, that I have not experienced. "To my enemies you have allowed the fullest scope of "accusation: To me you deny the least opportunity of "defence. Not an hour will you indulge me in pre"paring my trial. You have swallowed the blackest "calumnies against me. You have represented me as a "heretic, without knowing what is my doctrine; as an "enemy to the faith, before you knew what faith I pro❝fessed; and as a persecutor of priests, before you could "have any opportunity of understanding my sentiments "on that head. You are a general council: In you "center all that this world can communicate of gravity, "wisdom, and sanctity: but still you are men, and men "are seducible by appearances The higher your cha❝racter is for wisdom, the greater ought your care to be "not to deviate into folly. The cause I now plead is "not my own cause: It is the cause of men; it is the "cause of Christians; it is the cause which is to affect "the rights of posterity, however the experiment is to "be made in my person." The bigotted part of the assembly considered this speech as poison to the ears of the auditors: But many of the members were men of taste and learning, who were favourably inclined to the prisoner, and pitied him in their hearts, though a restraint was on their tongues.

Jerom was obliged to give way to their authority, and to hear his charge read, which was reduced under these heads; That he was a derider of the papal dignity, an opposer of the pope, an enemy of the cardinals, a persecutor of the prelates, and a hater of the Christian religion.' He answered this charge with an amazing force of elocution, and strength of argument. "Now, દ says he, wretch that I am! whether shall I turn me ? "To my accusers! My accusers are as deaf as adders. "To you my judges! You are prepossessed by the arts "of my accusers." We are told by Poggius, that Jerom, in all he spoke, said nothing unbecoming a great and wise man: And he candidly asserts, that, if what Jerom said was true, he was not only free from capital guilt, but from the smallest blame.

The trial of Jerom was brought on the third day after his accusation, and witnesses were examined in support of the charge. The prisoner was prepared for his defence; which will appear almost incredible, when it is considered, that he had been three hundred and forty days shut up in a dark offensive dungeon, deprived of day-light, food, and

sleep.