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is a truth which scripture asserts again and again: But that God was absolutely FREE in decreeing, is no less asserted by the inspired writers; who, with one voice, declare the Father's predestination, and subsequent disposal, of all things, to be entirely founded, not on any antecedent necessity, but on the single, sovereign pleasure of his own will.

The quotation however, proves, that Wickliffe was an absolute necessitarian. And he improves, with great solidity and acuteness, the topic of prophecy into (what it most certainly is) a very strong argument for predestination. As the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments are such an evidence of the divine inspiration of the sacred writers, and such a proof of Christianity, as all the infidels in the world will never be able to overthrow; so, on the other hand, those same prophecies conclude, to the full, as strongly in favour of peremptory predestination. For if events were undecreed, they would be unforeknown: And, if unforeknown, they could not be infallibly predicted *. To say, that events may be foreknown without falling under any ' active or permissive decree;' would be saying neither nothing to the purpose, or worse than nothing. For, if God can, with certainty, foreknow any event whatever, which he did not previously determine to accomplish or permit; and that event, barely foreknown, but entirely undecreed, be so certainly future, as to furnish positive ground for unerring prophecy; it would follow, 1. That God is dependent, for his knowledge, on the things known; instead of all things being dependent on him: And, 2. That there are some extraneous concatenations of causes, prior to the will

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*It is very observable, that Wickliffe's argument for predeftination, drawn from the prophecies of our Lord, fo puzzled the then archbishop of Armagh (whose name I know not, nor do I think it worth hunting out) that it furnished his grace with employment for two years together, to reconcile the free will of man with the certain completion of prophecy. A talk, however, which after all his labour, the Romish prelate found too hard for him. Yet, his lordship, that he might not be forced to acknowledge predestination, and give up free-will, thought proper to give up the infallible prefcience of Chrift himself; blafphemously affirm ng, that it was poffible for Chrift to be mistaken in his prophecies, and to mifinform his church as to future events." The paffage is fo uncommon, that I will give it in the writer's own words. "Dicit adversarius [scil. "Wickliffe,] quoad iftud argumentum, dominum Armuchanum per duos annos ftuduiffe pro ejus diffolutione, & finalitèr nefcivit (ut dicit) alitèr "evadere, nifi coNCEDENDO, quòd Chriftus errâffe potuit, et ecclefiam decepiffe. Quam conclufionem nullus catholicus (ut dicit Wickliffe) concederet. "Et fic videtur ponere dominum Armachanum extra numerum catholico"rum." Gulielm. Wodford contrà Wicklefum. Vide Fafcic. Rer. vol. 1. p.

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and knowledge of God, by which his will is regulated, and on which his knowledge is founded.

What he little more than intimates, in the citation given above; he delivered, it seems, more plainly and peremp torily, elsewhere. Among the sixty-two articles, laid to his charge by Thomas Netter (commonly called, Thomas of Walden who flourished about the year 1409,) and for which that writer refers to the volume and chapter of Wickliffe's works are these three: 1. That "all things come to pass "by FATAL necessity." 2. That "God could not make the "world otherwise than it is made:" 3. And, that "cannot do any thing, which he doth not do *”

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This is fatalism with a witness. And I cite these propositions, not to depreciate Dr Wickliffe, whose character I admire and revere, as one of the greatest and best since the apostolic age; nor yet with a view to recommend the propositions themselves: But, simply, to shew, how far this illustrious Reformer ran from the present Arminian system, or rather no-system, of chance and free-will. But, concerning even those of Wickliffe's assertions, which were the most rash and unguarded; candour (not to say, justice) obliges me to observe, with Fuller, that were all his works extant, we might therein read the occasion, intention, and connection, of what he spake: Together with the limi'tations, restrictions, distinctions, and qualifications, of what he maintained. There we might see, what was the over'plus of his passion, and what the just measure of his judgment. Many phrases, heretical in sound, would 、 appear orthodox in sense. Yea, some of his [reputedly] 'poisonous passages, dressed with due caution, would prove not only wholesome, but cordial truths; many of his ex'pressions wanting, not granum ponderis, but granum salis; no weight of truth, but some grains of discretion +' What I shall next add, may be rather styled bold truths, than indiscreet assertions. "He defined the church to "consist only of persons PREDESTINATED. And affirmed, "That God loved David and Peter as dearly, when they "grievously

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* Fuller's church hift. b. 4. p. 134.-What this valuable hiftorian premises, concerning Wickliffe, before he enters on deferves to be quoted.

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intend,' fays Dr Fuller, femble, defend, nor excufe, any of his faults.

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'faith the apostle, in earthen veffels: And he that fhall endeavour to prove a pitcher of clay to be a pot of gold, will take great pains to small purpose. Yea, fhould I be over-officious to retain myself to plead for Wickliffe's faults, that glorious faint would fooner chide than thank me.' + Ibid. p. 135.

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grievously sinned, as he doth now when they are possessed of "glory." This latter position might, possibly, have been more unexceptionably expressed; be it, substantially, ever

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Wickliffe was sound in the article of gratuitous pardon and justification by the alone death and righteousness of Jesus Christ. "The merit of Christ," says he, "is, of itself, sufficient to redeem every man from hell. It is "to be understood of a sufficiency OF ITSELF, without any <other concurring cause. All that follow Christ, being justified by HIS righteousness, shall be saved, as his offDr Alix observes, that Wickliffe rejects the doctrine of the merit of works, and falls upon those who say, that God did not ALL for them, but think that ‹ their merits help. "Heal us, Lord, FOR NOUGHT, says "Wickliffe; that is, for no merit of ours, but for thy mercy." It has been already observed, and proved, that he had very high notions of that inevitable necessity, by which he supposed every event is governed. Yet, he did not enthusiastically sever the end from the means. Witness his own words: "Though all future things do happen necessarily, "yet God wills that good things happen to his servants "through the efficacy of prayer." Upon the whole, it is no wonder that such a profligate factor for popery and arminianism, as Peter Heylin, should (pro more) indecently affirm, that "Wickliffe's field had more tares, than wheat; "and books more heterodoxies, than sound catholic doc"trine." See Toplady's Historic Proof.

Whatever Walsingham and Knighton have advanced in prejudice of Wickliffe, is sufficiently contradicted by letters testimonial given by the university of Oxford, in 1406, in his behalf, and sealed with their common seal; wherein it is said, that his conversation, from his youth to his death, was so praise-worthy and honest in the ‹ university, that he never gave any offence, nor was he aspersed with any mark of infamy or sinister suspicion : But that in answering, reading, preaching, and determin ing, he behaved himself laudably, as a valiant champion of the truth, and catholicly vanquished by sentences of holy Scripture all such as by their wilful beggary blasphemed the religion of Christ. That this doctor was not convicted of heretical pravity, or by our prelates ⚫ delivered to be burnt after his burial. For God forbid that our prelates should have condemned a man of so great probity for an heretic, who had not his equal in

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* Ibid. p. 134.

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• all the university in his writings of logic, philosophy, divinity, morality, and the speculative sciences.'

As Doctor Wickliffe was very diligent and frequent in preaching, and reading his divinity lectures; so he wrote and published a great many tracts, of which Bishop Bale has given a particular account. They are two hundred and fifty-five in all, of which thirty-two are preserved in Trinity College, and C. C. C. Cambridge; five in Trinity College, Dublin, four in the Bodleian Library, two in the Cotton Library, and three in the King's Library. Most of them are theological; but some are philosophical; fortyeight are in English, and the others are in Latin. Besides these, there is a volume of English tracts said to be wrote by Wickliffe; some of which are yet extant. He is said to have wrote two hundred volumes, besides his translation of the Bible into English, a fair copy of which is in Queen's College, Oxford, and two more in the university library. It was done no doubt in the most expressive language of those days, though sounding uncouth to our ears; the knave of Jesus Christ, for servant; and Philip baptized the gelding, for eunuch: So much our tongue is improved in our age

His opinions were misrepresented by his adversaries; but he was protected by many powerful friends, and his doctrine was embraced by the greatest part of the kingdom. King Edward III. the princess dowager of Wales, the duke of Lancaster, the queen of Richard II. the earlmarshal, Geoffry Chaucer the father of English poetry, and lord Cobham, who dispersed Wickliffe's works all over Europe, were his patrons and friends. From such a noble

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* Romans ix 11-21. Whanne thei weren not ghit borun, neithir hadden doon ony thing of good, eithir of yvel; that the purpos of God "schulde dwell bi eleccioun, not of workis, but of God clepying; it was "seid to him, that the more schulde serve the lasse: as it is writun, I louwde 'Jacob, but I hátide Esau. What therefore schulen we seie? wher wic"kidnesse be anentis God? God forbede. For he seith to Moises, I schaf “have mercy on whom I haqe mercy, and I schal ghyve merci on whom I "have mercy. Therefore, it is not neither of man willynge, neither rennynge; but of God hauynge mercy. And the scripture seith to Farao, "For to this thing have I styrrid thee, that I schewe in thee my vertu, and "that my name be teeld in al erthe. Therefore, of whom God wole, he hath mercy; And whom he wole, he endurith. Thanne seist thou to "me, What is sought ghit, for who withstondith his will? Oo man, what "art thou that answerist to God! Wher a maad thing seith to him that "made it, What hast thou maad me so? Wher a pottere of cley hath not power to make, of the same gobet, oo vessel into onour, anothir into dispyt!" Lewis's edition of Wickliffe's Transl. N. Test.—Lond. 1731. Folio.

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fountain the stream ran strong, and was soon increased for many eminent divines, noblemen, and other persons of, distinction, embraced the new doctrine; which constantly gathered ground, notwithstanding it was violently opposed by the priests, who raised bloody persecutions against the Wickliffites in the reigns of Richard II. Henry IV. and. Henry V.

The number of those who believed in the doctrine of Wickliffe multiplied like suckers growing out of the root of a tree. After a time, the secular and ecclesiastical powers were combined to suppress its growth; and archbishop Arundel, in convocation, condemned eighteen of Wickliffe's conclusions, twelve years after his death. Acts of parliament were made against the Wickliffites, and many of them were burnt for heretics. The books of Wickliffe were prohibited to be read in the universities: And, in 1416, archbishop Chichely set up a kind of inquisition in every parish to discover and punish the Wickliffites; by which cruel and unchristian methods the great and good John, lord Cobham was burnt for heresy; and he was the first nobleman whose blood was shed in England, on account, of religion, by popish barbarity. Fox asserts, in his acts. and monuments, that the two famous poets of that time, Gower and Chaucer, were Wickliffites, and that they covered their opinion very ingeniously, and by way of parable, in their writings; adding likewise, that, by the exposition of those writings by such as had the key, many were brought into Wickliffe's persuasion. Chaucer died in the year 1400, and Gower some time before.

The infallibility of the pope was opposed to the doctrine of Wickliffe; and the council of Constance, on the fifth of May, 1415, condemned forty-five articles, maintained by Wickliffe, as heretical, false, and erroneous. His bones were ordered to be dug up, and cast on a dunghill: But this part of the sentence was not executed till 1428, when orders were sent by the pope to the bishop of Lincoln to have it strictly performed. The remains of this excellent man were accordingly dug out of the grave, where they had lain undisturbed four and forty years. His bones were burnt, and the ashes cast into an adjoining brook called the Swift, which springs near Knaptoft in Leicestershire. Such was the resentment of the Romish Church on the memory of him, who was called the first English Lollard*. Cambden

*The sect of the Lollards, spread throughout Germany, had for their leader WALTER LOLLARD, who began to disperse his doctrines about the

year

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