Page 8 - 05 John Wycliffe

Scriptures, the force of his reasoning, the

purity of his life, and his unbending courage

and integrity won for him general esteem and

confidence. Many of the people had become

dissatisfied with their former faith as they

saw the iniquity that prevailed in the Roman

Church, and they hailed with unconcealed joy

the truths brought to view by Wycliffe; but

the papal leaders were filled with rage when

they perceived that this Reformer was

gaining an influence greater than their own.

Wycliffe was a keen detector of error, and he

struck fearlessly against many of the abuses

sanctioned by the authority of Rome. While

acting as chaplain for the king, he took a bold

stand against the payment of tribute claimed

by the pope from the English monarch and

showed that the papal assumption of

authority over secular rulers was contrary to