I. He ORKSHIRE, whence so many men of eminence, both in the Church and in the State, have sprung, claims John de Wycliffe as one of her sons. was eminently fitted by his extensive learning, great piety, and dauntless character for the work of a reformer; and he was born in an age of terrible corruption, which greatly needed such a man to protest against the errors and arrogance of the apostate Church of Rome. He was educated at Merton College, Oxford, where he attended the lectures of Bradwardine, called the Profound Doctor on account of his great attainments, by whom he was instructed in the doctrine of salvation by faith as it is taught in the Holy Scriptures. In the year 1348 a fearful pestilence visited England, and carried off a large number of the inhabitants. Wycliffe was greatly alarmed, and in his fear fled to God as his refuge and strength, and found Him to be a very present help in trouble. He sought the Lord by prayer and in His Word, and found Him to the joy of his soul. Some time after this, when his official position required him to lecture on divinity, he set forth the doctrine of justification by faith, and thus hoisted at that early date the banner of the blessed Reformation. He also charged the clergy with subordinating the Word of God to the voice of the Church, and demanded that the Scriptures should be regarded as the supreme authority in all matters of faith. At this time the popes claimed universal supremacy, and regarded all Christian monarchs as their vassals. The canon law was superior to the laws of the realm, and the Pontiff in all spiritual matters had the pre-eminence. Edward III. disputed the authority of the Pope, and for refusing to pay the customary yearly tribute was cited to Avignon. A conference was held on the subject at Bruges, and Wycliffe was appointed a commisɛioner to attend its sittings. A compromise was arranged, which temporarily set the question at rest, and the King and 'His Holiness' were reconciled. After his return, Wycliffe was presented by the King to the rectory of Lutterworth, in Leicestershire. Here from the pulpit of the parish church he preached the doctrines of the glorious Gospel, and struck the key-note of the Reformation. That pulpit still remains in an excellent state of preservation: it is of oak, and richly carved. On a visit to the church, we stood in the pulpit, and after expressing a wish that it might never become the medium of teaching any other doctrines than those of Wycliffe and the Reformation, our good cicerone related to us the following incident: 'Not long ago, Sir,' he said, ‘a gentleman stood where you do now, and I asked him if he would not like to preach in Wycliffe's pulpit; but he said, "No; I thank God I am a Roman Catholic priest! One wonders what interest such a person could find in visiting the place whence went forth the earliest rays of that light which, when it increased to 'the perfect day,' struck Popery in this country blind with its brightness. Wycliffe was charged with heresy, and summoned to appear before Convocation at St. Paul's Cathedral. The sacred edifice was filled with a fanatical crowd when the Reformer entered, preceded by Lord Percy, Marshal of England, and supported by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, his patron, who encouraged him to maintain his profession of faith and not to fear his accusers. When Wycliffe had with some difficulty made his way through the opposing mass, Lord Percy bade him be seated, at which Courtenay, Bishop of London, who was appointed to conduct the proceedings, burst into a rage, and called out, 'He must not sit down; criminals stand before their judges.' This led to an altercation between the noblemen and the haughty prelate, which resulted in the disorderly breaking up of the assembly. The spirit of riot broke loose, and the following day a mob, excited by the clergy, gathered, broke into the palace of the Savoy, where they supposed Percy had secreted himself; but not finding the object of their revenge, they tore down the ducal arms, and hung them on the gallows, like those of a traitor. When they had so far spent their wrath, they were restrained from committing further mischief by the Bishop solemnly reminding them that it was Lent. Poor Wycliffe was dismissed for the present, but his foes did not leave him long in peace. They prepared nineteen propositions against him, which were forwarded to Rome. The Pope, Gregory XI., addressed three briefs against the troublesome heretic, and he was denounced by the University of Oxford and the primate of all England. Again was he summoned before the ecclesiastical authorities; but Providence interposed on his behalf, for just as the court was about to enter upon the trial, it was dissolved by order of the Crown, on the ground that the Pope's bulls ought to have no effect in this country, excepting by the permission of the Sovereign. Wycliffe was once more set at liberty; and as he retired from the presence of his accusers, he handed in to them his memorable protest in the following words: 'In the first place, I resolve with my whole heart and by the grace of God to be a sincere Christian; and, while my life shall last, to profess and defend the law of Christ so far as I have power.' This resolution he nobly kept. He became possessed with a strong desire to evangelise the country. Like Wesley in a later age, he determined to spread the knowledge of salvation through the land. To accomplish this purpose he gathered a number of his most devoted followers around him, and sent them forth to preach the Gospel in the towns and villages. This noble band of itinerant evangelists, who were popularly known by the name of 'poor priests,' were everywhere gladly received. They preached wherever they could get a hearing,-in the churches occasionally, by the wayside, in the market-places, in the church"ards. It was not long before persecution was stirred up against them by the monks and priests. Many of the 'poor priests' and their followers were imprisoned, but they braved the persecution, and continued to carry out their mission as best they could, under the advice and direction of Wycliffe. |