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Protestantism in England From the Times of Henry VIII - James Aitken Wylie

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Chapter 1<br />

The K<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>the</strong> Scholars<br />

IT is around <strong>the</strong> person and m<strong>in</strong>istry <strong>of</strong><br />

Wicliffe that <strong>the</strong> dawn <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> new times is seen to<br />

break. Down to his day <strong>the</strong> powers <strong>of</strong> superstition<br />

had cont<strong>in</strong>ued to grow, and <strong>the</strong> centuries as <strong>the</strong>y<br />

passed over <strong>the</strong> world beheld <strong>the</strong> night deepen<strong>in</strong>g<br />

around <strong>the</strong> human soul, and <strong>the</strong> slavery <strong>in</strong> which<br />

<strong>the</strong> nations were sunk becom<strong>in</strong>g ever viler. But<br />

with <strong>the</strong> appearance <strong>of</strong> Wicliffe <strong>the</strong> darkness fulfils<br />

its period, and <strong>the</strong> great tide <strong>of</strong> evil beg<strong>in</strong>s to be<br />

rolled back. <strong>From</strong> <strong>the</strong> times <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> English<br />

Reformer we are able to trace two great currents <strong>in</strong><br />

Christendom, which have never <strong>in</strong>termitted <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

flow from that day to this. The one is seen steadily<br />

bear<strong>in</strong>g down <strong>in</strong>to ru<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> great empire <strong>of</strong> Roman<br />

superstition and bondage; <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r is seen lift<strong>in</strong>g<br />

higher and higher <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>gdom <strong>of</strong> truth and liberty.<br />

Let us for a moment consider, first, <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong><br />

calamities which fell on <strong>the</strong> anti-Christian <strong>in</strong>terest,<br />

dry<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>the</strong> sources <strong>of</strong> its power, and pav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

2

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