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Light Breaks in England
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able and eloquent preacher, and his daily life was a demonstration of
the truths he preached. His knowledge of the Scriptures, the purity of
his life, and his courage and integrity won general esteem. Many saw
the iniquity in the Roman Church. They hailed with unconcealed
joy the truths brought to view by Wycliffe. But the papal leaders
were filled with rage; this Reformer was gaining an influence greater
than their own.
A Keen Detector of Error
Wycliffe was a keen detector of error and struck fearlessly against
abuses sanctioned by Rome. While chaplain for the king, he took a
bold stand against payment of tribute claimed by the pope from the
English monarch. Papal assumption of authority over secular rulers
was contrary to both reason and revelation. The demands of the
pope had excited indignation, and Wycliffe’s teachings influenced
the leading minds of the nation. The king and the nobles united in
refusing the payment of tribute.
Mendicant friars swarmed in England, casting a blight upon the
greatness and prosperity of the nation. The monks’ lives of idle-
ness and beggary were not only a drain upon the resources of the
people, they brought useful labor into contempt. Youth were demor-
alized and corrupted. Many were induced to devote themselves to a
monastic life not only without the consent of their parents, but even
[53]
without their knowledge and contrary to their commands. 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
Even students in the universities were deceived by the monks and
induced to join their orders. Once fast in the snare it was impossible
to obtain freedom. Many parents refused to send their sons to the
universities. The schools languished, and ignorance prevailed.
The pope had bestowed on these monks the power to hear confes-
sions and grant pardon—a source of great evil. Bent on enhancing
their gains, the friars were so ready to grant absolution that criminals
resorted to them, and the worst vices rapidly increased. Gifts that
should have relieved the sick and the poor went to the monks. The
1
Barnas Sears, The Life of Luther, pp. 70, 69.