Stoics and Saints - College of Stoic Philosophers

284 JOHN WYCLIF.
adorned with virtue and knowledge. Forasmuch then as there is no
power given of God unto any creature, for any end or purpose, but
that he may lawfully use the same to that end and purpose, it
followeth that our kingdom may lawfully keep back and detain their
treasure for
the same.
the defence of itself, in what case soever necessity do require
In other parts of the tract the argument
is broad and
natural. It is interesting to note that _Wyclif supports his
assault on Papal greed of wealth and power by a fine qjiotation
from St. Bernard, whose constant and unsparing rebukes
of the worldliness of the Church of his day have Jjeen
referred to in a previous Lecture.
"Wyclif then proceeds :
From these words of a blessed man whom the whole Church hath agreed
to honour, it appears that the Pope has no right to possess himself of the
goods of the Church, as though he were lord of them, but that he is to
be, with respect to them, as a minister or servant, and the proctor for the
poor. And would to God that the same proud and eager desire of
authority and lordship, which is now discovered by this seat of power,
were aught else but a prelude, preparing the pathway of Antichrist.
From the Gospel evident it is, that the children of Christ s
kingdom
were not produced by such means, but were the fruit of His poverty, His
humility, and His suffering of injury.
One sees at once where Wyclif stands in the matter of
the true relation of the temporal and spiritual powers. The,
main feature of all his teaching
is his frank and fearless
resort to the Word of God. .To the law and to the testi
mony is his constant appeal. In all controversies he will
ask, Is this in the order of things which Christ set forth
* in Scripture No Then ? ? it shall have no place among
^ ourselves. Luther himself is not clearer than Wyclif as to
the authority and the sufficiency of Scripture, and the com
plete discordance of the whole Church system of those times
with the plain teaching of the Divine Word. The follow
ing noble passage illustrates Wyclif s view of the importance
of independent study of the Word. We seem to see here
the narrow end of the wedge which Luther was to drive