John Wycliffe.
Before the Reformation there were at times but very few copies of the
Bible in existence; but God had not suffered his Word to be wholly
destroyed. Its truths were not to be forever hidden. He could as easily
unchain the words of life as he could open prison doors and unbolt iron
gates to set his servants free. In the different countries of Europe, men
were moved by the Spirit of God to search for the truth as for hid
treasures. Providentially guided to the Holy Scriptures, they studied the
sacred pages with intense interest. They were willing to accept the light,
at any cost to themselves. Though they did not see all things clearly,
they
were enabled to perceive many long-buried truths. As Heaven-sent
messengers
they went forth, rending asunder the chains of error and superstition, and
calling upon those who had been so long enslaved to arise and assert their
liberty. {GC88 79.1}
Except among the Waldenses, the Word of God had for ages been locked
up
in languages known only to the learned; but the time had come for the
Scriptures to be translated, and given to the people of different lands in
their native tongue. The world had passed its midnight. The hours of
darkness were wearing away, and in many lands appeared tokens of the
coming
dawn. {GC88 79.2}
In the fourteenth century arose in England the "morning-star of the
Reformation." John Wycliffe was the herald of reform, not for England
alone,
but for all Christendom. The great protest against Rome which it was
permitted him to utter, was never to be silenced. That protest opened the
80
struggle which was to result in the emancipation of individuals, of
churches, and of nations. {GC88 79.3}
Wycliffe received a liberal education, and with him the fear of the
Lord was the beginning of wisdom. He was noted at college for his fervent
piety as well as for his remarkable talents and sound scholar****p. In his
thirst for knowledge he sought to become acquainted with every branch of
learning. He was educated in the scholastic philosophy, in the canons of
the
church, and in the civil law, especially that of his own country. In his
after-labors the value of this early training was apparent. A thorough
acquaintance with the speculative philosophy of his time enabled him to
expose its errors; and by his study of national and ecclesiastical law he
was prepared to engage in the great struggle for civil and religious
liberty. While he could wield the weapons drawn from the Word of God, he
had
acquired the intellectual discipline of the schools, and he understood the
tactics of the schoolmen. The power of his genius and the extent and
thoroughness of his knowledge commanded the respect of both friends and
foes. His adherents saw with satisfaction that their champion stood
foremost
among the leading minds of the nation; and his enemies were prevented from
casting contempt upon the cause of reform by exposing the ignorance or
weakness of its sup****ter. {GC88 80.1}
While Wycliffe was still at college, he entered upon the study of the
Scriptures. In those early times, when the Bible existed only in the
ancient
languages, scholars were enabled to find their way to the fountain of
truth,
which was closed to the uneducated classes. Thus already the way had been
prepared for Wycliffe's future work as a reformer. Men of learning had
studied the Word of God, and had found the great truth of his free grace
there revealed. In their teachings they had spread a knowledge of this
truth, and had led others to turn to the Living Oracles. {GC88 80.2}
When Wycliffe's attention was directed to the Scriptures,
81
he entered upon their investigation with the same thoroughness which had
enabled him to master the learning of the schools. Heretofore he had felt
a
great want, which neither his scholastic studies nor the teaching of the
church could satisfy. In the Word of God he found that which he had before
sought in vain. Here he saw the plan of salvation revealed, and Christ set
forth as the only advocate for man. He gave himself to the service of
Christ, and determined to proclaim the truths he had discovered. {GC88
80.3}
Like after-reformers, Wycliffe did not, at the opening of his work,
foresee whither it would lead him. He did not set himself deliberately in
opposition to Rome. But devotion to truth could not but bring him in
conflict with falsehood. The more clearly he discerned the errors of the
papacy, the more earnestly he presented the teaching of the Bible. He saw
that Rome had forsaken the Word of God for human tradition; he fearlessly
accused the priesthood of having banished the Scriptures, and demanded
that
the Bible be restored to the people, and that its authority be again
established in the church. He was an able and earnest teacher, and an
eloquent preacher, and his daily life was a demonstration of the truths he
preached. His knowledge of the Scriptures, the force of his reasoning, the
purity of his life, and his unbending courage and integrity, won for him
general esteem and confidence. Many of the people had become dissatisfied
with their former faith, as they saw the iniquity that prevailed in the
Roman Church, and they hailed with unconcealed joy the truths brought to
view by Wycliffe; but the papist leaders were filled with rage when they
perceived that this reformer was gaining an influence greater than their
own. {GC88 81.1}
Wycliffe was a keen detector of error, and he struck fearlessly
against
many of the abuses sanctioned by the authority of Rome. While acting as
chaplain for the king, he took a bold stand against the payment of tribute
claimed by the pope from the English monarch, and showed that the papal
82
assumption of authority over secular rulers was contrary to both reason
and
revelation. The demands of the pope had excited great indignation, and
Wycliffe's teachings exerted an influence upon the leading minds of the
nation. The king and the nobles united in denying the pontiff's claim to
tem****al authority, and in refusing the payment of the tribute. Thus an
effectual blow was struck against the papal supremacy in England. {GC88
81.2}
Another evil against which the reformer waged long and resolute
battle,
was the institution of the orders of mendicant friars. These friars
swarmed
in England, casting a blight upon the greatness and prosperity of the
nation. Industry, education, morals, all felt the withering influence. The
monks' life of idleness and beggary was not only a heavy drain upon the
resources of the people, but it brought useful labor into contempt. The
youth were demoralized and corrupted. By the influence of the friars many
were induced to enter a cloister and devote themselves to a monastic life,
and this not only without the consent of their parents, but even without
their knowledge, and contrary to their commands. One of the early fathers
of
the Romish Church, urging the claims of monasticism above the obligations
of
filial love and duty, had declared: "Though thy father should lie before
thy
door, weeping and lamenting, and thy mother should show thee the body that
bare thee and the breasts that nursed thee, see that thou trample them
under
foot, and go onward straightway to Christ." "By this monstrous
inhumanity,"
as Luther afterward styled it, "savoring more of the wolf and the tyrant
than of the Christian and the man," were the hearts of children steeled
against their parents. Thus did the papal leaders, like the Pharisees of
old, make the commandment of God of none effect by their tradition. Thus
homes were made desolate, and parents were deprived of the society of
their
sons and daughters. {GC88 82.1}
Even the students in the universities were deceived by the false
representations of the monks, and induced to join
83
their orders. Many afterward repented this step, seeing that they had
blighted their own lives, and had brought sorrow upon their parents; but
once fast in the snare, it was impossible for them to obtain their
freedom.
Many parents, fearing the influence of the monks, refused to send their
sons
to the universities. There was a marked falling off in the number of
students in attendance at the great centers of learning. The schools
languished, and ignorance prevailed. {GC88 82.2}
The pope had bestowed on these monks the power to hear confessions
and
to grant pardon. This became a source of great evil. Bent on enhancing
their
gains, the friars were so ready to grant absolution that criminals of all
descriptions resorted to them, and as a result, the worst vices rapidly
increased. The sick and the poor were left to suffer, while the gifts that
should have relieved their wants went to the monks, who with threats
demanded the alms of the people, denouncing the impiety of those who
should
withhold gifts from their orders. Notwithstanding their profession of
poverty, the wealth of the friars was constantly increasing, and their
magnificent edifices and luxurious tables made more apparent the growing
poverty of the nation. And while spending their time in luxury and
pleasure,
they sent out in their stead ignorant men, who could only recount
marvelous
tales, legends, and jests to amuse the people, and make them still more
completely the dupes of the monks. Yet the friars continued to maintain
their hold on the superstitious multitudes, and led them to believe that
all
religious duty was comprised in acknowledging the supremacy of the pope,
adoring the saints, and making gifts to the monks, and that this was
sufficient to secure them a place in Heaven. {GC88 83.1}
Men of learning and piety had labored in vain to bring about a reform
in these monastic orders; but Wycliffe, with clearer insight, struck at
the
root of the evil, declaring that the system itself was false, and that it
should be abolished. Discussion and inquiry were awakening. As the monks
traversed the country, vending the pope's pardons,
84
many were led to doubt the possibility of purchasing forgiveness with
money,
and they questioned whether they should not seek pardon from God rather
than
from the pontiff of Rome. Not a few were alarmed at the rapacity of the
friars, whose greed seemed never to be satisfied. "The monks and priests
of
Rome," said they, "are eating us away like a cancer. God must deliver us,
or
the people will perish." To cover their avarice, these begging monks
claimed
that they were following the Saviour's example, declaring that Jesus and
his
disciples had been sup****ted by the charities of the people. This claim
resulted in injury to their cause, for it led many to the Bible to learn
the
truth for themselves, --a result which of all others was least desired by
Rome. The minds of men were directed to the Source of truth, which it was
her object to conceal. {GC88 83.2}
Wycliffe began to write and publish tracts against the friars, not,
however, seeking so much to enter into dispute with them as to call the
minds of the people to the teachings of the Bible and its Author. He
declared that the power of pardon or of excommunication is possessed by
the
pope in no greater degree than by common priests, and that no man can be
truly excommunicated unless he has first brought upon himself the
condemnation of God. In no more effectual way could he have undertaken the
overthrow of that mammoth fabric of spiritual and tem****al dominion which
the pope had erected, and in which the souls and bodies of millions were
held captive. {GC88 84.1}
Again Wycliffe was called to defend the rights of the English crown
against the encroachments of Rome; and being appointed a royal ambassador,
he spent two years in the Netherlands, in conference with the
commissioners
of the pope. Here he was brought into communication with ecclesiastics
from
France, Italy, and Spain, and he had an op****tunity to look behind the
scenes, and gain a knowledge of many things which would have remained
hidden
from him in England. He learned much that was to give point to
85
his after-labors. In these representatives from the papal court he read
the
true character and aims of the hierarchy. He returned to England to repeat
his former teachings more openly and with greater zeal, declaring that
covetousness, pride, and deception were the gods of Rome. {GC88 84.2}
In one of his tracts he said, speaking of the pope and his
collectors:
"They draw out of our land poor men's livelihood, and many thousand marks
by
the year, of the king's money, for sacraments and spiritual things, that
is
cursed heresy of simony, and maketh all Christendom assert and maintain
his
heresy. And certes though our realm had a huge hill of gold, and never
other
man took thereof but only this proud, worldly priest's collector, by
process
of time this hill must be spended; for he taketh ever money out of our
land,
and sendeth naught again but God's curse for his simony." {GC88 85.1}
Soon after his return to England, Wycliffe received from the king the
appointment to the rectory of Lutterworth. This was an assurance that the
monarch at least had not been displeased by his plain speaking. Wycliffe's
influence was felt in shaping the action of the court, as well as in
moulding the belief of the nation. {GC88 85.2}
The papal thunders were soon hurled against him. Three bulls were
dispatched to England,--to the university, to the king, and to the
prelates,--all commanding immediate and decisive measures to silence the
teacher of heresy. Before the arrival of the bulls, however, the bishops,
in
their zeal, had summoned Wycliffe before them for trial. But two of the
most
powerful princes in the kingdom accompanied him to the tribunal; and the
people, surrounding the building and ru****ng in, so intimidated the judges
that the proceedings were for the time suspended, and he was allowed to go
his way in peace. A little later, Edward III., whom in his old age the
prelates were seeking to influence against the reformer, died, and
Wycliffe's former protector became regent of the kingdom.
86
{GC88 85.3}
But the arrival of the papal bulls laid upon all England a peremptory
command for the arrest and imprisonment of the heretic. These measures
pointed directly to the stake. It appeared certain that Wycliffe must soon
fall a prey to the vengeance of Rome. But He who declared to one of old,
"Fear not; I am thy ****eld," [GEN. 15:1.] again stretched out his hand to
protect his servant. Death came, not to the reformer, but to the pontiff
who
had decreed his destruction. Gregory XI. died, and the ecclesiastics who
had
assembled for Wycliffe's trial, dispersed. {GC88 86.1}
God's providence still further overruled events to give op****tunity
for
the growth of the Reformation. The death of Gregory was followed by the
election of two rival popes. Two conflicting powers, each professedly
infallible, now claimed obedience. Each called upon the faithful to assist
him in making war upon the other, enforcing his demands by terrible
anathemas against his adversaries, and promises of rewards in Heaven to
his
sup****ters. This occurrence greatly weakened the power of the papacy. The
rival factions had all they could do to attack each other, and Wycliffe
for
a time had rest. Anathemas and recriminations were flying from pope to
pope,
and torrents of blood were poured out to sup****t their conflicting claims.
Crimes and scandals flooded the church. Meanwhile the reformer, in the
quiet
retirement of his parish of Lutterworth, was laboring diligently to point
men from the contending popes to Jesus, the Prince of peace. {GC88 86.2}
The schism, with all the strife and corruption which it caused,
prepared the way for the Reformation, by enabling the people to see what
the
papacy really was. In a tract which he published, "On the Schism of the
Popes," Wycliffe called upon the people to consider whether these two
priests were not speaking the truth in condemning each other as the
antichrist. "The fiend," said he, "no longer reigns in one but in two
priests, that men may the more easily, in Christ's name, overcome them
both."
87
{GC88 86.3}
Wycliffe, like his Master, preached the gospel to the poor. Not
content
with spreading the light in their humble homes in his own parish of
Lutterworth, he determined that it should be carried to every part of
England. To accomplish this he organized a body of preachers, simple,
devout
men, who loved the truth and desired nothing so much as to extend it.
These
men went everywhere, teaching in the market-places, in the streets of the
great cities, and in the country lanes. They sought out the aged, the
sick,
and the poor, and opened to them the glad tidings of the grace of God.
{GC88
87.1}
As a professor of theology at Oxford, Wycliffe preached the Word of
God
in the halls of the university. So faithfully did he present the truth to
the students under his instruction, that he received the title of "The
Gospel Doctor." But the greatest work of his life was to be the
translation
of the Scriptures into the English language. In a work on "The Truth and
Meaning of Scripture," he expressed his intention to translate the Bible,
so
that every man in England might read, in the language in which he was
born,
the wonderful works of God. {GC88 87.2}
But suddenly his labors were stopped. Though not yet sixty years of
age, unceasing toil, study, and the assaults of his enemies, had told upon
his strength, and made him prematurely old. He was attacked by a dangerous
illness. The tidings brought great joy to the friars. Now they thought he
would bitterly repent the evil he had done the church, and they hurried to
his chamber to listen to his confession. Representatives from the four
religious orders, with four civil officers, gathered about the supposed
dying man. "You have death on your lips," they said; "be touched by your
faults, and retract in our presence all you have said to our injury." The
reformer listened in silence; then he bade his attendant raise him in his
bed, and gazing steadily upon them as they stood waiting for his
recantation, he said, in the firm, strong voice which had so often caused
them to tremble, "I shall
88
not die, but live, and declare the evil deeds of the friars." Astonished
and
abashed, the monks hurried from the room. {GC88 87.3}
Wycliffe's words were fulfilled. He lived to place in the hands of
his
countrymen the most powerful of all weapons against Rome; to give them the
Bible, the Heaven-appointed agent to liberate, enlighten, and evangelize
the
people. There were many and great obstacles to surmount in the
accomplishment of this work. Wycliffe was weighed down with infirmities,
he
knew that only a few years for labor remained for him, he saw the
opposition
which he must meet; but, encouraged by the promises of God's Word, he went
forward nothing daunted. In the full vigor of his intellectual powers,
rich
in experience, he had been preserved and prepared by God's special
providence for this, the greatest of his labors. While all Christendom was
filled with tumult, the reformer, in his rectory at Lutterworth, unheeding
the storm that raged without, applied himself to his chosen task. {GC88
88.1}
At last the work was completed,--the first English translation of the
Bible ever made. The Word of God was opened to England. The reformer
feared
not now the prison or the stake. He had placed in the hands of the English
people a light which should never be extinguished. In giving the Bible to
his countrymen, he had done more to break the fetters of ignorance and
vice,
more to liberate and elevate his country, than was ever achieved by the
most
brilliant victories on fields of battle. {GC88 88.2}
The art of printing being still unknown, it was only by slow and
wearisome labor that copies of the Bible could be multiplied. So great was
the interest to obtain the book, that many willingly engaged in the work
of
transcribing it, but it was with difficulty that the copyists could supply
the demand. Some of the more wealthy purchasers desired the whole Bible.
Others bought only a ****tion. In many cases, several families united to
purchase a copy. Thus Wycliffe's Bible soon found its way to the homes of
the people. {GC88 88.3}
The appeal to men's reason aroused them from their
89
passive submission to papal dogmas. Wycliffe now taught the distinctive
doctrines of Protestantism,--salvation through faith in Christ, and the
sole
infallibility of the Scriptures. The preachers whom he had sent out
circulated the Bible, together with the reformer's writings, and with such
success that the new faith was accepted by nearly one-half of the people
of
England. {GC88 88.4}
The appearance of the Scriptures brought dismay to the authorities of
the church. They had now to meet an agency more powerful than
Wycliffe,--an
agency against which their weapons would avail little. There was at this
time no law in England prohibiting the Bible, for it had never before been
published in the language of the people. Such laws were afterward enacted
and rigorously enforced. Meanwhile, notwithstanding the efforts of the
priest, there was for a season op****tunity for the circulation of the Word
of God. {GC88 89.1}
Again the papist leaders plotted to silence the reformer's voice.
Before three tribunals he was successively summoned for trial, but without
avail. First a synod of bishops declared his writings heretical, and,
winning the young king, Richard II., to their side, they obtained a royal
decree consigning to prison all who should hold the condemned doctrines.
{GC88 89.2}
Wycliffe appealed from the synod to Parliament; he fearlessly
arraigned
the hierarchy before the national council, and demanded a reform of the
enormous abuses sanctioned by the church. With convincing power he
****trayed
the usurpations and corruptions of the papal see. His enemies were brought
to confusion. The friends and sup****ters of Wycliffe had been forced to
yield, and it had been confidently expected that the reformer himself, in
his old age, alone and friendless, would bow to the combined authority of
the crown and the mitre. But instead of this the papists saw themselves
defeated. Parliament, roused by the stirring appeals of Wycliffe, repealed
the persecuting edict, and the reformer was again at liberty.
90
{GC88 89.3}
A third time he was brought to trial, and now before the highest
ecclesiastical tribunal in the kingdom. Here no favor would be shown to
heresy. Here at last Rome would triumph, and the reformer's work would be
stopped. So thought the papists. If they could but accomplish their
purpose,
Wycliffe would be forced to abjure his doctrines, or would leave the court
only for the flames. {GC88 90.1}
But Wycliffe did not retract; he would not dissemble. He fearlessly
maintained his teachings, and repelled the accusations of his persecutors.
Losing sight of himself, of his position, of the occasion, he summoned his
hearers before the divine tribunal, and weighed their sophistries and
deceptions in the balances of eternal truth. The power of the Holy Spirit
was felt in the council room. A spell from God was upon the hearers. They
seemed to have no power to leave the place. As arrows from the Lord's
quiver, the reformer's words pierced their hearts. The charge of heresy,
which they had brought against him, he with convincing power threw back
upon
themselves. Why, he demanded, did they dare to spread their errors?--For
the
sake of gain, to make merchandise of the grace of God. {GC88 90.2}
"With whom, think you," he finally said, "are you contending? With an
old man on the brink of the grave?--No! with truth,--truth which is
stronger
than you, and will overcome you." So saying, he withdrew from the
assembly,
and not one of his adversaries attempted to prevent him. {GC88 90.3}
Wycliffe's work was almost done, the banner of truth which he had so
long borne was soon to fall from his hand; but once more he was to bear
witness for the gospel. The truth was to be proclaimed from the very
stronghold of the kingdom of error. Wycliffe was summoned for trial before
the papal tribunal at Rome, which had so often shed the blood of the
saints.
He was not blind to the danger that threatened him, yet he would have
obeyed
the summons, had not a shock of palsy made it impossible for him to
perform
the journey. But though his voice was not to be heard at Rome, he could
speak by letter, and this he determined to do.
91
{GC88 90.4}
From his rectory the reformer wrote to the pope a letter, which,
while
respectful in tone and Christian in spirit, was a keen rebuke to the pomp
and pride of the papal see. "Verily I do rejoice," he said, "to open and
declare unto every man the faith which I do hold, and specially unto the
bishop of Rome; the which forasmuch as I do suppose to be sound and true,
he
will most willingly confirm my said faith, or if it be erroneous, amend
the
same. First, I believe that the gospel of Christ is the whole body of
God's
law. . . . I do give and hold the bishop of Rome, forasmuch as he be the
vicar of Christ here on earth, to be bound most of all men unto that law
of
the gospel. For the greatness among Christ's disciples did not consist in
worldly dignity or honors, but in the near and exact following of Christ
in
his life and manners. . . . Christ for the time of his pilgrimage here was
a
most poor man, abjecting and casting off all worldly rule and honor. {GC88
91.1}
"No faithful man ought to follow either the pope himself, or any of
the
holy men, but in such points as he hath followed the Lord Jesus Christ.
For
Peter and the sons of Zebedee, by desiring worldly honor, contrary to the
following of Christ's steps, did offend, and therefore in those errors
they
are not to be followed. {GC88 91.2}
"The pope ought to leave unto the secular power all tem****al dominion
and rule, and thereunto effectually move and exhort his whole clergy; for
so
did Christ, and especially by his apostles. {GC88 91.3}
"If I have erred in any of these points, I will most humbly submit
myself unto correction even by death, if necessity so require. If I could
labor according to my will and desire in mine own person, I would surely
present myself before the bishop of Rome. But the Lord hath otherwise
visited me to the contrary, and hath taught me to obey God rather than
men."
{GC88 91.4}
In closing he said: "Let us pray unto our God, that he will so stir
up
our pope, Urban the Sixth, as he began, that
92
he with his clergy may follow the Lord Jesus Christ in life and manners,
and
that they may teach the people effectually, and that they likewise may
faithfully follow them in the same." {GC88 91.5}
Thus Wycliffe presented to the pope and his cardinals the meekness
and
humility of Christ, exhibiting not only to themselves but to all
Christendom
the contrast between them and the Master whose representatives they
professed to be. {GC88 92.1}
Wycliffe fully expected that his life would be the price of his
fidelity. The king, the pope, and the bishops were united to accomplish
his
ruin, and it seemed certain that a few months at most would bring him to
the
stake. But his courage was unshaken. "Why do you talk of seeking the crown
of martyrdom afar?" he said. "Preach the gospel of Christ to haughty
prelates, and martyrdom will not fail you. What! I should live and be
silent? . . . Never! Let the blow fall. I await its coming." {GC88 92.2}
But God's providence still ****elded his servant. The man who for a
whole lifetime had stood boldly in defense of the truth, in daily peril of
his life, was not to fall a victim to the hatred of its foes. Wycliffe had
never sought to ****eld himself, but the Lord had been his protector; and
now, when his enemies felt sure of their prey, God's hand removed him
beyond
their reach. In his church at Lutterworth, as he was about to dispense the
communion, he fell stricken with palsy, and in a short time yielded up his
life. {GC88 92.3}
God had appointed to Wycliffe his work. He had put the word of truth
in
his mouth, and he set a guard about him that this word might come to the
people. His life was protected, and his labors prolonged, until a
foundation
was laid for the great work of the Reformation. {GC88 92.4}
Wycliffe came from the obscurity of the Dark Ages. There were none
who
went before him from whose work he could shape his system of reform.
Raised
up like John the Baptist to accomplish a special mission, he was the
herald
of a new era. Yet in the system of truth which he presented
93
there was a unity and completeness which reformers who followed him did
not
exceed, and which some did not reach, even a hundred years later. So broad
and deep was laid the foundation, so firm and true was the framework, that
it needed not to be reconstructed by those who came after him. {GC88 92.5}
The great movement which Wycliffe inaugurated, which was to liberate
the conscience and the intellect, and set free the nations so long bound
to
the triumphal car of Rome, had its spring in the Bible. Here was the
source
of that stream of blessing, which, like the water of life, has flowed down
the ages since the fourteenth century. Wycliffe accepted the Holy
Scriptures
with implicit faith as the inspired revelation of God's will, a sufficient
rule of faith and practice. He had been educated to regard the Church of
Rome as the divine, infallible authority, and to accept with unquestioning
reverence the established teachings and customs of a thousand years; but
he
turned away from all these to listen to God's holy Word. This was the
authority which he urged the people to acknowledge. Instead of the church
speaking through the pope, he declared the only true authority to be the
voice of God speaking through his Word. And he taught not only that the
Bible is a perfect revelation of God's will, but that the Holy Spirit is
its
only interpreter, and that every man is, by the study of its teachings, to
learn his duty for himself. Thus he turned the minds of men from the pope
and the Church of Rome to the Word of God. {GC88 93.1}
Wycliffe was one of the greatest of the reformers. In breadth of
intellect, in clearness of thought, in firmness to maintain the truth, and
boldness to defend it, he was equaled by few who came after him. Purity of
life, unwearying diligence in study and in labor, incorruptible integrity,
and Christ-like love and faithfulness in his ministry, characterized the
first of the reformers. And this notwithstanding the intellectual darkness
and moral corruption of the age from which he emerged. {GC88 93.2}
The character of Wycliffe is a testimony to the educating,
94
transforming power of the Holy Scriptures. It was the Bible that made him
what he was. The effort to grasp the great truths of revelation imparts
freshness and vigor to all the faculties. It expands the mind, sharpens
the
perceptions, and ripens the judgment. The study of the Bible will ennoble
every thought, feeling, and aspiration as no other study can. It gives
stability of purpose, patience, courage, and fortitude; it refines the
character, and sanctifies the soul. An earnest, reverent study of the
Scriptures--bringing the mind of the student in direct contact with the
infinite mind --would give to the world men of stronger and more active
intellect, as well as of nobler principle, than has ever resulted from the
ablest training that human philosophy affords. "The entrance of Thy
words,"
says the psalmist, "giveth light; it giveth understanding." [PS. 119:130.]
{GC88 93.3}
The doctrines which had been taught by Wycliffe continued for a time
to
spread; his followers, known as Wycliffites and Lollards, not only
traversed
England, but scattered to other lands, carrying the knowledge of the
gospel.
Now that their leader was removed, the preachers labored with even greater
zeal than before, and multitudes flocked to listen to their teachings.
Some
of the nobility, and even the wife of the king, were among the converts.
In
many places there was a marked reform in the manners of the people, and
the
idolatrous symbols of Romanism were removed from the churches. But soon
the
pitiless storm of persecution burst upon those who had dared to accept the
Bible as their guide. The English monarchs, eager to strengthen their
power
by securing the sup****t of Rome, did not hesitate to sacrifice the
reformers. For the first time in the history of England, the stake was
decreed against the disciples of the gospel. Martyrdom succeeded
martyrdom.
The advocates of truth, proscribed and tortured, could only pour their
cries
into the ear of the Lord of Sabaoth. Hunted as foes of the church and
traitors to the realm, they continued
95
to preach in secret places, finding shelter as best they could in the
humble
homes of the poor, and often hiding away even in dens and caves. {GC88
94.1}
Notwithstanding the rage of persecution, a calm, devout, earnest,
patient protest against the prevailing corruption of religious faith
continued for centuries to be uttered. The Christians of that early time
had
only a partial knowledge of the truth, but they had learned to love and
obey
God's Word, and they patiently suffered for its sake. Like the disciples
in
apostolic days, many sacrificed their worldly possessions for the cause of
Christ. Those who were permitted to dwell in their homes, gladly sheltered
their banished brethren, and when they too were driven forth, they
cheerfully accepted the lot of the outcast. Thousands, it is true,
terrified
by the fury of their persecutors, purchased their freedom at the sacrifice
of their faith, and went out of their prisons, clothed in penitents'
robes,
to publish their recantation. But the number was not small--and among them
were men of noble birth as well as the humble and lowly--who bore fearless
testimony to the truth in dungeon cells, in "Lollard towers," and in the
midst of torture and flame, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to
know
"the fellow****p of His sufferings." {GC88 95.1}
The papists had failed to work their will with Wycliffe during his
life, and their hatred could not be satisfied while his body rested
quietly
in the grave. By the decree of the Council of Constance, more than forty
years after his death his bones were exhumed and publicly burned, and the
ashes were thrown into a neighboring brook. "The brook," says an old
writer,
"did convey his ashes into Avon, Avon into Severn, Severn into the narrow
seas, and they into the main ocean; and thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the
emblem of his doctrine, which now is dispersed all the world over." Little
did his enemies realize the significance of their malicious act. {GC88
95.2}
It was through the writings of Wycliffe that John Huss,
96
of Bohemia, was led to renounce many of the errors of Romanism, and to
enter
upon the work of reform. Thus in these two countries, so widely separated,
the seed of truth was sown. From Bohemia the work extended to other lands.
The minds of men were directed to the long-forgotten Word of God. A divine
hand was preparing the way for the Great Reformation. {GC88 95.3}
|
