Love Under Fire

Triumph Foreseen

In his dungeon he could see that the true faith would triumph in the future. In his dreams he saw the pope and bishops leaving no trace of the pictures of Christ that he had painted on the walls of the chapel at Prague. “This vision distressed him: but on the next day he saw many painters occupied in restoring these pictures in greater number and in brighter colors.... The painters, ... surrounded by an immense crowd, exclaimed, ‘Now let the popes and bishops come; they will never remove them again!’” The Reformer said, “The image of Christ will never be erased. They wanted to destroy it, but it will be painted afresh in all hearts by much better preachers than myself.”⁸ LF 48.2

For the last time, Huss was brought before the council, a huge and brilliant assembly—emperor, princes of the empire, royal deputies, cardinals, bishops, priests, and an immense crowd. When those presiding asked him for his final decision, Huss refused to renounce his views. Looking intently at the monarch who had so shamelessly violated his pledged word, he declared, “I decided, of my own free will, to appear before this council, under the public protection and faith of the emperor here present.”⁹ A deep blush reddened the face of Sigismund as all eyes turned to him. LF 48.3

After sentence was pronounced, the ceremony of degradation began. Again urged to retract, Huss replied, turning toward the people: “With what face, then, could I look to heaven? How should I look on those multitudes of people to whom I have preached the pure gospel? No; I consider their salvation more valuable than this poor body, now condemned to death.” Huss's priestly vestments were removed one by one, each bishop pronouncing a curse as he performed his part of the ceremony. Finally, “they put on his head a cap or pyramid-shaped miter of paper, on which were painted frightful figures of demons, with the word ‘Archheretic’ prominent in front. ‘Most joyfully,’ Huss said, ‘will I wear this crown of shame for Your sake, O Jesus, who wore a crown of thorns for me.’”¹⁰ LF 48.4