תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

WICKLIFF'S OPINIONS OF THE PAPACY.

From Dr. James's Apology or Defence of Wickliff.

[ocr errors]

This controversy about the supremacy or primacy of the pope, being the very soul and life of popery, may be resolved into sundry questions: 1. Whether the pope be supreme judge upon earth, in all causes and over all persons? 2. Admit he were so, whether he may intermeddle with the affairs of kings and princes? 3. Supposing that also, whether he be of that temper and making that he cannot err in his final conclusions? 4. And lastly, whether he be antichrist or no? J. Wickliff, supposing the donation of Constantine (which afterwards was proved a counterfeit), for a while held that the pope was to be consulted in the greatest points of religion; that he had a plenary and full power of himself;" and that he did incur the crime of paganism," who did not obey his mandates. But what of all this? Was Wickliff a papist? No, verily, For, first, this plenary power was built upon a rotten foundation, which afterwards fell to the ground of itself. 2. It was given to the pope only "for to edify, not to destroy or demolish the church." 3. It was so limited, that he could do nothing "against the law of God, or against the law of reason.' Lastly, if his laws did "go contrary to Christ's laws," an "interior might, and in conscience ought, not only to disobey him, but to reprove, correct, and contradict him, as Paul did withstand Peter unto the face." Further, he grants the pope no greater authority or superiority over his brethren, than Peter and Apollos had over their new converts," whom he excludes flatly from any such sovereignty, taking away all honour from them, and giving it to Christ Jesus," to whom all knowledge, all love, all duty, from all christians is to be ascribed, so far that no creature is to be acknowledged, loved, or honoured, but Christ, or in respect of Christ," neither is it possible, as he thinks, "for any catholic to be so unadvised or inconsiderate as to follow the pope's fiat, Let it be done, when He that spake, and it was done, shall say, No.-For this verse can be true of no earthly man, but of our blessed Saviour Christ Jesus; This is my will, this I command-My will for reason good shall stand.' Finally, he was "condemned as an heretic for denying the pope's supremacy," therefore he cannot well be accounted of the Romish church. II. The pope's civil dominion or right in temporal estates,-this question Wickliff doth every where determine against the pope, for the king and his regality; and that of set purpose, in an especial treatise, Of Civil Dominion, strengthening his opinion plainly out of the fundamental laws of this land, with great judgment and knowledge.

[ocr errors]

III. That the pope may err, is showed plainly throughout all Wickliff's works, where he proves that the pope is 'of that nature that he may err." "That one whom men call pope may err, not only in manner and conversation of life, but also in doctrine and articles of the Creed." "He may sin, and no man in the world easier or more grievously, and indeed they have erred, and been infected with foul heresies." Yea, he thinketh it to be "likely that all bishops of Rome for three hundred years and more, before his time, were fully heretics." IV. Whether the pope be antichrist?-This Wickliff proves by comparing his doctrine and manners with Christ's, chiefly in his book of the Seven Deadly Sins: telling us that "forasmuch as through his decrees God's commands, by his commandments Christ's commandments, by his decretals Paul's epistles, by his canon law the canonical scripture, was villified, nullified, utterly defaced and debased," a fault for which he is bold to tax him in sundry passages of his works, he pronounces of him absolutely that he is "Potissimus antichristus, Most especially antichrist."

The quotations are from Wickliff's Writings

WICKLIFF'S POSTILLS,

OR

SERMONS.

More than three hundred of Wickliff's discourses from the pulpit have been preserved. In many instances they are only brief notes, in others they extend to several folio pages closely written. It is very probable that they are only the heads or portions of his discourses, and most likely were taken down by some of his hearers. From the character of Purvey, his curate at Lutterworth, we may suppose that he would endeavour to preserve such memorials of the Reformer, but no certain information has come down to us respecting their first publication or preservation. One passage, however, p. 226, makes it probable that he sometimes wrote his discourses.

They are nearly all what were denominated postills, which now are called lectures or expositions, and they are founded upon the portions of scripture appointed for the public services of the Sundays and festivals. Wickliff felt the peculiar importance of this method of instruction from scripture, in preference to the plan of declaring," or delivering what may be called essays, or orations, on some given subject. Several volumes of these sermons exist in the different public libraries where Wickliff's manuscripts are found, and also some separate copies of single discourses. The discourses, or extracts, in the following pages are from two copies in the British Museum. The phraseology has been varied from the originals as little as possible.

"There is scarcely a peculiarity of opinion adopted by Wycliffe, the nature or the progress of which might not be illustrated from these voluminous remains. It should also be stated that these compositions are strictly of a popular character. References to abstruse or speculative questions frequently arise, either from the import of the text, or from the reasonings suggested by it; but these are invariably dismissed, that things more profiting,' might become the matter of attention." This extract is from the second volume of Vaughan's life of Wycliffe, in which will be found a valuable account of the Reformer's preaching, with some extracts from his discourses.

·

I.

ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST.

Unto us a child is born, &c.* Isaiah ix.

ACCORDING to the joy that Paul telleth, we may say on Christmas day, that a child is born to us; for Jesus Christ, by our belief, is this day born. And to this intent spake God, both in figure and in letter, that a child is born to us, in whom we should have this joy. And three short words are to be spoken from Isaiah's speech, so that men may after joy in the service of this child. First, we believe, that since our first elders had sinned, there must satisfaction be made therefor, by the righteousness of God. For as God is merciful, so he is full of righteousness. But how should he judge all the world unless he kept righteousness therein ? For the Lord against whom this sin was done, is God almighty, and allrightful; and no sin may be done but it is done against God. And ever the greater the lord is, against whom sin is done, ever the more is the sin to be rewarded of this lord. It were a great sin to do against the king's bidding; but the sin is more without measure, to do against God's bidding. According to our belief, God bade Adam not to eat of the apple; but he brake God's command; and he was not excused therein, neither by his own folly, (or weakness,) nor by Eve, nor by the serpent. And thus by the righteousness of God, this sin must always be punished. And it is a light word, to say that God might of his power forgive this sin without the satisfaction that was made for this trespass. For God might do this if he would; but his justice will not suffer but that each trespass be punished, either in earth or in hell. And God may not accept a person to forgive his sin without satisfaction; else he must give free leave to men and to angels for to sin. And then sin were no sin, and our God were no God. And this is the first lesson that we take from our faith.

* In the original a few words of each passage of scripture are prefixed to the sermons in Latin. They are printed here according to the present authorized English version.

The second teaching that we take is, that he who should make satisfaction for the sin of our first father, must needs be God and man. For as mankind trespassed, so must

mankind make satisfaction. And therefore it could not be that an angel should make satisfaction for man; for neither has he the might, nor was his the person (or nature) that simmed here. But since all men are one person, that person maketh satisfaction for man, if any member of this person make satisfaction for all this person. And by this may we see that if God made a man of nought, or anew, to be of the kind of Adam, yet he were holden to God, as much as he might for himself, and so he might not make satisfaction for himself, and for Adam's sin. And thus since satisfaction must be made for Adam's sin, as it is said, such a person must make this satisfaction as was both God and man; for the worthiness of this person's deeds were even with* the unworthiness of the sin.

The third teaching that needs must follow of these two, is, that a Child is born to man, to make satisfaction for man's sin. And this Child must needs be God and man given to man. And he must needs bear his empire upon his shoulder, and suffer for man. And this Child is Jesus Christ, who we suppose was born to day. And we suppose that this Child is only born to those men that follow him in manner of living, for he was born against others. Those men that are unjust and proud, and rebel against God, have their judgment in Christ, that they must needs be condemned by him; and always, if they are unkind against his Spirit, to their death.

And thus, if we truly desire that this Child be born to us, have we joy of this Child, and we follow him in three virtues; in righteousness, and meekness, and patience for our God. For whoever contemneth Christ unto his death, against the Spirit, must needs be condemned of this Child, as all others shall be saved. And thus the joy of this Child, that was thus meek and full of virtues, should make men be little in malice, and then they hold well the feast. To them that will fight and chide, I say, that this Child who is born, is Prince of peace, and loveth peace; and condemneth men contrary who are contrary to peace. Study we how Christ came in the fulness of time when he should; and how he came in meekness, as his birth teacheth us; and how he came in patience from his birth to his death; * Or equal to, see the preceding extract from the Trialogus.

and follow we him in these three, for joy that we have of him. For this joy, in this patience, (of Christ,) bringeth to joy that shall last for ever.

II. ·

JOHN THE BAPTIST'S TESTIMONY OF CHRIST.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming to him, John i.

This gospel telleth how John the Baptist witnessed of Christ, both of his Godhead, and somewhat of his manhood. The history saith, that John saw Jesus coming to him, and said thus of our Lord, Lo, the Lamb of God; lo, him that doeth away the sins of the world. For he is both God and man. Christ is called God's lamb, for many reasons. In the old law they were wont to offer a lamb without blemish, which should be a year old, for the sin of the people. And thus Christ was without blemish, and was offered on the cross for the sin of all this world. Such lambs as were offered fell sometimes to the share of the priest. This Lamb that made end of the other, fell fully to God's hand. Other lambs in a manner put away the sin of one country; but this Lamb properly put away the sin of all this world. And thus he was the end and figure of the lambs of the old law. And thus showeth Baptist, by his speaking, both of the manhood of Christ and his Godhead. For only God might thus put away sin. Since all other lambs had blemishes which they might not themselves put away. And so if priests have power to release sin, as Christ's vicars, nevertheless they have this power only in as much as they accord with Christ. So that if their keys and Christ's will are discording and twain, they feign falsely to absolve, and then they neither loose nor bind. So that in each such working the Godhead of Christ must first work. And therefore saith Baptist of Christ, This is he that I said of, after me is come a man which is made before me; for he was my prior. For as Christ was a man, so God made him then the prior of all his religion; and he was abbot, as Paul saith, of the best order that may be.* And first I knew him not; I knew in soul that he was born, but I could not with bodily eyes know him from another man. And this befell commonly. But for to show him in

* Heb. v.

« הקודםהמשך »