In England John Wycliffe (1360), one of the very earliest of Reformers, called, " The Morning Star of the Reformation," raised a powerful protest against the worldliness, superstitions and corruptions of the Romish system. Had not God raised up for him powerful and influential friends, such as John of Gaunt, Duke 'of Lancaster, he would have been swallowed up by his enemies. The Spirit of God was at work. Men's minds were inquiring into spiritual matters, ° and seeking a true foundation for their faith.
John Huss in Bohemia, Jerome in Prague, Savonarola in Italy, Erasmus in Holland, Luther and Melanchthon in Germany, Zwingle in Switzerland„ Calvin and Farel in France, Tyndale, Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer in England, John Knox and Wishart in Scotland, and others in different lands, were raised up of God to make a stand for the truth of the Gospel of God.
This movement was strongly marked by the appearance of translations of the Holy Scriptures into the language of the common people. It was the power of an open Bible that broke, so largely the power of Rome. The invention of printing by type in the 15th century -paved the way in the mercy of God for the printing of the Word of' God. There were in this country,
Tyndale's New Testament (1525-1530).
Coverdale's Bible (1535).
Crangner's Great Bible (1539).
Archbishop Parker's Bible (1568).
King James's Bible-our present Authorized Bible (1611),
and others. King Henry VIII ordered a copy of Coverdale's Bible to be placed in every parish Church, "for every man that will to look and read therein."
The, shameful sale of indulgences by a coarse German monk, Tetzel by name, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins, committed, or intended to be committed, promising deliverance for a monetary consideration from the flames of an imaginary purgatory, stirred Martin Luther to nail his famous theses on the Church door at Wittenberg, and in defiance of Rome to publicly burn the Pope's Mill.
There was seen for the 'first' time in the history of the Church, side by side with the old superstitions and pomp of the Roman religion, a gracious revival of the truth of God in simplicity, and the emancipating power of the Holy Scriptures, made accessible to the common people in their own tongue. Rome persecuted. Rome did its fiendish, best to crush out this movement of the Spirit of God. The Inquisition was at work with its unspeakable torments. Victims were burned at the stake. But persecution only fanned the revolt against spiritual tyranny into a flame.' Germany, England, Scotland and other lands were visited by this remarkable movement of the Spirit of God.
It is beyond the compass of this pamphlet to follow the history of this gracious movement in detail in all lands it affected. For our purpose we will content ourselves in tracing very briefly the history of Protestant England and Scotland.
In following these details we shall see the same twin evils-Rationalism and Ritualism-asserting themselves, as they did in days following the apostolic age, resulting in all the evil of Roman Catholicism. It is startling to see how Col. 2 puts its warning finger upon this unvarying strategy of Satan, whereby he ever seeks to destroy the work of God in souls.