A Complete and Compendious Church History, Chapter 32
The Devils 2d. Deſign againſt the Lollards, Defeated by God.
CHAP. XXXII.
THe Devils 2d. particular Deſign (being the 2d. part of the 30th. Plot) was againſt the Lollards, the Followers of Wickcliffs Doctrine. Now the Devil being Diſappointed of his 1ſt. Game, (ſtill the more he Stirs, the more he Stinks, and Sticks faſt too, for hereby he had much Enlarged the Tents of the Church) Ventures upon a 2d. Game againſt Wickliff, (as he had againſt Waldus.) The Suppoſed 2d. Angel, Rev. 14. 8. a moſt eminent Engliſh Divine, and Doctor of Divinity in Oxford, who with a moſt Acute Wit, and a Gracious Spirit, Wrote many Volums againſt the lying Doctrines of the Romiſh Church in the 13th. Century, whereby the Church of Chriſt (though much Enlarged, yet much Subjected and kept under, and in obſcurity by the Univerſal Perſecution of the Waldenſes,) was much Revived, not onelyonly in this Land, but alſo beyond-Sea, John Hus and Jerom of Prague ſtanding up in the 14th. Century to Defend the Doctrine of Wickliff, (ſo much Decryed by the Romiſh Rabble.) This was Occaſion enough to Rowze the Roaring Lyon or Dragon, the Devil, whoſe Kingdome of Darkneſs was not able to bear any ſuch Shining Light, becauſe his Deeds are Evil, Joh. 3. 19. Hereupon he Stirs up his Eldeſt Son the Pope, who Hires Thomas Waldenſis to write againſt Wickliff, and the Popiſh-Prelates in England to perſecute Him, and to Baniſh him into Bohemia, where John Hus and Jerom of Prague had the Happineſs (as well as Hap) to Read His Writings againſt Popery, and ſo became (both) great Zelots for Reformation: Upon this, the Romiſh Fry of Fryars, &c. (like a Neſt of Hornets with their Venemous ſtings, ſlye at them, and Burn them, and Wickliff's Books (becauſe his Body was out of their reach) with them: Yet that Fiery Pope Martin the 5th. had not the Flames of his out-ragious Folly quenched by all this, but Wickliffs Bones muſt be Digg'd out of his Grave, (after he had layn in it One and Forty Y.) and muſt be Burned (as if they had all been Hereticks) by this Popes Decree. ☞ Oh the Sublime Folly of this Romiſh Rage, thus to Diſquiet the Body of him whoſe Soul was at Reſt with God, and to nick-Name his many Learned Diſciples (he left behind him) Lollards, as if they had been (no better than) Tares, Cockle or Darnel, (as the Word ſignifies) and themſelves (then moſt lewdly Wicked) as pure and clean Wheat, Cujus Contrarium Verum. Notwithſtanding all this, God ſtill gets this Game from the Devil likewiſe; 'tis marvelous how the Lord was putting a Spoke into the Popes Wheel when it was in its faireſt and faſteſt paſſage and progreſs, as appeareth in divers Divine Teſtimonies: The (1) was, Though Wickliff had moſt Potent Foes, as Prelats, Pope, and Devil; yet had he more Potent Friends, as the Duke of Lancaſter, K. Edward the 3d. (who always protected him) yea, and God himſelf, by whoſe good Providence he was not onelyonly preſerved from bloody perſecutors, but alſo Recalled from his Exile, and Reſtored to his Place, where (after his doing much Good) he Dyed full of Days, and in his Neſt, (as Job ſaith) and not by the Hands of the Sons of Violence. The (2d.) was, when Pope Gregory the 11th. ſent his Roaring Bull to Oxford, wherein he Commanded them to Root out Wickliffs Tares, (as he call'd them) but the Maſters and Proctors having a long Debate whether this Bull ſhould be Received or Rejected, at laſt ('tis ſaid) that the whole Univerſity gave a Teſtimony (in Favour of him) under their Seal in the Congregation-Houſe, they not onelyonly Rejecting this, but many other Bulls from Rome. This very Humane Teſtimony held out a Divine one in ſuch a Day wherein Rome was in her Regency. The (3) was, when the Popiſh Prelat of Canterbury, held a Convocation at London, for Condemning Wickliff's Doctrine as Heretical; and being all come together for that purpoſe, juſt as they were falling upon the Debate, God ſent ſuch a Dreadful Earth-quake, as they (Affrighted with it) Deſiſted from that Wicked Enterprize and Departed. The (4) was, As God had kept Alive the Coeleſtial Live Coal of the True Religion from being quenched in England ever ſince the firſt Plantation of the Goſpel Here, by his Raiſing up Worthy Inſtruments in the worſt of Times all along until Wickliff, (as I ſhow in my Diſcovery of Antichriſt, Ch. 16.) for the Vindication of the Truth; ſo this Live-Coal was blown up into a bright Flame (which did but Smoak before) by this bold Preacher of the Everlaſting Gospel, (ſee my Diſcovery of Antichriſt, pag. 82. 83. more of this,) and that Gospel (this 2d. Angel Preached) hath indeed been Everlaſting hitherto, for though Pope and Devil (with all their Princes, Prelats, and People) have Conjoyned their furious Blaſts, yet could they never be able to Blow out the Light, for the Lord hath ever held his own Hand betwixt it and them: that Bleſſed Doctrine did take ſuch Deep Root in the Hearts of the Elect then, and doth ſo now, that as Men and Devils never could, ſo they never ſhall ſuppreſs it in England. The (5) was, by Wickliff's means the Pope loſt his long Uſurped Power of Impoſing what Biſhops he pleas'd upon England, his great Gain of Peter-Pence, and of Tenths out of every Spiritual Promotion, our K. Edward the 3d. was too Wiſe to admit of any ſuch Intruſion and Encroachments. The (6) was, As Wickliff's Miniſtry was ſo exceeding Succeſsful in this Land, bringing ſo many to the Obedience of the Truth, that ſome thought that Day to be the firſt Reſurrection; ſo it was a means of Reformation in other Lands, for our Rich. the 2d. then Marrying Ann of Bohemia; as this Queen Taught our Women Modeſty, in Riding on Side-Saddles, ſo in Exchange, they Taught Bohemia Religion out of Wickliff's Works, for there John Hus and Jerom of Prague Lighted their Candles at our Torch. The (7th.) was, Though the Devil and all his Black Bands did their Utmoſt to blow out this Candle, (thus Lighted) and to Run down the followers of it, yet God ſent them Valiant John Ziſca to comfort them, by Working mighty Deliverances for them: and when after Ziſca's Death, Pope Martin the 5th. ſent a great Army to ſuppreſs them, then did God ſtrike this Popiſh-Army with ſuch a panick Fear at the Approach of thoſe poor Orphans, (as they ſtiled themſelves at Ziſca's Death) that they all fled from the Siege of Miſna, (before they ſaw the Faces of …hoſe Godly Orphans) leaving all their Engines of War, and a great Booty behind them: and when the Emperor Sigiſmund, (the Popes Creature) to Retrieve the Popes Credit (loſt by the ſhameful flight of his Army) Raiſes a vaſt Army of 40000 Horſe (beſides Foot) againſt them: Then was that Word made good, [In thee the Fatherleſs findeth Mercy, Hoſ. 14. 3. and that Word, [I will not leave you foreign, Orphans, Fatherleſs, or Comfortleſs, Joh. 14. 18. for God fought from Heaven for thoſe poor Orphans, ſtriking the prodigious Hoſt of their Enemies with a moſt prodigious Fright that they all run away (at the very Report of the Proteſtants approach) without ſtaying to ſtrike one ſtroak, and being ſpeedily purſued, became a very great prey to the purſuers. Theſe Two Signal Teſtimonies from Heaven, did ſo Aſtoniſh the Pope and Emperor, that they afterwards fall upon ways of Fraud (when the way of Force failed) to ſuppreſs them; and though by that Method and Means they were much run down, yet God Raiſed them up again, by Raiſing up Undaunted Luther, (the 3d. Angel, Rev. 14.9.) that Thunderbolt againſt the Pope, who lighted his Candle at John Hus's Book, (ſent to him by ſome Bohemians, when he was in ſome ſtrait,) This Candle gave light to all Germany. ☞ Mark here what an Honour hath God put upon this our Land in this Bleſſed Pedigree of Reformation, wherein Germany may be Reckon'd for the Son, Bohemia for the Father, but England for the Grand-Father; inaſmuch as Luther received light from John Hus, and he from our Wickliff: * May not this Encourage us? that 'tis a Land our God careth for, Deut. 11. 11. and that He will yet have ſome Honourable Respect for us, having more Honour from his People here, than in any other Land; and notwithſtanding our Unworthineſs, may we not Hope, God will look more at his own Cauſe and Glory, than at our Folly and Iniquity, otherwiſe the ſame ſad Calamities may overtake us the Grand-Father, (that have over-taken both the Son and the Grand-Son) and that by the Fag-end of this 3d. Plot, or Game, which the Devil and the Pope began to lay and play as ſoon as this 3d. Angel (Luther, a Boanerges or Son of Thunder) Sounding with ſo loud a Voice, had Awaken'd them, Rev. 14. 8, 9. God gave him a mighty Heroick Spirit (every way Accompliſh'd with Grace, Learning, and Courage for a Goſpel-Champion) to Preach Damnation (not ſo much to thoſe that receive the Name or Number of the Beaſt, (for 200 of them may follow Antichriſt, as they did Abſolom, in the Simplicity of their Hearts, knowing nothing of his Treaſon, 2 Sam. 15. 11. but) to all thoſe that Receive his Mark, pronouncing the Word [Damn] with ſuch an Emphaſis, (as our Mr Perkins did) that it left a Doleful Eccho in his Auditours Ears a long time after, inſomuch that like another Sampſon, he pull'd down ſome of the Pillars of Babylon, and made Babels Whore (with all her Bald-Pate Panders, even Roar for very Anguiſh,) gnaſh their Teeth, and gnaw their Tongues for Intollerable Pain.