Chapter 8
Trial at Lambeth Palace

On the Spiritual level John Wycliffe was growing in leaps and bounds. Despite the fact that the Roman Catholic clergy were continuing to threaten anyone who associated with him with excommunication (which meant eternal damnation), many new followers were being added to the reformer. Wycliffe found that he could not keep silent regarding the truth of God’s word, and especially now as he further delved into the differences between Roman dogma and what the Holy Scriptures actually taught. This man, who had started out as a devout Roman Catholic, was quickly becoming Protestant in theology.

There were those of his close friends who advised him to keep quite about certain issues they knew he was about to raise. He probably felt a little like the prophet Jeremiah who said, “His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:9), or maybe the apostle Paul when he wrote, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Since he could not agree to retract, old friends like Thomas Winterton, who had followed him for some time, now responded to his treatise on the Eucharist were stated, with his own work entitled ‘Absolution’. In this he considered the reformer’s theology to be full of errors and heresies.

As soon as he began to speak out against the Mass it seemed that all Hell broke loose upon him, for he was attacking the primary pillar of the Church. All such reformers knew that if Transubstantiation can be disproved then the whole of the papacy must crumble. One day, while he was teaching his students on this very subject, a messenger sent by the Archbishop entered the room, and read out a sentence of condemnation. Even John of Gaunt, who was of liberal religious ideas, reprimanded him for attacking the Mass, for he, despite his opposition to the clergy, actually loved the pomp and ceremony of the Church. As we would expect from any prophet of God, he did not compromise the truth for the sake of friendship and personal protection. Instead he replied to both the Archbishop’s Sentence of Condemnation and the Duke’s cowardice with, “Since the year of our Lord one thousand all the doctors have been in error about the sacrament of the altar, except, perhaps, it may be Berengar of Tours. How can you, O priest, who are but a man, make your Maker? What! the thing that grows in the fields, that ear which you pluck today, shall be your God tomorrow! Since you cannot create that which He has made, how can you make Him who created all things? Woe to this adulterous generation that believes the testimony of [pope] Innocent rather than the gospel.” He had come to put all of his trust in the Lord, and he knew that God alone was his defence. If he had to stand alone, then he was prepared to do so.

When Pope Gregory’s Bulls finally arrived in England, the clergy took the opportunity to set about silencing Wycliffe once again. There were three Bulls in all. These were addressed to King Edward III, Oxford University, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Since Edward was dead by this time his Bull was nullified. The one sent to Oxford was rejected since the University did not want to silence one of its greatest sons. Only the Bull sent to the Archbishop was acted upon immediately.

In April 1378, John Wycliffe was ordered to appear before the Archbishop in Lambeth Palace. The accusations levelled against him were the same as on previous occasion, though now there was the added charge of heresy regarding his rejection of transubstantiation. Knowing that the man standing before him had many influential friends, the ecclesiastical judges proceeded with much more caution and fear than before. An immense crowd had gathered outside, and they made it very clear to the presiding bishops that they were going to stand by their hero.

Just as the trial was getting underway, Sir Lewis Clifford brought a message before the judges. The message came from the Queen mother, Joan of Kent (widow of the Black Prince and a friend of Wycliffe), forbidding them to pass sentence upon him. They were dumbfounded. The shock of receiving such a letter just as they were about to get into full swing in their condemnation of the reformer, was evident on their faces. It appeared as though someone had taken the tongues out of their mouths, for they sat there for some time looking at each other with total amazement. Eventually, when they recovered their composure, they still could not find the right words to express their feeling and were too fearful to rebuke Wycliffe further. Such an important friend as this was according to the providence of God, and His timing was perfect!

To save face they had agreed on a pretence of a trial without actually condemning him, but this gave Wycliffe a great opportunity to make his position clear as he responded to their charges. The reformer spoke forthrightly with the knowledge that the bishops could not open their mouths in objection. He used this valuable time to explain his beliefs in some detail. He also handed the judges a copy of his written defence in which he declared the following:

    1. The pope of Rome has no political authority.
    2. All popes are sinners just as other men and need to be reproved.
    3. The pope has no right to the national resources of England.
    4. Priests have no power to forgive sins.
    5. Neither the pope nor his priests have the power of excommunication.
    6. The Church is a plunderer of the world’s goods.
    7. No tithes should be paid to Rome.
    8. The Mass was blasphemous.

By expressing his views he was attacking the supposed supremacy of the papacy over temporal and spiritual matters. He, as we would say, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, boldly and earnestly explained why reform was necessary if the Church were to be truly called by Christ.

The trial closed with a vain attempt to recover some honour for the judges. The Archbishop admonished Wycliffe and commanded that he should cease from teaching such things. He laughed at this suggestion and immediately went outside to preach even more fervently.

Chapter 9 The Two-Headed Beast