Jan Hus taught salvation was given by petitioning/asking God 

Thank you to Brother Don Nesbitt (who Vincent Strycula best coined the term, the Lord's bloodhound) for sounding the alarm about Robert Breaker III of the Cloud Church.

Jan Hus directly said in two sermons that you are saved by believing and asking God in prayer to save you.

I will give the full quotes, as I believe it is necessary to do so, to avoid the allegations of cherrypicking.

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY, Neděle na masopust, Neděle masopustní, Evangelium XIV

"The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapter 18:31–43

At that time, Jesus took the twelve disciples and said to them: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully treated, and spit upon. And they shall scourge Him and put Him to death, and the third day He shall rise again."

But they understood none of these things, and this saying was hidden from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

And it came to pass that as He came near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

And those who went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace; but he cried out much more: "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought to Him; and when he had come near, He asked him, saying: "What do you want Me to do for you?"

And he said: "Lord, that I may receive my sight."

And Jesus said to him: "Receive your sight: your faith has made you whole." And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God

[Exposition by Master Jan Hus]

Holy Church, which is the communion of faithful Christians, has appointed this holy Gospel today for her sons as a memorial, so that, remembering the terrible suffering and innocent, shameful, and cruel death of their merciful Father, they might preserve themselves from vanity, knowing that for their sake He gave Himself over to such suffering and death.

O woe to the foolish Carnival (Masopust) revellers, who, forgetting such great goodness, give themselves over to vanities by which they mock their Father! And so that we may guard ourselves against sin,which at this season especially holds sway over men,let us take this holy Gospel deeply to heart.

Behold, what does the Savior say to the disciples after taking them aside privately? That He goes willingly to mockery, spitting, scourging, and death; while the Carnival revellers go to fornication, gluttony, foolishness, and to the destruction of their own souls! Why? Because they do not understand His holy Gospel; that is, although they hear it and understand it carnally, yet in their soul they do not lovingly receive it.

Behold, the apostles too, being yet carnal, did not understand His words, though they were very clear and plain for anyone to understand. And St. Luke says: Jesus took the twelve disciples and said to them... "He took them aside privately," as St. Matthew writes in chapter 20, lest the other, lesser disciples should be scandalized. "Twelve," among whom was Judas, in order to warn him against his future betrayal, and to caution the others so they would not doubt His resurrection from the dead, as St. Gregory says:

"Our Redeemer, knowing that because of His passion the disciples would be grieved, foretold to them long before the torments of His passion and the glory of His resurrection, so that when they saw Him die, just as He had told them, they would not doubt that He would rise again. And because the disciples, being yet carnal, could not understand the mystery of His words, He brought them to a miracle when before their eyes the blind man received sight, so that those who could not grasp the mystery of words might be confirmed in faith by heavenly deeds."

Thus far St. Gregory.

From this speech you see that He told them of His passion beforehand, before He suffered, for their confirmation. Likewise, this Gospel is read to us today so that we may beware of sins, and holding His passion in holy remembrance, confirm ourselves in good works.

Further, you see that He said to them: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem," that is, voluntarily, not by compulsion. In this He demonstrates His great obedience to the Father, His great humility, and His great mercy. "And all things that are written through the prophets shall be accomplished," that is, they shall be fulfilled. It was written concerning Him by the prophets what He was to do, what to suffer, and what for both He was to receive: for His own glorification and our redemption. "For these things are written of the Son of Man," that is, of Christ, who is the Son of one human being, the Virgin Mary. What will be accomplished? He says: "for He shall be delivered to the Gentiles."

Here know that the Father gave Him over to death, as St. Paul says to the Romans in chapter 8: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all," namely, unto death. He also gave Himself up for us, as St. Paul says to the Ephesians in chapter 5: "He gave Himself for us as an offering." Judas gave Him over, as St. Matthew says in chapter 26, when he said: "What will you give me, and I will deliver Him to you?" The bishops, priests, and scribes delivered Him to Pilate unto death, as Pilate said to Him: "Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me; what have you done?" Pilate finally delivered Him to death, as St. Luke says in chapter 23: "He delivered Jesus, after He was scourged, to their will."

Consider that God the Father gave Him out of the great mercy of our salvation, and He likewise gave Himself; Judas gave Him out of great greed, and the priests with the bishops out of great envy. With Judas side the present-day simoniacs, traitors, and sellers of truth; and with the priests and bishops side the envious, who destroy those who preach God's truth.

Further, the Gospel says: "He shall be mocked." Here know that they mocked His wisdom in the house of Bishop Caiaphas, when, having blindfolded His eyes, they struck Him, saying in St. Luke chapter 22: "Prophesy, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?" just as in a game they blindfold someone and strike them, saying: "Who hit you?"

Secondly, they mocked His meekness in Herod's house, because He did not answer according to their pleasure; wherefore, as St. Luke says in chapter 23, Herod and his soldiers treated Him with contempt and put a white robe on Him as a sign that He was a fool.

Thirdly, they mocked His royal dignity before Pilate, placing a reed in His hand as a scepter, a crown of thorns upon His head, and clothing Him in a purple robe, kneeling before Him and striking Him on the head with the reed, saying: "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they spat in His face, as the Jews also did at Caiaphas's house.

Fourthly, they mocked His power, walking around the cross and crying: "Aha! You who destroy the temple of God, save Yourself!" And others: "He saved others; let Him save Himself!" And again: "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He wants Him!" Behold, in this way they fulfilled the mocking.

O dear sons of Christ! Does this not come to your mind today? Behold, the deliverer of captives is betrayed, the glory of angels is made a laughingstock, the Lord of all the world is whipped, the unspotted mirror and beauty of eternal light is spat upon! Does He not now suffer such great adversity from evil Christians? For St. Paul says to the Hebrews in chapter 6: "Those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift,as Christians who, enlightened by faith, received baptism, the word of God, and the Sacrament,and fall away again into mortal sins, they crucify the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame." So says St. Paul.

And is not His wisdom mocked today by the bishops who consider His life to be foolishness? And whoever says to them: "Do not sell spiritual power,which is called the cure of souls,nor the consecration of altars, churches, and holy oil, nor absolution, nor the ordination of clergy, for the Savior says: 'Freely you received, freely give!'",they immediately cry: "Behold, a heretic! Behold, a fool! He wants to teach us now; beat him, tear him, cast him into the dark dungeon, so that he will not teach us!"

Do they not also mock His wisdom? He ordained most wisely, and the bishops hold it in contempt. What did He ordain? That bishops should not rule secularly, that they should not commit fornication, that they should preach, and diligently lead the people to learning.

Likewise, alas, in princely palaces the quiet and meek are mocked, and in the courts of judges truth finds only such help as Christ found before Pilate! And this, alas, originates with the priests, because they themselves give them an evil example, judging falsely; they do not rebuke them, nor preach to them, nor give them counsel on how to judge uprightly, but rather teach them how to stifle the truth. Such as bishops, doctors, canons, abbots, and parish priests and monks gave counsel to the seculars at the town hall (rathaus) to reject many articles, and to drive away the other preachers from preaching God's word; this was published by Doctor Páleč and Stanislav with the others: with Eliáš, with Brod, with Bóra, and with Šimon.

But although they rejected that priests should not rule secularly, the truth of the poor Christ always stands, who, refusing to rule, said to His disciples: "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, but you shall not be so." And although they rejected that tithes are proper alms, yet even though they do not want to be called so, while enjoying tithes they are alms-receivers (almužníci): for they did not acquire them by inheritance, nor did they buy them, nor earn them, nor win them at dice, unless some, purchasing benefices from the Pope or others, obtained them thus; yet tithes are always alms, given by people for God's glory on behalf of souls. Therefore they call them endowments (záduší), and they themselves, when someone wants to harm them, complain, wail, shout, and preach that their poor endowments are being taken away and ruined; but when nobody hinders them, then they call it a lordship (panství)!

Devil's lords! Where are they called by Christ to secular rule? Perhaps there: "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come, follow Me." Regarding this saying, St. Augustine says that this is a special commandment for priests, canons, and monks. And St. Bernard, writing to the Pope named Eugenius, says that he must not rule, citing to him the words of St. Peter and of Christ; and he says openly on this word: "The kings of the Gentiles rule, but you not so!",he says plainly: "Rule is forbidden to the apostles."

But already this is mocked and rejected, from the time when rule was given to the Pope by King Constantine, 301 years after Christ. In which giving a voice was heard: "Today poison has been poured into the Church of God." They say the devil said that; but I say: whether an angel of God or the devil, he told the truth! For through that unhappy wealth, which Christ calls the mammon of unrighteousness (Luke 16), almost all Christendom has been poisoned and corrupted in soul; whence arise the quarrels among popes, among bishops, and among other priests. Dogs fight over a bone; take the bone away and they will stop. Let there be no wealth attached to the church, and you will not find a petty priest near it. Whence simony? Whence the excessive pride of priests over seculars? Whence their fornications? Surely from this poison.

But the carnal disciples of Christ,those who follow Christ to feed their belly: priests, monks, and clerks,do not want to understand this! And how many carnal ones there are who are priests only to be rich, esteemed by people, to have plenty to eat and drink, and to live in luxury! There would be good reason for all priests to live as Christ did with the apostles: that having decent clothing and enough food and drink for their needs, they should be content with that, as St. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6.

Further, the Gospel says: "And it came to pass that as He drew near to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside, begging." Here, according to the exposition of St. Gregory: Jericho means the deficiency of our flesh/humanity, to which Jesus drew near when the Son of God was incarnate, and restored to man the light which he had lost through sin. For since God humbled Himself in human flesh, He exalted man to divine things; and this man indeed, as the Gospel says, sits blind by the wayside begging; for Christ the Truth says: "I am the way."

Therefore, whoever does not know the light of eternal brightness is blind; but if he believes that Christ is the Redeemer, then he sits by the wayside. And if he believes, but still delays to pray to Christ that he may receive the eternal light, then he sits blind by the wayside, but does not yet ask to see the light; but if he believes, and sits by the wayside, and already cries out from the heart, knowing his darkness and desiring to see the light, then let him cry from the heart:

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

And note further in that word: "A certain blind man sat by the wayside begging," that spiritually four things in our misery are signified:

Blindness, where it says: "blind";

Weakness/Fainting, where it says: "sat";

Error/Wandering, where it says: "by the wayside";

Poverty, where it says: "begging."

For through sin man is weak, blind, wandering, and very poor: blind, because he does not truly know God; weak, because he does no spiritual good; wandering, because he does not walk in the commandment, which is God's way; and poor, because all that he had, he has lost. For having sinned mortally, he lost God's grace, and soul, and body, and everything he had in grace, so that, as St. Augustine says, he is not even worthy to eat bread; for being in mortal sin, he is a traitor and adversary of God, and thus is not worthy of bread or of enjoying anything. And this would be proved to the unbeliever if he died in that sin: worms would take his body, people his wealth, and devils his soul, and in hell he could enjoy nothing according to his will. The proof of this is that rich man buried in hell, who could not have even a single drop of water for his desire. Therefore, the blind man must cry out and say: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Here note that this blind man confessed that Jesus is true God and true man, saying: "Jesus," showing that He is true God; for Jesus, as the angel Gabriel explained, means "Savior." And saying: "Son of David," he confesses that He is true man. And saying: "have mercy on me," he shows His power and mercy; for if he did not hold Him to be powerful enough to heal him, and merciful enough to be willing to heal him, he would not have cried to Him so loudly, saying: "have mercy on me!"

Wherefore St. John Chrysostom says: "O man! You have not read books, being without eyes; how then did you recognize the Light of the world?" And he answers himself, saying: "Truly, the Lord enlightens the blind!"

Further, see from where this blind man received the understanding to recognize Jesus, and you will find that it was from hearing and asking; for the Gospel says: "And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant." Here is the lesson that through asking and hearing about Jesus, people come to the knowledge of faith, and thus to salvation, as St. Paul proves to the Romans in chapter 10, saying:

"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing cannot be without speaking or preaching." [Rom. 10:17, 14]

"They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by." Jesus of Nazareth, because in Nazareth He was announced and brought up. Nazareth means "flowering/blooming," and what flower blossomed more in virtue than Jesus? "And he cried out," but with his heart more than with his lips: "Jesus," that is, Savior and thus God; "Son of David," and thus man; "have mercy," showing power and mercy; "on me," who am wretched and in need of Your mercy.

"And those who went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace."

O evil people! You forbid crying to Jesus to have mercy; yet He says through David: "He shall call upon Me," that is, the needy one, "and I will hear him and honor him." These people strongly resemble the present crowd that forbids naming Jesus Christ, to whom those who often love and name Jesus Christ are an abomination. Never since Christians began was the name of Christ so rejected among Christians as now, especially by priests, who, even if they name Christ in their canonical hours, are fiercely opposed when they hear a preacher or another person naming Christ.

But the faithful Christian, disregarding that vile, seductive crowd that goes before Jesus, exalting its own statutes and commandments more than Jesus's,that Christian, I say, cries from the heart without fear all the more:

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

for there is no Scripture stating that anyone ever called upon Him like that and was not heard!

And it is a strange thing that the bishops, priests, masters, and scribes did not like to call Him Jesus, but rather: drunkard, glutton, sinner, demoniac, fool, seducer, malefactor, blasphemer, that is, heretic, as the Gospel shows. Thus they speak now to His faithful members, and so also to Him, for He Himself says: "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

"And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought to Him." By standing, by commanding, by speaking, and by deed, the merciful Jesus showed His mercy. O merciful Jesus! The blind man cannot walk after You, and You wait for him; they forbid him to call to You, and You command him to be brought! O merciful Jesus! You valued the voice of one blind man more than the voice of a great crowd! O merciful Jesus! Today a pope, an archbishop, some prelate, or a king would not stop at the cry of one blind beggar to have mercy on him and do justice for the one who cries! For Isaiah says in chapter 1: "They do not judge the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow reach them." If ever it does reach them, they first devour it or consume it in interest, so that little or nothing remains for her. Nor do they command the poor to be brought to them, but to be driven away; nor are there many to be found who would bring the needy, and especially the sinner, to Jesus.

"And when he was come near, He asked him: 'What do you want Me to do for you?'" O merciful Jesus! Graciously You waited for the blind beggar, gladly You asked him, saying: "What do you want?" Sweetly and generously You yielded to his petition, saying: "What do you want Me to do for you?"

You ask concerning his will; do You mean that You do not heal those who do not cry to You and do not desire Your love, but You heal those who cry: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me"? Therefore You ask him, not that You did not know what he wants, but because You want to be asked, so that he may lift up his heart to You, to stir him to greater desire, and to comfort him that You will hear.

And he said: "Lord, that I may receive my sight!" Notice the blind man's prayer: first he said: "Son of David!" but now he says: "Lord!" as if to say: "Insofar as You are the Son of David, You can have mercy, but You cannot enlighten the blind; but insofar as You are the Lord of all the world, being the Son of God, You can enlighten the blind." Therefore, as long as he cried: "Son of David! have mercy on me," so long he did not receive health; but when he said: "Lord!" immediately he was healed; for He is the Lord who enlightens the blind.

Therefore, the blind man, believing that He is that Lord, immediately says: "Lord, that I may see!" Here St. Gregory says:

"Behold, the blind man asks from the Lord not gold, but light; he wishes to ask for nothing except light; for whatever a blind man might possess, without light he cannot see what he has. Therefore let us imitate him, beloved brethren, of whom we hear that he was healed both in soul and in body. Not for false wealth, not for earthly gifts, not for fleeting honors from the Lord, but for light let us ask,not for light that can be confined in a place, which will end in time, which is interrupted by nights, and which is commonly seen by us sinners; but let us ask for that light which we may behold with the angels, which has neither beginning nor end, to which light faith is surely the path. For to the blind man who was to be enlightened, Jesus immediately replied: 'Receive your sight; your faith has made you whole.'"

But against the thought of the carnal man who says: "How can I seek spiritual light when I cannot see it? It is uncertain whether it exists, since it does not shine to carnal eyes",the answer to that thought is: that thought which one feels, he thinks not with the body, but through the soul; and no one doubts whether he has a soul, yet he does not see it, and from the unseen soul the visible body is governed.

Now let us hear what happened to the petitioning old man, and what he did! For the Gospel says: "And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God." He sees and follows who, understanding what is good, does it; but he sees and does not follow who, knowing what is good, does not do it. Thus far St. Gregory.

"And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God."

Likewise we, seeing this same deed of Jesus, let us follow Him in virtues, praise Him, magnify Him,if we have been blind in soul, sitting by the way, and not in the Way, who says: I am the Way! And if we have been beggars, unworthy of the bread of His holy Body and of bodily bread, let each of us cry, saying:

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

And all together let us give praise to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who is God blessed forever! Amen." - Jan Hus, QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY, Neděle na masopust, PDF pages 104-112

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, Neděle jedenáctá po svaté Trojici, Neděle jedenádctá po svaté Trojici, Evangelium XLIV

"St. Luke, Chapter 18

At that time, Jesus spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10. "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'

13. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying: 'God be merciful to me a sinner.'

14. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

[EXPOSITION]

Our gracious Savior, being humble and desiring to lead the proud to humility, presented two men as an example: one proud and the other humble, so that looking into them as into mirrors, we might beware of pride, hold fast to humility, not revile others, and confess our sins to the Lord God, asking for His mercy.

Behold, therefore Jesus spoke this parable to certain people who trusted in themselves as being righteous and despised others: "Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee [scribe/religious leader] and the other a publican [an open/manifest sinner]."

Note here that the Pharisee abandoned the very purpose for which he went into the temple: for he went to pray, yet he did not pray; secondly, he was proud; thirdly, he reviled his neighbor. Thus, he obtained nothing profitable for himself, remained in his sins, and acquired even more of them.

The publican, however:

Quietly and humbly acknowledged his guilt in sin;

Felt genuine shame;

Grieved over his sin;

Prayed briefly and well for his sins.

Therefore, he received the forgiveness of his sins and returned home justified. The Pharisee, because he exalted himself, was abased; and the publican, because he humbled himself, was exalted. And so it will happen to everyone according as they follow either the Pharisee or the publican.

For these two men provide us an example regarding prayer. The Savior says: "Two men went up into the temple to pray."

"Two": so that love toward one's neighbor might be preserved, without which prayer is not pleasing to God.

"Men": to demonstrate gentleness; for man, as Aristotle says, is a gentle and sociable creature with others. Therefore Christ says: "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart."

"Went up" (which in Latin signifies went upward): this shows that in prayer the mind must be elevated to God, for true prayer is the elevation of the mind to God; and the publican had this.

"Into the temple": because the temple or church is a place specially suited for prayer, as I wrote in the treatise On Prayer.

"To pray": not to pursue wanton courtships, nor to hear idle tales, nor to whisper uselessly or laugh, nor to seek greed and gain,which today both Pharisees and priests seek in church, many of whom would never even look into a church if they derived no physical gain from it. Such people ought to be cast out of the church, so that they do not make the house of prayer into a den of thieves. For in the house of God, as St. Augustine says, no one ought to do anything other than that for which God's house was established. And since it was established for God's praise, one ought to praise God in it through praying, contemplating God, preaching His word, hearing it, singing, or performing other holy deeds. Therefore, woe to those who seek fornication or greed in God's house, breed indiscipline, or commit other sins!

Behold, these "two went up into the temple to pray: one a Pharisee, and the other a publican." A Pharisee is one who separated or set himself apart from the community by special customs and vestments, desiring to appear holier than ordinary people; and a publican is one who openly sins,committing fornication, getting drunk, cursing wickedly, playing dice or other games for money, dancing on feast days and on other days, buying benefices or greedily accumulating many of them, proudly clothing himself on alms and squandering them while people openly see it. Likewise, it refers to one who openly pursues greed, as St. Bede says: that a publican was one who collected tolls or farmed taxes, or sought worldly profit through commerce. So says that saint. But according to both the Latin and Czech word, publicanus (an open sinner) is one who openly commits sin without shame before people.

"And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself." Know here that a person can pray well while standing, just as the publican prayed standing; yet the most suitable posture for bodily prayer, according to time and place, is kneeling or falling prostrate on one's face. In this way the prophets and other saints prayed, and especially our merciful Savior. As St. Luke says in chapter 22, kneeling down, He prayed. And St. Matthew says in chapter 26 that He fell on His face, praying and saying: "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Behold, here you have the example of your Savior, that kneeling and falling on one's face in prayer is a worthy manner; yet a person can pray worthily while standing, sitting, lying down, walking, or riding,though most devoutly while kneeling or falling on one's face.

To this must be joined other conditions:

A pure heart;

Elevation of the mind;

True utterance of the words;

Understanding what is uttered.

Therefore, I would rather recite one Our Father with understanding unto reward than many other prayers that I do not understand; and it is better to grieve over sins from the heart without words than to recite or sing fine, invented speeches. Therefore St. Gregory says: To pray rightly is to lament from the heart in the sorrow of love, not to pour forth ornate words.

Because the Pharisee lacked this sorrow, he prayed improperly; and therefore he remained in his sins, for he did not ask of God, but exalted himself, disparaged others, condemned his fellow neighbor, and returned home in sin. He ought first to have accused himself, as Scripture says: "The righteous man accuses himself at the beginning," and thus he first confesses his sin against himself, then prays for it, and finally gives thanks to God. But the Pharisee did not do this; rather, he did the reverse, beginning backwards with thanksgiving, saying: "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers."

He condemns three sins and says he does not have them:

Robbery/extortion: the unjust seizing of another's property;

Unrighteousness: whereby one wrongs his neighbor in his person;

Adultery.

In this, each of us should take instruction from the Pharisee to consider that these sins are great and to despise them; but we must not despise people, exalting ourselves above them as this Pharisee exalted himself, saying: "I am not as other men." As St. Augustine says, it is as though he said: I alone am righteous, and all others are sinners.

Know that when he says: "I am not as extortioners," he touches upon those who harm their neighbor's wealth; when he says: "unjust," he touches upon those who harm their neighbor in their person; and when he says: "adulterers," he touches upon those who violate their neighbor's wives.

Furthermore, he says: "or even as this publican." Here the commentary says: Behold, having the publican near him was an occasion for greater conceit; for pride, whether consorting with the good or the evil, always works harm. If it has a wretched person beside it, it swells up all the more; if it has a prosperous person beside it, it tortures itself with envy. But humility gains everywhere: if it has a wretched person beside it, it pities him; if it has a prosperous person, it humbles itself even more.

Know that there are four branches of pride, as St. Gregory says:

When someone possesses some good and imagines that he has it of himself;

When, although he believes it was given to him, he imagines it was given on account of his own merits;

When someone boasts of something he does not possess;

When, despising others, he seeks especially to be seen as possessing what he has above others.

The Pharisee was caught in this pride, boasting that he was righteous and good above other men. He goes on to say: "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess." Here he recounts his good works, which were not virtues because he did not perform them well, despising others; for whoever does anything while consciously holding mortal sin within himself,and thus not being in charity,does nothing well, whatever good he may do. Therefore, his fasting was not virtuous, nor was his giving of tithes. A person must take care that everything he does is done without mortal sin, and thus in charity; for St. Paul says: "Let all your things be done with charity!"

For there are two parts of righteousness: one is not to sin, and the other is to do good, as David says to everyone: "Depart from evil, and do good!" The Pharisee claimed both parts for himself: that he did not sin, and that he did good. The first part he claimed by saying: "I am not as other men." The second by saying: "I fast twice in the week." But that pride made his fasting and other deeds abominable, just as it now spoils all the deeds of many others,especially the Pharisees who boast over others through their works and ordinances. Nor will their chanting of the canonical hours help them, for Christ says in Matthew 15: "This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

Christ says further: "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying: God be merciful to me a sinner!"

Here the dear Savior praises the publican:

In fear and reverence: saying "he stood afar off," as though fearing to approach closely;

In shame: saying "he would not lift up his eyes unto heaven," being ashamed before God against whom he had sinned;

In sorrow for sin: saying "he smote upon his breast";

In confession and short prayer: because he said, "God be merciful to me a sinner!"

And without doubt, whichever sinner confesses and prays to God from such a heart, the merciful Lord God forgives him his sins.

In confirmation of this, Christ says: "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other" (that is, rather than the Pharisee).

Here St. Augustine says:

You have heard the opposing speeches of the Pharisee and the publican; now hear the sentence. You heard the proud boaster, and you heard the guilty, humble sinner; now hear the Judge: "I tell you!" Truth speaks, God speaks, the Judge speaks: "I tell you: this publican went down from the temple justified rather than the Pharisee." Ask why? Hear why: "For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." You have heard the judgment: beware of the evil cause! Again I say: Hear the judgment, beware of pride! Let those see and hear this who presumptuously rely upon their own virtue! (Thus far St. Augustine.)

Behold, we hear of two ladders in the Gospel: one is pride, by which people climb down from above; the other is humility, by which they climb up from below. On the first was the Pharisee, and on the second was the publican: the former was abased, and the latter exalted. Therefore the Savior says that "every one that exalteth himself" like that Pharisee "shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself",that is, conducts himself humbly like this publican,"shall be exalted."

And thus it is beyond doubt that whoever exalts himself in the world and in his heart is lesser before God; and whoever humbles himself in his heart and in the world, the Lord God exalts before Himself. And He will prove this when He exalts the humble on the Day of Judgment and brings down the proud, as the Virgin Mary prophesied, saying: "He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree." That is: He has done this to many now, and He will do it finally on the Day of Judgment.

May the merciful Savior grant that we do not boast nor despise our neighbors, but that we truly repent of our sins and pray humbly, so that we may enter into our home, into the heavenly kingdom, being justified,and this through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

Look at this line.

"Quietly and humbly acknowledged his guilt in sin;

Felt genuine shame;

Grieved over his sin;

Prayed briefly and well for his sins.

Therefore, he received the forgiveness of his sins and returned home justified. The Pharisee, because he exalted himself, was abased; and the publican, because he humbled himself, was exalted. And so it will happen to everyone according as they follow either the Pharisee or the publican."

He teaches you're forgiven when you PRAY, not just feeling grieved.

Robert Breaker doesn't even teach this is applicable.

"And a lot of your preachers, they're over here preaching this and they're leaving out the blood. Why aren't they over here preaching the gospel, the bloodstained gospel? So a lot of preachers, you go to church, they're going to probably get you to just repeat after them, and these are the verses that they use: Luke 18:11-14. Remember that verse, he says, "Lord be merciful to me a sinner." But that's before Jesus died on the cross. Is that how we're saved today? Do we just say, "God be merciful to me, a sinner, please save me, amen," and we go to heaven? But I bet you there's people out there that preach that, because I've heard them, and they think because they did that they're going to heaven. So they're trusting in that rather than the blood, and they're in a completely different dispensation. Notice how they always go to these Old Testament verses." - Robert Breaker, The Bloodstained Gospel as Opposed to the Bloodless Gospel FREEDOM REVIVAL #theblood #blood of Jesus, July 8, 2024, starting at 50:15.

Robert Breaker says what he's (Jan Hus) preaching doesn't even save you.

The logical conclusion of Robert Breaker's theology is that what Jan Hus was preaching that day in that church sent some Czech souls to hell, because they didn't follow the "blood" or whatever the Milton Gospel defines it as.

Yet the Publican went home justified, and Jan Hus taught it.

Jan Hus says you're grieved, you believe (obviously or it isn't a sincere prayer) and then you pray.

It should be clarified that Robert Breaker's view, that the publican's prayer is not even slightly applicable, is not orthodox in Dispensational Salvation. As Dr. Peter S. Ruckman taught the opposite. Remember that Dr. Peter S. Ruckman's 2003 Romans commentary reflects a time when he had a softened view on prayer not being a requirement for salvation. Robert Ray Breaker III of the Cloud Church then promptly hardened his view, as seen by the mission board and Dr. Peter S. Ruckman kicking him out of PBI.

"3. You have always preached a lousy 'Milton Gospel' established in your hometown, (Milton, Fla.)..." - Dr. Peter S. Ruckman to Robert Breaker in 2010, https://archive.is/1Ub0P

"At the same time, though, you can’t say it is wrong to pray to get saved. The so-called sinner’s prayer finds its origin in Luke 18:13 in a parable told by Jesus Christ. The publican who prayed that prayer went home justified (Luke 18:14). What made the prayer efficacious to the publican was the person to whom he addressed the prayer (Luke 18:11 cf. Luke 18:13), the spirit in which he prayed (humble repentance), and that for which he prayed (God’s mercy to a sinner). To that prayer Christians have added “and save me for Jesus’ sake,” fulfilling Romans 10:9–13.

If any sinner prays that prayer, or a similar one, expressing the belief he has in his heart on the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection, do you really think the Lord is going to reject an act of faith in Jesus Christ, expressed through prayer, after He said, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37)?

Now, if prayer is a form of calling upon the name of the Lord (and it certainly is), then if a man confesses his faith in Jesus Christ to God in prayer then he is saved. He might not have to do it just that way, but if he does he isn’t working his way to heaven. After all, it isn’t his prayer that saves him anyway; it is Jesus Christ that saves him. But Jesus Christ saves the sinner when he places his faith in Him, and the same Lord who told the sinner to believe also told him to confess Him with the mouth and call upon His name. You can do both in prayer (Rom. 10:13)." - Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, Romans Commentary (The Bible Believers Commentary Series), Chapter 10

"Verses 24 and 25 are self-explanatory and teach that great contradictory principle of truth reiterated in 10:38–39. You get it by losing it, you lose it by getting it, you go up by getting down, and you go down by getting up (Luke 18:14). If a man comes to Jesus (and there is no other way but to number yourself among the transgressors, my friend!), he will wind up at a bloody cross. There he can accept Christ and die with Him (Rom. 6:2–11), or he can about-face and go back to Vanity Fair in the valley of destruction, to wine-and-dine until the unsheeted wrath of God cuts him down like Belshazzar. Do you want to live? Come to Christ (John 10:10) and die. Do you want to die? Leave Christ out of your life and go on “living it up.”" - Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, The Gospel of Matthew (The Bible Believer's Commentary Series), Chapter 16

Later, in 2013, Dr. Ruckman went back to his view that he originally held in the 1990s.

"“Saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” This is the source of the so-called “sinner’s prayer.” Since it is an Old Testament prayer before the Crucifixion, Christians add: “and save me for Jesus’ sake.” This brings up the question of whether it is necessary to pray to be saved. There is a movement among Bible-believing Christians today that says if you pray to receive Christ, that is a work, and you aren’t saved by works (Eph. 2:8–9; Tit. 3:5). The logical conclusion to such an argument is that if you prayed to get saved, that you are lost and need to be saved (again!). It is the Baptist version of the Brownsville Revival retreaders. It’s propagated by pastors who aren’t seeing many people saved in their churches, so they turn on their congregations and try to reconvert them. In one of these churches over in Milton, the associate pastor (who was the son of the pastor) professed to have gotten saved seven times. That was six times past the first time when he prayed to be saved. And you are going to trust a man with no more assurance or stability than that to lead you to Christ? Now is prayer necessary for salvation? [do not take this out of context, Dr. Peter S. Ruckman later says that the mouth is required for salvation] No. You can say a prayer and be no more saved than the Pharisee was when he prayed. The touchstone of the Gospel is not Acts 16:31 or Romans 10:13. It is John 1:12. “But as many as RECEIVED HIM, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Did you know you can believe on Jesus Christ and still die lost and go to Hell? Simon the sorcerer did; look up Acts 8:13 and READ IT! You can even call on the name of the Lord and be lost. Those exorcists in Acts 19:13–15 did. But you can’t receive Jesus Christ and the free gift of God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:15–18) and not be saved. You can believe without receiving, but you can’t receive without believing. The question is not can you be saved by praying, because the Scriptures say you can: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). That calling involves the mouth (Rom. 10:9–10). You are confessing Jesus Christ with your mouth and believing on Him with your heart. The prayer is expressing the faith of the sinner in Jesus Christ to save him. So the real question is what are you doing when you say the sinner’s prayer? If you are repeating it as a ritual (like they do in Russia and the Ukraine due to the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church), that’s not salvation. If you are relying on the prayer itself to save you, that’s not salvation. But if the sinner prays to receive Christ and express his faith in what Jesus Christ did for him, that will do it. Here’s a sinner who comes to Jesus Christ in sincerity and faith, and prays, “Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and if you don’t do something for me, I’m headed for Hell. I’ve been told that your Son the Lord Jesus Christ can save me, so I’m going to trust Him right now. I believe He died on the cross to take away my sins and rose again to take me to Heaven. Right now I receive Him the best way I know how. Please save me, Lord Jesus, and help me to know I’m saved.” Do you think the Lord is going to tell that sinner, “No, I can’t save you because you just prayed and prayer is a work”? Do you really think the Lord is going to turn down a sinner who comes to Him like that after He said, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37)? From a practical standpoint, it is good for a sinner to pray when he gets saved because it can reinforce the believer’s assurance. The prayer gives him a tangible time to which he can point and say, “That’s the time and place when I trusted Jesus Christ as my Saviour.”" - Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, Gospel of Luke Commentary (The Bible Believer's Commentary Series), Chapter 18 2013.

Source

https://archive.org/details/postilla00husj