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and are figured in many prophecies of God's law. And these four witnesses were accepted of the Holy Ghost, to write these things for man's instruction, which we may not stay to tell now. But certainly the church might not have put away the gospels, and have accepted the others; for then it had done against the will of God, and against the truth of Jesus Christ, and against charity of the Holy Ghost, to put away these witnesses that knew more of God's purity, and were holier of life, and to take witnesses not so skilled in God's will, nor so holy of life, nor so meek, nor so stable in faith and love of Jesus Christ.

But these subtle heretics travail night and day, to the example of the multitude of worldly clerks, who are full of simony, pride, covetousness, gluttony, lechery, and other sins, above Jesus Christ and his gospel, to have their worldly life, pride, and lusts maintained; that no man should hinder them in their worldly glory, nor deprive them of their lusts, though they lie against God, and slander his people. For they would make their life and teachings to be the gospel and belief of christian men; but where are greater traitors to God and his law, and more perilous and false prophets to christian people? For God commandeth, on pain of his great curse and deep condemnation, that no man withdraw any point of truth from his law, nor add thereto any novelty that is not approved of the Trinity. And Jesus Christ saith, that his gospel is an everlasting testament; but they will undo it with the vile breath of antichrist's mouth. How dare christian men maintain such heretics against God's teaching, and the peace of christian people? Such wayward heretics are unable to rule prelates, lords, and commons, in confession, preaching, and praying, and other points of their souls' health. For they deceive them in faith and good life, to have their own pride and covetousness and lusts borne up, and so draw all men to hell, that are ruled by such false confessors.

III. See now the second wheel in this devil's wain.* * They bear upon Augustine that he saith thus; That he would not believe the gospel unless the church said it. True men being answered thus, suppose that Augustine said this word. But he said to this intent, That unless Christ, heard of holy church and saints in heaven, and the apostles of

Waggon, the cars or chariots, and waggons were then of very rude construction, and much alike.

Christ that are holy church, said and approved this gospel, he would not believe thereto. And this understanding is full true, and reasonable, and according to the words of Augustine; but they understand them, that unless the multitude of accursed worldly clerks approve this for the gospel, Augustine would not believe the gospel of Jesus Christ; and since Augustine was and is, so great a doctor of holy church, no man should believe the gospel, unless the church of these prelates confirm that this is the gospel of Christ; and unless the multitude of antichrist's clerks approve the gospel or truth of holy writ, no man should hold the gospel, or any command of God, or maintain any truth against antichrist, and his worldly prelates. But what heresy might sooner destroy christian man's belief? and God forbid that Augustine were in perilous heresy, or any christian man, therefore it is leasing* to slander St. Augustine with this accursed error, to colour their own false understanding and heresy by this holy doctor.

For by this accursed wheel, antichrist's clerks condemn christian men's faith, the commands of God, and points of charity, and bring in their own crooked laws, to hold up their pride and covetousness, and to curse men for doing works of charity. Men must upon pain of damnation receive their wicked deeds as belief, and forsake the gospel of Christ, and take fiends' leasings instead of God's lore! And more cursedness to destroy christian men's faith, than will ensue from this understanding, no man or fiend can imagine till the day of doom. Therefore, christians should stand to the death for maintaining Christ's gospel and true understanding thereof, gotten by holy life and great study, and not set their faith or trust in sinful prelates and their clerks, nor in their understanding of holy writ. For with their worldly life, full of pride, covetousness, gluttony, idleness, and hawking and hunting, and playing at the chess, and tables; riot and dancing, feast making, drunkenness and lechery, they are unable to perceive the truth of holy writ, and high pureness of God. For Christ saith in the gospel, that the Father of heaven hideth 'these truths from worldly wise men, and queint†, and showeth them to meek men, as were Christ's disciples. And the wise man saith, that wisdom shall not enter into an evil-willed man, for the fear of God is the beginning and plenty of wisdom. If they have not this fear, then they have not this wisdom; therefore, it is Lucifer's * Falsehood, lies. Conceited.

pride, and surpasses it, to constrain men to take understanding of holy writ, according to the knowledge and wisdom of such worldly clerks, who are enemies of Christ, and his law and his servants. For they are blind in God's law and good life, and lead blind men to hell, as Christ saith in the gospel. For instead of keys of heaven, that is, knowledge of holy writ, and power to destroy sin, and to save christian souls by true teaching and good example, they have ignorance of God's law, and no will to study and live thereafter; but skill and practice in their own wicked laws, for pride and covetousness, and feign power of tyranny to stop true men from preaching the gospel, and to curse them if they preach against their will, and pursue them, and burn them, and certainly these are the keys of hell.

IV. See now the third wheel of Satan's car; these deceitful clerks and religious of Lucifer say, that no man knows which is the gospel, but by the approving and confirming of the church; but true men say that to their un derstanding this is full of falsehood. For christian men are certain of belief by the gracious gift of Jesus Christ, and that this truth, taught by Christ and his apostles, is the gospel, though all antichrist's clerks cry ever so fast the contrary, upon pain of curse, imprisonment, and burning. And this belief is not grounded on the pope and his cardinals, for then it must fail and be undone, as they fail and some time are destroyed; but it is grounded on Jesus Christ, God and man, and on the Holy Trinity. So it may never fail but in default of him that should love God and serve him, and faileth on these two points. For almighty God, and his truths, are the foundation of christian men's faith. And as Paul saith, other foundation may no man set besides that which is set, that is, Jesus Christ. Therefore, though antichrist and all his worldly clerks are buried deep in hell, for their simony, pride, and covetousness, and other sins, yet christian faith faileth not, for they are not grounded thereof. But Jesus Christ is the ground thereof, for he is our God and our best Master, ever ready to teach true men all things that are profitable, and needful to their souls, and this teaching may not fail, but for inability of him that should receive this teaching.

V. The fourth wheel of Belial's cart is this; when christian men say they know by belief that this is Christ's gospel,

these malicious heretics ask, Why they believe that this is gospel? But true men ask of them again, Why they believe that God is God? And if they tell a good sufficient cause, we tell the same cause why we believe that this is Christ's gospel. But these heretics would have this cause to be, that it is for that their prelates teach that theirs is Christ's gospel; and they would have all their false purposes as of this cause; that whatever the prelates teach openly, and maintain stedfastly, were of as great authority or more than Christ's gospel. And so they would destroy holy writ and christian faith, and maintain that whatever they do were no sin! But christian men take their faith of God, by his gracious gift, when he giveth it to them; knowing and understanding truths needful to save men's souls, by grace to assent in their hearts to such truths. This men call faith, and of this faith christian men are more certain than any man is of worldly things, by any bodily knowledge.

Therefore, Christ reproved most the default of belief, both in the Jews, and in his disciples; and therefore, Christ's apostles prayed most to have stableness in faith, for it is impossible that any man please God without faith; and so Christ prayed principally that the faith of Peter and other disciples should not fail. And God's law tells how by faith saints wrought all their great wonders and marvels that they did; and if antichrist say here, that each man may feign that he hath right faith, and good understanding of holy writ given of God, when he is in error, let a man seek in all things truly the honour of God, and live justly to God and man, and God will not fail to him in any thing that is needful to him, neither in faith, nor understanding, nor in answer against his enemies. And as faith is the shield of christian men against all temptations of the fiend, and the ground of all virtues, therefore Satan ordained these new sects to be so many, and to have a name of wisdom and holiness before all others; and he grounded them in pride, envy, covetousness, gluttony, lechery, and hypocrisy, to walk among the people, and to stir them by word and example to be unstable in this faith; and he stirreth high worldly prelates to be favourable to them, and to maintain them in this hypocrisy, to colour their own sin thereby, and to hinder true men to preach plainly and freely Christ's gospel and the commands of God, for saving of man's soul.

Hereby, and by many more deceits, christian men should know how the new religionists are false prophets, and

accursed sects, of which Christ and his apostles prophesied before, and taught men to know them by their works, which are hypocrisy, covetousness, and maintaining of sin, by false preaching, flattering, false counselling, and slandering of true men; and making men secure of spiritual help by false letters of fraternity,* and many other novelties brought up by hypocrisy and covetousness.

And as John the evangelist commandeth, christian men should not receive them into their houses, nor salute them, and Paul biddeth that men should not commune with them, that they be confounded and shamed of their false heresy, and turn to Christ's holy religion, without error of sinful men's traditions. And may God almighty strengthen his little flock against these four wheels of Satan's car, against antichrist's clerks and helpers, and make them strong in rightful faith, hope, and charity, to seek truly the worship of Jesus Christ, and the saving of men's souls, to despise antichrist's boast and feigned power, and willingly and joyfully to suffer pain and reproof in the world, for the name of Jesus and his gospel, to give firm example to others, to follow and attain the high bliss of heaven by glorious martyrdom as other saints did before. May Jesus of his endless might, endless wisdom, endless goodness, and charity, grant to us sinful wretches this boon. Amen.†

* See note, p. 134. These letters of fraternity were written on parchment, and very beautifully ornamented.

+ Dr. James, in his Apology for Wickliff, states his opinions relative to Holy Scripture at considerable length. He says, that Wickliff, in his book, De veritate scripturæ, affirms positively that God's will is plainly revealed in the two testaments. That a christian man well understanding Christ's law, may thence gather sufficient knowledge during his pilgrimage here upon earth. That we ought to admit of no science or law, which is not subordinate to this law, or helpful to bring us to this law. That if the pope should attempt to dispense with holy scripture, as some feign that he may, he should no longer be accounted a christian. And this was not a bare opinion which might grow upon dislike, discontent, or be uttered by way of contradiction, but a settled and constant persuasion out of the word of God. Dr. James adds, that he could enlarge this point with infinite quotations, so earnest is Wickliff every where in his writings to establish this doctrine which is the ground of all our protestant opinions. And that Wickliff was thus earnest on account of the ignorance of those times, when the few sermons preached were absurdities and falsehoods, God's law and gospel being laid aside.

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