tor.

Mr Fox's Acts and Monuments were ordered by Authority to be placed in every Church, that the people of the several parishes in the kingdom, might be led, to a thorough detestation of the poisonous principles and bloody practices of the Papists. It is to be regretted, that this order, like many others, is grown obsolete. Perhaps, in no case, is the disuse of wholesome Injunctions more to be lamented, than in the unbridled liberty, which is taken in the education of our youth. People, of the worst principles, may without examination, inculcate them freely upon the rising generation: And thus, insidiously, Popery, Infidelity, and Immorality, are scattered all over the land. However, it cannot be unseasonable for Parents, in particular, to lay a work of this kind before their children, when the tenets of Rome, dangerous to all civil and religious liberty, seem to be gaining ground among us. Those, indeed, are the most ignorant of the community, who are infected or most likely to be infected by that corrupt leaven; for, it may be truly said, no man was ever seduced into its erroneous principles, either by the conviction of his Reason or his Senses, and much less by the sanctions of Scripture. And we must do the Papists the justice to say, that they do not attempt this sort of conviction. Their Arguments and Inducements are laid in the fears of the Simple, who know neither the true doctrines of Christianity nor themselves, and in their own self-sufficient, or rather all-sufficient, Authority; which, if it was properly explained, would sooner excite the contempt and abhorrence, than the approbation of any reasonable being.

As to the work itself, we have freely made use of the several Authors who penned the lives of these illustrious men; omitting what was either too prolix for our plan, or what, upon comparison with other

accounts,

accounts, did not appear sufficiently founded; and ad-
ding many circumstances, which had escaped them,
or had since been collected by others. By this me-
thod, we may, without vanity, hope, that these rela-
tions are in general more complete than those which
have been hitherto offered to the Public. In the several
accounts of these evangelical men, the great object
of our plan has been the general edification, as well
as information; and, for this end, the Reader will find
many serious reflections interspersed throughout the
work. How far we have succeeded, must be submit-
ted to the judgment of the Reader; whom, if a sin-
cere Christian, we shall trust to please; and, if other-
wise, we ought not to be anxious about it.

We will only detain the Reader to assure him, that
no bigotted partiality to Sects or Denominations,
whether established or tolerated, will be found in this
Collection; but our whole attention has been paid to
truly great and gracious characters of all those per-
suasions, which hold the distinguishing principles of
the Gospel, and are united in the main endeavour to
promote our common Christianity.

The Copper-plates are the performance of an inge-
nious young Artist, and sufficiently bespeak his merit.
The encouragers of this undertaking will perceive,
that this part of the work has been performed in a
manner much superior to what is generally given;
and, we doubt not, it will be fully agreeable to their
expectation.

May the GOD of all Grace be pleased to bless our
attempt; to the instruction of the Ignorant and them
that are out of the way; to the edification of humble
Professors of the Gospel; and to the satisfaction of all
those, whatever be their outward denomination, who
love our LORD JESUS CHRIST in sincerity.

Cruciger

257 Vergerio

511

Biographia Evangelica.

JOHN WICKLIFFE,

THE FIRST REFORMER.

WHEN

WHEN we look back upon the days of barbarism, and the gross ignorance of the true light of the gospel, which prevailed in the Christian world, for so many ages together, before the Reformation; when we reflect upon the stupid ceremonies and abominable superstitions and cheats, practised by the monks and others; and then survey the hand of GOD, working, in a most extraordinary manner, through all this mass of corruption. and folly, and bringing about, by degrees, the clear shining of the everlasting gospel: We must stand astonished at the whole, and from the wonderful contrast of the times, may say; This hath GOD wrought; it is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

GOD vouchsafed to honour England with the first dawning of the Reformation: And an Englishman was the first champion of that cause, which afterwards received the name of PROTESTANTISM. This remarkable instrument of the divine blessing was JOHN WICKLIFFE, or JOHN DE WICKLIFFE, taking his sirname from a village once called Wickliffe, near Richmond, in Yorkshire, where he was born in the year 1324. It has been observed, that no such place exists at present under that name; but it is well known, that great numbers of our villages, and even towns and hundreds, have received different denominations from change of possessors in the course of ages. Wickliffe was sent early to Oxford, and was first admitted. commoner of Queen's College, and afterwards of Merton, where he became fellow.

Merton