simony. In the second, following Wycliffe's lead, he criticised the
whole orthodox conception of the day of the "Holy Catholic Church."
What was, asked Hus, the true Church of Christ? According to the
popular ideas of the day, the true Church of Christ was a visible
body of men on this earth. Its head was the Pope; its officers were
the cardinals, the bishops, the priests, and other ecclesiastics;
and its members were those who had been baptized and who kept true
to the orthodox faith. The idea of Hus was different. His
conception of the nature of the true Church was very similar to that
held by many Non-conformists of to-day. He was a great believer in
predestination. All men, he said, from Adam onwards, were divided
into two classes: first, those predestined by God to eternal bliss;
second, those fore-doomed to eternal damnation. The true Church of
Christ consisted of those predestined to eternal bliss, and no one
but God Himself knew to which class any man belonged. From this
position a remarkable consequence followed. For anything the Pope
knew to the contrary, he might belong himself to the number of the
damned. He could not, therefore, be the true Head of the Church; he
could not be the Vicar of Christ; and the only Head of the Church
was Christ Himself. The same argument applied to Cardinals, Bishops
and Priests. For anything he knew to the contrary, any Cardinal,
Bishop or Priest in the Church might belong to the number of the
damned; he might be a servant, not of Christ, but of Anti-Christ;
and, therefore, said Hus, it was utterly absurd to look to men of
such doubtful character as infallible spiritual guides. What right,
asked Hus, had the Pope to claim the "power of the keys?" What
right had the Pope to say who might be admitted to the Church? He
had no right, as Pope, at all. Some of the Popes were heretics;
some of the clergy were villains, foredoomed to torment in Hell;
and, therefore, all in search of the truth must turn, not to the