The papal thunders were soon hurled against him . Three bulls were dispatched to England , -- to the university , to the king , and to the prelates , --all commanding immediate and decisive measures to silence the teacher of heresy . ( Augustus Neander , General History of the Christian Religion and Church , period 6 , sec . 2 , pt . 1 , par . 8 . See also Appendix .) Before the arrival of the bulls , however , the bishops , in their zeal , had summoned Wycliffe before them for trial . But two of the most powerful princes in the kingdom accompanied him to the tribunal ; and the people , surrounding the building and rushing in , so intimidated the judges that the proceedings were for the time suspended , and he was allowed to go his way in peace . A little later , Edward III , whom in his old age the prelates were seeking to influence against the Reformer , died , and Wycliffe ' s former protector became regent of the kingdom .
But the arrival of the papal bulls laid upon all England a peremptory command for the arrest and imprisonment of the heretic . These measures pointed directly to the stake . It appeared certain that Wycliffe must soon fall a prey to the vengeance of Rome . But He who declared to one of old , " Fear not : . . . I am thy shield " ( Genesis 15:1 ), again stretched out His hand to protect His servant . Death came , not to the Reformer , but to the pontiff who had decreed his destruction . Gregory XI died , and the ecclesiastics who had assembled for Wycliffe ' s trial , dispersed . God ' s providence still further overruled events to give opportunity for the growth of the Reformation . The death of Gregory was followed by the election of two rival popes . Two conflicting powers , each professedly infallible , now claimed obedience . ( See Appendix notes for pages 50 and 86 .) Each called upon the faithful to assist him in making war upon the other , enforcing his demands by terrible anathemas against his adversaries , and promises of rewards in heaven to his supporters .
This occurrence greatly weakened the power of the papacy . The rival factions had all they could do to attack each other , and Wycliffe for a time had rest . Anathemas and recriminations were flying from pope to pope , and torrents of blood were poured out to support their conflicting claims . Crimes and scandals flooded the church . Meanwhile the Reformer , in the quiet retirement of his parish of Lutterworth , was labouring diligently to point men from the contending popes to Jesus , the Prince of Peace . The schism , with all the strife and corruption which it caused , prepared the way for the Reformation by enabling the people to see what the papacy really was . In a tract which he published , On the Schism of the Popes , Wycliffe called upon the people to consider whether these two priests were not speaking the truth in condemning each other as the anti-christ . " God ," said he , " would no longer suffer the fiend to reign in only one such priest , but . . . made division among two , so that men , in Christ ' s name , may the more easily overcome them both ." --R . Vaughan , Life and Opinions of John de Wycliffe , vol . 2 , p . 6 .
Wycliffe , like his Master , preached the gospel to the poor . Not content with spreading the light in their humble homes in his own parish of Lutterworth , he determined that it should be carried to every part of England . To accomplish this he organized a body of preachers , simple , devout men ,
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