A. D. 1415.—At this time John Huss lived, who, having examined and studied the books and writings of John Wickliffe (of whom we said in the preceding century, that he opposed infant baptism, and the swearing of oaths), retained and accepted therefrom, among other articles, that it does not become a Christian to swear.
How and in what manner the writings of John Wickliffe fell into the hands of John Huss, and how eagerly he exercised himself therein, is described by A. Mellinus, 2d book, p. 495, col. 1; but that he ever, by this means or otherwise, learned the article of non-swearing, Mellinus, as well as other Calvanists, would deny, saying: “That which is imputed to him, regarding his unwillingness to swear, has respect only to the abjuration of his faith, or religion, but not to the oath itself.”
Besides that I have never found such an explanation in any credible writer of that time, though I have earnestly sought to investigate it; the circumstances of the matter itself, however, indicate that the article of non-swearing was one of the articles of his faith.
TOUCHING THE ARTICLES OF FAITH WHICH JOHN HUSS HAD DERIVED FROM THE WRITINGS OF JOHN WICKLIFFE.
Sebastian Franck writes as follows: “John Huss, a disciple and fellow believer of this Wickliffe, received the Wickliffite doctrine from Jerome of Prague, who carried it with him from England to Bohemia as a sacred treasure.”
Continuing, he relates the articles which John Huss had learned and adopted from Wickliffe’s writings.
1. “That the Roman church has no right to divide the sacrament, and has wrongfully deprived the laity of one form.
2. “That the Roman bishop is just like other (ordinary) bishops.
3. “That under all circumstances there is no purgatory.
4. “To pray for the dead is vain and unavailing, and is invented by the avarice of the priests.