Chapter 5—The Light Breaks in England

God had not allowed His Word to be totally destroyed. In different countries of Europe the Spirit of God moved people to search for truth as for hidden treasure. He guided them to the Holy Scriptures, and they were willing to accept light at any cost to themselves. Though they did not see everything clearly, the Spirit helped them to grasp many long-buried truths.LF 37.1

The time had come for the Scriptures to be given to the people in their own language. The world had passed its midnight. In many lands, signs of the coming dawn appeared.LF 37.2

In the fourteenth century, the “morning star of the Reformation” arose in England. John Wycliffe was noted at college for his fervent spirituality as well as his sound scholarship. Educated in scholastic philosophy, the laws of the church, and civil law, he was prepared to take up the great struggle for civil and religious liberty. He had acquired the intellectual discipline of the schools, and he understood the tactics of the scholars. The extent and thoroughness of his knowledge commanded the respect of both friends and foes. His enemies were not able to discredit the cause of reform by exposing the ignorance or weakness of its spokesman.LF 37.3

While Wycliffe was still at college, he began to study the Scriptures. Before this, he had felt a great lack, which neither his scholastic studies nor the teaching of the church could satisfy. In the Word of God he found what he had been looking for. Here he saw Christ presented as our only advocate. He determined to proclaim the truths he had discovered.LF 37.4

When he began his work, Wycliffe did not set himself in opposition to Rome. But the more clearly he recognized the errors of the papacy, the more earnestly he presented the teaching of the Bible. He saw that Rome had abandoned the Word of God for human tradition. He fearlessly accused the priesthood of having banished the Scriptures, and he demanded that the Bible be restored to the people and that its authority be established in the church again. He was a skilled and eloquent preacher, and his daily life demonstrated the truths he preached. His knowledge of the Scriptures, the purity of his life, and his courage and integrity won widespread respect. Many saw the evils in the Roman Church. They welcomed with unconcealed joy the truths Wycliffe brought to view. But the papal leaders were filled with rage; this Reformer was gaining an influence greater than their own.LF 37.5