The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 81

In the fourteenth century arose in England the “morning star of the
Reformation.” John Wycliffe was the herald of reform, not for England
alone, but for all Christendom. The great protest against Rome which it
was permitted him to utter was never to be silenced. That protest opened
the struggle which was to result in the emancipation of individuals, of
churches, and of nations.
Wycliffe received a liberal education, and with him the fear of the
Lord was the beginning of wisdom. He was noted at college for his
fervent piety as well as for his remarkable talents and sound scholarship.
In his thirst for knowledge he sought to become acquainted with every
branch of learning. He was educated in the scholastic philosophy, in
the canons of the church, and in the civil law, especially that of his
own country. In his after labors the value of this early training was
apparent. A thorough acquaintance with the speculative philosophy of
his time enabled him to expose its errors; and by his study of national and
ecclesiastical law he was prepared to engage in the great struggle for civil
and religious liberty. While he could wield the weapons drawn from the
word of God, he had acquired the intellectual discipline of the schools,
and he understood the tactics of the schoolmen. The power of his
genius and the extent and thoroughness of his knowledge commanded
the respect of both friends and foes. His adherents saw with satisfaction
that their champion stood foremost among the leading minds of the
nation; and his enemies were prevented from casting contempt upon the
cause of reform by exposing the ignorance or weakness of its supporter.
While Wycliffe was still at college, he entered upon the study of
the Scriptures. In those early times, when the Bible existed only in the
ancient languages, scholars were enabled to find their way to the fountain
of truth, which was closed to the uneducated classes. Thus already the
way had been prepared for Wycliffe’s future work as a Reformer. Men

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