An Ancient Hymn

The Trial of Jan Hus

Even before I read the thrilling fictional work Crushed Yet Conquering I was impressed by Jan z Hus (John Huss) and the stand he took for the Gospel of Christ.

Last year our family purchased a CD of A capella hymns from ancient to the classics of the late 1700s. One of the beautiful hymns is Hus’ To Avert From Men God’s Wrath which is set to the oldest Moravian hymn known. This slow and beautiful song has an even more powerful message. I know now why the Roman Catholics couldn’t stand him.

To avert from men God’s wrath,
Jesus suffered in our stead;
By an ignominious death
He a full atonement made;
And by His most precious blood
Brought us, sinners, nigh to God.

That is the first of 4 verses included on this CD, and all of them have a powerful Gospel message contained therein.

I am fascinated by the way God uses ordinary people, who are courageous enough to stand on God’s Word alone!

Although, we would not necessarily agree with everything that Jan z Hus stood for from a theological perspective, he and others like him (Tyndal specifically) blazed a trail with their ashes for what would later become known as the Prostestant Reformation, and would produce such men as Luther, Calvin and Zwingli.

His testimony reminds me of these verses:
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Hebrews 11:32-38