It appeareth that [John] Wickcliff flourished about 1371, Edward III reigning in England. This is out of all doubt, that at what time all the world was in most desperate and vile estate, and the lamentable ignorance and darkness of God's truth had overshadowed the whole earth, this man stepped forth like a valiant champion, unto whom that may justly be applied which is spoken of one Simon, the son of Onias: "Even as the morning star being in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon being full in her course, and as the bright beams of the sun; so doth he shine and glister in the temple and Church of God."
In these days the whole state of religion was depraved and corrupted: the name only of Christ remained amongst the Christians, but His true and lively doctrine was as far unknown to the most part as His name was common to all men. As touching faith, consolation, the end and use of the law, the office of Christ, our impotency and weakness, the Holy Spirit, the greatness and strength of sin, true works, grace and free justification by faith, the liberty of a Christian man, there was almost no mention.
The world, forsaking the lively power of God's spiritual Word, was altogether led and blinded with outward ceremonies and human traditions; in these was all the hope of obtaining salvation fully fixed; insomuch that scarcely any other thing was seen in the temples or churches, taught or spoken of in sermons, or finally intended or gone about in their whole life, but only heaping of certain shadowy ceremonies upon ceremonies; neither was there any end of this their heaping.
[John] Wickcliff, perceiving the true doctrine of Christ's Gospel to be adulterated and defiled with so many filthy inventions and dark errors of bishops and monks, after long debating aand deliberating with himself (with many secret sighs, and bewailing in his mind the general ignorance of the whole world), could no longer abide the same, and at the last determined with himself to help and to remedy such things as he saw to be wide, and out of the way.
[...] through the favor and supportation of the Duke of Lancaster and Lord Henry Percy, he persisted against [the monk's and priest's] wolfish violence and cruelty: till at last, about 1377, the bishops, still urging and inciting their archbishop Simon Sudbury, who before had deprived him, and afterward prohibited him not to stir any more in those sorts of matters, had obtained, by process and order of citation, to have him brought before them. [Which under the protection of these men and after vicious debate and threatenings, said meeting was disbanded and not resumed.]
After King Edward III succeeded his son's son, Richard II, who was no great disfavorer of the way and doctrine of Wickcliff. But the bishops now seeing the aged king to be taken away, during the time of whose old age all the government of the realm depended upon the Duke of Lancaster, and seeing the said duke, with the Lord Percy, the Lord Marshall, give over their offices, and remain in their private houses without intermeddling, thought now the time to serve them to have some advantage against John Wickcliff; who hitherto, under the protection of the aforesaid duke and Lord Marshall, had some rest and quiet. Notwithstanding being by the bishops forbid to deal in doctrine anymore, he continued yet with his fellows going barefoot and in long frieze gowns, preaching diligently to the people.
Wickcliff, albeit he was commanded by the bishops and prelates to keep silence, yet could not so be supressed, but that through the vehemency of the truth he burst out afterwards much more fiercely. For he, having obtained the goodwill and favor of certain noblemen, attempted again to stir up his doctrine amongst the common people. Then began the Pharisees to swarm together striving against the light of the Gospel, which began to shine abroad; neither was the Pope himself behind with his part, for he never ceased with his bulls and letters to stir up them who otherwise, of their own accord, were but furious and mad.
The letters being received from the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops took no little heart; for, being encouraged by them, and pricked forward by their own fierceness and cruelty, it is to be marvelled at, with what boldness and stomach they did openly profess before their provincial council, that all fear or favor set apart, no person, neither high nor low, should let them, neither would they be seduced by the entreaty of any man, neither by any threatenings or rewards, but that they would follow straight and upright justice and equity, yea, albeit that danger of life should follow thereupon. But these so fierce brags and stout promise, with the subtle practices of these bishops, who thought themselves so sure before, the Lord, against Whom no determination of man's counsel can prevail, by a small occasion did lightly confound and overthrow. For the day of the examination being come, a certain personage of the prince's court, and yet of no great noble birth, named Lewis Clifford, entering in among the bishops, commanded them that they should not proceed with any definite sentence against John Wickcliff. With which words all they were so amazed, and their combs so cut, that they became mute and speechless. And thus, by the wondrous work of God's providence, John Wickcliff escaped the second time out of the bishop's hands.
John Wickcliff returning again within short space, either from his banishment, or from some other palce where he was secretly kept, repaired to his parish of Lutterworth, where he was parson; and there, quietly departing this mortal life, slept in peace with the Lord, in the end of the year 1384... It appeareth that he was well aged before he departed, "and that the same thing pleased him in his old age, which did please him being young."
John Wickcliff, albeit in his lifetime he had many grievous enemies, yet was there none so cruel to him, as the clergy itself... And for the residue, we will declare what cruelty they used not only against the books and articles of John Wickcliff, but also in burning his body and bones, commanding them to be taken up many years after he was buried; as appeareth by the decree of the synod of Constance in 1415... But these and others must know that, as there is no counsel against the Lord, so there is no keeping down of verity, but it will spring up and come out of dust and ashes, as appeared right well in this man; for though they digged up his body, burnt his bones, and drowned his ashes, yet the word of God and the truth of his doctrine, with the fruit and success thereof, they could not burn.I know this breaks from the norm of what we do here. This man was not ultimately martyred and dies in peace. Yet this man fought for the truth and was persecuted and doggedly pursued throughout his life. For the sake of time I did not include all of the times he was called before these wicked men that had every intent of declaring him a heretic and burning him only to have the Lord intervene in numerous ways to save this man and preserve and propogate the truth of God's word. Well beyond the intervention of nobles there was an earthquake that sent him home unharmed and one time a lightening strike hit the front door of the church to set him free!
We focus here as a special break from the norm for a reason. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day that was institutued for and should still be used to thank the Lord for all He has done for us in our lives. John Wycliffe was sought with murderous intent by his persecutors. Let no doubt exist in thinking it is so for below is proof enough that those evil men would seek his life based on the major tenets of what he preached to the people.
Articles Collected out of Wycliffe's Sermons
- The holy eucharist, after the consecration, is not the very body of Christ.
- The Church of Rome is not the head of all churches more than any other church is; nor that Peter had anymore power given of Christ than any other Apostle had.
- The Pope of Rome hath no more in the keys of the Church than hath any other within the order of priesthood.
- The Gospel is a rule sufficient of itself to rule the life of every Christian man here, without any other rule.
- All other rules, under whose observances divers religious persons be governed, do add no more perfection to the Gospel, than doth the white color to the wall.
- Neither the Pope, nor any other prelate of the church, ought to have prisons wherein to punish transgressors.
Perhaps one of the great lessons we should take from this story of Wycliffe is the description Foxe gives of the Church at that time. I think it would take no great effort to remove the dates provided and use the words verbatim to describe our own time. We should be thankful that the Lord has not entirely abandoned us and we should be striving to reform the Church once again. We need men today like Wycliffe that can "no longer abide the same, and at the last [will be] determined... to help and to remedy such things as [they see] to be wide, and out of the way." Give thanks the Lord has given us the opportunity for true religion in a world that hates His very name and then endeavor to serve the Lord through the exercise of that religion with zeal and in truth.
In closing, I think an honest evaluation of our own lives proves how the Lord sustains us even if the circumstances aren't as dire as were Wycliffe's. I can say that I am in the midst of two of the hardest years of my life. I can testify well to the certainity of defeat and ruin only to see the Lord deliver me and my family time after time. I don't foolishly presume that things can't get worse, for even then the Lord is in control and I am willing to abide according to His will even when it is painful to do so. But, I have a new confidence in Him that I have never had before and I have never treasured a roof over the heads of my family and food on our table like I do right now. I feel a little like the Pilgrims after their first year; and I, like them, am immensely grateful that my God has preserved me and my family and will gave thanks to Him knowing that I am owed nothing and yet He blesses me so abundantly. Please pray for the persecuted church, give thanks for those that gave their lives that we may enjoy the spiritual blessings we have today, and more than anything, give thanks to the Lord that He has made it to be so and has preserved us all for yet another year in the richness of His grace. Laus Deo!
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