tained that to reftrain men to a prefcribed form of prayer, is contrary to the liberty granted them by God.*

For thefe and other pretended herefies his books were, by the pope and his cardinals, condemned to the flames, and his bones were taken out of the grave and burnt forty-one years after his death, by a decree of the fynod of Conftance, as is before obferved.

His followers, otherwise called Lollards, in the year 1389, began to feparate from the church of Rome, and to appoint priests from among themselves to perform divine fervice in their own way; and it is obfervable, that the church of England, though fhe embraces Wickliff's doctrines with regard to articles of faith, cannot however forbear expreffing very little efteem for that doctor, because he has combated the hierarchy which she has thought fit † to retain.

That we may judge how neceffary, and at the fame time how great and difficult, that work of reformation was, which he was inftrumental, through God's good providence, to promote, it seems worth our while to look back and confider what the ftate of the church was in thofe days, which is thus described by Fox in his Ecclefiaftical History.

The Scriptures, learning, and divinity, were known but to few, and that in the fchools only, and there also converted almost all into fophiftry. Instead of Peter and Paul, men occupied their time in ftudying Aquinus and Scotus, and the master of fentences. The world leaving and forfaking the lively power of God's fpiritual word and doctrine, was altogether led and blinded with outward ceremonies and human traditions, wherein the whole fcope in a manner of all Christian perfection did confift and depend. In thefe was all hope of obtaining falvation fixed: here

*Neal's History of the Puritans.

+ Rapin's History of England.

1

unto all things were attributed. Inftead of the apoftolic gifts, and continual labours and travels, flothfulness and ambition was crept in among the priests.'

Thus, in these times of horrible darknefs and ignorance, what time there feemed in a manner no one fpark of pure doctrine left remaining, did the aforefaid John Wickliff, by God's providence, rife up, through whom the Lord would first weaken and raise up the world overwhelmed with human traditions.'

Walter Brute was another of the first reformers mentioned by the fame author, who appeared alfo in king Richard IId's time, among other truths contending for this, that tithes are not due by the law of Mofes, nor by the law of Chrift, but by the tradition. of men only: he also reasoned ftrongly upon Christian principles against fighting and fwearing.

A. D. 1410, the doctrines of the gospel began to be spread in Bohemia, by means of the books of Wickliff (which happened through the intercourse between England and Bohemia, upon occafion of king Pichard II. marrying queen Ann, who was a Bohemian) which then coming into the hands of John Hus (a learned man and preacher at that time in the univerfity of Prague), and others both men and women, especially of the lay-fort and artificers, were a means of awakening them: and Jerom, of Prague, Mafter of Arts, was the companion of the faid Hus, and his fellow in bonds, and both underwent the fame tragedy, viz. were burnt to death, and their ashes thrown into the river.

About the year 1517 and 1521, Luther, in Germany, and Zuinglius, in Switzerland, wrote against the Pope's indulgencies and pardons, and from thence proceeded gradually to detect many other of the errors of popery, as is above obferved; and the reformation made a confiderable progrefs in those countries by the preaching and writings of the faið

Luther, Zuinglius, Melancton, Oecolampadius and others, fome of whofe books which had been publifhed in thofe parts, being tranflated into English, excited the curiofity of the people to look into the ftate of religion at home.

At a time not far diftant from this, William Tindal, brought up in the univerfity of Oxford, where he increased as well in the knowledge of the tongues and liberal arts as (and more efpecially) in the knowledge of the Scriptures, whereunto his mind was fingularly addicted, confidering the great mifchief done to the church, by keeping the Scriptures of God hid from the people's eyes, was therefore moved to translate the Scripture into his mother-tongue, for the publick utility of the fimple vulgar people of the country, and accordingly did tranflate the New Teftament about the year of our Lord 1527 or 1529. But, did the clergy and prelates encourage the publication of it? No fuch matter; they cried out ftrenuously against it, reprefenting that there were a thoufand herefies in it; that it was not fit to be corrected, but utterly to be fuppreffed. Some faid, that it was not poffible to tranflate the Scripture into English; fome that it was not lawful for lay-people to have it in their mother-tongue; fome that it would make them all hereticks; and to the intent to induce the tem poral rulers alfo to their purpose, they faid it would make the people to rebel and rife against their king. Such were the forward devices of the English clergy to drive the people from the text and knowledge of the Scripture, which they would neither tranflate themfelves, nor yet abide it to be tranflated by others: to the intent (as Tindal himself faith) that, the world being kept still in darkness, they might fit in the confciences of the people through vain fuperftition and falfe doctrine, to fatisfy their lufts, their ambition, and unfatiable covetoufnefs. In fine, the clergy never refted until they had procured by proclamation the

prohibiting the faid tranflation of the New Teftament of Tindal, and not contented herewith, proceeded further to entangle him in their nets and bereave him of his life, which at length they effected.'

*

However, this tranflation of the Scriptures into the vulgar tongue did at length prevail over oppofition; whereby the doctrines of the New Teftament were spread among the people, whofe curiofity was alfo hereby greatly raised; and although the bifhops bought up and burnt all the books of this fort they could meet with, the teftament was printed abroad, and fent over to merchants in London, who difperfed the copies privately among their friends and acquaintance and at length Tindal's bible, reviewed and corrected by Cranmer, was allowed by authority, and in the year 1538, by king Henry VIIIth's injunctions, was fet up in all the churches in England, that the people might read it.†

Such light was by this means diffused among the people, as foon detected many of the abominable corruptions of the Chriftian doctrine, which had crept in, in the times of darkness and ignorance; particularly purgatory, the power of indulgencies, tranfubftantiation, the worship of faints, and veneration of images, the fupreme authority of the church and bishop of Rome, &c. which, like birds of the night, disappeared on the dawn of this glorious day: and indeed the first reformers deferve to be acknowledged as excellent inftruments, raised up by God's good providence, to begin the purging and building of his houfe, and worthy to be had of us and pofterity in everlasting remembrance: but, without in the leaft detracting from the honour due to thofe Chriftian heroes, it must be acknowledged that the great work of a complete reformation and restoration of the primitive purity and fimplicity was not the work of one

* Fox's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. † Neal's Hiftory of the Puritans. VOL. III.

C

day, year, or age; and indeed as the apoftacy itfelf did not arrive at that tremendous height to which I have traced it, fo neither is the return from thence to be effected, all at once; but notwithstanding divers confiderable advances have been made at different times, and in different countries in this great work, and fome establishments been formed, yet that fome of the dregs of popish corruption have been, and still are, retained, we acknowledge and deplore, with many fincere proteftants of other communities, the removal of which is earnestly to be defired.

To this purpofe I think it worth while here to recite fome part of the memorable fpeech of John Robinson, an Independent minifter, on his taking leave of his congregation, mentioned in Neal's History of the Puritans, in the time of king James I. A. D. 1620, viz. Follow me no farther than you have seen me follow the Lord Jefus. If God reveal any thing to you by any other inftrument of his, be as ready to receive it as ever you were to receive any truth by my miniftry; for I am verily affured that the Lord has yet more truth to break forth out of his holy word. For my part I cannot fufficiently bewail the condition of the reformed churches who are come to a period in religion, and will at prefent go no farther than the Inftruments of their reformation. The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go farther than what Luther faw: and the Calvinifts stick faft where they were left by that great man of God, who yet faw not all things. This is a mifery much to be lamented; for though they were burning and fhining lights in their times, yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God. It is not poffible that the Christian world fhould come fo lately out of fuch thick antichriftian darkness, and that perfection of knowledge fhould break forth at once."

I proceed therefore to the ungrateful task of specifying feveral inftances of the imperfection of the