Besides this William Woodford aforementioned,[1] divers others there were who wrote against these articles of Wickliff aforesaid, maintaining the pope's part, as seemeth, for flattery, rather than following any just cause so to do, or showing forth any reason or learning in disproving the same. Notwithstanding, on the contrary part, some there were again both learned and godly, who, taking the part of Wickliff, without any flattery, defended the most of the said articles openly in schools and other places.
🞼[2]Thus you have the whole sum of Wickliff's articles, containing nis whole doctrine, described and set forth; albeit not as he hath uttered them, but as his froward adversaries have compiled and collected them out of his writings. Wherefore, if some of them seem hard or strange, I think it rather to be imputed to their evil will, than to his good meaning; as it might soon appear if his books had been now extant to testify of his doctrine. But this is certain; howsoever his articles were taken of the wicked and evil disposed, with all good men he was highly favoured, and had in such estimation for his profound knowledge and great learning, that also foreign nations were moved with his authority. Amongst all others the Bohemians had him in great reverence for the opinion of his singular learning, that John Huss, the greatest doer in the university of Prague, not only took profit of his doctrine, but also openly defended his articles. Insomuch that in his public disputation and solemn acts after the manner of schools, he took upon him the public defence of divers of the said articles; namely, upon the fourteenth, fifteenth, and seventeenth, with others more; whose disputation upon the same matter, if it shall not seem tedious to the reader to understand, it shall not seem grievous to me to declare; not only for the antiquity of the matter, but also for the utility of the same.🞼
THE PUBLIC DEFENCE OF CERTAIN ARTICLES OF JOHN WICKLIFF, IN THE FIRST ACT BEFORE THE WHOLE UNIVERSITY OF PRAGUE, IN CHARLES'S COLLEGE.
- ↑ Tractat. frat. W. Woodford contra Trialogum Wicklevi.
- ↑ See edition 1563, p. 108. The reader's attention is particularly directed to this passage, as it accounts for the "hard and strange things," which are set forth in Wicklitf's articles. They seem, indeed, in some cases, to be isolated passages, extracted from his writings, or casual expressions falsely reported, to suit the malicious intentions of his enemies. It is needless to add, that the Romish church has never ceased to adduce these adulterated articles, as proofs of the dangerous doctrines of the reformer; and this, too, in such strong terms as would well nigh shake our confidence in the general soundness of Wickliff's views, were it not that we possess abundance of his other writings to refute this slander, and to confirm us in the opinion of his piety and sincerity. One of his greatest works was the translation of the New Testament into the vulgar tongue, of which the following is an extract:—"The New Testament, with the Lessons taken out of the Old Law, read in churches according to the use of Sarum; translated into English from the vulgar Latin, by John Wicklif, D.D. rector of Lutterworth. 1380. {{Luke (Bible)|Luke]] ii.—And scheperdis weren in the same cuntre, wakinge and kepinge watchis of the night on her flok. And lo the aungel of the lord stood bisidis hem, and the clerenesse of God schynede aboute hem; and thei dredden with grete drede. And the aungel seyde to hem, nyle ye drede, for lo Y preche to you a grete Joye that schal be to alle peeple. For a savyour is borun to day to you, that is Crist the Lord in the cytee of Davith. And this is a tokene to you, ye shulen fynde a younge child wlappid in clothis, and leyd in a cracche. And sodeinly ther was maad with the aungel a multitude of hevenly knyghthood, heryinge God and seiynge; Glorye be in higheste thingis to God, and in erthe pees be to men of good wille."—Ed.
